Health Beyond the Blog: Lynne Peeples and “Our Inner Clock”

In the Health Storytelling Series, Lynne Peeples discusses her new book on environmental influences on circadian rhythm

by Alya Khoury

A trillion clocks are ticking inside you throughout the day. Every cell in your body is working on a schedule to regulate appetite, sleep, movement, motivation, and just about every other function of a daily routine. These powerful clocks, known as circadian rhythms, are influenced by the world around us.

Lynne Peeples explores the profound connection between our environment and our circadian rhythms in her new book Our Inner Clock. Peeples discussed what sparked her interest in the subject, her personal sexperiment, and how the results illuminated our complex relationship with time in an October 9 interview with Maryn McKenna in the Health Storytelling series.

Peeples first noticed her mood and energy levels would dip during the long, dark winter days as a high school student in Seattle. These fluctuations disappeared when she left Seattle for college, however, and she felt more focused and energized. It wasn’t until she returned to Seattle that she learned about a nearby sports stadium that installed lighting technology designed to optimize the circadian rhythms of the athletes. This discovery piqued Peeples’ curiosity: How do natural environmental cues shape our internal clocks?

She wanted to directly engage with her research question, rather than repeat the methods of other scientists. Peeples conducted a 10-day experiment by isolating herself from all external time cues in an underground nuclear bunker, locked away from sunlight, digital clocks, and other people. She began to feel a sensation similar to jet lag after 5 days — her mood dropped, her appetite shifted, and she became clumsier. This worsened by the end of her 10 days. In fact, once above ground, it took her about a week to return to feeling normal. Peeples’ experience clarified her understanding of the influence and importance of the environment on internal regulation.

Yet, modern life often puts us at odds with these natural rhythms. We stay indoors during the day, when sunlight is abundant, and we flood our eyes with artificial light from glowing screens at night, when darkness should signal rest. These conflicting signals can disrupt our circadian rhythms, leading to fatigue, poor sleep, and a jet-lagged feeling like Peeples experienced in the bunker.

Peeples suggests a simple, effective compromise, as a complete return to nature’s schedule might not be practical in today’s world. We can better align our bodies with the environment by embracing more daylight during waking hours and creating softer, natural transitions into the evening. Peeples found that enhancing the contrast between day and night — by maximizing sunlight exposure and winding down with candlelight — helped restore her energy and improve sleep quality.

Ultimately, Peeples and Our Inner Clock show us that modern life doesn’t have to derail our internal clocks. Small adjustments, like soaking up more sunlight during the day and cutting down on screen time at night, can help us realign with nature and boost our overall well-being. In the end, finding balance might be as simple as letting the sun lead and putting our phones aside.

The Inner Clock is available on Amazon and on Bookshop.org. The Health Storytelling Author Q&A series continues at 7m on Nov. 13 with journalist Lina Zeldovich discussing her new book, The Living Medicine: How a Life-Saving Cure Was Nearly Lost — and How It Will Rescue Us When Antibiotics Fail. To attend that and future events, RSVP here.