Telling the time with your body clock
Chinese Medicine’s 24-hour body clock is divided into 12 two-hour intervals of energy (vital force) moving through our organs. It’s like housekeeping. Each organ is the most active or needs the most energy to function during a 2-hour period. If an organ is irritated it might wake you up, or you might have a big energy slump during the day or find it hard to focus. Knowing the Chinese medicine clock can help you to a more joyful productive and balanced life.
How do Traditional East Asian medicine organs compare to the Western concept of organs? Some physiological functions are similar, but not all organs align between the two systems. The pancreas, for example (which isn't included in the clock) is often associated with the spleen. Triple Burner is associated with temperature or the endocrine system.
The big distinction is that in Traditional East Asian Medicine, organs have mental, emotional, and spirit, based associations too. So, if an organ is out of balance there's often not anything physically wrong with that organ but there are emotional and other imbalances that you might spot, like excess irritation, trouble processing grief, or lots of anxiety, worry, or fear.
When daylight saving happens add or deduct the hour.
Do you find yourself waking up between 3–5am each morning?
There may be a few reasons for that. You should be asleep at this time, with your body nice and warm. This is the time when your lungs replenish the body with oxygen. If you’re awake, you may have a cold or flu, or something niggling in your lungs. Emotionally, you may be experiencing underlying grief or sadness.
If you feel anger or resentment, you may feel it strongest during the time of Liver, which is 1–3am, or if you experience back pain at the end of your working day, you could have pent up emotions of fear, or perhaps even Kidney issues.
The 24-hour body clock is built on the cyclical ebb and flow of energy throughout the body.
During a 24-hour period energy moves in two-hour intervals through the 12 major organs or meridians. During sleep, energy draws inward (yin energy) to restore the body. This phase is completed between 1–3am, when the Liver cleanses the blood, performing a myriad of functions that set the stage for energy moving outward (yang energy) again.
In the 12-hour period following the peak functioning of Liver, from 3am onward, energy moves to the organs associated with daily activity, digestion, and elimination: Lungs, Large Intestine, Stomach/Pancreas, Heart, Small Intestine.
By mid-afternoon, energy again moves inward, to support the internal organs associated with restoring and maintaining the system. The purpose is to move fluids, and heat, as well as to filter and cleanse, by the Pericardium, Triple Burner (coordinates, circulation, water functions and temperature), Bladder/Kidneys and the Liver.
5–7am is the time of Large Intestine, making it a perfect time to poo, removing toxins, and emotions, from the day before. It’s also the ideal time to wash your body and comb your hair. Some say combing your hair clears energy from the mind.
7–9am is the time of Stomach, so it’s important to eat the biggest meal of the day to optimise digestion and absorption. Warm meals, high in nutrition, are best in the morning.
9–11am is the time of Pancreas and Spleen, where enzymes digest food and release energy for the day ahead. Time to exercise and work. Do your most taxing tasks of the day. If out of balance, puffy ankles, reflux, bloating. Things are going in, not staying. If not hungry or nauseous, then out of balance. Be aware of emotions such as low self-esteem.
11–1pm is the time of Heart, pumping nutrients round the body, providing energy and nutrition. Eat lunch, a light, cooked meal. Having a one-hour nap or a cup of tea is also recommended. Feelings of extreme joy or sadness can hit you here.
1–3pm is the time of Small Intestine. It’s when food eaten earlier completes its digestion and assimilation. Go about daily tasks, or exercise.
3–5pm is the time of Bladder, when metabolic wastes move into Kidney’s filtration system. Study or complete brain-challenging work. Have a cup of tea or glass of water to detox.
5–7pm is the time of Kidney when blood is filtered, and kidneys maintain chemical balance. Have dinner and activate your circulation by walking, having a massage, or stretching.
7–9pm is the time of Circulation (Pericardium), when nutrients are carried to capillaries and cells. Time to read. Avoid doing mental activities. Good time for sex. Fertility.
9–11pm is the time of Triple Burner or endocrine system, where the body’s homeostasis is adjusted, and enzymes are replenished. Time for bed! The body needs to conserve energy for the following day.
11–1am is the time of Gall Bladder. Going through everything in your head. Rest so you wake feeling energised. In Traditional East Asian medicine, this period is when yin energy fades and yang energy flows. Yang energy keeps you active during the day and is stored when you sleep.
1–3am is the time of Liver when the body should be asleep. During this time, toxins are released from the body and fresh new blood is made. If you find yourself waking during this time, you could have too much yang energy, or problems with your liver or detoxification pathways.
3–5am the time of Lungs and again, the body should be asleep. The body needs warmth to help lungs replenish the body with oxygen.
Understanding that every organ has a repair/maintenance schedule to keep daily shows how to improve your health and well-being. Giving you clues where an organ system or emotion needs strengthening/resolving.
Make sure you think about the emotional aspect too. If you’re sleepy during kidney time, do you have any fears holding you back from reaching your true potential? Are you afraid of rejection? Failure? Addressing this emotion will strengthen the organ and improve your physical health.
Use your symptoms and body cues as a guide, and if you make a connection above, like you get sleepy between 5–7pm, don’t hesitate to find an acupuncturist to help. By the way, a great boost for kidneys is having a sweet potato for breakfast!
