Waking up and eating at about the same time every single day is very beneficial to our body. Our brain work on a fundamental level. In every brain behind all the thoughts the emotion and the memories, there lies a subconscious measuring tool that’s been around for millions and millions of years. This tool is present in fish and wolves, in birds and monkeys, and is still present today in us, humans. So what does this measuring tool do? It has one job, a very important job.
It determines where we are in regards to everyone else around us. For example if you took 100 birds and you put all of them in a giant cage, each birds measuring tool would start analyzing its surrounding. It will ask itself how am I in relation to the other birds in this cage, am I near the top, am I near the bottom, which of these birds are above me, stronger than me, which of these birds are below me, weaker than me. This is often referred to as the dominance hierarchy, or the pyramid.
As much as we like to think that we’re so civilized, that we don’t rank or judge others, it is something we all still do on a subconscious level. This is because it’s actually necessary for our survival. For example you walked into a bar run bay a motorcycle gang and you’re unable to analyze your surrounding and realize that they are at the top of the pyramid in this bar and you start acting as if you were above the gang, trying to put them down with jokes, being cocky and loud. You’re basically screwed, they’re gonna beat you up.
It is crucial for us to determine our place in the pyramid and act the part. This measuring tool is constantly calculating where we are on the pyramid. It’s always looking at subtle body language, clues in the background and how others are interacting whit others to make this decision.
The effects your position on the pyramid has on you.
If you’re near the top of the pyramid then life is good. This means you’re healthy, you have power, you have access to foods, to potential mates, you don’t have to worry about getting bullied and you don’t have to worry about surviving another day.
Now, if you’re at the bottom of the pyramid, life isn’t so great. This means that you don’t have as much power which means you get all the secondhand stuff. The guys at top get the first pick and resources. This means you might not get enough food, you might have a harder time finding mates, you might be under attack from others who are higher than you in this pyramid and it’s a constant struggle, day bay day just to get by.
When you’re at the top of pyramid your brain will release more serotonin, this is a neurotransmitter that does a couple of things: improves your confidence, it makes you feel god and relaxed, you feel better and happier all around. Now when you’re at the bottom of the pyramid your brain will actually hold back on the serotonin.
This is mainly because you don’t have the luxury of relaxing and feeling good. You’re at the bottom of the pyramid and many, many things can go wrong at any moment. Somebody at the top could attack you, or you might have to fight with others at the bottom for food and other resources. This means that you have to be on alert all of the time, you have to be ready, and because of this your body will not release much serotonin.
Low levels of serotonin cause anxiety, depression, less confidence and it causes a tremendous amount of stress.
Most people know that higher levels of stress is a bad thing. Means a weaker immune system, makes you more impulsive which means you’re more prone to addiction and it even shortens your lifespan. The key things to take away from all of this is that it is imperative for us to get closer to the top of the pyramid, because being near the bottom, just isn’t good for you or your state of mind.
Now, what does any of these have to do with eating and waking up at the same time every day?
It turns out that our pyramid measuring tool, takes a variety of different things into account when determining where we stand on this pyramid.
One of the most important factors is consistency. This means doing the same things at the same time every single day. This is because consistency equals stability. It means we know what’s going to happen. When you’re waking up at the same time every day, when you’re eating food at around the same time every day, your mind can relax. It’s sort of like how habits work.
When you do the same cue routine for enough time, your brain starts to go on autopilot. It doesn’t have to be alert to accomplish the task, it doesn’t have to worry about being late to work or worry about what time you’re gonna eat today.
The more predictable and stable your life is, the more your mind can relax. The more your mind relaxes, the higher your measuring tool places you on the pyramid. The higher you are on the pyramid, the more serotonin is released in your body. The more serotonin that’s released, the less anxious and depressed and stressed you will.
If you want to change your life and feel much better, then you should first start by waking up and eating at around the same time every single day. Of course there are other ways we can increase our standing on the pyramid, but for now this is a perfect method to start with, by creating some stability and consistency in your life.