The invisible rhythm that keeps us alive.
Actualizado: 23 sept
Everything in life has a rhythm. The light that rises each morning, the silence that settles at night, our heartbeats that never stop. Nature LOVES rhythm.
Flowers know this. They open when the sun calls them… and close to rest when darkness falls. The hibiscus is a perfect example. Its bloom is brief, intense, almost fleeting. Sometimes it lasts just a single day. But in that moment, it expresses its entire life cycle: TO OPEN, TO SHINE, AND TO WITHDRAW.
This movement is not random. It is called nyctinasty. A natural response to changes in light. Plants open and close their petals thanks to internal biological clocks that respond to external signals such as light and temperature. Microscopic changes in the turgor of their cells allow this gesture to happen — something so simple… and yet so profound at the same time.
And although it may not seem like it, your body does exactly the same thing.
Inside your brain there is a tiny structure called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, located in the hypothalamus, just above where the optic nerves cross. It is your master biological clock. It doesn't see images or interpret thoughts. It detects just one essential thing: whether it is day… or night.
When light enters through your eyes, the SCN receives the message and sets the rhythm for your entire body. It coordinates sleep, body temperature, hormone release, and the activity of every organ and every cell. It is like the conductor of an orchestra, synchronising all the body's internal clocks so that the melody remains harmonious.
When night falls and the light disappears, the SCN triggers the production of melatonin. Melatonin doesn't simply help us sleep. It is a deeper signal travelling throughout the body, saying: “Now it's time to repair, now it's time to clear away, now it's time to renew.”
While you sleep, your brain expands, clears away waste that has accumulated throughout the day and protects itself from wear and tear. Sleeping is not wasting time. Sleeping is healing.
Just as the hibiscus closes to preserve its energy, your body needs the night to maintain its inner balance.
It is the same principle.The same rhythm.The same dance between light and shadow.
But something has changed…
We live surrounded by artificial light, screens glowing until the early hours, forced schedules, lives moving too fast.
Our internal clock begins to believe that it is always daytime. Melatonin is suppressed, our rhythms are disrupted. And when we lose our rhythm… fatigue appears, brain fog, disconnection, illness.
Like a flower being forced to bloom before its time.
Nature never rushes. It never fights against time. Flowers don't force themselves to bloom. They rest when it is time to rest… and that is why they can open again.
The parallel is clear: nyctinasty in plants and the SCN in humans are expressions of the same universal principle. Life is organised in cycles, and we are all connected to them.
The message is simple:
We were not made to live against the clock, but in sync with it.
Seek the light in the morning.Respect the darkness at night.Listen to your inner rhythms.
Because when you return to your natural cycle… you don't just sleep better.
You bloom again.
Hi! :) —> If you'd like to hear a little more about how our circadian rhythms work, watch this video! (Spanish)
Apasionante, interesante, me encanta todo !!!
Te sigo con mucho interés. Bsss