The Inner Clock: Living in Sync With Our Circadian

How the groundbreaking science of body clocks can help you sleep better, feel happier and improve your overall health


Your body contains a symphony of tiny timepieces, synchronised to the sun and subtle signals in your environment and behaviour. But modern insults like artificial light, contrived time zones and late-night meals can wreak havoc on your internal clocks.

Armed with advances in biology and technology, a circadian renaissance is reclaiming those lost rhythms. The Inner Clock explores the emerging science and its transformative applications: How could taking a walk in the morning and going to bed at the same time each night keep your body in sync? Why are some doctors prescribing treatments at specific times of day? And how might a better understanding of our circadian rhythms improve educational outcomes, optimise sports performance, and support the longevity of our planet?

Science journalist Lynne Peeples seeks out the scientists, astronauts, athletes and patients at the forefront of a growing movement. Along the way, she sleeps in a Cold War-era bunker, chases the midnight sun, spits into test tubes, and wears high-tech light sensors to decipher what makes our internal clocks tick and how we can reset them for the better.

Review

The Inner Clock explores the strange new science of why your circadian rhythms fall out of sync - and how to get them back on track to live a happier, healthier life -- James Nestor, bestselling author of BREATH

I stayed up all night reading this book! . . . I enjoyed every minute -- Mary Roach, bestselling author of FUZZ and STIFF

A fascinating exploration of the unseen and often overlooked forces that determine so much about our moods, behaviours and health. The Inner Clock paints an elaborate picture of the ways our physiology evolved to function in harmony with the rhythms of the world around us -- James Hamblin, author of CLEAN and IF OUR BODIES COULD TALK

Lynne Peeples takes us on a fascinating journey through the science of circadian rhythms, revealing how our bodies' tiny timepieces shape every aspect of our lives. But she doesn't stop with description. She also makes a powerful case for changing our ways - for reclaiming the natural rhythms that modern life has disrupted. The Inner Clock is captivating, perceptive, and, yes, timely -- Daniel H. Pink, New York Times bestselling author of WHEN

A captivating exploration of light and dark, our peculiar biology, and the powerful, invisible rhythms of our waking and sleeping lives -- Deborah Blum, Pulitzer-prize winning author of THE POISON SQUAD

You may not realize it until you read this smart, lucid book, but your body clocks are ticked off. Fortunately, it's not too late for a reset. An essential guide to a fascinating and underappreciated aspect of human biology -- Dan Fagin, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning TOMS RIVER

Lynne Peeples is a masterful and entertaining guide to a topic whose importance we're only now beginning to appreciate -- Alex Hutchinson, bestselling author of ENDURE

About the Author

Lynne Peeples is a freelance science journalist, specializing in the environment, public health and medicine. She holds a M.S. in Biostatistics from Harvard and an M.A. in Science Journalism from New York University. Her writing has appeared in Huffington Post, Nature, Scientific American and The Atlantic, amongst others. A 2020-2021 MIT Knight Science Journalism fellow and a finalist for the 2018 National Association of Science Writers long-form reporting award, she lives in Seattle, Washington.