Ultradian Rhythm: Understanding Your Brain's Built-in Work-Rest Timer

Use your brain’s hidden work-rest cycle for peak performance

You know about circadian rhythms. Those 24-hour cycle that make you sleepy at night.

But there's another pattern running under the hood that most people ignore. It's called an Ultradian Rhythm, and it's been controlling your focus since before your first thought.

Most companies structure work around arbitrary blocks that made sense during the Industrial Revolution. But your brain isn't a factory machine.

Every 90 minutes, whether you like it or not, your brain moves through:

• High-frequency brain activity (peak performance)

• Neurotransmitter release (focus fuel)

• Information processing (learning and memory)

• Neural repair (mental maintenance)

Microsoft's research found forcing focus beyond these natural cycles leads to:

• 40% spike in errors

• 35% drop in creative problem-solving

• Stress markers that look like an ECG during a horror movie

And yet what do we do? Schedule back-to-back meetings like biological rhythms are just a suggestion.

So how exactly does this work? Let’s dive: