Biorhythms

Facilitators may sometimes notice participants making a quick exit from a session 60-90 minutes after beginning, or becoming sleepy in the morning or after eating. This may result in some facilitator introspection such as, “Did I say something offensive?” or, “Am I boring them?” or “They were so focused and productive before lunch – where’s that team energy and drive gone?” Estroff Marano (2004) noted that “Many of the functions of your body and brain are set to operate in cycles of roughly 90 minutes each. And, going with the flow of biorhythms helps you maintain motivation and attention for whatever the task at hand.” She added information from an interview with Dr. Roseanne Armitage “that every 90 minutes, we need to take a mental break because otherwise, our concentration, memory and learning ability start fading.” This type of short cycle is referred to as an ultradian rhythm and it may range from 20 to 120 minutes in length (Rossi et. al., 1992). It is related to circadian rhythms that Pobojewski (2007) referred to as “changes in physical activity, metabolism, hormone production, cell activity, organ function and body temperature – that rise and fall at fixed intervals over roughly a 24-hour period.” (p. 14). She quoted from an interview with Dr. Jimo Borjigin as saying, “Jet lag’s symptoms are caused by the fact that the body’s rhythmic cycles all readjust at different rates…the sleep/wake rhythm may adapt within three to four days, but the body temperature cycle may take six days…Until all these rhythms are resynchronized to the new time zone, your body won’t feel right.” (p. 16). Differences in individual biorhythms may result in some participants being more focused and attentive in the morning while others are more alert in the afternoon.