Regulating Anxiety by Restoring the Body’s Ultradian Rhythms

Healing Anxiety through Natural Rhythms

Anxiety can be regulated by restoring ultradian rhythms, a non-pharmacological approach grounded in long-standing healing traditions and supported by physiology. Ultradian, as in “many times a day”, is the internal biological clock that functions, oscillating rhythmically to balance levels of energy reserves and restoration.

Anxiety disorders have increased over the years, now affecting more than 300 million people worldwide, or about 4.05% of the global population (Javaid et al., 2023). The increased prevalence make it the most common mental health condition in the world (World Health Organization, 2025). The standard treatment often includes pharmaceutical interventions, which can be harmful and disruptive to your natural system and its healing rhythms. Alternatively, turning to the ultradian rhythm as a way to support the nervous system draws on practices long established within traditional healing systems.

The Indigenous understanding of wellness links the balance of body, mind, spirit, community, and environment, and not the sole objective to reduce symptoms. The honoring of natural cycles, such as day and night, seasons, ceremony, and rest, fits more closely within holistic frameworks of healing, a modality much more aligned than medications alone. The intentional integration of ultradian rhythms is one nonpharmacological way to restore some of that balance, especially where anxiety is bound up with PTSD and intergenerational trauma.

The mind/body has a natural rhythmic healing response via the ultradian rhythm, the 90- to 120-minute cycle of rest and activity that occurs within the larger 24-hour circadian rhythm. 

Body Rhythms

Rhythm Type	Timescale	Key Functions
Ultradian	90-120 minutes	This cycle corresponds to the shifts in natural brain hemispheric dominance that occur every 90 to 120 minutes, and these shifts correspond to nasal dominance. Influences energy, focus, and rest.
Circadian	~24 hours	24-hour cycles that regulate sleep and are governed by the HPA axis, which controls cortisol production and release.
Infradian	>24 hours	Biological cycles longer than 24 hours, ranging from days to years, including the menstrual cycle and seasonal rhythms influenced by changes in sunlight exposure (Coskun, Zarepour, & Zarrabi, 2023).

Brain hemispheres and nasal dominance

During a 90-minute (ultradian) cycle, one hemisphere of the brain is more active, and the opposite nostril is more “open” (less congested) than the other. 

Werntz (1981) demonstrated that the “open” nostril correlated to the opposite side of the brain during its dominance phase and thus were “windows” that revealed the phase of rest/activity—or parasympathetic/sympathetic oscillations—of the brain hemispheres (Rossi, 1986) at any point in time. 

Linking science and yoga pranayama

This observation provided an important physiological link to the ancient science of yoga pranayama, which is based on nostril-specific breathing methods to alter consciousness, mediated in part by the activation of either the right or left hemisphere. 

This discovery also provides insight into healing mechanisms of trance, hypnosis, and meditative states. 

The word pranayama comes from the root word prana , meaning “life force.” More than just oxygen, it is considered the force of Spirit: the breath of the gods and goddesses. Apparently, Anaximenes, a Greek philosopher of the sixth century BCE , held a similar view, suggesting that as our souls, being air, hold us together, so breath and air embrace the entire universe. In Spanish, the words espiritu and respirar mean “spirit” and “to breathe,” respectively, and are linked to “inspiration.” The Hebrew mystics call it ruach , the Chinese call it chi , and the Greeks call it pneuma ( pneumon , meaning “lung”). 

Prana is said to flow through the body in channels called nadis, which correspond to acupuncture meridians. The main nadis are the ida , the pingala, and shushumna, in relation to the caduceus. In yoga, the ida (yin) corresponds to the left nostril and the right hemisphere of the brain. Pingala (yang) corresponds to the right nostril and left hemisphere.

Breath, mind, and autonomic nervous system

According to yoga scholars from the 2nd century BCE , “If you control the breath, you control the mind.” Gaining control of the breath via specific exercises is central to regulating the ANS. Pranayama and other breathing exercises provide a foundation to self-care and the restoration of rhythm. 

Practical ways to restore ultradian rhythm

These strategies provide simple ways to tune into your ultradian rhythms to help reduce anxiety, improve focus (and productivity), and overall wellness. 

Tune into your cycles of energy

1. Even when breathing is not the focus of restoring the ultradian rhythm, a simple 20- to 40-minute rest period once or twice a day when the body asks to stop all activities is advised.
2. Notice peaks and dips throughout the day.
3. Use the periods of more energy for the demanding tasks and reflect/take rest during periods of low-energy.

Light and Environment

1. The morning sunlight helps to regulate the natural rhythm.
2. Bright light during the day boosts alertness, and conversely, evening supports relaxation.
3. Calm and restful spaces will support cycles of activity and recovery.

Meals and Hydration

1. Eat at consistent times to support energy levels.
2. Small, mindful meals throughout the day complement natural fluctuations.
3. To sustain steady physiological cycles it’s important to stay hydrated. 

Movement and Breath

1. During low-energy periods, gentle movement and stretching can help restore focus and balance.
2. Breathwork, including yoga and breathing exercises synchronize with natural cycles to calm the nervous system and ease anxiety.
3. Try to align activities with energy peaks to support mood and performance.

Pause and Reflect

1. Take time to pause, meditate, journal, or engage in other creative, expressive activities to help reset energy between cycles.
2. Intentional rest allows for recovery and supports mental clarity–this means not powering through during periods of depletion and drinking caffeine, instead, rest, allow for recharge, and perform better when cycles come back around, and feel better.

Anxiety is often seen as something to suppress or a symptom to diminish, using constant stimulation or pharmacological force to override the system. It is rarely viewed as a signal or meaningful information from a system under strain. Reorienting our treatment approach for anxiety by restoring relational balance shifts the healing process to work with the body’s natural cycles of activity and rest and supports autonomic regulation.

Adapted from Rhythms of Recovery by Dr. Leslie Korn, this blog draws on her expertise.