circadian-rhythm-optimizer

name: circadian-rhythm-optimizer description: "Analyzes circadian rhythm patterns, assesses chronotype (morningness-eveningness), provides light exposure protocols, optimizes meal/exercise/sleep timing windows, and supports jet lag recovery and shift work adaptation. Use when the user asks about their body clock, optimal daily timing, light exposure, jet lag, or shift schedules." version: 1.0.0 user-invocable: false allowed-tools: Read, Grep, Glob, Write, Edit metadata: {"openclaw":{"emoji":"☀️","category":"health"}}

Circadian Rhythm Optimizer

Analyzes circadian rhythm patterns and provides personalized timing optimization. Assesses chronotype via MEQ scoring, designs light exposure protocols, calculates optimal windows for sleep/meals/exercise/cognitive work, manages jet lag recovery plans, supports shift work adaptation, computes a Circadian Health Score (0-100), and tracks core body temperature rhythm correlation.

Capabilities

1. Chronotype Assessment

Use the reduced Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (rMEQ, 5 items) for quick assessment, or full MEQ-19 if user provides all answers.

rMEQ Scoring (5 items, range 4-25)

rMEQ Questions

1. Wake-up time preference (if entirely free to plan): 05:00-06:30 (5), 06:30-07:45 (4), 07:45-09:45 (3), 09:45-11:00 (2), 11:00-12:00 (1)
2. Tiredness in first 30 min after waking: Very tired (1), Fairly tired (2), Fairly refreshed (3), Very refreshed (4)
3. Time you feel your best: 05:00-08:00 (5), 08:00-10:00 (4), 10:00-17:00 (3), 17:00-22:00 (2), 22:00-05:00 (1)
4. Morning or evening person self-assessment: Definitely morning (6), More morning than evening (4), More evening than morning (2), Definitely evening (0)
5. Peak alertness if you went to bed at 23:00: Before 08:00 (5), 08:00-10:00 (4), 10:00-14:00 (3), 14:00-17:00 (2), After 17:00 (1)

Simplified Estimation

If formal questionnaire is not completed, estimate from behavioral cues:

• Natural wake time (no alarm) → midpoint of sleep = dim-light melatonin onset (DLMO) estimate
• DLMO ≈ mid-sleep - 7 hours (population average)
• Chronotype = Early if DLMO < 20:00, Intermediate if 20:00-22:00, Late if > 22:00

2. Light Exposure Protocol

Morning Bright Light (Circadian Advance)

Evening Light Restriction (Circadian Maintenance)

Light Exposure Schedule by Chronotype

3. Optimal Timing Windows

Based on chronotype and estimated DLMO, compute personalized windows.

Timing Offset Model

Define T0 = estimated habitual wake time. All windows are relative offsets:

Example Output (for wake time 07:00)

4. Meal Timing & Circadian Nutrition

Time-Restricted Eating (TRE) Windows

Meal Timing Principles

• Breakfast: Within 1-2h of waking; largest meal of the day for circadian alignment
• Lunch: T0 + 5-7h; moderate portion
• Dinner: ≥ 3h before bedtime; smallest meal; avoid high-glycemic foods
• Late eating penalty: Eating within 2h of bedtime delays melatonin onset by ~30 min and impairs glucose tolerance by ~17%

Nutrient Timing

5. Jet Lag Recovery Protocol

Jet Lag Severity Estimation

Recovery days ≈ (time zones crossed) × direction_factor
  Eastward: direction_factor = 1.0 day per zone
  Westward: direction_factor = 0.67 day per zone

Pre-Travel Preparation (3-5 days before departure)

Post-Arrival Protocol

Anti-Jet-Lag Meal Strategy (Argonne Protocol)

• Day -3: High-protein breakfast, high-carb dinner (feast day)
• Day -2: Light meals, low calorie (fast day)
• Day -1: Feast day (repeat day -3 pattern)
• Travel day: Fast until breakfast at destination time → strong zeitgeber reset

6. Shift Work Adaptation

Shift Types and Strategies

Night Shift Protocol

1. Before first night shift: Nap 2-4h in the afternoon
2. During shift: Bright light exposure (≥ 2,500 lux) during first half; dim light last 2h
3. Commute home: Wear dark sunglasses to avoid morning light
4. Sleep environment: Blackout curtains, 18-20°C, white noise
5. Anchor sleep: Keep ≥ 4h of sleep at the same time every day (including days off)

Rotation Recovery

Shift Work Health Monitoring

Flag increased risk for:

• Metabolic syndrome (meal timing disruption)
• Cardiovascular issues (chronic misalignment)
• Mood disturbances (serotonin/melatonin disruption)
• GI issues (eating during biological night)

7. Circadian Health Score (0-100)

Score = Sleep Timing(25%) + Light Exposure(25%) + Meal Timing(20%) + Consistency(20%) + Activity Timing(10%)

7.1 Sleep Timing Sub-score (weight 25%)

7.2 Light Exposure Sub-score (weight 25%)

7.3 Meal Timing Sub-score (weight 20%)

7.4 Consistency Sub-score (weight 20%)

Standard deviation of bedtime and wake time over last 7 days:

7.5 Activity Timing Sub-score (weight 10%)

Score Interpretation

8. Temperature & Circadian Rhythm

Core Body Temperature (CBT) Rhythm

• CBT minimum: ~2h before habitual wake time (most reliable circadian marker)
• CBT peak: ~T0 + 10-12h (late afternoon)
• Amplitude: ~0.5-1.0°C variation across 24h

Temperature-Based Optimization

Using Wearable Temperature Data

If wrist/skin temperature data available:

• Identify nadir (lowest point) → estimate CBT minimum
• Track nadir drift over days → detect phase shifts
• Flag: nadir shifting > 30 min/week suggests circadian instability

Output Format

Chronotype Assessment Report

## ☀️ Chronotype Assessment

### rMEQ Result
- **Score**: 14 / 25
- **Chronotype**: Intermediate (⚖️ Neutral)
- **Estimated DLMO**: ~21:30
- **Natural wake time**: ~07:30

### Your Optimal Daily Schedule
| Activity | Time Window |
|----------|------------|
| Wake | 07:00-07:30 |
| Morning bright light | 07:00-08:00 |
| Deep focus work | 09:00-11:30 |
| Cardio exercise | 13:00-15:00 |
| Strength training | 15:00-17:30 |
| Creative work | 17:00-19:00 |
| Last caffeine | Before 15:00 |
| Dinner | 18:30-19:30 |
| Light restriction | After 20:30 |
| Bedtime | 22:30-23:00 |

### Personalized Recommendations
- [Action] Get 30 min outdoor light before 08:30
- [Action] Set blue-light filter on devices after 20:30
- [Notice] Current bedtime (00:30) is 1.5h later than optimal — shift earlier gradually (15 min/3 days)

Jet Lag Recovery Plan

## ☀️ Jet Lag Recovery Plan

### Trip Details
- **Route**: Beijing (UTC+8) → London (UTC+0)
- **Direction**: Westward, 8 zones
- **Estimated recovery**: ~5.4 days

### Pre-Travel (3 days before)
| Day | Bedtime Shift | Light Strategy | Meal Shift |
|-----|-------------|---------------|-----------|
| Day -3 | Delay 30 min | Extra afternoon light | Delay dinner 30 min |
| Day -2 | Delay 60 min | Extra afternoon light | Delay all meals 30 min |
| Day -1 | Delay 90 min | Avoid early morning light | Shift to destination timing |

### Post-Arrival Protocol
| Day | Light Seeking | Light Avoiding | Sleep Target | Key Actions |
|-----|-------------|---------------|-------------|------------|
| Day 1 | 14:00-18:00 local | 06:00-12:00 local | 23:00-07:00 local | Short nap OK ≤ 20 min |
| Day 2 | 12:00-18:00 local | Before 10:00 | 23:00-07:00 | Eat meals at local times |
| Day 3+ | Morning OK | Normal | Normal | Should feel improved |

Weekly Circadian Report

## ☀️ Weekly Circadian Report (MM-DD ~ MM-DD)

### Circadian Health Score: 72 / 100
| Dimension | Raw | Sub-score | Weight | Weighted |
|-----------|-----|-----------|--------|----------|
| Sleep Timing | Within 45 min | 80 | 25% | 20.0 |
| Light Exposure | ~20 min morning | 70 | 25% | 17.5 |
| Meal Timing | 12h window | 80 | 20% | 16.0 |
| Consistency | SD=35 min | 65 | 20% | 13.0 |
| Activity Timing | Near optimal | 75 | 10% | 7.5 |
| Social Jet Lag | 1.5h | -2.0 | -- | -2.0 |
| **Total** | | | | **72.0** |

### 7-Day Rhythm Map
| Day | Wake | Bed | Light (min) | Eating Window | Exercise | Score |
|-----|------|-----|------------|--------------|----------|-------|
| Mon | 07:00 | 23:00 | 30 | 08:00-19:00 | 16:00 | 82 |
| Tue | 07:15 | 23:30 | 20 | 08:30-20:30 | -- | 68 |
| ... | | | | | | |

### Patterns & Insights
- [Good] Morning light exposure improving (avg 25 min, up from 15 min)
- [Notice] Weekend bedtime 1.5h later than weekday → social jet lag
- [Alert] Dinner after 21:00 on 3 days → meal timing score dropped
- [Suggestion] Shift weekend bedtime 30 min earlier; set dinner cutoff at 20:00

Data Persistence

Daily File (memory/health/daily/YYYY-MM-DD.md)

## Circadian [circadian-rhythm-optimizer · HH:MM]
- Score: 72/100
- Bedtime alignment: Within 45 min of optimal
- Morning light: 25 min outdoor
- Eating window: 08:00-19:30 (11.5h)
- Last caffeine: 14:30
- Exercise: 16:00 (strength, within optimal window)

Item File (memory/health/items/circadian-rhythm.md)

---
item: circadian-rhythm
unit: score (0-100)
updated_at: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS
---

# Circadian Rhythm Records

## Profile
- Chronotype: Intermediate (rMEQ 14)
- Estimated DLMO: 21:30
- Natural wake time: 07:30
- CBT minimum (estimated): 05:30

## Recent Status
- Latest: Score 72, alignment fair (YYYY-MM-DD)
- 7-day average score: 74
- Social jet lag: 1.5h (weekday vs weekend midpoint)
- Trend: Stable

## History
| Date | Score | Wake | Bed | Light (min) | Eating Window | Exercise Time | Notes |
|------|-------|------|-----|------------|--------------|--------------|-------|
| 2026-03-10 | 72 | 07:15 | 23:30 | 25 | 08:00-19:30 | 16:00 | |
| 2026-03-09 | 78 | 07:00 | 23:00 | 30 | 08:00-19:00 | 16:00 | |

Write Steps

1. Glob memory/health/daily/ for the target date file; create if absent.
2. Read the daily file.
3. Grep ## .* \[circadian-rhythm-optimizer · for existing section.
4. Edit to replace existing section, or insert before ## Health Files if new.
5. Update frontmatter updated_at.
6. Read memory/health/items/circadian-rhythm.md (create if absent).
7. Update ## Recent Status (including 7-day averages) and prepend new row to ## History.
8. Remove rows older than 90 days.

Alerts and Safety

Medical Disclaimer

This skill is for health reference only and does not constitute medical advice. It does not diagnose circadian rhythm sleep disorders (CRSD) or replace clinical chronotherapy.

Consult a doctor if:

• Unable to fall asleep before 02:00 consistently (possible Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder)
• Waking before 04:00 and unable to return to sleep (possible Advanced Sleep Phase Disorder)
• Sleep-wake schedule is completely irregular with no pattern (possible Non-24-Hour or Irregular Sleep-Wake Rhythm)
• Shift work causing persistent insomnia, excessive sleepiness, or mood disturbance
• Jet lag symptoms persisting > 2 weeks after travel
• Severe daytime sleepiness affecting safety (driving, operating machinery)

Light Therapy Safety

• Contraindicated: Retinal conditions, bipolar disorder (may trigger mania without medical supervision), photosensitizing medications
• Caution: Bright light therapy should start at lower durations (10 min) and increase gradually
• Never: Look directly at light therapy devices; position at eye level but offset

Supplement Disclaimer

• Melatonin dosing mentioned in this skill is for informational reference only
• Melatonin timing is more important than dose (0.3-0.5 mg often sufficient)
• Do not combine melatonin with sedatives, alcohol, or immunosuppressants without medical advice
• Melatonin is a prescription medication in some countries (China, UK, Australia) — check local regulations