The Chinese organ clock is a well-established concept in Chinese culture. For them, there's no doubt that our organs are more active at certain times of the day than at others.
This organ clock can significantly impact our physical and emotional health. Living in alignment with it influences your energy levels and mood throughout the day.
But which organ is most active at which time? And what emotional and physical impact does it have at these times of day? Find answers to these questions and tips on how to live according to your organ clock here.
What is the organ clock?
Let's start at the beginning. The organ clock follows a 24-hour cycle in which twelve major organs alternate. During their active two hours, the organs function most efficiently. Exactly twelve hours later, that same organ enters a resting phase—and is therefore at its weakest .
For example: the stomach is at its strongest between 7:00 and 9:00 AM – the ideal time for a nutritious breakfast. Twelve hours later, between 7:00 and 9:00 PM, the stomach is at its weakest, and it's less advisable to eat a heavy meal.
By taking these rhythms into account, you not only support your digestion and physical health, but also your emotions and mental well-being.
The organ clock is an extension of the concept of "meridians." Each organ has its own meridian through which energy flows, regulating its activity. Read more about the 12 meridians here.
The 12 organ systems and their active times
Living strictly by your organ clock is incredibly challenging. I'd like to inspire you to apply some of this knowledge to the areas you find most interesting. This way, you can discover what has the most positive impact on your life.
Want to align your life with your organ clock and your work rhythm? Check out these tips .
Liver
Active hours: 1:00 AM – 3:00 AM
Rest period: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
The liver is most active in the early part of the night, physically and mentally detoxifying. Resting during these hours is therefore crucial for the liver's energetic function. The liver is linked to anger and frustration. If you often wake up around this time, it could indicate unresolved anger or an overloaded liver. The practical lesson? Make sure you get enough sleep during these hours and avoid alcohol or heavy eating late in the evening. Do you enjoy clubbing until the wee hours? Then you now know why you can sometimes be overcome by frustration and anger.
Lungs
Active hours: 3:00 AM – 5:00 AM
Resting phase: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Why do monks meditate so early? Because that's when their lungs function optimally! This early hour is ideal for meditation, where you can further stimulate your lungs with breathing exercises. But don't panic, it's also good to let your body experience this process during sleep. Emotionally, the lungs symbolize grief and the ability to let go. This is also why breathing sessions, accompanied by emotion and tears, can be a very natural process of letting go. The reverse also works. If you struggle with your breathing during the day, consider what is making you sad at that moment.
The resting phases of the liver and lungs can make you feel tired more quickly. To counteract this, you can drink plenty of water, take short breaks, or schedule light activities.
Colon
Active hours: 5:00 AM – 7:00 AM
Resting phase: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
The colon is responsible for elimination and helps you let go, both literally and figuratively. Getting up around this time can therefore make you need to go to the bathroom immediately. Psychologically, this organ represents decisiveness and clearing out emotional baggage. Is your bowel movement stagnant? Then check in with yourself to see if you're holding on to mental baggage. Stimulate the colon and start your day feeling light and clear. Start your day with a glass of warm water or a short yoga session, and use this time to cleanse your body and mind.
Stomach
Active hours: 7:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Rest period: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Time for a hearty breakfast. Your stomach is now optimally processing your food and converting it into energy. A strange counterbalance is that, emotionally, the stomach is linked to disgust. Feelings of fullness or even nausea can quickly arise because your colon has already had its most active period. Try to eat breakfast anyway to help these two organs stay in balance. Start small, and gradually eat a little more. You'll see that it ultimately contributes to your energy levels throughout the day—especially if you skip that early morning cup of coffee!
During the resting phases of the colon and stomach, it's oddly advised not to eat heavy food. This is inconvenient, as I think most of us eat our biggest meal of the day around these times. A tip for living with your organ clock is to choose easily digestible meals (soup, salad, rice, etc.) and combine them with a hot drink afterward to support your organs.
Spleen
Active hours: 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Resting phase: 9:00 PM – 11:00 PM
The spleen and pancreas convert nutrients into usable energy. So it's handy that they perform optimally after consuming our hearty breakfast ;). Mentally, the spleen supports your concentration and ability to reflect. This is the perfect time to maximize your productivity. Get a mountain of work done or join a workout class. Study, gain knowledge, write, or solve complex problems. Skipped breakfast? Then there are fewer nutrients to metabolize. You might start to worry or feel insecure. A short walk or a yoga class can help you regain focus.
Heart
Active hours: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Resting phase: 11:00 PM – 1:00 AM
The heart revolves around joy, love, and connection. It pumps blood and supplies your entire body with oxygen and energy. Around noon, your heart is at its strongest, and this is a good time for socializing. Schedule important conversations during these hours: you'll be more open, warm, and intense in your interactions with others. In love, too, this can lead to a deeper and more loving connection. On the other hand, if you've been hurt, you'll feel it most around noon.
It's wise to avoid intense activity during the resting phases of your spleen and heart. In both cases, mental fatigue can set in more quickly—both after too much productive and social stimulation. Have you ever overcome your fatigue? That's what's happening here.
Small intestine
Active hours: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Resting phase: 1:00 AM – 3:00 AM
The small intestine processes food, absorbs nutrients, and helps differentiate between physical and emotional states. Here, too, we see the benefits of nutritious food on our energy levels. It's a different, active time of day. In line with the liver's resting period, we see that light exercise and sufficient fluids can help optimize your emotional clarity and physical digestion. It's the time for daily tasks. But creativity also gets a free rein. Information gathered from the morning is filtered and can be processed into concrete ideas. Feeling insecure or vulnerable? Then the energy of the small intestine may be disturbed.
Bladder
Active hours: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Resting phase: 03:00 – 05:00 am
Do you ever experience the well-known 3:00 PM dip? Your bladder is active and flushes away a lot of fluid. The intersection of this active phase and the resting phases of the liver and lungs creates the perfect cocktail for an energy dip. But there's a simple solution: water, water, and more water. You can get stagnant energy flowing again by replenishing your fluids and salt levels, taking a short break, and moving around. All this helps to increase your mental resilience, even though you can sometimes get irritated by the smallest things during these hours - thanks bladder.
The resting phases of the small intestine and bladder occur during the night. They share one clear commonality: the need for rest, gentleness, and recovery. Give your body this.
Kidneys
Active hours: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Resting phase: 5:00 AM – 7:00 AM
The kidneys filter your blood and are considered the source of life energy in traditional Chinese medicine. To ensure sufficient energy, this is a good time for a nutritious but light meal. The emotion associated with a disruption in the kidney meridians is fear. Calm activities like yoga or meditation can help you reflect and discover the source of the emotion.
Blood circulation
Active hours: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Resting phase: 7:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Food has been optimally consumed and processed, the blood has been optimally filtered, and it's time to optimally distribute nutrients and energy throughout your body. Ideally, we now use this energy for bodily recovery. Emotionally, this hour is therefore about intimacy, love, and connection. This is the time to relax with a book, meditation, or a pleasant conversation with your partner or friend. Avoid large meals so your body can use its energy for recovery instead of digestion, and you can sink into relaxation.
The resting phase of the kidneys and circulatory system marks the beginning of the day. It's recommended to start the day calmly, warm up, and wake up. Then, from 7:00 AM onward, you can start the day feeling active and energetic. In the morning, you may feel more vulnerable and emotional. So stay connected to yourself and your needs.
Heater
Active hours: 9:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Resting phase: 09:00 – 11:00 am
The heater isn't a physical organ, but an energetic system. The key word for the heater is balance. It regulates the balance between the hormonal system and your metabolism, ensures a good balance between tension and relaxation, and restores balance between the organs. This is the transition to nighttime: a perfect time to turn off screens, tidy your bedroom, and start an evening ritual. If the heater struggles to balance your body, you might feel despondent. In that case, get a good night's sleep.
Gallbladder
Active hours: 11pm – 1am
Resting phase: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
The gallbladder helps digest fats and repair cells. From 11:00 PM onward, your self-confidence and ability to make decisions are boosted. However, you'll experience the physical and emotional benefits of a well-functioning gallbladder best if you sleep during this active period. Do you often sleep later than 11:00 PM? Then it's recommended to try to sleep before 11:00 PM at least twice a week.
The beginning of the workday is the resting phase of the heater and gallbladder. A feeling of imbalance, anxiety, or doubt can arise. On the other hand, if you channel these emotions effectively, it can contribute to increased productivity.
A holistic approach
An optimal rhythm with your body's clock ensures a balanced life. Both physically and emotionally, you understand certain feelings or behaviors. Energy dips during the day or a biological clock that wakes you up at the same time every night can indicate an imbalance in the organ in question. Listening to your body is the best thing you can do!
Don't accept this theory as the only truth. This is a holistic approach to health, potentially complementing Western classical medicine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is the Chinese organ clock?
The organ clock is a concept from traditional Chinese medicine that shows that each organ has a two-hour peak period during which it functions optimally. It helps you understand when your body is best able to perform certain processes.
How can I apply the organ clock in my daily life?
By aligning your eating, rest and activity times more closely with the active and resting phases of your organs.
What happens during the resting phases of the organs?
During resting phases, an organ is more sensitive and susceptible to overload. Therefore, it's important to make gentler choices during these periods, such as light meals, sufficient sleep, or a calm start to the day.
What role do emotions play in the organ clock?
Each organ is linked to an emotion. For example, sadness is associated with the lungs and anger with the liver. When an organ is out of balance, you can notice it in both your physical symptoms and your emotional state.
Is it really necessary to live strictly according to the organ clock?
Not necessarily. Making small adjustments, like planning a light dinner or a calm morning routine, is often valuable. Experiment and see what works for you, without having to turn your whole life upside down.