Why do so many immigrant mothers live tired, forgotten, and mentally overloaded?
“I feel like my brain doesn't work like it used to.”
This is a phrase I hear often from immigrant and expatriate mothers.
Why do many report forgetting where they put their keys, entering a room and not remembering what they went for, having difficulty concentrating, feeling their thinking is slower, and feeling tired, even after a full night's sleep?.
Furthermore, most people believe this is just a natural consequence of motherhood, aging, or the stress of immigration.
But there is another possibility.
Maybe the problem isn't a lack of discipline, a lack of organization, or a lack of willpower.
In other words, maybe your body is trying to function without the biological rhythm it was designed to follow.
The human body functions in cycles
We live in a culture that values constant productivity.
This is why we often try to do the same number of tasks every day, regardless of our energy level, schedule, or our body's needs.
But biologically, we weren't designed to function that way.
Precisely because the human body operates through natural rhythms known as circadian rhythms.
These cycles regulate fundamental functions such as:
- Sea and vigil
- Hormone production
- Digestion
- Body temperature
- Memory
- Concentration
- Humor
- Immune system
- Metabolism
So, there's literally an internal clock coordinating thousands of processes within the body.
When this watch functions properly, we feel more energetic, mentally clear, and emotionally balanced.
This way, when it is constantly interrupted, symptoms begin to emerge that we often consider “normal.”.
The cost of living against your biological clock
For many immigrant mothers, the daily routine can be an endless succession of responsibilities.
Many don't have family nearby.
Lack of a support network.
No time to rest.
As a result, the days pass in survival mode.
We slept later than we should have.
We eat at irregular times.
We skip meals.
We spend hours in front of screens.
We live in a constant state of alert.
Still, the body can compensate for this for some time.
But eventually he starts sending signals.
Among the most common are:
- Persistent fatigue
- Brain fog
- Memory failures
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Digestive changes
- Difficulty concentrating
- Binge eating
- Chronic inflammation
- Feeling constantly tired but unable to relax
These symptoms are not defects of the body.
In other words, they are messages.
What happens while you sleep?
In recent years, science has discovered something fascinating.
During deep sleep, the brain activates a system known as the glymphatic system.
This system works like a cleaning crew, removing metabolic waste and substances that accumulate throughout the day.
In other words, the brain literally performs a “clean-up” while we sleep.
In addition, during sleep, fundamental processes occur for:
- Memory consolidation
- Learning
- Hormonal regulation
- Physical recovery
- Emotional balance
Therefore, when we regularly sleep late or have fragmented sleep, these processes are compromised.
Thus, the result appears the next day in the form of forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, mental slowness, and fatigue.
What does Traditional Chinese Medicine teach us about the body's cycles?
Long before circadian rhythm studies existed, Traditional Chinese Medicine already observed that the body's energy follows predictable cycles over a 24-hour period.
This knowledge is known as the Chinese Medicine Organ Clock.
According to this theory, vital energy (Qi) circulates through different energetic systems at specific times.
Thus, each organ has a period of approximately two hours when its energetic activity is most intense.
For example:
- Lungs: 3 AM to 5 AM
- Large Intestine: 5 AM to 7 AM
- Stomach: 7 AM to 9 AM
- Spleen-Pancreas: 9 AM to 11 AM
- Heart: 11 AM to 1 PM
- Small Intestine: 1 PM to 3 PM
- Bladder: 3 PM to 5 PM
- Range: 5 PM to 7 PM
- Pericardium: 7 PM to 9 PM
- Triple Heater: 9 PM to 11 PM
- Gallbladder: 11 PM to 1 AM
- Liver: 1 AM to 3 AM
Therefore, from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the hours between 11 PM and 3 AM are especially important for the body's regeneration and restoration processes.
Because it is precisely during this period that the body should be in deep sleep.
On the other hand, when we repeatedly stay awake during these hours, we interfere with important physical and emotional recovery processes.
Routine is not just organization
Many women see routine as a productivity tool.
But maybe routine is something much more important.
Since it's a form of communication with the body.
Therefore, when we create relatively consistent schedules for sleeping, waking, eating, and resting, we send a message of safety to the nervous system.
Because the body stops living in a constant state of adaptation and can direct energy to repair, regeneration, and balance functions.
This doesn't mean living rigidly.
Quite the contrary, it means respecting human biology.
Small changes that help regulate your biological clock
You don't have to change your whole life at once.
Start with small steps:
- Try to sleep and wake up at similar times.
- Expose yourself to natural light in the morning.
- Eat meals at more consistent times.
- Reduce screen time before bed.
- Take breaks throughout the day.
- Prioritize rest as part of health care, not as a reward for productivity.
A body that has rhythm functions better
You may not be becoming forgetful.
Maybe I'm not getting lazy.
Much less that I am losing the ability to cope with life.
Perhaps your body is just trying to remind you of something that nature has always known:
Health flourishes when we live in harmony with our rhythms.
Because the more we respect our body's internal clock, the more energy, mental clarity, and vitality we can cultivate throughout our lives.