Biorhythms are an attempt to make predictions on certain areas of a person's life based on simple mathematical cycles. Some feel that the study is simply pseudoscience and holds no more feasibility than chance while others believe in it religiously.

Biorhythms can best be described as inherent cycles that control our ambition, memory, coordination, temperament, endurance, memory and emotions among other things. Everyone has three separate fundamental biorhythm cycles, and each of those cycles has a certain purpose as well as a particular life cycle. The three biorhythm cycles are physical, emotional and intellectual. It is believed that our biorhythms shift sharply back to zero and switch polarity at the middle as well as the end of each cycle. The day that a cycle shifts its polarity is known as either a transitional day, critical day or caution day.

Whenever we feel off, are having a bad day or not our best, we may be experiencing a transitional day. We may find the day to be especially difficult and frustrating whenever two of our biorhythms are transitioning on the same day. Although triple transitions only happen every 7 to eight years, they are entirely possible.

A single lifetime of a person's physical biorhythm is completed in 23 days. This kind of biorhythm is thought to be the most dominant in men. Physical biorhythms dominate our hand-eye coordination, strength, sex drive, endurance, stamina, initiative, our metabolic rate, recovery from and resistance to illness. It is advised that a person either avoid or postpone any kind of surgery during physical biorhythm shifts and whenever they are having a bad physical cycle. If you are aware of this cycle, you'll be able to keep track of when you'll be ready to get up in the morning without even having your first cup of coffee. During the first half of this cycle you'll have an abundance of energy. This is known as a "discharge period," much like a battery discharges energy and uses up any stored energy that it might have. During the second half of the cycle our energy will start to wan and rather than going out we may instead want to stay in and read or catch a catnap throughout the day. Doctor's who believe in biorhythms feel that this is the ideal time for recuperation or therapy.

An emotional biorhythm lasts for 28 days. This type of biorhythm is believed to be most dominant in women. It rules over our emotions, sensitivity, mood, feelings, fantasy, sexuality, reactions, nerves, affections, temperament and sensation as well as our creativity. Writers and artists will be the most interested in the emotional biorhythm as they find that their muses are more "present" during peak days and seem to all but forget about them during the second half of the cycle. Rather than completely cease all forms of creation during the second half of this cycle, it may be a good time for reviewing, editing and outlining/planning the next project.

A person's intellectual biorhythm cycle lasts for 33 days. The intellectual cycle regulates our intelligence, alertness, mental reaction, logic, decision making, sense of direction, power of deduction, ambition and memory. This cycle is thought to be most closely related to secretions of the thyroid. Student and intellectuals will want to keep a close watch on their intellectual biorhythm cycles. The first half of the cycle is a great time for learning new information and concepts and creative thinking; this is a great time to begin new assignments or jobs. The second half of the intellectual cycle is when the brain seem to want to rest in order to properly absorb the deluge of new information. This seems to be a good time to review information and practice tasks that should be learned by rote.

There may be a reason that one week you're feeling your best and the next week you can feel your stretch of good luck start to putter out. Having a healthy biorhythm cycle can help you in various areas and aspects of your life if you are aware of them. Try to keep track of and measure when you are feeling your best physically, emotionally and intellectually. You just may surprise yourself with the results.

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