Reset Your Gut Clock: A Morning Routine for Energy | Dr. Will Bulsiewicz
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Physicians Committee
4.9 β’ 3.5K Ratings
ποΈ 12 February 2026
β±οΈ 55 minutes
ποΈ Recording | iTunes | RSS
π§ΎοΈ Download transcript
Summary
Your gut has a clock β and most people are completely out of sync.
In this episode of The Exam Room Podcast, Chuck Carroll sits down with gastroenterologist and three-time bestselling author Will Bulsiewicz to explain how circadian rhythm controls gut health, inflammation, energy, and even your bowel movements.
You'll learn why mornings matter more than sleep alone, how cortisol actually helps your gut when it's timed correctly, and how light, movement, and meal timing send powerful signals to your microbiome.Β
Dr. B breaks down groundbreaking research showing that circadian disruption can flatten microbial diversity, weaken the gut barrier, and drive inflammation even without changes in diet.
If you wake up tired, bloated, anxious, constipated, or wired-but-exhausted, this episode explains why β and what to do about it.
π§ In this episode:
- How circadian rhythm affects digestion, immunity, and inflammation
- Why morning light is the strongest signal for gut health
- How jet lag, shift work, and irregular mornings disrupt the microbiome
- The ideal morning routine to support gut motility and energy
- Why consistency matters more than perfection
π Order Plant Powered Plus
π https://amzn.to/49jRDcz
π§ The Gut Insiders Podcast
π https://www.youtube.com/@theguthealthmd/podcasts
π Support The Exam Room Podcast & PCRM
π https://bit.ly/SupportExamRoom
- About Us -
The Physicians Committee is dedicated to saving lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research. We combine the clout and expertise of more than 17,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of more than 175,000 members across the United States and around the world.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Today, on the exam room. |
| 0:05.5 | Think about this. |
| 0:07.0 | Your genetic code actually flips on and off at specific time points in the day. |
| 0:11.3 | In fact, about half of your genes are going on or off to help you to be the best version |
| 0:17.4 | of yourself throughout the course of a day. |
| 0:20.6 | Every single cell in your body is |
| 0:22.4 | trying to function optimally for what your needs are. And if they have an itinerary, if they know |
| 0:28.9 | here's the calendar, here's what we got planned out today, they could meet you there and basically |
| 0:34.4 | serve their purpose as well as possible. But your microbes are doing that too. |
| 0:39.9 | The research has shown that about 60% of our microbes are rising and falling at specific |
| 0:46.2 | time points during the course of the day. |
| 0:48.4 | So the point is that if you could teach your body what to do at what time, all of these |
| 0:54.1 | different systems, |
| 0:55.0 | your genetic code, your individual human cells, and even your microbiome will meet you there. |
| 1:01.8 | And this is how we achieve optimal function. And that actually in itself is anti-inflammatory. |
| 1:15.4 | Welcome to the exam room podcast, brought to you by the Physicians Committee. |
| 1:20.8 | Hi, I'm Chuck Carroll, raising health IQs coast to coast and around the world. |
| 1:22.1 | Hi to the exam room. |
| 1:27.9 | He's listening in Denver, Colorado, Savannah, Georgia, and Christchurch, New Zealand. |
| 1:32.1 | Wherever you are, we appreciate you helping to make the world a healthier place. |
| 1:37.5 | This is episode 12 of season 9, number 711 overall. |
| 1:41.2 | 7-Eleven, man, back in the day, I loved me a slurpy. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Physicians Committee, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Physicians Committee and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright Β© Tapesearch 2026.

