Intermittent Fasting as a Natural Rhythm — Not a Trend
Long before the term intermittent fasting existed, ancient systems like Ayurveda practiced this rhythm naturally.
Ayurveda emphasizes:
• eating when digestion is strongest.. mid day when sun is at its peak
• completing digestion before nighttime
• sleeping during the body’s peak repair and cleansing hours
Rather than skipping meals or restricting food, Ayurveda focuses on supporting digestive fire and circadian rhythm.
When eating ends earlier in the evening and sleep is prioritized, the body naturally enters an overnight fasting window.
This is fasting as a byproduct of aligning with your body’s natural rhythms.
Why Sleep Is Central to Detoxification
Sleep is one of the body’s most powerful detox mechanisms.
During deep sleep, the brain activates the glymphatic system — a specialized waste-clearing network responsible for:
• removing metabolic waste and toxins
• reducing inflammation
• supporting memory and emotional processing
• improving mental clarity
This system works best when digestion is complete.
Late-night eating diverts energy toward digestion instead of:
• brain detoxification
• nervous system repair
• hormonal regulation
• cellular renewal
This is why disrupted sleep is so often linked to brain fog, fatigue, and emotional imbalance.
Sleep— is active repair.
How Overnight Fasting Supports Whole-Body Cleansing
When the body is not constantly digesting, energy can be redirected toward repair processes such as:
• autophagy (cellular recycling and renewal)
• liver detoxification (processing toxins and hormones)
• gut repair (healing the intestinal lining)
• mitochondrial renewal (improving energy production)
When overnight fasting happens naturally — paired with deep sleep — these processes work together gently and efficiently.
But that’s the challenge people are having, getting the deep sleep to see results.
Once I consciously saw what I was actually doing, people began to tell me it was Intermittent Fasting.
Funny because I was just following nature’s protocol and didn’t attach a name to it.
So I dove into research about the science and physiology around this process that helped me release cortisol weight gain, brain fog and get my mental clarity back.
How This Showed Up in My Body
I didn’t set out to practice intermittent fasting.
What I noticed instead was that when I began eating earlier in the evening and prioritizing deep, consistent sleep, my body started changing on its own. I had a sleep experiment year that led me to everything you’re reading in Dream with Maria.
I approached sleep consciously.
I woke up.
My brain fog lifted.
My mornings felt clearer.
My energy stabilized — without restriction.
It wasn’t until someone pointed it out that I realized I had created a natural overnight fasting window. I wasn’t skipping meals. I was simply allowing digestion to complete so my body could rest, cleanse, and restore itself.
What stood out most was the mental clarity.
As my sleep deepened and late-night digestion stopped interfering, it became clear how profoundly sleep supports brain detoxification. The shift was noticeable — and sustained.
This experience reinforced what both Ayurveda and modern science now confirm:
When sleep comes first, the body knows how to heal.
I got out of my way.
I stopped over thinking how but entered a state of being before bed.
I’ve outlined the processes here..
If you’ve been chronically stressed, recovering from trauma or exhaustion and burnout you’ll understand why you’re tired
Benefits Across Major Systems
Brain & Nervous System
• enhanced nighttime brain detox
• reduced brain fog
• improved emotional regulation
• stronger stress resilience
Liver
• optimal nighttime detoxification
• improved metabolic and hormonal balance
• fewer sleep disturbances between 1–3am
Digestive System
• reduced bloating and inflammation
• improved gut lining repair
• better nutrient absorption
Cellular Health
• increased cellular renewal
• improved energy and vitality
• support for healthy aging
Why a Gentle, Sleep-First Approach Matters
Aggressive fasting without sleep support can increase stress hormones and disrupt hormonal balance — especially for women.
A gentler, sleep-first approach is far more effective:
• eat earlier in the evening
• allow digestion to complete before bed
• prioritize deep, consistent sleep
• let fasting happen naturally overnight
This supports the nervous system and allows detoxification without stressing the body out or keeping it storing fat or worse starvation.
Here’s What You Can Takeaway From This
Intermittent fasting works best when paired with sleep.
When paired with quality sleep, it becomes a natural rhythm that supports:
• brain detoxification
• hormonal balance
• digestive health
• cellular renewal
• mental clarity and stable energy
You’re not doing more. For those who are depleted already, that is too overwhelming.
Sleep is giving the body the space it needs to heal itself.
Sleep clears the mind.
Rest from digestion clears the body.
Night by night with alot fo patience and grace your energy returns and your sparkle.
Read article Why Eating Earlier Supports Deeper Sleep
