Why do you have energy all day and get tired by night? How does your body know this? Have you ever thought about it?
Circadian rhythms are the cause of these signals your body sends. They cause mood fluctuations, hormonal changes, appetite loss, hunger, depression, and fatigue, among other things. This post will teach you five fascinating facts about your body clock, how it works, and how it affects your lifestyle.
First, let us know what circadian rhythm is and what difference it makes in your life. To learn how exactly your body knows, keep reading until the end!
What Is A Circadian Rhythm?
Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles of behavioral, hormonal, mental, and physical changes in the body. This includes staying awake during the day, drowsiness at night, appetite, hormones, hunger, etc.
Circadian rhythms exist in all organisms. This is an endogenous process in all existing organisms. Also known as a biological clock, it works 24 hours a day like a clock in your home.
The hypothalamus is a small part of the brain that controls all circadian rhythms. All body parts have a biological clock. Every cell, from tissues to organ, have its biological clock.
The span of these clocks varies according to who they are for, like cells or tissues or hormones for the stomach, etc., at different parts of the day.
There are many examples of circadian rhythms, such as the body-temperature cycle, the sleep-wake cycle, and the cycles in which several hormones are secreted at different times of the day.
Circadian rhythm disorders are also a result of obesity, diabetes, depression, bipolar disorder, high blood pressure, and stress. One of the most known disorders is insomnia.
What Does Your Body Clock Tell You?
Body clocks are biological clocks that work 24 hours a day. Your body clocks tell a lot about your physical and mental health.
Everybody's clock has its own unique time zone. A body clock controls daily body rhythms like sleep, temperature, blood pressure, blood cell count, and sex drive. It manages everything your body is doing in the background or everything you are feeling at any given particular time.
Our internal clocks impact our attentiveness, appetite, metabolism, fertility, mood, and other physiological responses. As a result, clock disturbance has also been linked to many health issues, including fatigue, diabetes, and depression.
Even medicinal effectiveness has been attributed to our clocks, with studies at NIH suggesting that certain medicines may be more effective if administered early in the day.
Only a select group knows the significance of a biological meridian clock. When your body clock and the meridian clock are in alignment, your body and mind are more at ease.
Fact 1: The Body Clock Never Stops Ticking
Did you know that your body clock is always ticking? That is indeed right; I said it. A body clock is constantly working to ensure that it syncs with your everyday routine. It ensures that you go to bed and wake up simultaneously every day.
Feeling hungry at the same time every day and having a strong desire to have a sexual encounter on certain other evenings. Feeling fatigued when you have to work an all-nighter the next day to prepare for a test.
On a Monday morning, you were unable to have a positive stay. These are some examples of the biological clock's importance in a person's daily life. The body clock runs for 24.1 hours, longer than a day.
A meridian clock is like a model of how a real one should work. The meridian clock cycle doesn't change. If your circadian rhythm is not in the right balance, your body does not align with the meridian cycle.
By being mindful, you can reset your cycle by adjusting your exposure to the morning sun and evening.
To function correctly, each cell needs a biological clock. If it were to be disturbed, it would result in many other health problems.
A person can only be considered healthy if their body clock is in good operating order. A healthy lifestyle and biological cycle require a consistent sleep pattern. It offers its own set of advantages as well.
Fact 2: Every Part Of Our Body Is Tied To A Biological Clock
Biological clocks are natural time devices. They take care of the 24-hour cycle of circadian rhythms. They compose of molecules, mainly proteins.
Biological clocks influence every aspect of our bodies' functioning since they relate to every cell and organ at specific times. Our clocks affect our alertness, appetite, metabolism, fertility, emotion, and other physiological variables.
As a result, sleep deprivation is connected to a few health issues, including being overweight, diabetes, insomnia, and depression. Even pharmacological effectiveness has been linked to our clocks. Studies have discovered that some medications are more effective if given earlier in the day.
Below is a sample of how your biological clock works daily.
- 6-7 am – Cortisol Release.
- 7-9 am – The fastest increase in blood pressure.
- 9-11 am – High alertness.
- 11-1 pm – Midday
- 1-3 pm – Best coordination.
- 3-5 pm – Fastest Reaction time.
- 5-6 pm – Kidney
- 6-9 pm – Highest Body temperature.
- 9-11 pm – Highest Blood Pressure.
- 11-12 pm – Melatonin Production.
- Midnight – Midnight.
- 12-1 am – Deep sleep.
- 1-3 am – Lowest Body Temperature.
Fact 3: Master Clock - The Mastermind Behind Circadian Rhythms
A master clock in the brain keeps all biological clocks in a living organism in sync. The suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN, is a grouping of around 20,000 nerve cells (neurons) that serves as the master clock in invertebrate animals, including humans.
The SCN is housed in the hypothalamus, a brain area that receives direct input from the eyes.
The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is the central circadian pacemaker in animals and humans, coordinating with the light-dark cycle in the environment. The SCN comprises a variety of neurons, and intraneuronal interaction between them is critical for its circadian pacemaking.
Fact 4: Circadian Rhythms Determine Your Sleep
Daylight or darkness are direct factors that can affect these cycles and melatonin production. At night the body produces more melatonin, a hormone made in the body.
When it gets dark, the nerves in the eyes send direct signals to the brain to produce more melatonin. These factors make the body think that it's time to sleep.
That is how you get sleepy at a particular time at the same time you sleep every day irrespective of what you are doing at that time. And in the daylight, the nerves in the eyes send signals to stay wide awake.
So, when you hit the sun in the morning, the nerves in the eyes send direct signals to SCN. That is present in the hypothalamus, resulting in less melatonin production.
So, it regulates the melatonin and decreases its production resulting in being wide awake during the daytime. This is how the biological cycles are directly involved in your regular sleep cycles.
Fact 5: Circadian Rhythms Are To Blame For Your Jet Lag
You're probably aware that your body has a body clock. A difference in melatonin production tells you when to sleep and when to stay awake on this clock.
Melanin production is relatively weak throughout the day when there is more light, allowing the person to stay awake. And at night, when light exposure is shallow to zero percent, the hormone melatonin is produced at its highest level in the body's sleeping condition.
Traveling across multiple time zones can cause jet lag, a sleeping disorder. Jet lag is a condition that only lasts for a short time.
Your circadian cycles are disrupted when you travel more than two time zones. Because your body is still set to your native time zone rather than the one you have traveled to. Meal patterns and light exposure can both be critical indicators.
The circadian clock resets every 24 hours. As a result, jet lag can be detected and treated on one's own. It takes up to two days for someone to recover from jet lag. Fasting or light exposure can be used to manipulate the biological cycle.
To counteract the time difference, one can also stay up all night. These are a few helpful tips for overcoming jet lag.
FAQs
Now that you know the top five interesting facts about your body, let’s take a look at some frequently asked questions.
Is Our Body Clock Important For Our Health?
Yes. It is essential for your health. Your body clock handles more than only sleep or wakefulness. Immunity, Hunger, stress, alertness, mood, and heart function also work on a daily rhythm. Small changes like Jet lag shift change can disturb our standard patterns.
What Problems Can An Upset Body Clock Cause?
One of the acute symptoms of depression is sleeping very little and too much. Upsetting the natural body clock cycles can lead to problems. Studies state losing an hour of sleep has caused more workplace injuries and traffic accidents.
Can We Beat The Body Clock?
The answer is a resounding yes. You may manipulate your body clock in a few ways to fight it. This includes your food plan, as you will need to fast for 12-16 hours before waking up. Your biological clock will consider it a new day once you awake and eat your proper meals.
Wrap Up
Five amazing facts regarding your body clock will be revealed in this blog. Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles in the body that include behavioral changes, stress hormones, mentality, and physicality.
This includes how long you stay awake during the day, how quickly you fall asleep at night, and your appetite, hormones, and hunger. It's also known as a biological clock, and it functions 24 hours a day, just like a clock in your home. Your body and mind are more at ease when your body clock and meridian clock are in harmony and peace.
A healthy lifestyle and a well-balanced body clock are essential these days. It takes only a little energy and time to plan and start a healthy routine for a healthy lifestyle.
So, check out our Crafted Beds blog if you want to improve your sleep or know more about the various sleep disorders. In addition to selling the best furniture, mattresses, and other bedding accessories, we have plenty of informative blogs that will help you get to know about getting perfect sleep.
