What is the Circadian Rhythms?

What is the Circadian Rhythms? Are daily behavioral or Physiological cycles. Daily circadian rhythms involves the sleep/wake cycle, body temperature,blood pressure,and the blood sugar levels. For example, body temperature fluctuate about 3degrees Fahrenheit in a 24hour day peaking in the afternoon and reaching its lowest point between 2am and 5am. Circadian means conforming to 24hour cycle. It means daily. Researchers have discovered that the body monitors the change from day to night by means Suprachiasmatic nucleus a small brain structure that uses input from the retina to synchronize its own rhythm with the daily cycle of light and dark. Output for the the SCW allows the Hypothalamus to regulate daily rhythms such as temperature and hunger and the reticular formation to regulate daily rhythms of sleep and wakefulness. Although a number of biological clocks seem to be involved in regulating Circadian rhythms, researchers have found that the SCN is the most, Many individuals who are totally blind experience life long sleeping problems because their retines cannot dectect lights these people have jetlag and periodica insomnia. Because their Circadian rhythms often do not follow a 24 hour cycle. Short and long term consequences of sleep residisruption. In otherwise healthy adults short term consequences of sleep disruptions include increeased stress responsivity, somatic pain reduced quality of live emotional distress and mood disorders, and congitive memory, and performance deficites all cause mortalityis also increased in man and with sleep disturbance. How sleep loss threatens your health Harvard health A number of studies have linked to short-term sleep deprived with several one common causes of poor sleep, sleep apnea life threatening condition. Insomnia and daytime drowsiness common conditions of the associated with sleep problems include heartburn, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, musculosketaldisorders kidney disease, mental health problems, neurologial disorders respiratory problems and thyroid disease. Improve your daytime habits regardless of your sleep problems stick to a consistent sleep schudule, getting regular exercise, limiting your intake of caffein, achohol and nicotine and managing stress with translate into better sleep over the long-term. Concerns about future people’s well being and digital life, how ever as in all great technological revolutions digital life has and will all in all. Digital life is now threating our phychological economic. Five ways to fight slleep deprivation 1. drink caffeine only in the morning if you’ve a coffee lover, don;t fret. 2. Avoid mobile devices at night. 3. Wake up at a consistent time. 4.Stay away from sedatives. 5. Nap it off.

Brittany Zier

Brittany Zier

The circadian rhythm is essentially the body’s biological clock. It consists of cycles of eating, sleeping, body temperature, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. For example, in a twenty four hour period, the body’s temperature varies approximately three degrees farenheit. Reachch shows a small structure in the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN for short, uses input from the retina to sync the body’s rhythm with light and darkness. That is why most people sleep during the night and are awake during the day. Output from the SCN involves regulation of the hypothalamus to regulate daily rhythms such as temperature, hunger, sleep, and wakefulness. While this biological clock provides most people with more or less of a routine from day to day, there are some fallbacks. For example, people who live with blindness often have trouble with their circadian rhythm because they can not see light. The circadian rhythm can also become desynchronized meaning one’s routine can become off. This often occurs when people are traveling to different time zones, known as jet lag, changing work shifts, and insomnia. For example, say you are traveling from Los Angeles to New Jersey. Los Angeles is in a different time zone than New Jersey meaning when you would normally be waking up, you may be trying to go to sleep. Jet lag is the result of two or more body systems being out of sync. Usually as we are getting ready for bed, our body temperature begins to drop but in someone with jet lag, their body temperature may be rising when they are trying to go to sleep. Another system that may be out of sync could be the release of melatonin. Typically, our bodies release melatonin as we are going to sleep but in someone with jet lag, their body may be releasing melatonin as they are waking up. This can cause restlessness at night and grogginess during the day. In contrast, changing work shifts from nights to days or days to nights, and insomnia produce similar effects. For jet lag and changing work shifts, the body usually adjusts after a few days. Insomnia is often treated with sleep medications such as ambien.

On a related topic, sleep is vital for the health of all people. It is not clear why exactly sleep is important but there are multiple theories on why sleep is important such as sleep is needed to conserve energy, restore, replenish, and rebuild the brain and body, and for brain plasticity, which is the brain to change in response to experiences. Long term inadequate sleep can be very dangerous to one’s health and well being. It is recommended that adults get seven to nine hours of sleep a night however, the majority of adults fail to meet that amount. Lack of sleep can be problematic to one’s brain. Research shows lack of sleep leads to increased brain activity in the thalamus and prefrontal cortex which leads to reduced brain activity. When this happens, the brain must compensate and use different brain pathways for thinking. Lack of sleep can also cause added stress, anxiety, and depression, irritability, and an increased risk of heart disease and motor vehicle accidents. Sleep is vital for one’s health and while one bad night of sleep shouldn’t make a huge impact on one’s health, long term healthy sleep is vital.