Practically all vital processes in nature go through a cycle. The simplest example of a cycle is the change of seasons. Every year, all living things experience four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Another example is the full rotation cycle of our planet around the sun. One such rotation lasts a year. Or a full rotation of the Earth around its axis, forming a day.
Certain cycles also occur in our body. Why does the human body need sleep? Or what awakens him? What is circadian rhythm? The human body is subject to a 24-hour cycle. The most important thing in this cycle is the change of sleep and wakefulness. This process is automatically regulated by the brain.
The concept of circadian rhythm
Circadian rhythms are a change in the intensity of biological processes occurring in the human body throughout the day. In other words, it is such a biological clock inside the body. It is impossible to knock down their rhythm, as this is fraught with various diseases of the psyche and vital organs.
Circadian rhythms normally create circadian balance. That state whena person feels great, is called circadian balance.
With circadian balance, a person feels physically he althy, he has a great appetite, a great mood, his body is rested and full of energy. The person is at his own pace. But when the circadian balance is out of balance, the circadian rhythm is disturbed, it leaves its mark on the he alth of the body.
Manifestation of circadian rhythms
Everyone has probably noticed that they feel more efficient, energetic and full of vitality and energy at certain hours of the day and more exhausted, lethargic and sleepy at others. It has to do with biological rhythms. About 20 thousand neurons in the hypothalamus are responsible for the work of the biological clock in the human body. It is still not known exactly how these “clocks” work. However, scientists are sure that for the normal functioning of the body, their work must be clear and coordinated, the circadian rhythm of the heart must always be normal.
On average, human mental activity has two peaks: 9:00 am and 9:00 pm. Physical strength peaks at 11:00 am and 7:00 pm.
The sleep-wake cycle
The constant change of day and night is a cycle that directly affects the state of the human body, its circadian rhythm. The cycle of night and day, responsible for the process of changing sleep and wakefulness. The course of many processes in the body, its normal functioning and ability to work depend on the “sleep-wakefulness” cycle.
Insufficient amount of sleep can cause a decrease in concentration, a drop in working capacity. In the absence of a full-fledged he althy sleep, intellectual functions deteriorate, metabolic processes in the body are disrupted. This is not all that disruption of the circadian rhythm of sleep is fraught with for the body. It is also fraught with early aging of the brain, mental disorders and even schizophrenia.
The effect of daylight on circadian rhythms
When the sun goes below the horizon, the light level drops. The human visual system sends signals to the brain. It stimulates the production of a hormone such as melatonin. It helps to reduce human activity. Melatonin relaxes a person, makes him feel sleepy.
And vice versa, when the sun appears on the horizon, a signal is sent to the human brain to increase illumination. Melatonin production is on the decline. As a consequence, the activity of the human body increases.
Other stimuli also take part in regulating the sleep-wake cycle. For example, taking a shower or bath, the usual wake-up call, going to bed, lying down and any other habits.
Sunrises and sunsets
Scientists believe that getting up early at dawn and going to bed after the sun goes below the horizon will make the work of the biological clock clear and coordinated.
It is for this reason that late dawn and early sunset in winter often leads to the fact that people feel sleepy,lethargic and sluggish. This is a normal reaction of the body to daylight. The biological clock of a person cannot tune in to normal work. Daily circadian rhythms are disrupted and various he alth problems arise.
The same decrease in mood, a drop in activity and a feeling of impotence are experienced by people who live in conditions of polar night or when cloudy, rainy weather lasts for a very long time.
Human Chronotypes
Human circadian rhythms are still being researched. Scientists have suggested that there are three main chronotypes of the human body.
The first chronotype includes "larks" - people of the morning type. They wake up early, with the sunrise. The next morning and the first half of the day falls the peak of their cheerfulness, ability to work and cheerfulness. In the evening, "larks" are sleepy, they go to bed early.
The second chronotype includes people of the evening type. They call them "owls". Owls behave in the opposite way to larks. They go to bed very late and hate waking up in the morning. In the morning, "owls" are drowsy, lethargic, and their performance is extremely low.
Morning owl sluggishness can be accompanied by a headache. Their efficiency increases only in the second half of the day, more often even after six in the evening. There are times when the peak performance of the "owl" falls at night.
The third chronotype is people with fluctuations in the intensity of physiological capabilities throughout the day. They are called "pigeons" or, in other words, arrhythmics. Such people fallfrom one extreme to the other. They can work equally effectively both during the day and in the evening.
"Larks", "owls" or "doves" are people born, or do they become so? The answer to this question has not yet been found. However, many studies have been conducted that prove the existence of a relationship between the chronotype and the type of human activity. For example: employees in most cases are "larks". Mentally working people are "owls". And people of physical labor are "pigeons". That is, it turns out that a person is able to adjust his biological clock himself, to adapt to his rhythm of life. The main thing is not to harm yourself.
Causes of Circadian Rhythm Failure
Disturbance of circadian rhythms can occur for various reasons. The most basic and common causes of biological clock failure:
- Shift work.
- Pregnancy.
- Long trip, flight.
- Medication use.
- Various lifestyle changes.
- Crossing other time zones.
- Owl Syndrome. People with this chronotype prefer to go to bed very late. For this reason, they have difficulty waking up in the morning.
- Lark Syndrome. This chronotype is characterized by early awakening. Such people have difficulty when there is a need to work in the evening.
- When changing to summer or winter time. Many people during this period have a decrease in efficiency, increased irritability, impotence, apathy. Andthe transfer of arrows to winter time is transferred more easily than to summer time.
- People who like to spend the night at the computer are also at risk of circadian rhythm failure.
- Night work is very stressful for the body. At first, this may not be felt, but every day fatigue accumulates, sleep worsens, work capacity decreases, apathy occurs, which can be replaced by depression.
- Unforeseen situations where day and night change places.
- New mothers often suffer from the fact that her circadian rhythms do not match the rhythms of the child. Often in children, the main sleep takes place during the day, and at night they sleep for small periods of time. These children are said to have confused day and night. Mom, in this case, naturally, cannot sleep. This is where the mother's severe circadian disruption comes in.
Regulation of circadian rhythms
A person should be able to adapt to any schedule, because life can provide many surprises that can be displayed extremely negatively on the work of the biological clock. Here are some tips that can help support a person's circadian rhythms:
- If a person has a flight, then from east to west it is better to choose a morning flight, and from west to east - on the contrary, evening. At the same time, before flying in a westerly direction for five days, you should try to go to bed a couple of hours later. To the east, on the contrary - a couple of hours earlier.
- In the same way, going to bed earlier or later, you can prepare for the translation of the clockfor summer or winter time.
- It is necessary to try to go to bed no later than 23:00 - this is provided that the sleep lasts 7-8 hours. Otherwise, go to bed earlier.
- In the case of shift work or some other circumstances, a person should get his portion of sleep in the other half of the day or, in extreme cases, the next day.
- Don't put off sleeping for the weekend. In 4-5 days, the body can be so tired that sleeping on the weekends will not be enough. Or something else may happen - there may be a misleading opinion that there is no fatigue, and the body will be tormented by insomnia. You can not bring the body to extremes, test it for strength. The consequences can be very serious.
Treating Circadian Rhythm Disruption
Circadian rhythm disorders are treated after the diagnosis. The goal of treatment is to return the human body to its normal mode of operation, to restore the functioning of its biological clock. The main and most common treatment for circadian rhythm disorder is bright light therapy or chronotherapy. Bright light therapy is used to restore the normal functioning of the human body, to improve the functioning of its internal biological clock. This technique has shown significant results in people who have disrupted circadian sleep rhythms.
