The human body has its own biological cycles that allow it to self-regulate the sleep and wakefulness phases, as well as some organic changes that occur over the course of a day. The set of these changes is known as the circadian rhythm or circadian cycle (the term circadian refers to the 24-hour daily period). This body rhythm becomes a clock, which makes us adapt to the changes happening around us, especially the daily change in the light-dark cycle.
It should be noted that all living beings have a biological clock and, in this sense, a discipline that studies this phenomenon of nature has emerged in recent years : chronobiology.
We are biologically designed to sleep at night and stay awake during the day
When natural times change as a result of our lifestyle habits, it creates an imbalance in our circadian cycle. People who work at night or those who stay awake at night suffer changes in their sleep, with consequences for their health. It should be noted that sleep regulates other body functions, such as production hormone, the power and the state of mind. In a nutshell, contrary schedules negatively affect the nature of our health.
Circadian Rhythm Disorders
The body’s biological clock determines circadian rhythms. This phenomenon happens in the hypothalamus, where there are specialized neurons that allow us to coordinate our responses from external messages. If the natural biological rhythm is altered, this situation affects sleep phases and body temperature .
The discrepancy between the body’s rhythms and environmental signals also alters our attention span during wakefulness. Chronobiology experts say that the biological clock of humans is also found in each of their cells.
the social jet lag
Our everyday life is subject to a series of conventional schedules. In this way, a child has his school schedule and an adult his work schedule. If the social reality of each individual does not fit well with their individual biological reality (to their circadian rhythm), this change creates an effect similar to a time decompensation that one has after a trip. For this reason, experts talk about social jet lag.
