Overview of Circadian Rhythms, Biological Body Clock, Biorhythm Changes
Your biorhythm, or biological rhythm, is a cyclic pattern of physiological changes that are genetically synchronized to daily, monthly or yearly environmental changes. Circadian rhythms are changes that occur daily, mainly in concert with lightness or darkness.
Your biological clock, or body clock, are groupings of cells throughout your body that naturally drives the circadian rhythm. And the master of these biological clock cells is located in your hypothalamus.
Your biorhythm can be affected by environment influences. For example, light has a major impact on your circadian rhythm. Which in turn, can change your sleep awake, hormone release, body temperature, metabolism, blood pressure and other body function cycles.
Take the sleep awake cycle for example. Your body’s master clock controls the production of melatonin, the hormone that causes sleepiness. This biological clock is strategically located near your optic nerves, where it receives info regarding incoming light. In less light, it signals your brain to make more melatonin. So if you want to adjust your sleep time, then you need to have a change in light.
Circadian rhythms have been linked to various disorders, such as:
- insomnia
- depression
- bipolar disorder
- seasonal affective disorder
And jet lag is the time it takes your body’s circadian rhythm to adjust to a new light dark situation.
Also, symptoms of many chronic disorders coincide with the speeding up, slowing down, intensifying and diminishing rhythms of circadian. These examples highlight increased symptom severity based on the daily biological clock period:
- asthma ~ few hours prior to awakening
- osteoarthritis ~ worsens as day goes on
- rheumatoid arthritis ~ most intense at wake-up
- hypertension ~ late morning to middle afternoon
- heart attack, stroke ~ commonly occur during early waking hours
- angina (chest pain of heart disease) ~ first 6 hours of being awake
- allergies, allergic rhinitis sneezing, runny nose ~ worst during early waking hours
Biologic rhythms can affect test results and your body’s response to drugs as well.
The study of circadian rhythms is called chronobiology.
- Homeostasis: Body In Balance & Imbalance Out of Balance Causes
- Natural Prostaglandin Function; Prostaglandins Cause Pain, Inflammation and Fever
- About Health Benefits of Probiotics, Bacteria, Flora, Probiotic Foods and Side Effects
- About Antibody, Antibodies, Immunoglobulin, Antigen, Antibody Titer, Monoclonal Antibody
