In the coming blogs we will take a closer look at our inner clock.
Many people are guilty of it; working long hours, working nights and exposing yourself to artificial light. However, disrupting the biorhythm is more harmful than most people realize.
How does the biorhythm work?
The biorhythm, also called the circadian clock, is seen as the ancient day and night rhythm system that lasts about one day. Circadian functions are repeated daily and their rhythm is influenced by inner and environmental factors. This rhythm regulates, among other things, the sleep pattern, body temperature, heart activity and blood pressure, hormone secretion, oxygen/consumption and metabolism of an organism.
The circadian biological clock is a type of internal clock in your brain that helps regulate your sleep-wake rhythm and other daily processes. This clock is controlled by a special part of your brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). This is a small group of cells in an area of your brain called the hypothalamus.
The hypothalamus works with the pituitary gland (a small organ in your brain that produces hormones) and other glands such as the thyroid to regulate the amount of hormones in your body. Hormones are substances in your body that control all kinds of processes, such as your energy level or how you feel. The amount of these hormones changes depending on what your body needs.
Bijvoorbeeld, als je ineens moet sprinten of sporten, maakt je lichaam meer cortisol aan, wat een stresshormoon is dat je helpt om snel energie te krijgen. Maar als je rustig zit of slaapt, heb je veel minder van dit hormoon nodig.
SCN – Nucleus Suprachiasmaticus
The SCN cells in the hypothalamus respond to light and dark to regulate your biological clock. These cells receive information about light via the optic nerve; when light comes in, a signal is sent to the SCN. This tells your body whether it is time to stay awake or become sleepy.
The SCN sends signals to other parts of the brain to do things like regulate hormones, adjust your body temperature, and do other things that help you fall asleep. In the evening, your body temperature drops and your digestion slows down, making you sleepy. Your body also produces more melatonin in the evening, a sleep hormone produced by the pineal gland, a small gland below the hypothalamus. All these processes ensure that your body is ready to go into the night and sleep.
In the morning this process is reversed. Towards the end of sleep, just before you wake up, nerve cells of the hypothalamus release proteins called orexins. You can see this as an alarm clock and wake us up.
Biorhythm in balance
The biological clock is therefore also controlled by external influences. Disruption of this biological clock has detrimental effects on human physiology and research by Masri (2015) suggests that this disruption can lead to uncontrolled cell growth and cancer. Your biorhythm therefore has a major influence on your health and should be in balance.
The biological clock is set to a fixed rhythm. You wake up from the light and during the day you are active and when it gets dark you go back to sleep. The use of electric lighting in this modern age disrupts this rhythm. In addition, moving to a different time zone is also such a disruption. Your biological clock is not in sync with your environment at that moment. The well-known jet lag, which almost everyone has experienced at some point. Your sleep-wake rhythm is disrupted and this has a negative effect on the circadian rhythm.
Disruption to the circadian rhythm can create a wide variety of stresses on your cells. Which cells lead below will be told in my next blog.
Did you know.
1. Morning people have a shorter sleep-wake cycle.
People who get up early in the morning have a short sleep-wake cycle. This one is slightly shorter than 24 hours. As a result, in the evening these people get tired earlier and wake up earlier in the morning.
2. When you spend more hours outside go to bed earlier.
We now spend 90% of our time indoors. Although it is light enough inside to see, it is about 20 to 25% brighter outside than inside. Even on a cloudy day in the middle of winter. So spending more time outside gives you more light and more alertness. Your biological clock shifted to about 1 hour to 1.5 hours. This means that you get tired earlier in the evening and therefore go to bed earlier and wake up earlier in the morning. So more getting outside!
3. Evening people are more affected by summer time.
25% indicate that they are clearly an evening person. These people are more bothered by getting up an hour earlier when summer time starts.
Tips to keep your biological clock in balance.
1. Avoid blue light as much as possible in the evening. Think about no phone / laptop before going to sleep and make sure it is dark in your room.
Too much light in the evening will negatively affect the production of melatonin. As a result, too much light in the evening has a negative effect on your night’s sleep, but also on other processes in your body. Think about your immune system and wound healing.
2. Eat as much as possible at set times.
In that case, your body knows where it stands and can adjust to it. Due to a regular eating pattern, you will experience less hunger between meals. Your biological clock controls appetite hormones.
Literature
Desotelle, J. A., Wilking, M. J., Ahmad, N. (2012) The circadian control of skin and cutaneous photodamage. Department of dermatology, photochemistry and photobiology.
Hettwer, S., Gyenge, E. B., Obermayer, B. (N.D.) Influence of cosmetic formualtations on the skin’s circadian clok.
Masri, S., Kinouchi, K., Sassone-Corsi, P. (2015) Circadian clocks, epigenetics and cancer. Current Opinion, 27-1.
Also read Part II: How biorhythms affect skin.
The biorhythm is a flexible clock system, with a period of approximately one day that continuously adjusts to the timing of ambient light and sunlight. The light from electronic devices that reach part of your brain (SCN) through your eyes also affects your skin. But what effect does this have on your skin?