The term "biological clock" is used in different contexts. But it always means that limited time is allotted to perform a certain function of the body. This also applies to the sleep-wake cycle. A person doesn’t just go to bed in the evening and wake up in the morning. Circadian rhythms are responsible for this. From this material you will learn what it is and whether it is possible to take control of this mechanism.
Circadian rhythm - what is it?
In 2022, American physiologists received the Nobel Prize for their contributions to the study of mechanisms called circadian rhythms. These are biological rhythms associated with the change of day and night. Scientists have found that there is a gene that controls daily changes in the body: • sleep and wakefulness; • hormone production; • speed of metabolic processes; • reactions to stress.
This gene encodes a protein that accumulates in cells at night. When the sun rises, the substance begins to be consumed. A person wakes up, and internal processes in his body accelerate. Simply put, the circadian rhythm is a mechanism that works based on the body's biological clock. It reflects the cyclical fluctuations that occur during the day.
How does it work?
There is an external cycle of 24 hours: it is caused by the rotation of the Earth around the Sun. The biorhythm of every living creature adapts to it. In humans it is close to 24 hours (±15 minutes).
The body builds its ideal daily routine on its own, adapting to the cycle of day and night: • at 6:30 there is a sharp jump in blood pressure; • at 7:30 the production of melatonin (sleep hormone) stops; • at 8:30 intestinal motility is activated; • at 9:00 the concentration of testosterone reaches its maximum; • at 10:00 vigilance increases; • at 14:30 better coordination of movements is achieved; • at 15:30 a person has the fastest reactions; • at 17:00 the cardiovascular system works best; • at 18:30 the highest pressure is observed; • at 19:00 body temperature reaches its maximum; • at 21:00 melatonin begins to be produced; • at 22:30 intestinal motility is suppressed.
Thus, the body itself dictates when we need to wake up and go to bed, go to the toilet, exercise, and begin intellectual work. Keeping this routine in mind affects your health.
General information about biorhythms
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Everything around us obeys certain rhythms: it is according to them that people, the inhabitants of the animal and plant world, as well as the Earth and even Space, live.
We all have our own biological clock, thanks to which we live according to specific natural cycles. Day regularly gives way to night, all seasons of the year alternate, the Earth revolves around the Sun - all this refers to biological rhythms.
Moreover, all biorhythms have their own period, rhythm frequency, phase and amplitude. They differ in duration. A number of cycles can be distinguished, namely:
- high-frequency – their duration does not exceed half an hour;
- medium frequencies - vary from half an hour to a day, from 20 to 28 hours and from 29 hours to 6 days;
- low frequencies - their frequency is 7 days, 20 days, 30 days and 1 year.
The impact of circadian rhythms on health
Studying the human circadian rhythm has made it possible to understand the importance of waking up and going to bed on time. He explains why you shouldn't set your alarm earlier than 7:30, because your body needs time to prepare to come out of sleep. The daily biorhythm also causes harm to a nocturnal lifestyle and shift work, in which the endocrine and nervous systems literally get confused in the schedule.
Compliance with the cycle established by the internal clock allows you to : • normalize metabolic processes; • prevent digestive disorders; • take control of hormones; • achieve maximum efficiency at work; • enjoy physical activity.
Knowledge of biological rhythms tells you how to lead a healthy lifestyle and not experience stress from it. When the body receives what it needs on time, it is less susceptible to all kinds of diseases.
Circadian rhythm disorder
Sometimes desynchronization of a person’s internal rhythms and the external day-night cycle occurs. They are studied mainly by neurologists - in the context of disturbances in sleep and wakefulness.
Several types are considered: • Jet lag. Due to sudden movement between time zones (two or more), autonomic disorders (weakness, headache, disorientation, nausea) appear. • Sleep disturbance during shift work. Due to a failure in melatonin production, insomnia occurs, stress levels increase, and depression may develop. • Sleep phase disorder. Due to desynchronization, sleep comes late and, accordingly, awakening is delayed. Some people, on the contrary, fall asleep too early.
All this affects health. The body is forced to sharply adjust natural processes to the current regime. As a result, his life activity does not proceed as intended by nature.
Health implications
Sleep must be timely. This time is dictated not by family, class schedules, work hours or personal preferences, but by biorhythms. The most obvious consequence of ignoring them is drowsiness during the day, up to the development of narcolepsy (short-term falling asleep while walking). This entails a decrease in concentration, which is fraught with deterioration in performance and the creation of emergency situations. If the daily routine is not followed, a person cannot fully rest.
Constant stay of the body in a state of fatigue in the long term is fraught with: • cardiovascular diseases; • hormonal imbalances; • metabolic disorders; • weakened immunity; • mental disorders; • oncological processes.
The risk of autoimmune diseases also increases. Working at night, when you need to sleep, the body enters into an internal confrontation with itself. And in any case, it will look for ways to stop this.
Biorhythms of the brain
Now let's take a closer look at such a complex organ of the human body as the brain.
You probably know that the human brain uses electrical signals. It carries out an endless process of generating electrical impulses (that is, brain waves or brain rhythms). The frequency of these pulses is recorded in Hertz (abbreviated Hz) or cycles per second. And by the dominant frequency of brain rhythms, one can judge its state as a whole.
Why is it referred to as a “dominant” frequency? The human brain does not function at just one frequency. Accordingly, when, for example, beta waves are produced in one part of it, alpha or gamma waves may appear in another. And because of this, a person seems to be in a state of absolute calm, but in some part of the brain, obsessive thoughts about pressing difficulties and stress are spinning in the background.
Scientists identify only 6 main types of rhythms (waves) of brain activity. Let's look at all of them in more detail and find out why we need them.
Alpha rhythms
Their oscillation frequency varies from 8-13 Hertz per second. Alpha rhythms are present in 85 to 95 percent of healthy adults. Predominant in the back of the head.
The largest amplitude of these rhythms occurs in a state of quiet activity, especially if a person has his eyes closed and is in a dimly lit room. In this regard, they are often used in meditative practices and hypnosis.
And alpha rhythms are blocked or become weaker when attentiveness (especially visual) and mental activity increase. In most cases, alpha rhythms completely disappear with the opening of the eyes, when a person sees a real picture.
The alpha rhythm consists of the process of internal reproduction of mental images, when general attention is occupied with solving a specific intellectual problem.
People with clearly manifested alpha rhythms are prone to abstract thinking. But there are also those who completely lack the rhythms of this spectrum, even if they close their eyes. The latter easily operate with visual pictures, but have difficulty solving abstract problems.
Those lucky people who know how to analyze information when their brain is tuned to alpha rhythms successfully cope with large amounts of information, they are more likely to experience creative inspiration, and their sixth sense becomes stronger. Thanks to all this, they easily find the right (though often unexpected) solutions to difficulties.
When the brain works on alpha rhythms, a person’s ability to independently control his life increases. He realizes how to solve certain problems more correctly, learns to rebuild his psyche so that his goals are achieved and his dreams become real.
Interesting fact. When the brain is tuned to alpha rhythms, we fall into a shallow meditative state. The same applies when taking a hot bath or shower.
Beta rhythms
Their oscillation frequency varies from 14 to 40 Hertz per second. Registered in the area of the anterior and central gyri, they can also reach the posterior central gyri.
The beta rhythm manifests itself in a state of activity. It becomes stronger when an unexpected stimulus arises, when a person must pay attention, work mentally, or be in a state of emotional arousal.
Being at the frequency of beta rhythms, the brain finds itself in the everyday routine of life, forced to solve various everyday difficulties, deal with stress factors, and actively concentrate on something. At the same time, all attention is directed to the outside world.
It was by using beta rhythms that people were able to come up with technical inventions: build megacities, create television, the Internet, fly into space, thanks to them medicine developed. The beta rhythm is associated with active creation, real life.
Gamma rhythms
Their oscillation frequency exceeds 30 Hertz per second and can reach up to 100 Hertz. Gamma rhythms are typical for solving complex tasks, when you need to completely focus your attention on the problem. According to a number of scientific theories, these rhythms have a connection with consciousness. Some experts believe that patients with schizophrenia have various disturbances in the activity of gamma rhythms.
But gamma rhythms are not limited only to intellectual activity; they also correlate with the state of a person’s connection with his subconscious. For example, researchers studied Buddhist meditators and found that their brains operate at a frequency of 50 Hertz, which is equivalent to the so-called “enlightenment.”
Delta rhythms
Their frequency varies from 1 to 4 Hertz per second. The delta rhythm manifests itself in a state of deep natural sleep, as well as in a narcotic or coma state. Associated with recovery processes. In many neurological pathologies, there is a noticeable increase in delta waves.
Interesting fact. The delta rhythm is characteristic of a deep state of meditation (dhyana). This is not just relaxation, as at the alpha rhythm level, but something deeper.
Theta rhythms
The frequency varies from 4 to 8 Hertz. Theta rhythms are most pronounced in children in the age group from 2 to 5 years. Theta waves provide deep relaxation of the brain, excellent memory, the process of deeper and faster assimilation of information, and activation of creative abilities.
As a rule, children under 5 years of age are exposed to this brain biorhythm during the day. Thanks to this, they easily remember a huge amount of new information, which teenagers or adults cannot do.
As for adults, normally their theta rhythms arise only in the REM phase of sleep, in a state of half-asleep. And also during immersion in deep meditation-dhyana.
In the theta range, the brain has sufficient energy to process a large amount of information, as well as transfer knowledge to long-term memory. Mental activity is activated and the impact of stress is reduced. The brain is highly receptive.
Sigma rhythms
Their frequency varies from 10 to 16 Hertz, but, as a rule, equals 12-14 oscillations per second. Sigma rhythms are characterized by spontaneity and fusiform activity. They exhibit explosive or flash activity, which was recorded in a state of sleep, both natural and can appear under the influence of various drugs, for example, during surgical interventions.
Sigma rhythms typically occur during the initial stages of slow-wave sleep that precede drowsiness. But during sleep with the participation of delta waves, sigma rhythms practically do not appear. In humans, rhythms of this spectrum first appear at the age of 3 months; subsequently, the frequency of their changes remains unchanged.
Finally, watch the video on the topic:
How to adjust your circadian rhythm?
Normal daily biorhythms are widely known. If it is discovered that the usual daily routine conflicts with them, the “clockwork” can be “repaired”. The “tool” will be daylight - the basis for the formation of a 24-hour cycle.
The main rule : the less light, the more melatonin. Therefore, in the morning you need to immediately open all the curtains, and if it’s dark outside, turn on the lamps. Closer to night, on the contrary, you should minimize the amount of light.
It turned out that photosensitive ganglion cells in the retina are responsible for the desire to sleep. They are the ones who record sunrise and sunset in order to transmit signals to the brain and start or stop the process of melatonin production. Therefore, our internal biorhythms depend on seeing light.
How to deal with jet lag?
Studies have shown that movements to the west are easier to bear than to the east. The reason is that in the first case, sleep and awakening are postponed to a later time, and in the second - to an earlier time.
Long-haul flights do not occur often enough to cause significant pathologies. Therefore, the task of the traveler is to prevent the occurrence of symptoms that impair the quality of life.
To do this, it is recommended: • start gradually shifting the sleep-wake cycle a few days before the trip, so that the changes are not so drastic; • get as much sunlight as possible on the first morning in a new place; • before going to bed, ensure complete darkness (no gadgets, night lights).
If going to sleep proves too difficult, short-acting sleeping pills may be used. It is better to entrust the selection of the drug to a doctor.
How to normalize sleep when working shifts?
People who are forced to periodically work at night lose their circadian rhythms. Every day their daily routine changes, and the body barely has time to adjust from one cycle to another.
To normalize internal processes, neurologists recommend: • turning on the light during wakefulness; • provide complete darkness during sleep; • put on sunglasses several hours before you plan to fall asleep to gradually reduce melatonin production; • use earplugs and blackout masks while sleeping.
The social component of setting the biological clock is especially important. Household members must realize that the night worker’s health is at risk and not interfere with the creation of comfortable light conditions for him.
Who has sleep phase disorders?
To answer this question, it is necessary to separate people with true sleep phase disorders from those with certain chronotypes.
There are only three of them: • Morning (larks). The biological clock is shifted back by about three hours. • Asynchronous. The biological clock follows the normal circadian rhythm. • Evening (owls). The biological clock is moved forward by about three hours.
Owls and larks are not victims of bad habits. It’s just that in the former, the PER3 gene, which is responsible for circadian rhythms, is shortened, and in the latter, it is lengthened. People with an asynchronous chronotype are susceptible to phase shift syndrome. If their daily routine becomes desynchronized with the normal circadian rhythm, sleep disturbances and accompanying unpleasant symptoms begin. In larks such phenomena are rarely observed, in owls they are excluded in principle.
Conclusion
Human biological rhythms are the cyclical nature of processes in a living organism; everyone should know about them. Knowing their biorhythms, each person can take them into account in their work, intellectual activity, nutrition, training and thus maintain their body in a healthy state.
Before you take on night work, think carefully about the consequences this will have on your health. When choosing a country to travel, pay attention to the time difference, remember that when you return home, you will certainly have to reconfigure your biological rhythms.
Try to go to bed and get up at the same time. The same goes for eating. In case of disturbances in biological rhythms, use herbal infusions for your body and spirit: lemongrass, stevia, Leuzea safflower, ginseng. Your body will respond to this with gratitude and send positive energy. Health is in our hands!
How to deal with sleep phase disorders?
A person with an asynchronous chronotype can eliminate this disorder by correcting the daily routine and light therapy. The specific actions depend on the desired direction of shift.
- The problem is taking a long time to fall asleep, the solution is waking up earlier + light therapy during the day.
- The problem is waking up earlier, the solution is light therapy in the evening.
- The problem is a shift in sleep phases, the solution is a proportional delay in sleep and awakening until normalization.
If these measures do not help, it is possible to take exogenous melatonin, a synthetic hormone (endogenous is produced by the body itself). It allows you to adjust the time of the onset of biological night - the period of slowing down physiological processes and going to bed. Preparations based on this active substance (for example, Melaxen, Melarithm) are hypnotics; they regulate neuroendocrine functions. Therefore, they can only be taken under the supervision of a doctor.
What should larks and owls do?
The peculiarities of the circadian rhythms of people with morning and evening chronotypes are determined genetically, and not pathologically. There are not many pure larks and owls in nature - 15 and 20% of the total population of the planet.
Constructive solutions for them can be: • change of place of residence (owls are more comfortable in the west, larks - in the east); • optimization of sleep and rest patterns based on hours of maximum productivity (for larks - before 12:00, for owls - after 16:00); • distribution of types of activity in accordance with the characteristics of the chronotype (in the morning, hearing sensitivity is maximum from 7 to 13 o'clock, in the evening - from 19 to 1 o'clock).
There is no point in treating such people: they are not sick. Forcing them to follow a standard circadian rhythm is dangerous. This is tantamount to constantly forcibly knocking an ordinary person out of the standard biorhythm.
There is no need for sleeping pills here - they will only do harm. It is also better to abstain from excess coffee consumption: those with non-standard chronotypes are more prone to addiction.
