Does the time we hurt ourselves affect how quickly the wound heals? According to scientists, yes. It turns out that damage to the skin that occurs during the day heals better and faster than damage that occurs during the night. Why is this happening?
Researchers from the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge have found that wounds, cuts and burns on the skin heal by about 60 percent. faster if they arise during the day. Skin injuries that occur at night – between 20 p.m. and 8 a.m. – heal on average for 28 days. The cuts during the day disappear within 17.
All because of the biological clock
The team of researchers reached such conclusions after examining the medical records of 118 patients with burns. In their opinion, the key to the speed with which the wound heals is our internal clock. According to the British, the discovery will help improve the course of surgical treatment or lead to the development of more effective methods of healing wounds.
Dr. John O’Neill, one of the researchers, said that for the first time the body’s circadian clock in individual skin cells has been studied to determine how effectively they respond to injuries. “Perhaps treatment times can be reduced by resetting cell clocks prior to surgery, or by using medications that can restore the biological clock until healing is most effective,” added Dr. John O’Neill. If further studies confirm this relationship, it may be possible to develop completely new drugs and methods of their administration. This mainly applies to those pharmaceuticals that must be administered at a certain time of the day.
Why do we need a biological clock?
Our biological clock regulates important bodily functions such as hormone levels, blood pressure, sleep, body temperature, and metabolism. We feel his “presence” most when we travel and change time zones. We are then affected by the so-called jet lag. We can easily switch our watch on the wrist, but it is more difficult to do it with our biological clock. We wake up in the middle of the night feeling refreshed and hungry. We need time to adapt to the new daily schedule, which is often associated with many unpleasant ailments.
But a disturbance in the circadian rhythm causes more than just sleep problems. If not working properly, it can contribute to the development of diabetes, obesity, mental disorders, depression and even cancer.
In the case of difficult-to-heal wounds, try Verbena herb – use the infusion to make compresses that will relieve pain and accelerate skin regeneration.