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Not only people have their own circadian rhythms, but also animals, insects, and even flowers that bloom in the morning and wilt in the evening. Previously, it was believed that such cycles are associated with external factors – for example, in winter, when it gets light late, it becomes harder to wake up in the morning. However, the global adjustment of the internal clock occurs at the cellular level.
In 2017, researchers Geoffrey Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael Young (USA) shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovering a section of DNA that is responsible for the biological clock. The gene determines the production of a special protein that accumulates in cells at night and is consumed during the day. These fluctuations correspond to circadian rhythms.
Extra hour in the day
If the “genetic clock” is behind or in a hurry, then a person (or even a Drosophila fly, on which scientists set up an experiment) lives, respectively, in the mode of an owl or a lark.
But there are also rarer mutations, when the biological day is not 24 hours, but more or less. For example, if a person’s circadian rhythm is designed for 23 hours, then he has an extra hour for sleep. And if 25 – then an hour of lack of sleep.
“The circadian system is a mechanism for preliminary adaptation to environmental changes,” says Yakov Kochetkov, director of the Center for Cognitive Therapy, candidate of biological sciences. – For example, thanks to it, shortly before dawn, our blood circulation and metabolism are accelerated – this is the body preparing for awakening. And in the evening, the circadian system signals the production of the hormone melatonin, which helps us fall asleep.
A special part of the brain, the suprachiasmatic nucleus, is responsible for the synchronization and processing of signals from cells. From the retina, it receives information about whether it is dark or light around, that is, about the time of day. Therefore, during flights across several time zones, the biological clock is knocked down and jet lag occurs.
From “owl” to depression
Such failures in the settings can also occur for another reason – for example, for those people who actively work at night, sit up at the computer until the morning or hang out in clubs.
Researchers from the University of Glasgow (UK) studied more than 90 thousand people and came to the conclusion that people with a disrupted daily routine have a higher risk of depression and mental illness.
“People who live in defiance of their own circadian rhythms are more likely to complain of loneliness, feel unhappy, they have a reduced reaction rate,” said Dr. Laura Lyall, lead author of the study. – Often this is also associated with poor sleep hygiene, which also provokes disturbances in circadian rhythms. The same use of smartphones and laptops before bed reduces the production of melatonin and prevents us from falling asleep.
Clock setting
However, in order to set your biological clock and turn from an owl or a lark into a normal person, genetic engineering is not needed. It is enough to learn to catch periods of activity and use them correctly.
For example, the morning of an ordinary person is not the most productive period. From 7 to 10 in the morning, our body only sways, and all cognitive processes proceed slowly. To disperse it faster, it is more useful to play sports in the morning. True, hypertensive patients should be more careful with this: in the morning, the level of blood pressure rises. Therefore, strokes and heart attacks most often occur at this time.
During the day, the level of productivity gradually increases, with the exception of the so-called “post-lunch dip” – this is the period from 14 to 16 hours when you want to take a nap after lunch. So it is better to postpone important meetings and events for the second half of the day – from 16 to 20 hours the brain accelerates and reaches the highest efficiency.
But after 10 pm, the body begins to gradually prepare for sleep. This means that late dinners and nightly snacks will not do him any good. In addition, bright artificial light at this time only confuses the circadian system, so it is better to dim the light. Scientists also advise taking a walk in the fresh air instead of a trip to the refrigerator in order to synchronize the internal clock and daylight hours. So the brain will react to the onset of darkness and it will be easier to fall asleep.
Periods of human activity
6: 00 – 12: 00 there is a rapid jump in blood pressure, the stress hormone cortisol begins to be produced. A person achieves the highest alertness and alertness of the entire day.
12: 00 – 18: 00 body temperature rises, the rate of reaction increases. This is the time of greatest coordination and composure.
18: 00 – 24: 00 the production of the sleep hormone melatonin begins, the body prepares for sleep, productivity gradually decreases.
24: 00 – 6: 00 body temperature drops, the time of the deepest sleep comes.
Specialist commentary
“We should not forget that much in our life is connected not only with internal, but also with external factors: culture, traditions, including family ones, upbringing,” says psychiatrist of the highest category, psychotherapist Gleb Pospelov. – Parents raise their children, trying to adhere to a certain regimen. Adults, in turn, can adapt to environmental conditions, depending on the need.
At one time, there was a lot of noise around melatonergic drugs, they were actively promoted as sleeping pills, but in practice they proved to be extremely weak. From which it follows that the relationship of biochemical processes with human functionality is not always so dominant. When a person complains of insomnia or, conversely, drowsiness, there are many other reasons for this than just genetic failures and variations. Each case needs to be dealt with separately before blaming the problem on circadian disruptions. Physical illnesses, fatigue, neurosis, depression – there can be a lot of reasons. As well as the opposite: in the development of neurosis or psychosis, depression – lack of sleep does not play a big role.
Sleeping pills can now be bought at any pharmacy without a prescription, and these can be quite mild, but effective remedies. As well as general tonic and adaptogenic drugs with a slight psychostimulating effect. A prescription written by a doctor will make it possible to purchase a stronger drug. However, any insomnia or severe persistent drowsiness for a long period is, first of all, a reason for a visit to the doctor, and not a trip to the pharmacy. First you need to find out the cause of the ailment, on which subsequent therapy will depend. It makes no sense to drink sleeping pills at a time when, for example, you develop hyperthyroidism or cardiac disorders: it will not get any easier. But a cardiologist or endocrinologist can help solve the problem. It is worth listening to the body and carefully monitoring every change that begins to bring discomfort, and not just refer to a violation of the circadian rhythm.