Why are circadian rhythms important?
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Dr. Michael Roizen answered:Keep your personal "Big Ben" circadian rhythms ticking at a steady tempo and you'll see immediate benefits. You'll keep your appetite in check, stay sharply focused, and get a good night's sleep -- but that's not all! Discoveries show that an in-sync body clock also has the following surprising benefits:
- Younger skin: Resetting your circadian rhythms helps skin stem cells keep perfect time, protecting against sun damage by day and replacing damaged skin cells as you sleep. An off-kilter body clock interferes with the ability of skin stem cells to repair damaged skin and protect against tumors, according to an Ohio State University study.
- Super immunity: There's evidence that daily circadian rhythms control a gene that determines how your immune system reacts to invading bacteria and viruses. Keeping your internal body clock running smoothly rewards you with stronger defenses. Consistently getting enough sleep is the key to avoiding everything from minor head colds to major cancers.
- Better blood sugar: Insulin (the body's blood-sugar controlling hormone) is normally higher during the day than at night, but messing with your body's clock by skimping on sleep can throw your insulin levels -- and your blood sugar levels -- out of whack. That puts you at risk for everything from obesity to diabetes and heart disease.
- More energy: Your muscle cells contain hundreds of tiny power stations, called mitochondria, which keep you energized. A body clock in your brain is the foreman of these energy mini-factories, telling them when to release energy. Go off the timetable and you might find yourself wide awake at 3 a.m. and weary at noon.
Keep your personal "Big Ben" circadian rhythms ticking at a steady tempo and you'll see immediate benefits. You'll keep your appetite in check, stay sharply focused, and get a good night's sleep -- but that's not all! Discoveries show that... More -
Circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism’s environment. They are found in most living things, including animals, plants and many tiny microbes. The study of circadian rhythms is called chronobiology. They are produced by natural factors within the body, but they are also affected by signals from the environment. Light is the main cue influencing circadian rhythms, turning on or turning off genes that control an organism’s internal clocks.
Circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism’s environment. They are found in most living things, including animals, plants and... More
