Tick tock on your body’s circadian clock

Your body has an inherent clock that is regulated by your daily exposure to light.

To be clear, this clock is not what people refer to when their body is starting to noticeably age. In fact, it is more akin to a cadence that exists throughout most of your life and is known as your circadian rhythm.

What is a circadian rhythm?
Although it is a rhythm, circadian regulation is not directly tied to your ability to cut a rug. It actually refers to your body's natural sleep/wake cycle, which is responsive when you are exposed to light. As some owls, bats and other creatures of the night are active when the sun goes down, humans are active during the day when the sun is up. As a result, our bodies have worked over time to adjust to our schedules, which is why most people feel tired at night and awake during the day.

This is all do to our brain's hormone regulation system. One hormone, known as melatonin, is secreted when there is not a lot of light present. If you're outside during a sunny day, the melatonin secretion process is inhibited, and you secrete more of other hormones like serotonin.

Under normal conditions, your circadian rhythm operates on a 24-hour cycle to synchronize with the hours in a day.

What could possibly go wrong?
As amazing as the human body is at regulating itself based on the day and night cycles of the earth, is has a terrible time adjusting to our contemporary schedules as a result of modern technology. With the widespread use of television, bedside reading lamps, tablets, cell phones, electric lighting and other sources of artificial light, there's no need for people to call it quits when the sun goes down.

In the evening, we are up watching prime time dramas, going to the movies or even reading a book in bed. With all these additional sources of light turning on during times the body assumes would be dark, the brain is naturally confused. The same can be true when you go long periods without regular exposure to light – especially from the sun – or with shift workers and people experiencing jet lag.

This leads to what is called circadian disruption, a condition that can lead to other more harmful issues.

Problems relating to circadian rhythm
Most often, individuals who are having trouble with their sleep/wake cycle feel sleepy at numerous points throughout the day. They may also experience trouble falling asleep or insomnia as well as issues with alertness, concentration and maintaining a positive mood.

Circadian disruption can also lead to fatigue, which can be particularly exhausting.

Researchers have been studying circadian disruption intensely over the past few years and have found that it is linked to many other conditions: multiple types of cancer, including prostate and breast cancer; obesity; inflammatory diseases; heart disease; mood disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder; and heart disease.

Our bodies perform maintenance regularly, most often when we are sleeping. When your circadian rhythm is experiencing problems, your body doesn't properly tighten your nuts and bolts, which, if left unaddressed for too long, can lead to the aforementioned problems.

Turning back the clock
Circadian disruption can be serious in some cases, and it is always wise to talk with a doctor if you are experiencing debilitating symptoms. If you're simply looking for some daily habits to keep your clock on track, you can try a couple things:

• Avoid looking at bright lights in the hours before bed. If you like to read before going to sleep, be sure to direct your bedside lamps away from your eyes.
• Soak in the sun and other bright light during the day. Research has shown that getting more sunlight exposure is effective for resetting your circadian rhythm.