Circadian Rhythms And Sleep Deprivation

Circadian rhythms occur every 24 hours; an example of a circadian rhythm is the sleep-waking cycle. We are diurnal animals who are active during the daytime and asleep at night, other animals are nocturnal they are active at night but asleep during the day. The circadian rhythm depends on the interaction of physiological and psychological processes to be tuned into the sleep-waking cycle so energy is provided when needed. As diurnal humans we have a fairly stable sleep pattern with the time we go to sleep and the time we wake up, this consistency suggests an internal mechanism controls sleep, endogenous pacemaker. However, this can be overridden by external factors, exogenous zeitgebers.

Commonly known as Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD) and other names, is a disorder in which the persons internal body clock is not in sync with the morning-rise evening-sleep pattern of the majority of people. Individuals with this disorder are not able to sleep and wake at the times that are regulated by normal work and school hours. They usually get enough sleep to keep them at a functional level through the day but not enough to be considered “well rested”. Polysomnography and actigraphy are tests commonly ordered for some sleep disorders to determine the illness. The cause of Delayed Sleep Phase can include a variety of reasons; puberty being one of the main causes, but some people are born with the disorder. The short term and long term effects of this illness is unfortunate for a person’s overall health. Overall cures to this disorder have not been found yet. Doctors have suggested sleeping pills to help or other alternatives. The disorder affects the timing of sleep, peak period of alertness, the core body temperature rhythm, hormonal and other daily cycles.

Circadian rhythm is another sleep disorder that has to do with our body functions. In this case, our body clocks are off, due an internal change or external factors like a change in time zones or regions where a midnight sun occurs during a 24-hour period. Bright lights in a room have a similar effect on sleep.

For humans, sleep patterns are regulated by human circadian clocks on a 24-hour time schedule. This regulator is located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the human brain. Our human circadian clock notifies us that we should be sleepy at night and awake and alert during the day. It is when this clock doesn't function well we must add supplements such as Melatonin (Golombek DA). The human body is naturally programmed to sleep at a certain time and wake up at a certain time. Several people have trouble sleeping at night due to various problems. These problems range "from sleeping illnesses including but not limited to insomnia, stress and sleep deprivation due to studying, partying and caffeine. Human bodies are designed in such a way that we release Melatonin naturally in certain amounts varying upon the time of day. It has been seen that recently more and more individuals are suffering from not being able to sleep properly at night due to their circadian clocks failing to regulate their sleep-wake patterns.

The effect of disturbing circadian rhythms are quite worry some to me. Being a college student I feel the pressure to get things done on time and I don’t get to sleep as much as I should. I can see how it affects me and I worry for those who have even more going on than I do. I think we need to make sleep a priority just like we make eating. In class Truelove told us that you can die from staying up for and extended amount of time. Which, can also happen if you go a long time without eating. It’s very important for us to take care of bodies especially while were young so we will be in better shape as we

This simply means that the body has a natural clock that runs it. The circadian timing system is no longer a twenty-four hour cycle, but it is just more of an individual timing system (Williams 111). As people have developed and changed, the system is no longer twenty-four hours, but it has become more personalized according to the individual. Circadian rhythms have a large impact on our sleeping patterns and if the system is changed, it can be the beginning cause of sleep deprivation.

Causes of this disorder are not well known except for the fact that the circadian clock within the “scn” or suprachiasmatic nucleus of the brain is thrown off, or shorter than normal. Unlike other sleep disorders, this one isn’t as common only affecting about 1% of adults. “Advanced sleep phase affects both genders equally, and has a strong genetic link. Studies on familial advanced sleep phase have shown that as many as 40 to 50% of people with a familial link to the disorder will themselves have it”

A person who is known as a night owl has a circadian phase sleep disorder known as Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome/Disorder (DSPS), this is when the person falls asleep “2-6 hours later relative to desired and socially conventional rise times”. This condition leads to societal and health disadvantages, resulting from inadequate amount of hours spent sleeping. With chronic inadequate sleep, DSPS can lead to weight gain, depression, anxiety disorders, diabetes, heart disease; however given the right environment a person can live with DSPS without ill effects. (3)

The circadian rhythm, known as the sleep/wake cycle, is influenced – but not dependent – on the light being received by the suprachiasmatic nuclei. To consider the circadian cycle’s influence

Circadian rhythm is most known for the effect on sleep and wake, but it also affects eating, hormone secretion, urination, and much more (Kalat, 2013). Circadian rhythms are endogenous, which means they are generated from within the body. When broken down into its latin roots “circum” and “dies”, circadian means about a day. This name was coined as animal circadian rhythms last about a day, or around 24 hours (Kalat, 2013). Though rhythms are around 24 hours, each individual differs in their exact rhythm. This can be seen in the difference between “morning people”, who are alert and awake early in the day, and “night owls”, who awaken at a slower pace and reach their peak alertness later in the day (Taillard, Philip, Coste, Sagaspe, & Bioulac,

Examples of circadian rhythms in action are sensitivity and dullness to pain, fluctuations of body temperatures, the brains most alert and calm state, and degree of sleepiness along with highest

Circadian rhythm sleep disorder is caused by inappropriate exposure to light which may include sleep problems, fatigue, forgetfulness, performance problems and gastrointestinal problems. The long-term effects of these problems might be increased cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes and some types of cancer.

This cycle is being controlled by 2 different systems in the body which are called circadian rhythm (process C) and sleep wake homeostasis (process C). They are closely related and provide a balance between each other. (Mastin, 2013, “The Two Process of Sleep Regulation”). Circadian rhythm is governed by circadian clock which is the key mechanism that regulates the timing of sleep in the hypothalamus. It is also regulator of feeding models, core body temperature, cell regeneration, brain wave activity and hormone activity which is organized by light dark cycle. Circadian rhythm of all animals is arranged according to the surrounding by external factors which are called Zeitgebers (In German it means time givers). Day light is the most significant Zeitgeber since humans are mostly active during the daytime. This internal clock is independent with the length of the sleep. For example even longer sleep than usual might be not enough or inefficient if it does not occur at the right time of the circadian cycle. Mastin (2013) stated that ıf sleep occurs at the right time of the circadian cycle core body temperature decreases to the minimum level around 4.30-5.00 am and melatonin hormone which is produced in the pineal gland, cause drowsiness and decrease body temperature starts to be secreted around 8.00-9.00 pm until 7.00-8.00 am (“Circadian Rhythms”). Second

Circadian rhythm is a daily cycle of activity that is performed. For example, going to the gym, school, and then work, is a daily cycle, whereas sitting on the couch all day and occasionally driving to the store and back is not. It is doing something with your body, but not over doing it. Stress reduction techniques such as yoga and meditation helps to release energy. And treating insomnia in its early stages helps prevent psychiatric disorders such as depression. The longer you wait to try to cure insomnia the longer and harder it is going to be.

Aside from noticing night and day and clocks our body has its own system to tell us when to sleep and when to wake, our circadian rhythm. The human body naturally runs on a twenty five hour clock, so living on a twenty four hour schedule is often hard on the body because it loses an hour each day. On top of this natural loss most people do not get the right amount of sleep each night which can cause a whole host of problems. This is part of