A circadian rhythm is a 24-hour cycle (though it can vary slightly) in the biochemical and behavioral processes of all living things. It is crucial in helping us prepare and anticipate for exact and regular changes in our environment and in regulating such things as our internal metabolic processes.
It doesn’t matter if you are a night owl like myself, or a five a.m. early bird, your sleep-wake schedule is controlled by circadian, or clock genes that “turn on” at different times of the day depending on your sleep schedule. The gene activity peaks immediately after a person has woken up, no matter what time of day.
The part of our brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus is what controls the human body clock, and RNA strands are what carry these clock genes. We can find them throughout our body in our white blood cells, the inside of our mouth, and even in our hair. In a recent National Geographic Daily News article by Rachel Kaufman, it was explained that it can be predicted whether we are morning or evening people by simply plucking a strand of hair from our heads.
Scientists have discovered this much less intrusive method for finding human clock genes by simply using a sample of hair follicle cells from our head or chin which accurately show our individual behavioral rhythms, including a record of the gene activity that affects when we wake up in the morning and when we go to sleep at night (or vice versa). Problem
Our circadian rhythm is a delicate balance, and we have all felt this in one way or another. There are many consequences that result from a disruption to our human body clock including:
Jet lag
Fatigue
Disorientation
High Blood Pressure
Diabetes
Various forms of cancer
The results of this finding could help us further study sleep disorders and issues such as jet lag, along with give us more information about human health altogether.
Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for this problem yet. In a study using rotating shift workers done by Makoto Akashi of the Research Institute for Time Studies at Yamaguchi University in Japan, it was discovered that a changed sleep schedule for a three week time frame was not enough to alter their body clocks (according to hair follicle tests).
The Future is Bright!
Akashi and his research team hope that the hair follicle test will help develop working conditions that are healthy to the human body clock’s functioning and in turn avoid certain body clock disorders. In addition, it could also be used as an early warning health system.
I guess the common saying, “Early to bed, early to rise, keeps a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,” is not as bogus as I previously expected… it will just take some long term body clock training.
Pictures (in order) taken from:
thedailygreen.com, thenervousbreakdown.com, dailygalaxy.com, images.com
Works Cited
Franken, P., and DJ Dijk. "Circadian Clock Genes and Sleep Homeostasis." ISI Web of Science. May 2009. Web. 12 Sept. 2010. <http://apps.isiknowledge.com.erl.lib.byu.edu/full_record.do?product=WOS&search_mode=Refine&qid=2&SID=4BA1PnANO71d1phdABa&page=1&doc=4>.
Kantermann, T., M. Juda, C. Vetter, and T. Roenneberg. "Shift-Work Research: Where Do We Stand? Where Should We Go?" ISI Web of Science. Apr. 2010. Web. 12 Sept. 2010. <http://apps.isiknowledge.com.erl.lib.byu.edu/full_record.do?product=WOS&search_mode=Refine&qid=2&SID=4BA1PnANO71d1phdABa&page=1&doc=2>.
Kaufman, Rachel. "Your Hair Reveals Whether You're a Morning Person." Daily Nature and Science News and Headlines
National Geographic News. 23 Aug. 2010. Web. 9 Sept. 2010. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/08/100823-sleep-genes-body-clock-science-health/>.
"Noninvasive Method for Assessing the Human Circadian Clock Using Hair Follicle Cells — PNAS." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Ed. Joseph S. Takahashi. 21 July 2010. Web. 9 Sept. 2010. <http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/08/06/1003878107.abstract>.
