The human body is regulated by an internal biological clock in its day-to-day activities, as is the case with feeding times and waking and sleeping times. This process is called the circadian cycle or circadian rhythm, which has a great influence on digestion, cell renewal and body temperature control.
Each person has their own internal clock and therefore human beings have been classified into morning people, who are the ones who wake up early and get up early, the afternoon people, who are the ones who wake up late and go to bed late, and the intermediaries.
Physiology of the human circadian cycle
The circadian rhythm represents the period of 24 hours in which the activities of the person's biological cycle are completed and in which sleep and appetite are controlled. The sleep period lasts about 8 hours and the waking period lasts about 16 hours.
During the day, mainly due to the influence of light, cortisol is produced, which is released by the adrenal glands and this hormone is usually low at night during sleep and increases in the early morning, to increase wakefulness during the day. This hormone can also increase during periods of stress or be higher in chronic conditions, which can compromise the proper functioning of the circadian cycle. See what the hormone cortisol is for.
At dusk, cortisol production decreases and melatonin production increases, which helps to induce sleep, ceasing to be produced in the morning. For this reason, some people who have difficulty sleeping, often take melatonin at dusk, to help induce sleep.
Disorders of circadian rhythm
The circadian cycle can be altered in some situations, which can cause sleep disturbances and cause symptoms such as excessive sleepiness during the day and insomnia at night, or even cause more serious health problems. Know which disorders of the circadian cycle.
