Everything you need to know about your body's biological clock

The biological clock and the body's 24-hour cycles have a huge impact on our mental and physical health. In this respect, by creating certain routines in your daily life, you can both protect your health and increase your efficiency in your daily work. As a matter of fact, when we consider that every living thing in nature has a biological clock and a 24-hour cycle, we can better understand the importance of harmonizing our body with the cycle of nature.  

 

 

We know that there is a biological clock in our brain that makes us sleepy at night or makes us hungry in the middle of the day. However, genetic studies conducted in recent years have revealed that there are not only one but thousands of biological clocks in our body, and each of them carries out various tasks in different organs such as the heart, pancreas, skin or lungs. The interesting thing is that if we keep these clocks in sync with the brain's biological clock through daily routines, it benefits us a lot.

24 hour cycles
The human body has a biological clock that synchronizes itself with the rhythm of nature. This clock aligns us with the 24-hour cycle of day and night, created by the earth's rotation. In this way, we sleep when it is dark and wake up when it is light. This is called the 24-hour cycle, and these cycles decide not only our sleep rhythm but also the regulation of our body temperature, our hormone production, and the way our digestive system works. The body's biological clock owes these to a small structure in the brain. This structure, located in the hypothalamus, recognizes day and night by taking into account the light entering through the pupils, and thus controls changes in blood pressure, body temperature, and body activity. This is why we fall asleep at night or wake up in the morning.

The advantage of routines
Having a daily routine of nutrition, rest and physical activity is the ideal method to keep the body's biological clocks in a regular setting. A regular lifestyle with routines also helps the body to function properly. In this way, weight control is achieved more easily and some treatments give faster results. This is especially true in cancer treatment; because cancer cells that are irregular and arrhythmic can be combated more effectively with chemotherapy treatment given in accordance with the body's biological clock.

Is everyone's biological clock the same?
Each person's biological clock may show some differences. However, there are some time zones that are the same for everyone. For example; The feeling of hunger due to the drop in blood sugar between 15:00 and 16:00 in the afternoon is more or less the same for everyone. Or sleep between 02:00 and 04:00 at night is the deepest sleep time for everyone. However, this may differ according to individual preferences. Of course, the time for someone who works at night to fall into a deep sleep can be different.

Is the biological clock broken?
The answer to this question is yes. The most common reason for this is traveling. Especially the change of time zones and day and night periods can cause fluctuations in the body's biological clock. The most severe example of this is jetlag. On the other hand, there are reasons other than travel for his biological clock to derail; Irregular sleep and exposure to artificial light sources such as phones, tablets and computers before going to sleep also damage the body's 24-hour cycles.

To keep the biological clock in balance…
For this, first of all, as we mentioned above, you should create your own routines that are compatible with your 24-hour cycles. Going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day is a prerequisite for this. You can also help your biological clock by eating your meals at the same times.