Circadian Rhythms

by Anushka Kar

Circadian rhythms are something I only came across as chance- I am hugely interested in the brain, yet somehow I have never come across it. Recently I have questioned why my body has woken me up at 6:48 every day, or why my eyes feel heavy around six in the evening. I never searched it up; I only wondered. After reading an article on music, I came about circadian rhythms- ironically, almost completely irrelevant to music. I had never heard or seen the term, but somehow it’s aesthetically pleasing to me; there’s a satisfactory feeling to the word itself.

Circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioural changes which follow a daily cycle; they include sleep cycles, eating patterns, brain wave activity, and are sometimes loosely referred to as a ‘body clock.’ Both natural and environmental factors affect circadian rhythms, but the most effective cue is daylight which can turn on or turn off the genes that control the molecular structure of these rhythms. What I found interesting, is that such a term, so pleasing to the ears- or rather mine- is one which we rely on so heavily, and has a massive impact on health, especially negative impacts.

Irregular circadian rhythms can lead to many health issues such as obesity, diabetes, bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder. In animals, they affect many other clocks such as migration patterns while in plants they affect movement or release of fragrances. 

It amazes me how a term we experience daily, and rely on perpetually, is one I have only just discovered.