It was just last night that my roommate and I had decided to relax in front of the television after a long work day. My favorite program was on and I was hyped because I had been looking forward to watching it all day. The time was 9:30 pm; I had just finished dinner, was enjoying a glass of wine and was ready to be entertained. I blinked or so I thought. When my "blink" was over I looked at the clock and it was midnight. What happened?? Where was my show?? Did I fall asleep??? I looked over at my roommate who was wide awake and laughing at the expression on my face. In a few hours when it's morning and time to get up for work, the same scenario will replay but the roles will be reversed. I am a classic morning person and she is a "night owl." What causes these differences? Well it has been shown that the reasons for the "can't get or can't stay up" phenomena all starts in your head.
The truth is that every living thing; plants and animals, have rhythm. Doesn't matter if you dance like someone just threw an ice cube down your back, you still have rhythm; circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm comes from a special group of aggregated cells in the hypothalamus of the brain. In the hypothalamus, different rhythm's signals govern different body functions such as: blood pressure, body temperature and metabolic processes. These aggregated cells are referred to as the SCN (suprachiasmatic nucleus). Circadian rhythms are cued by the SCN of the hypothalamus. This complex neurological communication is one aspect in what is commonly known as the body's "biological clock."
In short, morning people have a circadian rhythm that causes their body temperature to climb (molecular activity increasing) at awakening, resulting in that person leaping from their bed, alert and ready to start the day. At night, that same person's body temperature has dropped, molecular activity has decreased and it's "lights out." Reverse the process and you have your "night owls" like my roommate.
So, whether you are ready to party as the clock strikes midnight or drooling on your pillow, neither makes you a "head case," but it is a case in your head.
Silverthorn, D.U., "Human Physiology, An Integrated Approach" 4th Ed. 2007
No comments:
Post a Comment