Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Circadian Biorhythms (This controls the external factors such as light,…
Circadian Biorhythms
This controls the external factors such as light, which resets our circadian rhythm
The light in the morning sends a signal to suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) and this causes a reset of the "body clock"
This reduces the level of melatonin and the SCN uses the information to coordination the activities of the Circadian rhythm e.g. waking up
An example of this is the "Waking-sleeping cycle" this is when our body decides when to sleep or wake up/stay awake depending on the levels of light and the levels of energy.
The SCN gets help from homeostasis which decides when the body doesn't have enough energy to function properly and tells it to sleep due to energy consumption. It also reaches maximum capacity during the night hence why we sleep at night
-
This is directly connected to the SCN as it's needed to get the message from the retina of the eye to calculate the light that the body is exposed to.
Once the eye is exposed to the light the SCN is able to regulate the level of melatonin in the pineal gland
Melatonin is a hormone that is used to increase our "sleepiness" level in the body and is produced more so within darkness and Daylight suppresses it
Research Support
Siffre spent 6 months in a cave in Texas. During this time he was hidden from external stimuli (Light.) As he was lacking his external cues from the EZ's he believe the days were longer than they actually were, causing him to have the date wrong by over a month once he resurfaced.
-
This would suggest that the body needs external cues to function the 24 hour cycle that we are used to as Siffre's day was 24.5 hours long
However this study has it's faults as its unclear what type of research it shows, as Siffre was exposed to very dim light which could've affected his circadian rhythm
Duffy Said that the circadian rhythm was very personalised and due to increasing individual difference it is less reliable. It's shown by "Early Birds" choosing to go to bed around 10pm and rising at 6am whilst "Night Owls" choose sleeping around 1am and rising around 10am which would suggest that further research should take into account individual difference
-
-
A circadian biorhythm is "our body clock"
It's a 24-hour cycle which includes 8 hours for sleeping and 16 hours for awake everyday life.
-
Buhr says that Body Temperature was a more significant factor in circadian rhythms as a fluctuation of heat can cause the cells within the body to make the organs active or inactive. Buhr claims that light sends neutral messages to the body clock to control the temp of the body whilst the slightest change of heat to the body would cause a much greater signal for the body clock.
-
This would suggest that multiple factors are in control of our Circadian Rhythms and a more holistic approach is more acceptable
Light and Temperature are suggested to be the main controllers of manipulating with the "body clock"