The way that your body cycles levels of activity throughout the day is called your circadian rhythm. Various brain centers have internal rhythms that affect your body, and in turn are affected by personal habits such as your sleep patterns, activity level, and light exposure. Since these lifestyle choices play such a large role in how your body functions, it is important to maximize your personal lifestyle habits to reflect how circadian rhythms are innately programmed.
Many activities inside your body vary based upon the time of day. Body temperature, wakefulness, digestion, even cell division are all affected by circadian rhythms. Nearly all of your bone growth as a child occurs at night!
Lack of a Healthy Rhythm
It is well known that those who don’t sleep on a healthy cycle suffer from health problems due to their schedule. For example, those who work the night shift have a greater percentage of most of the major chronic diseases relative to those with a daytime work schedule. Also, not sleeping enough is a powerful negative influence on your body. For example, sleep deprivation is a strong promoter of obesity and weight gain.
Circadian Rhythms Also Effect Your Hormonal State
The hormone cortisol is emitted in a cycle throughout the day. Cortisol is a hormone that your body releases primarily in times of energy usage. In terms of your body’s circadian rhythm, cortisol reaches a peak output first thing in the morning. On the other hand, the output of cortisol is lowest in the late evening. The greatest output is around 5 a.m., while it is at its lowest point in a 24-hour period around midnight. This is one reason why getting to bed before 11 p.m. helps your body sync up with your natural circadian rhythm. And this helps to maximize repair during sleep. More