Circadian Rhythm

Circadian Rhythm is the regular recurrence, in cycles of about 24 hours, of biological processes or activities, such as sensitivity to drugs and stimuli, hormone secretion, sleeping, feeding, etc. This rhythm seems to be set by a 'biological clock' which seems to be set by recurring daylight and darkness.

How Does the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) Control Circadian Rhythm?

Circadian rhythms are biological cycles within organisms that allow them to adjust their physiology and behavior to anticipate and adapt to changes in the outside environment. Circadian rhythms are maintained with the help of circadian clocks, the main circadian clock in mammals is the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN).

Circadian Rhythm

Circadian Rhythm and Weight Loss

Artificial Light Exposure and Circadian Rhythm

Circadian rhythm length variations - early birds and night owls

Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders

Social Jetlag and Sleep

How Does Airplane Travel Affect the Human Body?

The Circadian Rhythm and the Immune System

Memory Recall and Circadian Rhythm

Latest Circadian Rhythm News and Research

Wearing blue-light glasses before sleeping can improve sleep quantity and quality

During the pandemic, the amount of screen time for many people working and learning from home as well as binge-watching TV has sharply increased. New research finds that wearing blue-light glasses just before sleeping can lead to a better night's sleep and contribute to a better day's work to follow.

15 Oct 2020

Researchers identify a novel protein that repairs DNA

Researchers from the University of Seville, in collaboration with colleagues from the Universities of Murcia and Marburg (Germany) have identified a new protein that makes it possible to repair DNA.

14 Oct 2020

Regular moderate physical exercise can significantly reduce cancer risk

Disruption to our circadian rhythms due to a mismatch between environmental influences, such as exposure to light or mealtimes, and our internal 24-hour clock (circadian rhythm) is a possible cause of cancer.

13 Oct 2020

Tuned lighting helps improve sleep in nursing home residents, study finds

Nursing home residents tend to fall asleep at all hours of the day, and during the night, their sleep may be interrupted by periods of wakefulness.

6 Oct 2020

Circadian rhythm affects SARS-CoV-2 infection and host immune response

In an interesting bioRxiv preprint paper, French researchers show that the time day can affect infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as well as guide subsequent host immune response – implying that circadian rhythm may well be a novel target for managing viral progression.

14 Sep 2020

Study: Lipoic acid supplements promote weight loss in certain obese adults

A compound given as a dietary supplement to overweight but otherwise healthy people in a clinical trial caused many of the patients to slim down, research by Oregon State University and Oregon Health & Science University showed.

12 Aug 2020

Increase in blood sodium levels influences the biological clock of mice

A new study from McGill University shows that increases in the concentrations of blood sodium can have an influence on the biological clock of mice, opening new research avenues for potentially treating the negative effects associated with long distance travel or shift work.

9 Jul 2020

Researchers develop less invasive genetic tools to understand cellular activity

Graduate student Ubadah Sabbagh placed a cold glass slide on the microscope. It was getting late and the lab was quiet.

24 Jun 2020

Sleep deprivation reduces positive feelings

Sleeping less than normal impacts how we feel the next morning.

22 Jun 2020

Sleeping less than normal can reduce positive feelings

"Not in the sense that we have more negative feelings, like being down or depressed. But participants in our study experienced a flattening of emotions when they slept less than normal. They felt less joy, enthusiasm, attention and fulfilment," says Associate Professor Ingvild Saksvik-Lehouillier at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Department of Psychology.

18 Jun 2020

Irregular circadian rhythm in older adults associated with increased risk of Parkinson's disease

Older men who have a weak or irregular circadian rhythm guiding their daily cycles of rest and activity are more likely to later develop Parkinson's disease, according to a new study by scientists at the UC San Francisco Weill Institute for Neurosciences who analyzed 11 years of data for nearly 3,000 independently living older men.

15 Jun 2020

Researchers identify link between methylation and the body's circadian rhythms

Every second of every day, countless biochemical reactions take place in our bodies' cells. The organization of this complex system is the result of billions of years of evolution, fine-tuning our functions since the first primordial organisms.

12 Jun 2020

Recipients of 2020 Sleep Research Society awards announced

The Sleep Research Society has selected three outstanding sleep and circadian scientists as recipients of the 2020 Sleep Research Society awards, which recognize excellence in sleep and circadian research.

12 Apr 2020

Scientists demonstrate importance of aligning internal circadian clock with day-night cycles

Timing is everything. A fresh example supporting the old saying has been found in connection with the systems regulated by biological clocks.

8 Apr 2020

Study identifies three unknown genetic mechanisms that cause myopia

Three previously unknown genetic mechanisms have been discovered in causing myopia otherwise known as short or near-sightedness, finds a new study.

1 Apr 2020

Teen marijuana use associated with insomnia later on

Smoke a lot of weed as a teenager, and when you reach adulthood you'll be more likely to have trouble falling or staying asleep, according to a new University of Colorado Boulder study of more than 2,000 twins.

31 Mar 2020

Neurotensinergic neurons in the brainstem regulate non-REM sleep

Mammals experience rapid eye movement and non-REM sleep. While the hypothalamus and brainstem are known to be a critical regulators of sleep, the precise mechanism is not fully understood.

23 Mar 2020

Drosophila flies lose long-term memory of traumatic event when kept in the dark, study shows

Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered that Drosophila flies lose long-term memory of a traumatic event when kept in the dark, the first confirmation of environmental light playing a role in LTM maintenance.

14 Mar 2020

Irregular sleep could be linked to poor cardiovascular health

A new study from the researchers at the Brigham and Women's Hospital has revealed that irregular sleep patterns could be adversely affecting the cardiovascular health of an individual. Their study titled, "Actigraphy-measured Sleep Regularity and Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis," was published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

2 Mar 2020

Later school start times associated with drop in vehicle crashes involving teen drivers

A study published online as an accepted paper in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that later school start times were associated with a significant drop in vehicle accidents involving teen drivers.

18 Feb 2020