Researchers are trying to understand and learn more about the “biological clock” in our brains that can determine when it’s time to sleep, eat, and exercise.
There are approximately 20,000 neurons near the center of the brain that control unconscious functions in our bodies, such as breathing. This “clock” is affected psychologically through environmental cues such as light and food.
“Humans are not the only beings that have an internal clock system,” Shogo Sato, an assistant professor of biology at Texas A&M University, wrote in an article, as reported by The conversation.
All vertebrates, or mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, have biological clocks, as do plants, fungi, and bacteria.
For example, the human body regulates sleep-wake cycles by releasing certain hormones throughout the day. Melatonin, for example, is a hormone that helps regulate sleep in response to darkness, but our sleep cycle can be disrupted by the artificial blue light from our technology. That’s why doctors advise reducing screen time at night.
Another example is the way our bodies are affected during exercise depending on the time of day.
The researchers studied the bodies of mice that exercised before breakfast or after dinner at the end of the night. They discovered how exercise affects each part of the body differently throughout the day. For example, morning exercise lowered blood glucose levels more than evening exercise, while evening exercise increased endurance.
The biological clock is a wonderful part of the human body that researchers like Sato are interested in continuing to explore and share their findings with the world.
