The human body is regulated by an internal biological clock in its daily activities, such as the hours of feeding and the hours of wakefulness and sleep; This process is called the circadian cycle or circadian rhythm, which has a great influence on digestion, cell renewal, and body temperature control.
Each person has their own internal clock and that is why humans have been classified as morning people, who are the ones who get up early and get up early, the people of the afternoon, who are the ones who wake up late and go to bed late.and the intermediaries.
- Circadian rhythm represents the 24-hour period during which the person’s life cycle activities are completed and sleep and appetite are controlled.
- The sleep period lasts approximately 8 hours and the wakefulness period lasts approximately 16 hours.
During the day, mainly due to the influence of light, cortisol is produced, which is released by the adrenal glands and this hormone is usually weak at night during sleep and increases early in the morning, to increase arousal during the day.they also increase in periods of stress or are higher under chronic conditions, which can compromise the proper functioning of the circadian cycle.See what the hormone cortisol is for.
At dusk it decreases cortisol production and increases melatonin production, which helps induce sleep, severing in the morning, for this reason, some people who have difficulty sleeping often take melatonin at dusk to promote sleep.
The circadian cycle may be altered in certain situations, which can cause sleep disturbances and symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness and insomnia at night, or even lead to more serious health problems.Learn what circadian cycle disorders.