Circadian Rhythm and the Concept of Time in Dogs & Cats

Circadian Rhythm and the Concept of Time in Dogs & Cats

People have a strong concept of time. That’s how you recall what happened yesterday afternoon, how many days left until the weekend, and how long since you hung out with your best friend. Dogs have a sense of time, but they don’t have the same concept of time as you.Dogs have a sense of time but probably not a ‘concept’ of time. Human episodic memory means we pinpoint times in the past and look forward to the future. Studies suggest that dogs live very much in the present but, like us, their internal clock or circadian rhythm regulates body processes such as when to go to sleep and get up. Left alone they may become increasingly anxious, indicating that they have an awareness of the passage of time. Plus, they react to a plethora of behavioural cues as though they know that ‘it is time for walkies’. But don’t be fooled – dogs haven’t mastered time management yet!

With uncanny accuracy, your dog knows when it’s time to eat or go for a walk. He waits expectantly at the door for your return home from work, as if he’s watching the clock each evening. Of course, we know that dogs don’t wear watches or really watch the hands of a clock. As a pet parent, though, you may wonder if your dog still somehow “knows” what time it is.

Research has shown that, without the benefit of being able to tell time like people do, dogs have their own ways of sensing time. Keep reading to learn how your dog uses the world around him to gauge what time it is.

Circadian Rhythm and the Concept of Time

A circadian rhythm is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. These rhythms refer to many biological processes, and repeat every 24 hours. The phenomenon has been identified in humans, plants, animals and even bacteria.

The rhythms control physical, mental and behavioral changes, responding primarily to light and darkness. People sleeping at night (and feeling more sleepy when it is dark) is the classic representation of circadian rhythms.

These rhythms are considered to be the main reason behind your dog knowing exactly when it is time to eat, or time to go out for their walk. Their rhythms have simply adjusted to those specific times and alerts them what behavior is about to occur.

Dog experts know that your dog watches your every move. Their response at a specific time may be because they are picking up the subtlest of clues. For instance, if you get up from your desk and walk into your bedroom, they know you are likely to emerge with your sneakers on. Or perhaps when you walk into the pantry at a certain time, they assume food is imminent.

Let’s first discuss how a dog’s body naturally senses time. Like people, dogs have a circadian rhythm, commonly known as a “body clock.” This body clock is a biological process that uses the amount of light and darkness outside to tell a dog when it’s time to be awake, asleep, and even hungry.

A small gland in the brain called the pineal gland helps regulate the circadian rhythm. It produces the hormone melatonin in response to the amount of light outside. Melatonin determines when and how much a dog sleeps.

As you can see, the brain has a lot to do with how a dog senses time during the day. However, there’s more to the story. From a practical standpoint, dogs can also use their senses to “know” what time it is.

Using the Senses

The relationship between humans and dogs began tens of thousands of years ago. Over this time, dogs have become extremely adept at interpreting and reacting to human behavior, including patterns of daily activity. In other words, your dog is probably watching you more than you realize!

Dogs will use their senses, such as sight and hearing, to study their pet parents’ daily behavior and associate that behavior with certain activities. This is called ‘associative memory.’

For example, a dog will hear a pet parent’s footsteps down the hall in the morning and associate that with meal time. The sight of a pet parent grabbing the leash will be associated with going for a walk.

When these activities are repeated often enough at the same times each day, a dog’s associative memory will kick in. Although you may think your dog is somehow telling time, he is likely using that memory to know when certain events are going to happen during the day.

In addition to sight and hearing, dogs can also use their sense of smell to sense time. Research has shown that dogs can smell changes in the environment and associate that with how long a pet parent has been gone. If you leave and return home at roughly the same times each day, your dog will learn that, when the smell in your home is weakest, you’ll be home soon. In addition, your dog can smell you approaching the door. Either way, your dog’s sense of smell will help him predict your return home and know when to be ready and waiting at the door.

When Sensing Time Becomes a Problem

Sensing time doesn’t always work in a dog’s favor. For dogs with separation anxiety, sensing how long a pet parent has been gone induces anxiety that can lead to destructive behavior, such as scratching, inappropriate urination or defecation, and chewing. Dogs with separation anxiety can also bark, howl, or whine incessantly when left alone.

If your dog has separation anxiety, create a home environment that will reduce the anxiety. For example, you can put him in a small room or area of your house that is quiet. You can also leave an article of your clothing, the scent of which may calm your dog. Puzzle toys, especially food puzzle toys, can provide hours of mental stimulation and distraction until you come home.

Sensing time can also be problematic if your dog has misbehaved. Dogs can associate a behavior with a consequence within only 4 seconds of the wrong behavior. Any longer than 4 seconds and your dog will have no idea why he’s being punished.

Bringing it Together

Dogs and humans perceive time differently. Although you’ll never find your dog watching the clock or checking a watch, he will likely be using his body clock, senses, and understanding of your daily patterns to sense time. Being aware of how your dog senses time will help you manage his separation anxiety or correct misbehavior, if necessary.

Dogs pick up on behaviors we may not even realize we are doing, such as glancing at the clock several times before the walk. Because they can’t communicate with us verbally, they are masters of observation.

Experts vary on this topic. Most agree that while your dog has a limited concept of time, it is just that – limited. Studies have shown that dogs do in fact show more enthusiasm at their owner’s return after two hours than they do after 15 minutes. But once their owner is gone longer than 2 hours, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference in their reaction. In other words, your dog seems to understand a short term absence, but after a certain point, can’t discern the difference. This should make those who have to be gone all day feel a bit better that your dog is not moping around missing them.

However, dogs should get some exercise throughout the day. Therefore you can help your dog to be more happy and healthy when you are gone by installing a dog door – or even allowing your dog to be outside during the day with toys. Remember that if you leave your dog outside however, be sure they have plenty of shade and adequate water so that they can remain cool.

Of course, dogs love their humans and would prefer to be around people if possible. If you have no choice but to be gone all day, take solace in the fact that your dog is likely not pining away. He will, however, be very happy to see you return.

Do Dogs Have Concept of Time?

It’s four o’clock, and your dog is wagging his tail in excitement and nuzzling against you. Your furry companion is hungry and seems to understand that this is the hour you normally feed him. But was this behavior a simple reaction to a rumbling in your dog’s stomach or are canines actually have a concept of time?

Does your dog seem to understand when it’s time to go for walk, even before you’ve grabbed the leash? Does he press his face against the window waiting for you to come home from school each day? To most dog owners, their pets may seem to have a strangely accurate concept of time. But do our furry companions really know what time it is, or is there something else working in their heads?

It’s Biological

All animals have a circadian rhythm. These rhythms are the physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a 24 hour cycle, reacting to lighting and darkness in the environment that animal is. Humans, animals and even plants have these rhythms.

An animal’s reaction to these rhythms is regulated by the brain which allows neuronal and hormonal activities in the body. Our regular activities are controlled by these internal mechanisms, also referred to as our biological clocks.

Humans & Dogs See Time Differently

Though both humans and dogs have circadian rhythms and biological clocks, our habits differ. Dogs, for example, have flexible sleep patterns and, most dogs are ready to eat at any time, not just meal times.

The crucial difference appears to be that humans can identify when something happened in the past by relating it to other events. For instance, we remember our birthday as well as who attended, what did we eat, and the songs we sang. Dogs, on the other hand, can only differentiate how much time has passed since an event has occurred, for instance, their food bowl has been empty since morning.

According to a research, dogs also understand the concept of time based on behavioral changes when left alone by their owners for different lengths of time. Studies say that dogs show greater affection towards their human companions if they’ve been separated for longer periods of time.

For dogs suffering from separation anxiety, the difference between one and six hours can mean the difference between restlessness and a panic attack. Dogs that suffer from separation anxiety often show signs, such as barking, whining, howling, chewing digging, scratching, pacing and urinating in inappropriate places while their owner is away or suddenly returns.

There are many ways to help your furry companion cope with the problem of separation anxiety. It may be helpful to keep him in a small room or area of the house that is calm and quiet since your return to the house can be overwhelming for your little one. Try leaving a few toys or your scent behind to put a calming effect on your dog.

Dogs often get agitated when separated from their loved ones. That’s  because dogs are equipped with a natural instinct to live in the moment, despite understanding the concept of time.

What Research Says About A Dog’s Sense Of Time

Experts confirm that dogs and people experience time differently.

For instance, one study found that dogs can process more visual information than we can—at a 25% faster rate! So, a period of a single day (24 hours) may feel longer to you than it does to your beloved pup.

A dog’s circadian rhythm—the 24-hour cycle that regulates sleep time, wake time, and other biological processes—does work similarly to a person’s circadian rhythms. In fact, experts believe canine cycles adapted to human cycles during domestication.

Dogs are also diurnal, or active during the day and asleep at night. But dogs have polyphasic (multi-phase) sleep cycles. They mostly sleep at night, but they get in plenty of short naps throughout the day, too.

In a 24-hour period:

• A dog’s sleep-wake cycle length lasts, on average, 83 minutes.
• They average about 10.1 hours of sleep.
• They get about 2.9 hours of REM sleep (people typically get 1.9 hours of REM sleep)

Experts still have plenty to discover about dog sleep cycles, particularly in relation to their sense of time. One study even notes the importance of re-evaluating dog sleep patterns, since many more pet parents now let their dogs sleep in the same room or bed.

Can Dogs Tell The Time?

Do you ever wonder if your dog can tell the time? Your dog may not look at the clock but most dogs do know when it is dinner time or time to go for a walk. How do they do this?

It’s biological
All animals have a circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythms are the physical, mental and behavioural changes that follow a 24 hour cycle, responding to light and dark in the animal’s environment. They may also be affected by other factors such as temperature and social cues. Humans, dogs, other animals and even plants have these rhythms.

An animal’s response to these circadian rhythms is coordinated by the brain which enables neuronal and hormonal activities in the body. This internal mechanism that controls our regular activities is often referred to as our biological clock.

Circadian rhythms and biological clocks enable us to recognise that, when it becomes light, for instance, we begin to feel hungry or when daylight ends, we start to feel sleepy.

Dogs and human differ
While both dogs and humans have circadian rhythms and biological or body clocks, we differ in our habits. Dogs, for instance, are flexible in their sleep patterns and can very quickly be woken and ready to go for a walk, even when they have been in a deep sleep seconds before. And, of course, most dogs are ready and willing to eat at any time, not just meal times.

Do dogs know when you are coming home?
There have been many claims that dogs know when their owners are coming home and may respond by greeting them at the door, gate or even the local train station! Perhaps one day we will know if dogs do have a true sixth sense but for now we believe they are highly attuned to our routines and environmental associations and triggers.

Dogs know our routines, often better than we do. If we get up a little later at weekends, for instance, your dog may immediately know that they are going for a walk, whereas the rest of the week, they understand that walks are unlikely to happen. Many dogs also know they are about to be left alone as soon as you pick up your keys.

Time passes
Owners often wonder if dogs have a sense of time passing and if our dogs miss us when we are gone. Well, the answer to that is a definite yes. When dogs in one study were left home alone for varying periods of time, they responded with differing levels of enthusiasm on their owner’s return. Generally, the longer the time left alone, the more enthusiastic the welcome the owner received on returning home. Chances are, however, many of our dogs just snooze while we are gone.

To sleep
While adult humans tend to have one main sleep per day, lasting roughly eight hours, dogs may have many more sleep-wake episodes during the eight-hour overnight period. When the sleep-cycles of dogs were video recorded, they were discovered to consist of 16 minutes of sleep and five minutes of being awake, the latter accompanied by barking in many dogs. Due to this discrepancy between canine and humans sleep cycles, dogs often disturb our sleep – or that of our neighbours! Interestingly, dogs within multi-dog households do not synchronise their sleep cycles and will only wake one another up when there is a major disturbance.

4 Signs A Dog Is Aware Of Time

“While dogs have a sense of time, they don’t experience time the same way humans do,” says Beth Brown, CDBC, CSAT, and owner of Ear To Tail. Their concepts of the past and future aren’t well-developed, like yours are, Brown adds, which affects their perception of time.

And of course, dogs can’t tell time by reading a clock, but they do know their daily routines and can recognize patterns..

You can tell your dog knows time has passed by a few key behaviors:

• They perk up, move around, or get a little vocal at their scheduled feeding time.
• They walk to the door or wait by it, right around the time someone usually comes home.
• Around the time you’d typically walk them, they get excited and run to the door every time you move.
• They can tell the difference between day and night and when to wake up and go to sleep. For instance, you may have noticed they might head off to bed at your usual bedtime, even if you stay up later than usual.

Why are dogs so happy when you come home?

Experts have found evidence to suggest that time does, in fact, affect dogs.

Dogs can tell the difference between a short and long period of time. Case in point: The mild interest your dog shows when you walk back into the house after leaving for 2 minutes to check the mail may differ quite a bit from the intense excitement they show when you come home after a full day at work, according to Cooper.

Brown echoes this sentiment by explaining that while dogs more or less live in the moment, they do have a good sense of time when it comes to patterns and routines. If you leave for an hour, the routine doesn’t change much—but if you leave for a week, the routine gets completely disrupted.

That said, while dogs do know something’s different in their routine, they don’t have a concrete concept of how long you’ve been gone.

Caneiro says that while dogs don’t have the ability to count the days while you’re away, their sense of smell lets them you’ve been gone a long time because your home smells a lot less like you.

How Routines Help Dogs Understand Time

Dogs thrive on routine and generally do best when they know what to expect out of the day. They have an associative, episodic-like memory. To put it simply, they link a behavior or object with a specific activity. Your behavior and routines will clue them into the time of day, Cooper says.

For example, when you get up in the morning, put on your shoes, and grab your dog’s leash, they know you’re about to take them for a walk. When you get back from your walk, they head to their bowl because they know it’s time to eat.

Dogs also use sensory cues, like the sound of their food being opened or the jingle of a leash, to pick up on the activity that follows, Cooper adds. That’s why you’ll often find them usually for you at your front door when you come home.

Hearing the car door shut or your key in the lock tells them you’re about to walk in—and they’re ready to greet you with a wagging tail and a few wet kisses.

Using a dog’s love of routine to handle separation anxiety

In some cases, a dog’s sense of routine can help them adjust to time apart from you. They watch you prepare to leave for work and head out the door, but they know you’ll come back eventually because you always do, Brown says.

But dogs who get distressed by separation might begin to get upset before you leave, as soon as your routine begins.

Cooper says knowing you’ll return as part of their routine will help your dog adapt to alone time more easily.

“Start by leaving them alone for shorter periods of time and gradually increase the length of time,” he says. “With time, they’ll learn that you will come back, and they’ll get more comfortable with alone time for longer periods.”

What Are Circadian Rhythms?

Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles that are part of the body’s internal clock, running in the background to carry out essential functions and processes. One of the most important and well-known circadian rhythms is the sleep-wake cycle.

Different systems of the body follow circadian rhythms that are synchronized with a biological clock in the brain. This internal clock is directly influenced by environmental cues, especially light, which is why circadian rhythms are tied to the cycle of day and night.

When properly aligned, a circadian rhythm can promote consistent and restorative sleep. But when this circadian rhythm is thrown off, it can create significant sleep problems, including insomnia. Research is also revealing that circadian rhythms play an integral role in diverse aspects of physical and mental health.

How Does Circadian Rhythm Work?

Circadian rhythms work by helping to make sure that the body’s processes are optimized at various points during a 24-hour period .The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. The term circadian comes from the Latin phrase “circa diem,” which means “around a day.”

Circadian rhythms exist in all types of organisms. For example, they help flowers open and close at the right time and keep nocturnal animals from leaving their shelter .The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information during the daytime when they would be exposed to more predators.

In people, circadian rhythms coordinate mental and physical systems  .The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information throughout the body. The digestive system produces proteins to match the typical timing of meals, and the endocrine system regulates hormones to suit normal energy expenditure.

The circadian rhythms throughout the body are connected to an internal clock located in the brain. Specifically, it is found in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which is in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. At different times of the day, clock genes in the SCN send signals to regulate activity throughout the body.

The SCN is highly sensitive to light, which serves as a critical external cue that influences the signals sent by the SCN to coordinate circadian rhythms in the body. For this reason, circadian rhythms are closely connected to day and night. While other cues, like exercise, social activity, and temperature, can affect the internal clock, light is the most powerful influence on circadian rhythms.

Is a Circadian Rhythm the Same As a Biological Clock?

Biological clocks help regulate the timing of bodily processes, including circadian rhythms. A circadian rhythm is an effect of a biological clock, but not all biological clocks are circadian. For instance, plants adjust to changing seasons using a biological clock with timing that is distinct from a 24-hour cycle.

How Does Circadian Rhythm Affect Sleep?

When people talk about circadian rhythm, it is most often in the context of sleep. The sleep-wake cycle is one of the most clear and critical examples of the importance of circadian rhythms.

During the day, light exposure causes the internal clock to send signals that generate alertness and help keep us awake and active. As night falls, the internal clock initiates the production of melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep, and then keeps transmitting signals that help us stay asleep through the night.

In this way, circadian rhythms align sleep and wakefulness with day and night to create a stable cycle of restorative rest that enables increased daytime activity.

What Does Circadian Rhythm Affect Besides Sleep?

While the sleep-wake cycle is one of the most prominent circadian rhythms, these 24-hour cycles play a vital role in virtually all systems of the body.

Research continues to uncover details about circadian rhythms, but evidence has connected them  .The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information to metabolism and weight through the regulation of blood sugar and cholesterol. Circadian rhythms influence mental health as well, including the risk of psychiatric illnesses like depression and bipolar disorder as well as the potential for neurodegenerative diseases  is an online health information resource for patients and their families and friends..

There are indications that circadian rhythms have an important influence on the immune system as well as processes of DNA repair that are involved in preventing cancer .The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. Early-stage research indicates that circadian cycles can influence the effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs .The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information and that new medications may be used more strategically.

What Happens When Circadian Rhythm Is Off?

When circadian rhythm is thrown off, the body’s systems do not function optimally. A disturbed sleep-wake circadian rhythm can give rise to serious sleep problems. Without the proper signaling from the body’s internal clock, a person can have difficulty falling asleep, wake up more often throughout the night, or be unable to sleep as long as they want into the morning. Their total sleep can be reduced, and a disrupted circadian rhythm can also mean shallower, fragmented, and lower-quality sleep.

What Can Disrupt Circadian Rhythm?

Disruptions to circadian rhythm can occur over the short- or long-term. Experts have identified a number of types of circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders (CRSWD) based on their characteristics and causes.

• Jet lag disorder: This occurs when a person travels across multiple time zones in a short period of time. Until a person’s circadian rhythm can acclimate to the day-night cycle of their new location, they are likely to suffer sleeping problems and fatigue from jet lag.
• Shift work disorder: Work obligations can cause major disruptions in a person’s circadian rhythm. Shift work, which requires having to work through the night and sleep during the day, puts a person’s sleep schedule directly at odds with the local daylight hours.
• Advanced sleep phase disorder: People with this rare type of disruption find that they get tired early in the evening and wake up very early in the morning. Even if they want to be up later at night or sleep later in the morning, people with an advanced sleep phase disorder usually cannot do so.
• Delayed sleep-wake phase syndrome: This type of circadian rhythm disruption is associated with staying up late at night and sleeping in late in the morning. The exact cause is unknown, but delayed sleep-wake phase syndrome may be related to genetics, underlying physical conditions, and a person’s behavior.
• Non-24-hour sleep wake disorder:  Non-24-hour sleep wake disorder occurs primarily in people who are blind and are not able to receive light-based cues for their circadian rhythm. Their body still follows a 24-hour cycle, but their sleeping hours constantly shift backward by minutes or hours at a time.
• Irregular sleep-wake rhythm disorder: People with this rare disorder have no consistent pattern to their sleep and may have many naps or short sleeping periods throughout a 24-hour day. Irregular sleep-wake rhythm disorder is frequently connected to conditions that affect the brain enter for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information such as dementia or traumatic brain injury.

Some circadian disruptions are related to individual behavior, such as for travel or work, that makes sleep-wake schedules inconsistent with normal daylight hours. Other disorders stem from an underlying issue that causes an inability to receive or process environmental cues that regulate the body’s biological clock. In certain situations, genetic causes may be involved, or the cause may be unknown.

How To Maintain a Healthy Circadian Rhythm

While it is not possible to have full control over circadian rhythms, there are healthy sleep tips that can be followed to better entrain these 24-hour sleep cycles.

 

• Seek out sun: Exposure to natural light, especially early in the day, helps reinforce the strongest circadian cue.
• Follow a consistent sleep schedule: Varying your bedtime or morning wake-up time can hinder your body’s ability to adjust to a stable circadian rhythm.
• Get daily exercise: Activity during the day can support your internal clock and help make it easier to fall asleep at night.
• Avoid caffeine: Stimulants like caffeine can keep you awake and throw off the natural balance between sleep and wakefulness. Everyone is different, but if you are having trouble sleeping at night, you should avoid caffeine after noon.
• Limit light before bed: Artificial light exposure at night can interfere with circadian rhythm. Experts advise dimming the lights and putting down electronic devices in the lead-up to bedtime.
• Keep naps short and early in the afternoon: Late and long naps can push back your bedtime and throw your sleep schedule off-kilter.
• Make the bedroom conducive to sleep: Your bedroom setting can influence your sleep habits and the quality of your sleep at night. Invest in a comfortable mattress, bedding, and sleep accessories.

These steps to improve sleep hygiene can be an important part of supporting a healthy circadian rhythm, but other steps may be necessary depending on the situation. If you have persistent or severe sleeping problems, daytime drowsiness, or a problematic sleep schedule, it is important to talk with a doctor who can best diagnose the cause and offer the most appropriate treatment.

What are circadian rhythms?

Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. These natural processes respond primarily to light and dark and affect most living things, including animals, plants, and microbes. Chronobiology is the study of circadian rhythms. One example of a light-related circadian rhythm is sleeping at night and being awake during the day. The Average Teen Circadian Cycle image shows the circadian rhythm cycle of a typical teen.

What are biological clocks?

Biological clocks are organisms’ natural timing devices, regulating the cycle of circadian rhythms. They’re composed of specific molecules (proteins) that interact with cells throughout the body. Nearly every tissue and organ contains biological clocks. Researchers have identified similar genes in people, fruit flies, mice, plants, fungi, and several other organisms that make the clocks’ molecular components.

What is the master clock?

A master clock in the brain coordinates all the biological clocks in a living thing, keeping the clocks in sync. In vertebrate animals, including humans, the master clock is a group of about 20,000 nerve cells (neurons) that form a structure called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN. The SCN is in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus and receives direct input from the eyes.

Does the body make and keep its own circadian rhythms?

Yes, natural factors in your body produce circadian rhythms. For humans, some of the most important genes in this process are the Period and Cryptochrome genes. These genes code for proteins that build up in the cell’s nucleus at night and lessen during the day. Studies in fruit flies suggest that these proteins help activate feelings of wakefulness, alertness, and sleepiness. However, signals from the environment also affect circadian rhythms. For instance, exposure to light at a different time of day can reset when the body turns on Period and Cryptochrome genes.

How do circadian rhythms affect health?

Circadian rhythms can influence important functions in our bodies, such as:

• Hormone release
• Eating habits and digestion
• Body temperature

However, most people notice the effect of circadian rhythms on their sleep patterns. The SCN controls the production of melatonin, a hormone that makes you sleepy. It receives information about incoming light from the optic nerves, which relay information from the eyes to the brain. When there is less light—for example, at night—the SCN tells the brain to make more melatonin so you get drowsy.

Nobel Prize

In 2017, researchers Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young won the prestigious Nobel Prize for their circadian rhythms research. By studying fruit flies, which have a very similar genetic makeup to humans, they isolated a gene that helps control the body’s clock. The scientists showed that the gene produces a protein that builds up in cells overnight, then breaks down during the day. This process can affect when you sleep, how sharply your brain functions, and more. All three researchers were funded by NIGMS when these major discoveries were made.

What factors can change circadian rhythms?

Changes in our body and environmental factors can cause our circadian rhythms and the natural light-dark cycle to be out of sync. For example:

• Mutations or changes in certain genes can affect our biological clocks.
• Jet lag or shift work causes changes in the light-dark cycle.
• Light from electronic devices at night can confuse our biological clocks.

These changes can cause sleep disorders, and may lead to other chronic health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, depression, bipolar disorder, and seasonal affective disorder.

How are circadian rhythms related to jet lag?

When you pass through different time zones, your biological clock will be different from the local time. For example, if you fly east from California to New York, you “lose” 3 hours. When you wake up at 7:00 a.m. on the East Coast, your biological clock is still running on West Coast time, so you feel the way you might at 4:00 a.m. Your biological clock will reset, but it will do so at a different rate. It often takes a few days for your biological clock to align with a new time zone. Adjusting after “gaining” time may be slightly easier than after “losing” time because the brain adjusts differently in the two situations.

How do researchers study circadian rhythms?

Scientists learn about circadian rhythms by studying humans and by using organisms with similar biological clock genes, such as fruit flies and mice. Researchers doing these experiments control the subject’s environment by altering light and dark periods. Then they look for changes in gene activity or other molecular signals. Scientists also study organisms with irregular circadian rhythms to identify which genetic components of biological clocks may be broken.

Understanding what makes biological clocks tick may lead to treatments for jet lag, sleep disorders, obesity, mental health disorders, and other health problems. It can also improve ways for people to adjust to nighttime shift work. Learning more about the genes responsible for circadian rhythms will also help us understand more about the human body.

Compiled  & Shared by- Team, LITD (Livestock Institute of Training & Development)

 Image-Courtesy-Google

 Reference-On Request.