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A circadian rhythm (/ s ər ˈ k eɪ d i ə n /), or circadian cycle, is a natural oscillation that repeats roughly every 24 hours.Circadian rhythms can refer to any process that originates within an organism (i.e., endogenous) and responds to the environment (is entrained by the environment).
In vertebrates, the master circadian clock is contained within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a bilateral nerve cluster of about 20,000 neurons. [10] [11] The SCN itself is located in the hypothalamus, a small region of the brain situated directly above the optic chiasm, where it receives input from specialized photosensitive ganglion cells in the retina via the retinohypothalamic tract.
Traditionally, actograms describe phases of activity and rest, but they have also been used to visualize rhythms in protein phosphorylation, gene expression, and hormone secretion. [1] [2] Actograms are commonly used to study the underlying circadian rhythms of animals in fields such as ecology, [3] reproductive biology, [4] and sleep medicine. [5]
These disorders are caused by discrepancies between one’s circadian rhythm and the light/dark cycle of the environment. People with a sleep disorder experience insomnia or hypersomnia . There are a number of sleep disorders that light therapy are effective in treating, such as delayed sleep phase type (DSPT) and advanced sleep phase type (ASPT) .
All of these are examples of circadian rhythm disorders, which are problems with the alignment between your sleep-wake cycle and your responsibilities for the day—like going to work or school ...
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The best studied rhythm in chronobiology is the circadian rhythm, a roughly 24-hour cycle shown by physiological processes in all these organisms. The term circadian comes from the Latin circa, meaning "around" and dies, "day", meaning "approximately a day." It is regulated by circadian clocks.
Any biological process in the body that repeats itself over a period of approximately 24 hours and maintains this rhythm in the absence of external stimuli is considered a circadian rhythm. [4] It is believed that the brain's suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), or internal pacemaker, is responsible for regulating the body's biological rhythms ...