Discover Your Circadian Rhythm: Understand Your Body Clock

Circadian rhythms are driven by your internal body clock and govern the physiological and mental changes that occur over a 24-hour period, determining when you feel like eating, waking up and sleeping. It also determines whether you are a day or night person. Sleep patterns are influenced by your circadian rhythm because nerve cells in the brain that influence your natural 24-hour rhythms, also produce the sleep hormone melatonin. Everyone's circadian rhythm is different, as it is influenced by your genes, as well as environmental factors. You can find your natural rhythms by listening to your body and making sure that you get plenty of natural light.

Instructions

• 1

  Take an online test. The computerized test on the BBC website generates a chart showing your natural sleeping and waking patterns over 24 hours, based on questions about when you feel most awake and productive and when you most feel like going to bed and getting up.

• 2

  Listen to your body. Your internal body clock will tell you when it wants to sleep, eat and work. Doing what your body tells you helps you to maintain your natural circadian rhythm. It also helps you to stay healthy because going against your natural rhythm can affect body temperature, hormones and blood pressure.

• 3

  Expose yourself to natural light. Circadian rhythms are sensitive to light and darkness, causing you to feel awake when the sun is shining and to get sleepy when night falls. This is because the group of brain cells that determines the body's master clock is situated in an area of the brain just above the optic nerve, and relays information about incoming light. This lets the brain determine whether it needs to produce more or less melatonin. Your natural circadian rhythm can get out of sync during the winter months, when there are fewer hours of sunshine. Spending more time outdoors and opening the blinds or curtains to let in more sun when your are indoors helps to counteract this.