The circadian rhythms.

By: Victor Uriel Martinez Velazquez

Introduction
Surely you have ever heard about the biological rhythms of the human being, those
rhythms that govern our activities throughout the day, from when we get up until we go to
bed, even the involuntary activities we do while we are asleep. A clear example of these
rhythms, is the sleep cycle, in a few words we refer to the factors that affect it, this has a
clear example in relation to the production of the hormone melatonin, which is affected by
exogenous variables such as light, which inhibits its secretion through receptors in the
retina that, unless light inhibits them, activate the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) of the
Hypothalamus to order the Pineal Gland to secrete melatonin (F, Stephan. 1972). That is:
more light, less melatonin and less sleep; Less light, more melatonia and more sleep.
Temperature can also affect, among other variables, but the most important and
representative is the sleep cycle related to our domestic activities. Well, it turns out that not
all humans are diurnal animals, we all sleep the same (7 to 8 hours) but in different natural
rhythms: predominantly diurnal or nocturnal.
Sleep is regulated by two main processes: homeostasis (often referred to as “process S”)
and circadian (often referred to as “process C”). Process S represents an appetitive
process such that the longer one is awake, the more tired they get, and the more they
sleep, the less tired they become. The physiologic correlate for this homeostatic
mechanism remains unclear, however, one theory is that it is related to increased
adenosine release in specific brain regions during the wake period. (J, Benington.1995).
Process C is generated from the SCN such that a peak circadian drive for wake occurs
near the end of the normal waking day and a peak circadian drive for sleep occurs near
the end of the normal sleep period. (Dijk, DJ. 1995) The SCN and the SPZ have, however,
very modest direct projection to sleep centers such as the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus
(VLPO) and the arousing lateral hypothalamic orexin neurons (Chou, CH. 2003).

Conclusion
Humans have a mind of their own and often use this mind to disobey the “inner clock” for
example, a growing trend towards availability of more than 24 hours for your daily activities, the
consequences of this lifestyle could be devastating to health, but the evidence is not a good omen.
The challenge for researchers and doctors now is not only determining the causes of such
variations in the biological cycles, but also the consequences for the human health and the
triggering of diseases and disorders in the temporal organization of the circadian system. These
problems also include the question of what role the type of activities we perform in the disruption of
normal circadian rhythms and the biological clock can play.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1. Benington, JH. & Heller HC. Restoration of brain energy metabolism as the
function of sleep. Prog Neurobiol. 1995.
2. Dijk, DJ. & Czeisler, CA. Contribution of the circadian pacemaker and the sleep
homeostat to sleep propensity, Sleep structure, electroencephalographic slow
waves, and sleep spindle activity in humans. J Neurosci. 1995.
3. Chou, CH., Scammell, TE., Gooley, JJ., Gaus, S. & Saper, CB. Critical role of
dorsomedial hypothalamic Nucleus in a wide range of behavioral circadian
rhythms. J Neurosci. 2003