Your body’s natural internal clock, the circadian rhythm, regulates your sleep and wakefulness patterns throughout the day. This repetitive rhythm helps determine the amount of sleep and awake time you get daily.
The main factors affecting your circadian rhythm are light and darkness, which communicate with your brain and trigger the release of hormones that keep you awake or sleepy.
While working as a freelancer, you might frequently experience disruptions in your rhythm due to changing work demands. The tips in this article will help you deal with these interruptions, maintain good routines, and manage your body’s natural rhythm in the best way possible.
Let’s get in!
What is Circadian Rhythm?
A circadian rhythm involves all the physiological functions of a typical 24-hour day. The term “circadian” is derived from two Latin words: “circa,” which means “round,” and “dies,” which means “day.”
Humans’ bodies and brains go through cycles during the day and night. These cycles change the body’s physical and mental states, mood, and behavior. These are not unique to humans but also apply to plants and animals. Almost all bodily tissues contain an abstract “circadian clock” that regulates these 24-hour rhythms.
One of the most well-known circadian rhythms is the sleep-wake cycle. Generally speaking, people feel more awake during the day and more tired at night. Circadian processes, however, affect not only sleep but also metabolism, temperature, mood, and appetite.
Modern life realities often blur the line between night and day. Because of this, many people have trouble keeping up a regular, healthy rhythm, which can badly affect their physical and mental health.
What are the factors that affect circadian rhythm?
Changes in your body and the environment can cause your rhythms to fall out of sync with the natural light-dark cycle. Let us look at four main factors that affect circadian rhythm:
1. Lights and colors
Light keeps your body in rhythm with a 24-hour day. The body uses sunlight to tell the difference between day and night. When the eyes perceive light, it prepares the body for daytime behavior. Therefore, being exposed to light at night disturbs the circadian rhythm.
Before artificial lights, people had very little light at night. Numerous sources of nighttime light are available today, including television, computer screens, e-readers, smartphones, and tablet computers. Exposure to light at night, particularly white or blue light, disrupts the circadian system, causing it to become disconnected from the natural cycle of light and darkness.
Read the full article on our blog- https://workee.net/blog/understanding-circadian-rhythms-a-freelancers-guide
