4. More about the circadian rhythm

Now, it was mentioned earlier, how the circadian rhythm is sort of like the body's 'internal clock'. elaborating....

ABOUT THIS 'CLOCK'

Firstly, this so called clock is not an isolated💀contraption buried somewhere in the body, rather its cleverly spread throughout.

Imagine a main clock that is connected to all the other clocks.

Now, this main clock here is present in the hypothalamus(a region in the brain🧠), while the other clocks called the peripheral clocks are distributed to various organ and tissue systems. There are also smaller units called clock genes that are present in almost all cells. 

These contain special proteins that are produced and deteriorate in a constant 24 hour cycle. This is used to govern the rhythm.

This rhythm is affected by many external factors, the most major of them being exposure to 💡light. when we are in the dark, a hormone called melatonin is released, causing sleepiness😴. Inversely, when we are exposed to light, melatonin recedes and a hormone called cortisol is released, making us stay awake and alert.

This is why we are discouraged from using screens right before bed. It messes with this system and affects our sleep quality. And let me tell you, DON'T mess with the system. it WILL come and bite you in the back😏.