Earlier in the semester
on April 16th, we listened to a presentation by Dr. Cavanaugh about his
research article titled, “The rhythms of life: what your body clock means to
you!” In this article, Dr. Cavanaugh discusses how the circadian rhythms are
created and regulated, and the consequences that occur when we try to work
against our circadian rhythms.
The circadian rhythm is
our internal biological 24-hour clock that controls most of our bodily
functions. Dr. Cavanaugh mentions that It controls the rhythmic changes of our
“body temperature, blood pressure, levels of cortisol, melatonin and growth
hormone, urine production,” and most importantly our sleep. This goes to show
just how important the circadian rhythm is to our body’s functioning.
Dr. Cavanaugh then
proceeds to explain the molecular clock mechanism that is responsible for
producing the circadian rhythm. The circadian time-keeping system has a central
pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) in the brain, and secondary
clocks in other cells located throughout the body. Individual SCN neurons have
been shown to produce 24-hour rhythms in electrical activity. The circadian
rhythm is regulated by a negative feedback loop. Clock genes are transcribed to
produce clock gene protein complexes, which inhibit further clock gene
production. Then these complexes are degraded, which allows the clock genes to
undergo transcription once again to produce more complexes. This cycle repeats
itself over and over again which “generates a near 24 h rhythm of protein
production and degradation, which encodes the biological day,” thus producing
the circadian rhythm.
Dr. Cavanaugh then discusses
an example of when a circadian rhythm is broken down, known as jet lag. Jet lag
results in a plethora of symptoms including fatigue, insomnia, headaches, light-headedness,
etc. Jet lag usually occurs when someone flies across multiple time zones. As
mentioned earlier, most of the organs in our body have their own circadian clocks.
When someone flies across multiple time zones it “uncouples these individual
cellular rhythms from the day–night cycle and from each other,” causing your
body’s circadian rhythm to fall apart.
A Time Magazine article
titled “The Scientific Secrets to Preventing Jet Lag” by Melissa Locker relates
to the previously discussed research article. In her article, Locker discusses
why jet lag occurs and provides some possible ways on how to overcome it. She
explains that jet lag occurs when our body’s circadian rhythm is out of sync
with the time zone we are in. This causes a conflict between our mind and body
which results in the previously mentioned symptoms of jet lag. Locker states
that the best way to alleviate jet lag is to receive proper light exposure. This
allows your circadian clock to realign to your current time zone. Another way
to try and prevent jet lag from occurring is to shift your body to the new time
zone before actually flying by changing your sleeping patterns. The final method
Locker mentions to overcome jet lag, is through the use of melatonin. Consuming
one to three milligrams of melatonin two hours before you want to go to sleep can
be very effective. This is because melatonin is actually a hormone that signals
darkness, so it can help adjust your circadian rhythm and eliminate jet lag. Locker’s
article provides some directions for the future
These
two studies are directly related because they both describe what the circadian
rhythm is and explain how jet lag occurs. Dr. Cavanaugh focused on the
biological aspects of the circadian rhythm and the processes behind its
formation. While Dr. Cavanaugh, wonderfully explained the concept of jet lag
and how it occurs, he did not discuss possible methods to prevent it. This is
where Locket’s article comes into play and supports Dr. Cavanaugh’s article. Locket’s
article provided multiple suggestions as to how to alleviate the symptoms of
jet lag and possibly eliminate its incidence completely. Together, these two
articles provide a more holistic view of the circadian rhythm and how it can be
disrupted to create jet lag.
References:
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