Circadian
Rhythm
Everyone knows about the tide on the beach. On a daily basis, when the moon is rising, the
ocean water moves up toward the beach, and when the moon goes down, the ocean
water moves away from the beach. This
happens regularly and has never changed since the formation of the moon. The same thing happens to the sun; it goes up
and down once a day and has never changed. These happenings are according to nature’s rules.
Think about the plants and the circadian rhythm. In the daytime, the chlorophyll in most plants
utilizes sunshine to combine carbon dioxide and water to produce oxygen and
carbohydrates (a process called photosynthesis). When nighttime comes, due to the lack of
sunlight, respiration takes place in most plants. In respiration, the plants take in oxygen and
produce carbon dioxide. This photosynthesis-respiration
cycle goes on every day and it has been like this forever. (Note: Because the respiration of plants
takes oxygen away from the air and produce carbon dioxide, it is not a good idea
to have too many plants in the house.)
Photosynthesis
and respiration, which happen according to natural’s rules day and night, are
critical for plants to survive. How
about other living beings, including human being? Of course, circadian rhythm is related to
human lives. Why do we feel tired at end
of the day? Why do we feel refreshed when we wake up in the morning? These are all part of nature’s rules. As I mentioned before, following nature’s rules
is a very important factor for us to have good lives. For many plants, without sunshine, they could
become sick or even die because they are forced to live against nature’s laws.
There are 24 hours in a day and roughly half daytime
and half nighttime; human beings have been subject to this circadian rhythm for thousands of years. The indication is that
one cannot and should not work or play all day without resting. The ancient Chinese proverb, work when the
sun is up and rest when the sun is down, is a very good example of following
nature’s rules. Why don’t we live like
the plants and act according to the nature’s rules?
Scientific
studies showed that loss of sleep may affect the integrity of immune system
functioning in humans. According to some reports,
people who do not sleep enough everyday may have higher chances of getting
cancer. This seems reasonable if you agree with my
rationale that the disruption of natural circadian rhythm is not good for general
health.
Maybe
some of you still don’t believe that the circadian rhythm is within us. Let’s talk about an obvious example,
jetlag. Based on the dictionary
definition, jetlag is a temporary disruption of a body’s normal biological rhythm
after high speed air travel through several time zones. Why is it that we are disrupted by moving
quickly from one time zone to another? It is obvious we have a biological clock that work in sync with the
natural clock (which is controlled by the movements of the earth, the sun, and
the moon). If our biological clocks are out of tune from our natural environment, we could feel uncomfortable or even
sick. Fortunately, in this case, taking
plenty of rest will allow our bodies to gradually adjust to accommodate to the
natural clock, which is controlled by Mother Nature. Once our biological clocks are in sync with the
natural clock, we are back to our happy/healthy selves. Everyone knows this fact but many people
don’t realize the importance of circadian rhythm to our health.
Here
is another example, woman’s periods. Why
do you think it happens periodically, about once a month (the month according
to the moon)? It has to do with human
evolution under natural circadian rhythm and it looks like the moon plays a
factor.
Things
as abundant and as big as the ocean, although lifeless, can be regulated by
nature. Even more fascinating is that
living beings as sophisticated as human bodies obey nature’s rules. Apparently, living according to nature’s rule
is a basic principle to be healthy. Why
would anyone want to go against nature’s rules in his/her daily life?
Let’s
look at lives microscopically, i.e., living cells. In a scientific term, when the environment
conditions are what they are supposed to be according to nature’s rules, cells
grow, function, multiply, and die according to the cell cycle. When cells are under any abnormal conditions,
they are referred to as under stress. Stress can come from within the cells or outside of the cells. In response to a stress, cells produce
corresponding internal and behavioral changes to reduce or accommodate the
stress. Minor stress probably will not
affect the health of cells. However, for
cells under significant/frequent stress, there may be consequences.
For example, if the cells are not given enough time to
rest, something negative might happen. Given significant stress for a long time or continuously, some normal
cells are likely to respond accordingly. In scientific terms, when cells are subject to significant stress, the
cells tend to release a variety of cytokines abnormally, which will do some damage to
other cells. So called “stress” include chemical, heat, acidity, carbon
dioxide, virus, and oxidizing agents.
© Jiajiu Shaw, 2017
Disclaimer: This blog is written solely for informational purposes. It does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other medical professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All contents posted are extracted from the book I wrote, "IS CANCER IN US", published recently.
