Why Am I So Tired?

Circadian rhythms control the timing of many daily changes in your body. Credit: iStock. If you struggle to wake up in time for school or work or feel drowsy during a trip abroad, your circadian rhythms may be out of sync with your environment. Circadian rhythms are your internal timekeepers, and almost all organisms, from bacteria to plants and animals, have them. You can’t see them, but you can feel their effects—they control when you get sleepy, when you wake up in the morning, and when you feel hungry. Among other signals, the brain uses sunlight to keep time. Changing Circadian Rhythms Exposure to light at night can alter your circadian rhythms or sleep cycle. In particular, artificial light from a phone or computer screen tricks your brain into thinking it’s still daytime, which delays the release of important hormones, such as melatonin, that your body needs to start to wind down in the evening. This delayed release can leave you with impaired judgment and difficulty learning or focusing and will likely make waking up in the morning even harder than usual. Some experts suggest turning off your devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime to avoid this problem. How Do Astronauts Sleep in Space? Astronauts on the International Space Station can’t rely on the sun to cue their bodies for bed because they get 16 sunrises and sunsets each day as they orbit Earth! See what Expedition 55/56 flight engineer Ricky Arnold has to say about the importance ...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Biological Clocks Common questions Source Type: blogs