Biological rhythms circadian rhythm

Question 1

what are biological rhythms

Answer 1

“Periodic biological fluctuations in an organism that corresponds to, and is in 10
response to, periodic environmental change”. These include changes in core bodily temperature,
attention (such as a circadian trough at 6 AM) and the sleep-wake cycle.

Question 2

what is the circadian rhythm

Answer 2

circadian rhythm (often known as the ‘body clock’), which is reset by levels of light. The word circadian is from the Latin ‘circa’ which means ‘about’, and ‘dian’, which means ‘day’.

Question 3

what is the superchiasmatic nuclei

Answer 3

The SCN then uses this information to coordinate the activity of the entire circadian system. Sleeping and wakefulness are not determined by the circadian rhythm alone, but also by homoeostasis. When an individual has been awake for a long time, homeostasis tells the body that there is a need for sleep because of energy consumption.

Question 4

How does body temperature affect the circadian rhythm?

Answer 4

another circadian rhythm. Human body temperature is at its lowest in the early hours of the morning ( and at its highest in the early evening. Sleep typically occurs when the core temperature starts to drop, and the body temperature starts to rise towards the end of a sleep cycle promoting feelings of alertness first thing in the morning.

Question 5

research support for circadian rhythm

Answer 5

Siffre (1975) found that the absence of external cues significantly altered his circadian rhythm: When he returned from an underground stay with no clocks or light, he believed the date to be a month earlier than it was. This suggests that his 24-hour sleep-wake cycle was increased by the lack of external cues,