circadian rhythms tagged posts

A new review of research evidence has explored the key differences in how women and men sleep, variations in their body clocks, and how this affects their metabolism.

Published in Sleep Medicine Reviews, the paper highlights the crucial role sex plays in understanding these factors and suggests a person’s biological sex should be considered when treating sleep, circadian rhythm and metabolic disorders.

Differences in sleep

The review found women rate their sleep quality lower than men’s and report more fluctuations in their quality of sleep, corresponding to changes throughout the menstrual cycle.

“Lower sleep quality is associated with anxiety and depressive disorders, which are twice as common in women as in men,” says Dr Sarah L...

A new mouse model helps researchers study the roles of cell types in keeping time inside the body. UT Southwestern scientists have developed a genetically engineered mouse and imaging system that lets them visualize fluctuations in the circadian clocks of cell types in mice...

Before the delivery of the neurotoxin (left) the SCN oscillate in a synchronized pattern. After the delivery of the neurotoxin (right), neurons in the SCN oscillate randomly. Credit: Image courtesy of the Doyle Lab

For the 1st time it has been shown how neurons in the SCN are connected to each other, shedding light on this vital area of the brain. Understanding this structure – and how it responds to disruption – is important for tackling illnesses like diabetes and PTSD. The scientists have also found that disruption to these rhythms such as shifts in work schedules or blue light exposure at night can negatively impact overall health...

An essential mineral in our diets has an unexpected role in helping living things remain adapted to the rhythms of night and day. Mg – a nutrient found in many foods – helps control how cells keep their own form of time to cope with the natural environmental cycle of day and night. The discovery in cells is expected to be linked to whole body clocks which influence circadian rhythms – of sleeping and waking, hormone release, body temperature and other important bodily functions in people.

The surprising discovery may aid the development of chronotherapy – Rx scheduled according to time of day – in people, and development of new crop varieties with increased yields or adjustable harvesting seasons...