The circadian rhythm is the biological process that the body performs over 24 hours. It can also be defined as the body’s internal clock. The circadian rhythm plays a major role in determining your sleep pattern. In addition, there are a variety of other processes that are dependent on the circadian rhythm. This includes regeneration of the cells and production of hormone activity.
Brain wave activity is also affected by the circadian rhythm. There are quite a few things that can go wrong within the body if this rhythm is disturbed. The disruption of this rhythm is known as circadian rhythm disorder. The disruption of the rhythm may be continuous or occasional. There are a number of symptoms you will experience if you are suffering from circadian rhythm disorder.
Possible Causes
There are numerous causes for the disruption of the circadian rhythm. The rhythm can be disrupted if you are consuming certain types of medication or if you have recently moved to a new time zone. Pregnant women also tend to experience this disorder.
The Most Common Circadian Rhythm Disorder Symptoms
There are many symptoms you will experience if your body is suffering from this disorder. Let’s look at some of the most common symptoms:
Delayed Sleep
One of the most common symptoms of the circadian disorder is a delay in sleep timings. People are not able to sleep on time; and due to this, they get up late. This causes a disruption in their sleep pattern.
Advanced Sleep
Another symptom of the circadian rhythm disorder is early sleep. The rhythm disorder causes you to sleep early. Due to this, you tend to wake up earlier than usual. The worst part is that, once you wake up, you are not able to go back to sleep again. If this is not dealt with, the advanced sleep pattern will become permanent.
The length of your sleep may also be disturbed because of this disorder. In addition to the duration of the sleep, you may also experience depletion in the quality of sleep.
Jet Lag or Rapid Time Zone Change Syndrome
This type of circadian rhythm disorder is common amongst people who travel frequently. When an individual travels from one time zone to the other, the sleep pattern is likely to be disrupted. You will feel sleepy during the daytime while you will most likely be alert at night. In this case, the sleep pattern is not reduced, it is merely disrupted.
If you are suffering from this disorder, you should consider getting help. This is because irregular or disrupted sleep patterns can take a toll on your health.
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