Making Time For Science

Making time for science
Chronobiology might sound a little futuristic like something from a science fiction novel, perhaps but its
actually a field of study that concerns one of the oldest processes life on this planet has ever known: short-term
rhythms of time and their effect on flora and fauna.
This can take many forms. Marine life, for example, is influenced by tidal patterns. Animals tend to be active or
inactive depending on the position of the sun or moon. Numerous creatures, humans included, are largely diurnal
that is, they like to come out during the hours of sunlight. Nocturnal animals, such as bats and possums, prefer
to forage by night. A third group are known as crepuscular: they thrive in the low-light of dawn and dusk and
remain inactive at other hours.
When it comes to humans, chronobiologists are interested in what is known as the circadian rhythm. This is the
complete cycle our bodies are naturally geared to undergo within the passage of a twenty-four hour day. Aside
from sleeping at night and waking during the day, each cycle involves many other factors such as changes in
blood pressure and body temperature. Not everyone has an identical circadian rhythm. Night people, for
example, often describe how they find it very hard to operate during the morning, but become alert and focused
by evening. This is a benign variation within circadian rhythms known as a chronotype.
Scientists have limited abilities to create durable modifications of chronobiological demands. Recent therapeutic
developments for humans such as artificial light machines and melatonin administration can reset our circadian
rhythms, for example, but our bodies can tell the difference and health suffers when we breach these natural
rhythms for extended periods of time. Plants appear no more malleable in this respect; studies demonstrate that
vegetables grown in season and ripened on the tree are far higher in essential nutrients than those grown in
greenhouses and ripened by laser.
Knowledge of chronobiological patterns can have many pragmatic implications for our day-to-day lives. While
contemporary living can sometimes appear to subjugate biology after all, who needs circadian rhythms when
we have caffeine pills, energy drinks, shift work and cities that never sleep? keeping in synch with our body
clock is important.
The average urban resident, for example, rouses at the eye-blearing time of 6.04 a.m., which researchers believe
to be far too early. One study found that even rising at 7.00 a.m. has deleterious effects on health unless exercise
is performed for 30 minutes afterward. The optimum moment has been whittled down to 7.22 a.m.; muscle
aches, headaches and moodiness were reported to be lowest by participants in the study who awoke then.
Once youre up and ready to go, what then? If youre trying to shed some extra pounds, dieticians are adamant:
never skip breakfast. This disorients your circadian rhythm and puts your body in starvation mode. The
recommended course of action is to follow an intense workout with a carbohydrate-rich breakfast; the other way
round and weight loss results are not as pronounced.
Morning is also great for breaking out the vitamins. Supplement absorption by the body is not temporal-
dependent, but naturopath Pam Stone notes that the extra boost at breakfast helps us get energised for the day
ahead. For improved absorption, Stone suggests pairing supplements with a food in which they are soluble and
steering clear of caffeinated beverages. Finally, Stone warns to take care with storage; high potency is best for
absorption, and warmth and humidity are known to deplete the potency of a supplement.
After-dinner espressos are becoming more of a tradition we have the Italians to thank for that but to prepare
for a good nights sleep we are better off putting the brakes on caffeine consumption as early as 3 p.m. With a
seven hour half-life, a cup of coffee containing 90 mg of caffeine taken at this hour could still leave 45 mg of
caffeine in your nervous system at ten oclock that evening. It is essential that, by the time you are ready to sleep,
your body is rid of all traces.
Evenings are important for winding down before sleep; however, dietician Geraldine Georgeou warns that an
after-five carbohydrate-fast is more cultural myth than chronobiological demand. This will deprive your body of
vital energy needs. Overloading your gut could lead to indigestion, though. Our digestive tracts do not shut down
for the night entirely, but their work slows to a crawl as our bodies prepare for sleep. Consuming a modest snack
should be entirely sufficient.

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