I have recently purchased a set of window curtains for my room. This material is capable of blocking sunlight from entering the room during the day, giving you a night-like feeling. I have always complained about the short day length in winter, now I have these light-blockers to add to the length of the night -at least in my room. I got thinking about how much more I have been sleeping lately, and asked myself if it could be due to my new curtains. Obviously, darkness aids more sleep, and light makes it less.
On the other hand, being an outdoor person, who is interested in gardening a lot, I usually feel bad in winter, and I have diagnosed myself with Seasonal Affective Disorder, which ironically has a matching acronym of SAD. This winter, there has been less snow so far in this part of the world, and that has reduced the SADness to a minimum. However, I started to consider the length of days in different parts of the world. The fact that some people live in cities where it could be dark for up to 67 days continuously without any day seems extremely fascinating to me. Even though they get compensated in summer, it is a mystery to think of how they get adapted to it all. No doubt, they must have some adaptive mechanisms which is absent from those of us who live in the intermediate zones.
It is a known fact that humans, just like many other organisms, have a biological time clock, which drives our circadian rhythm. The body's rhythm is known to be driven by cycles of dark and light periods. Even plants have their own rhythm, which causes them to flower at certain day lengths.
Those who travel from one time zone in the world to another experience fatigue and change in sleep pattern when they reach their destinations usually because their rhythm is interfered with.
Back to the extreme parts of the world, like Barrow in Alaska. I am forced to wonder what life is like in winter. I will like to really talk to someone who lives there about how they go to work, sleep and conduct every day activities in winter! Right here in Wisconsin, I sleep a lot more in winter and tend to feel that the days are just too short in winter. Obviously my biological time clock is kind of reset during this period of the year.
Then there is the issue of being a non-24. Meaning that the biological time clocks of many individuals are not perfectly set to conform to the 24- hour period of the normal day. In conclusion, I think the biological clock could go ahead and reset itself, while I sleep when I could and play as much as time would permit when the opportunity is available.
On the other hand, being an outdoor person, who is interested in gardening a lot, I usually feel bad in winter, and I have diagnosed myself with Seasonal Affective Disorder, which ironically has a matching acronym of SAD. This winter, there has been less snow so far in this part of the world, and that has reduced the SADness to a minimum. However, I started to consider the length of days in different parts of the world. The fact that some people live in cities where it could be dark for up to 67 days continuously without any day seems extremely fascinating to me. Even though they get compensated in summer, it is a mystery to think of how they get adapted to it all. No doubt, they must have some adaptive mechanisms which is absent from those of us who live in the intermediate zones.
It is a known fact that humans, just like many other organisms, have a biological time clock, which drives our circadian rhythm. The body's rhythm is known to be driven by cycles of dark and light periods. Even plants have their own rhythm, which causes them to flower at certain day lengths.
Those who travel from one time zone in the world to another experience fatigue and change in sleep pattern when they reach their destinations usually because their rhythm is interfered with.
Back to the extreme parts of the world, like Barrow in Alaska. I am forced to wonder what life is like in winter. I will like to really talk to someone who lives there about how they go to work, sleep and conduct every day activities in winter! Right here in Wisconsin, I sleep a lot more in winter and tend to feel that the days are just too short in winter. Obviously my biological time clock is kind of reset during this period of the year.
Then there is the issue of being a non-24. Meaning that the biological time clocks of many individuals are not perfectly set to conform to the 24- hour period of the normal day. In conclusion, I think the biological clock could go ahead and reset itself, while I sleep when I could and play as much as time would permit when the opportunity is available.
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