Ever wonder why you perk up with the morning sun or can’t seem to fall asleep some nights? The answer lies within your body’s natural timekeeper — your circadian rhythm.
Circadian rhythms are the body’s intrinsic patterns that follow a 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism’s environment. These rhythms are present in most living things, including animals, plants, and even microbes. Humans regulate our sleep-wake cycle, hormone production, eating habits, digestion, and body temperature.