- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preschoolers today articles
- preschoolers today q&a
- children today articles
- children today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
A 25-Hour Day?
Children and Circadian Rhythms
By Carma Haley Shoemaker
The human rhythm or biological clock is controlled by a tiny group of nerve cells in the brain -- often referred to as a "pacemaker." Although humans traditional live in a 24-our pattern, our internal clocks/pacemakers do not -- they are closer to 25 hours. According to Sheldon, it is the use of "time cues" that keep our bodies running with the 24-hour cycle.
"If our clock runs the way it wants to run it would have us getting tired and going to bed one hour later every night and getting up approximately one hour later every morning," says Sheldon. "But every morning when we get up at the same time we 'fix' it; we reset it. We can do it pretty effectively and efficiently with the use of time cues such as the sun coming up in the morning, going down in the afternoon, the alarm clock and meals being served. So, we stay within the 24-hour cycle we live in."
Even thought we "reset" our internal clocks/pacemakers each morning, there are times when, without knowing, we allow them to be altered. According to Sheldon, this is how circadian rhythm disorders begin. "People often let their pacemaker drift," says Sheldon. "They delay their rhythm by staying up later and sleeping in. We tend to do this on weekends. We stay up later on Friday and Saturday night because we don't have to get up for work or school and sleep later on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Then Monday morning comes it's quite difficult to return to our rhythm because that pacemaker has now delayed. This is essentially jet lagging in the same time zone, without moving and be the start of sleep disorders -- especially in children"
