Dangers Of The Graveyard Shift…Nightshift Workers Suffer More Than Lack Of Sleep

Chronobiology International - Informa Healthcare's journal on how biological rhythms affect the systems of living things - has published a 14-year study of more than 7000 subjects which concludes that shift-work constitutes an independent risk factor for impaired glucose metabolism. Modern industrialization, consumer expectations and globalization have led to the widespread adoption of round-the-clock operations in many industries throughout the world. Tags: Insomnia Sleeping problems Insomnia information Sleepin

New Mechanism For Circadian Rhythm Discovered By Texas A&M Researchers

Molecules that may hold the key to new ways to fight cancer and other diseases have been found to play an important role in regulating circadian rhythm, says Liheng Shi, a researcher in Texas A&M's Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences. Circadian rhythm is the roughly 24-hour cycle of physiological activities of humans, animals and even bacteria, Shi explains. Tags: Insomnia Sleeping problems Insomnia information Sleepin

WUSTL Research Finds Individual Cells Isolated From The Biological Clock Can Keep Daily Time, But Are Unreliable

Alexis Webb enters a small room at Washington University in St. Louis with walls, floor and ceiling painted dark green, shuts the door, turns off the lights and bends over a microscope in a black box draped with black cloth. Through the microscope, she can see a single nerve cell on a glass cover slip glowing dimly. The glow tells her the isolated nerve cell is busy keeping time. Webb, a graduate fellow in the Neuroscience Ph.D. Program, working with Erik Herzog, Ph.D. Tags: Insomnia Sleeping problems Insomnia information Sleepin

A Link Between The Circadian Rhythm And Salt Balance

New research, conducted by Charles Wingo and his colleagues, at the University of Florida, Gainsville, suggests a link between the circadian rhythm and control of sodium (salt) levels in mice. The hormone aldosterone regulates levels of sodium in the blood and thereby helps control blood pressure. Tags: Insomnia Sleeping problems Insomnia information Sleepin

Mysteries Of Circadian Rhythms Revealed By Fungus

The fuzzy pale mold that lines the glass tubes in Dr. Yi Liu's lab doesn't look much like a clock. But this fungus has an internal, cell-based timekeeper nearly as sophisticated as a human's, allowing UT Southwestern Medical Center physiologists to study easily the biochemistry and genetics of body clocks, or circadian rhythms. In a new study appearing online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Tags: Insomnia Sleeping problems Insomnia information Sleepin

PER:PER Protein Pair Required For Circadian Clock Function

Scientists from Queen Mary, University of London have discovered a new protein complex operating in fruit fly circadian clocks, which may also help to regulate our own biological clocks. Circadian clocks are thought to have evolved to enable organisms to match their behaviour to specific time slots during the 24 hour day. They are synchronised with our surrounding environment via natural light or temperature cycles. Tags: Insomnia Sleeping problems Insomnia information Sleepin

Understanding The Complexities Of The Human Sleep/Wake Cycle With The Help Of A Flowering Plant

In an Early Edition issue of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on April 9, 2009, the researchers report that they have been able to determine the molecular structure of a plant photolyase protein that is surprisingly similar to two cryptochrome proteins that control the "master clock" in humans and other mammals. They have also been able to test how structural changes affect the function of these proteins. Tags: Insomnia Sleeping problems Insomnia information Sleepin

Shedding New ‘Light’ On Fascinating Rhythms Of The Circadian Clock

Scientists have long known that interrupting the 24-hour circadian rhythm plays havoc with the lives and health of medical, military and airline personnel, factory employees and travelers. Tags: Insomnia Sleeping problems Insomnia information Sleepin

Protecting Against Parasites With A Good Night’s Sleep

Animal species that sleep for longer do not suffer as much from parasite infestation and have a greater concentration of immune cells in their blood according to a study published in the open-access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology. The question of why we sleep has long puzzled scientists. Tags: Insomnia Sleeping problems Insomnia information Sleepin

Light Shed On Ways Circadian Disruption Affects Human Health

Growing evidence indicates that exposure to irregular patterns of light and darkness can cause the human circadian system to fall out of synchrony with the 24-hour solar day, negatively affecting human health - but scientists have been unable to effectively study the relationship between circadian disruptions and human maladies. Tags: Insomnia Sleeping problems Insomnia information Sleepin