disrupting biological rhythms
- Created by: Molly
- Created on: 26-11-12 14:33
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- disrupting biological rhythms
- shift work
- some people can suffer so badly from the disruption of circadian rhythms caused by shift work that they are listed as a sleep disorder
- many shift workers are operating machinery or making decisions at times when their internal body clock is completely out of synchorisation with the external world
- fatigue, depression and illness
- our body clock prepares us for sleep when it is dark and particularly between 2am and 4am.
- chernobyl nuclear explosion occured during this phase of shift work.
- workers on shifts have to try and sleep during the day. inturupted by sunlight, and missing out on family activities.
- CZEISLER, MOORE-EDE AND COLEMAN (1982) phase delay and phase advance.
- these problems did not exist until last century, when Edison invention of the electric light.
- the electric light has transformed modern society, we can now work and shop 24 hours a day.
- The traditional pattern would be divided into three eight hour periods: midnight to 8am, 8am to 4pm and 4pm to midnight. shifts would change at intervals of one week with backwards rotation.
- coping with shift work
- permanent non roatating shift work.
- planned napping during shifts. (not very popular though)
- improved sleep during the day
- rapid rotation
- some people can suffer so badly from the disruption of circadian rhythms caused by shift work that they are listed as a sleep disorder
- jet lag
- if you leave the UK at 10 am and fly to new york you arrive around six hours later, your body clock tells you its 4pm but its actually 11am.
- the dislocation between the body clock and local zeitgebers can lead to jet lag.
- leads to feelings or tiredness and confusion
- our sleep wake body clock is reset by the light of morning in order to keep a 24 hour rhythm.
- body temperature may also be disrupted and become desynchronised form the sleep wake cycle, adds to general feeling of disorientation.
- various factors can affect the severity of jet lag:
- direction of travel
- number of time zones crossed
- age: jet lag decreases with age
- individual differences
- reducing jet lag
- sleep well before the flight, adjust flight behaviour, adjust to local zeitgebers, get up early as possible.
- shift work
- the dislocation between the body clock and local zeitgebers can lead to jet lag.
- leads to feelings or tiredness and confusion
- our sleep wake body clock is reset by the light of morning in order to keep a 24 hour rhythm.
- body temperature may also be disrupted and become desynchronised form the sleep wake cycle, adds to general feeling of disorientation.
- number of time zones crossed
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