Lighthouse News Daily

Breaking Daily News

Saturday, January 23, 2021
Log in
  • Headlines
  • Business
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • U.S.
  • World
  • Latest News
    • Inflatable Greenhouse Could Be A Food Source In The Outer Space
    • YouTube for Children Being Launched by Google
    • Some Animals Produce Natural Sunscreen to Protect Themselves from Radiation, New Study Shows
    • A New Genetic Map Tracks Down Dog Breeds And Their Evolution
    • Lack Of Sleep Causes Brain Cells To Slow Down
    • Meet Lyuba, the Best-Preserved Baby Mammoth in the World
    • Reports of Great White Shark Spottings Around Wells, Maine
    • Minecraft Adds Hour of Code Designer Tutorial
    • The de Broglie-Bohm Theory Is Back and It’s Surreal
    • Could High Carbon Dioxide Concentration Make Earth Greener?
You are here: Home / Health / Caffeine and Bright Light Disturb Our Circadian Clock

Caffeine and Bright Light Disturb Our Circadian Clock

September 17, 2015 By Martha Goodwin Leave a Comment

Email, RSS Follow
Having one double espresso as much as three hours before sleep induces 40 minutes delay in our circadian clock. This means bedtime is pushed back and mornings are a tough reality to deal with when the alarm rings.

Having one double espresso as much as three hours before sleep induces 40 minutes delay in our circadian clock. This means bedtime is pushed back and mornings are a tough reality to deal with when the alarm rings.

Having one double espresso as much as three hours before sleep induces 40 minutes delay in our circadian clock. This means bedtime is pushed back and mornings are a tough reality to deal with when the alarm rings.

The study was conducted by a joint research team from the University of Colorado Boulder and the Laboratory of Molecular Biology Medical Research Council in Cambridge. In the first study of its kind, researchers found that caffeine intake in the evening induces a delay in our circadian clock that regulates the times of sleep and waking.

The circadian clock works beyond announcing us when it’s bedtime and when it’s time to wake up, regulating cellular activity accordingly as well. According to Professor Kenneth Wright of the University of Colorado Boulder:

“This is the first study to show that caffeine, the mostly widely used psychoactive drug in the world, has an influence on the human circadian clock and cellular timekeeping”.

The study was conducted with the help of five volunteers, counting three women and two men. All five participants participated in the 49 days study that included testing under four different circumstances.

Firstly, they were tested under the effects of a placebo pill and low light. Secondly, they were tested under low-light and a pill containing 200mg of caffeine. Thirdly, the conditions were set for bright light and a placebo pill and lastly they were tested for the effects that a caffeine pill and bright light would have on their circadian clocks and cellular timing.

During the 49 days, saliva samples of all participants were tested for melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that the pineal gland produces naturally when informed so by the circadian clock. Exposure to light, particularly bright light disrupts the clock and resets it. Caffeine has the same effect. As the circadian clock is reset, melatonin levels, normally at high peak during biological nighttime as signaled by the circadian clock, reset as well. Cellular activity follows.

The results of the study showed that when the participants took the caffeine pill, roughly the equivalent of a double espresso and were exposed to low light, their circadian rhythm was delayed by 40 minutes.

Exposure to bright light delayed the participants’ clocks by 85 minutes, while when combined with the caffeine pill, it resulted in 105 minute delay. For night owls, this is devastating if a strict daily routine has to be followed.

Not only for them, but for everyone, the an advice still stands: do not indulge in the lifestyle that force a chronic lack of sleep and often resetting of the circadian clock. Cells are confused, obesity, liver and heart disease risks are on the rise, your body is tired and often, depression and anxiety are looming around the corner.

The study findings are published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Photo Credits: Pexels

Email, RSS Follow

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: bright light, caffeine, circadian clock, circadian rhythm

Pages

  • About/Contact
  • AccomplishNow Sandra Rechsteiner | A Journey to Self-Acceptance
  • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • Staff
  • Terms and Conditions

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 17 other subscribers

Great Red Spot on Jupiter is Getting Smaller

October 19, 2015 By Joseph Decker Leave a Comment

Justice Minister Says Plot for Massacre Foiled

February 14, 2015 By Joseph Decker Leave a Comment

Instagram Rules the Market with 400 Million Users

September 23, 2015 By Lonnie Davidson Leave a Comment

Smoking during Pregnancy Ups Risk of Heart Disease in Kids

October 19, 2015 By Lonnie Davidson 1 Comment

Lawmakers Look to End Travel Restrictions to Cuba

January 29, 2015 By Lonnie Davidson Leave a Comment

Target’s Decision to Shut Down Canada Surprises Many

January 15, 2015 By David Kellen Leave a Comment

Egging Victims Sue Justin Bieber for Assault

March 20, 2015 By David Kellen Leave a Comment

Kate Brown to Become New Oregon Governor

February 14, 2015 By David Kellen Leave a Comment

Related Articles

  • patient and doctor shaking hands

    Always Seeing the Same Doctor Lowers Early Death Risk (Study)

    Jun 29, 2018
  • people who work out

    What Happens When You Work Out

    Jun 28, 2018
  • female flight attendant

    Flight Attendants, More Likely to Develop Some Types of Cancer (Study)

    Jun 26, 2018
  • overweight person

    Body-Positive Movement Likely Contributes to Obesity Crisis (Study)

    Jun 25, 2018
  • Alzheimer's symptoms

    Herpes Virus Might Be Linked to Alzheimer’s (Study)

    Jun 22, 2018
  • cup of coffee

    Coffee Might Be Good for Your Heart, But with a Limit (Study)

    Jun 22, 2018
  • Parkinson's in the brain

    Parkinson’s Drugs Can Make People Gamblers or Sex Addicts

    Jun 21, 2018
  • freshly-made pizza

    Why Your Brain Loves Fatty, High-Carb Foods (Study)

    Jun 19, 2018
  • group of teens

    Teens Having Less Sex, Doing Less Drugs, More Are Depressed

    Jun 15, 2018
  • woman sleeping

    Too Much or Too Little Sleep are Both Bad for Your Health (Study)

    Jun 14, 2018

Categories

  • Business
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Headlines
  • Health
  • Nature
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • U.S.
  • Uncategorized
  • World

Copyright © 2021 lighthousenewsdaily.com

About | Contact · Staff · Terms and Conditions · Privacy Policy

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more.