Body Clock

[Rachael]

Okay here is something that i would not really say is paranormal as i am sure there is an explanation for it...in which case if anyone knows i would love to hear it.

Im sure everyone has had the experience when you think to your self "i need to get up at this time" and you wake up at that time exactly to the minute. I find that this happens quite alot. For instance the other day i thought " I want to wake up at 10:30", and awoke exactly to the secound on my watch. I do not have a regular sleeping pattern, so do not get up at any paticular time each day which i find is even stranger!

So does anyone have any explanation for why your body is so good at being able to do this? Do we have a sort of built in Body Clock? 

Me x

[James]

Yup! 

The workings of our internal body clock is called the "Circadian Rhythm".  The Circadian Rhythms predominantly regulate the endocrine system - our hormones.  For example, Testosterone in males is "tuned" to be at a maximum at 9:00 in the morning or so.  Conversely, the hypothalamus at around 7:00pm starts releasing melatonin - as it knows we'll be going to sleep soon!

Circadian Rhythms also explain why teenagers (...and people our age ) are so alert in the evenings and find it hellish to wake up in the mornings.  Our peak level of alertness is around 10:30pm - indicating that in our ancestral history, we would have been the sentries.

It's always a great argument that "waking up in the morning and going to bed at night is directly at odds with what our body naturally wants to do, mum!".  This changes as we get older though 

When it comes to knowing if you've got to get up a certain time - I'm not sure if it's circadian.  If I've got an exam or something and I know I've got to be up at 6:30 I'll always wake up just before my alarm too!  I always think it's pretty cool

... It sucks at the moment how I've gotten myself into a regime of waking up at about 11 

[Davie]

So here I am at 4.15 in the morning typing away having just got home from work.

My body clock must get really mixed up at times.

Davie

[Conundrum]

I have never had an alarm clock for that very reason, never needed one. I just look at the clock on my wall before I go to bed, tell my self when I need to get up, and I always do.

[Davie]

I suppose that I can wake up also at roughly the time I need to.  The problem is if I decide to put the head back down for a couple minutes more.  I think you know what comes next!

Davie