AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -What are circadian rhythms? Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. These natural processes respond primarily to light and dark and affect most living things, including animals, plants, and microbes. Chronobiology is the study of circadian rhythms.

Detailed explanation-2: -Your body’s internal clock is controlled by an area of the brain called the SCN (suprachiasmatic nucleus). The SCN is located in the hypothalamus.

Detailed explanation-3: -The circadian clock has an internally driven 24-hour rhythm that tends to run longer than 24 hours but resets every day by the sun’s light/dark cycle. Taking melatonina supplements can also shift the timing of the body’s “clock.” Some people use melatonina as a sleep aid: it has a mild sleep-promoting effect.

Detailed explanation-4: -The regulation of sleep is processed by the homeostatic physiology of the circadian rhythm, the sleep/wake cycle. Circadian rhythm is the 24-hour internal clock in our brain that regulates cycles of alertness and sleepiness by responding to light changes in our environment.

Detailed explanation-5: -Your pineal gland’s main job is to help control the circadian cycle of sleep and wakefulness by secreting melatonin. The pineal gland is shaped like a tiny pinecone, which is how it got its name (“pine”-al gland).