Are you breaking your body clock?

Researchers use mathematical models to better understand how the body regulates circadian rhythms. Researchers are using mathematical models to better understand the effects of disruptions like daylight savings time, working night shifts, jet lag or even late-night phone scrolling on the body's circadian rhythms. The University of Waterloo and the University of Oxford researchers have developed a new model to help scientists better understand the resilience of the brain's master clock: the cluster of neurons in the brain that coordinates the body's other internal rhythms. They also hope to suggest ways to help improve this resilience in individuals with weak or impaired circadian rhythms. Sustained disruptions to circadian rhythm have been linked to diabetes, memory loss, and many other disorders.  "Current society is experiencing a rapid increase in demand for work outside of traditional daylight hours," said Stéphanie Abo, a PhD candidate in applied mathematics and the study's lead author. "This greatly disrupts how we are exposed to light, as well as other habits such as eating and sleeping patterns."   Humans' circadian rhythms, or internal clocks, are the roughly 24-hour cycles many body systems follow, usually alternating between wakefulness and rest. Scientists are still working to understand the cluster of neurons known as Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) or master clock.