What to eat at certain times of the day? Light day and biorhythms

The number of groups replicating the "magic table" about the value of sleep depending on the time of day rolls over and continues to increase for a long time. I am sure that our subscribers do not need to talk about how crazy this idea is, and yet, seeing hundreds of reposts and thousands of likes, we decided to look into the issue in more detail.

Doctor of Medical Sciences V. Grinevich

All living beings on Earth - from plants to higher mammals - obey daily rhythms. In humans, depending on the time of day, they change cyclically physiological state, intellectual abilities and even mood. Scientists have proven that fluctuations in the concentration of hormones in the blood are to blame. AT last years in the science of biorhythms, chronobiology, much has been done to establish the mechanism of the occurrence of daily hormonal cycles. Scientists have discovered a "circadian center" in the brain, and in it - the so-called "clock genes" of biological health rhythms.

Science and life // Illustrations

Science and life // Illustrations

Science and life // Illustrations

Science and life // Illustrations

Science and life // Illustrations

Science and life // Illustrations

Science and life // Illustrations

Science and life // Illustrations

CHRONOBIOLOGY - THE SCIENCE OF THE DAILY RHYTHMS OF THE ORGANISM

In 1632, the English naturalist John Wren, in his "Treatise on Herbs" ("Herbal Treatise"), first described the daily cycles of tissue fluids in the human body, which he, following the terminology of Aristotle, called "humors" (lat. humor- liquid). Each of the "tides" of tissue fluid, according to Wren, lasted six hours. The humoral cycle began at nine o'clock in the evening with the release of the first humor of bile - "shole" (Greek. chole- bile) and continued until three in the morning. Then came the phase of black bile - "melancholy" (Greek. melas- black, chole- bile), followed by phlegm - "phlegma" (Greek. phlegma- mucus, sputum), and, finally, the fourth humor - blood.

Of course, it is impossible to correlate humors with currently known physiological fluids and tissue secretions. Modern medical science does not recognize any connection between physiology and mystical humors. And yet, the patterns of mood swings, intellectual abilities and physical condition have a very scientific basis. The science that studies the daily rhythms of the body is called chronobiology (Greek. chronos- time). Its basic concepts were formulated by the outstanding German and American scientists Professors Jurgen Aschoff and Colin Pittendrig, who were even nominated for the Nobel Prize in the early 1980s. But, unfortunately, they never received the highest scientific award.

The main concept of chronobiology is daily cycles, the duration of which is periodic - about (lat. circa) day (lat. dies). Therefore, the alternating daily cycles are called circadian rhythms. These rhythms are directly related to the cyclic change in illumination, that is, to the rotation of the Earth around its axis. All living beings on Earth have them: plants, microorganisms, invertebrates and vertebrates, up to higher mammals and humans.

We are all familiar with the circadian wake-sleep cycle. In 1959, Aschoff discovered a pattern that Pittendrig proposed to call Aschoff's rule. Under this name, it entered chronobiology and the history of science. The rule says: "In nocturnal animals, the active period (wakefulness) is longer in constant light, while in diurnal animals, wakefulness is longer in constant darkness." And indeed, as Aschoff subsequently established, with prolonged isolation of a person or animals in the dark, the wake-sleep cycle lengthens due to an increase in the duration of the wakefulness phase. It follows from Aschoff's rule that it is light that determines the circadian fluctuations of the body.

HORMONES AND BIORHYTHMS

During the circadian day (wakefulness), our physiology is mainly tuned to the processing of accumulated nutrients to get energy for an active day life. On the contrary, during the circadian night, nutrients are accumulated, restoration and “repair” of tissues occur. As it turned out, these changes in metabolic rate are regulated by the endocrine system, that is, by hormones. There are many similarities with Wren's humoral theory in how the endocrine mechanism for controlling circadian cycles works.

In the evening, before nightfall, the "night hormone" - melatonin - is released into the blood from the so-called upper cerebral appendage - the pineal gland. This amazing substance is produced by the pineal gland only in dark time days, and the time of its presence in the blood is directly proportional to the duration of the light night. In some cases, insomnia in the elderly is associated with insufficient secretion of melatonin by the pineal gland. Melatonin preparations are often used as sleeping pills.

Melatonin causes a decrease in body temperature, in addition, it regulates the duration and change of phases of sleep. The fact is that human sleep is an alternation of slow-wave and paradoxical phases. Slow-wave sleep is characterized by low-frequency activity of the cerebral cortex. This is "a dream without hind legs", the time when the brain is completely resting. During paradoxical sleep, the frequency of oscillations of the electrical activity of the brain increases, and we dream. This phase is close to wakefulness and serves as a "springboard" to awakening. Slow-wave and paradoxical phases replace one another 4-5 once a night, in time with changes in the concentration of melatonin.

The onset of light night is accompanied by other hormonal changes: increases the production of growth hormone and decreases the production of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by another cerebral appendage - the pituitary gland. Growth hormone stimulates anabolic processes, such as cell reproduction and the accumulation of nutrients (glycogen) in the liver. No wonder they say: "Children grow in their sleep." ACTH causes the release of adrenaline and other "stress hormones" (glucocorticoids) from the adrenal cortex into the blood, so a decrease in its level allows you to remove daytime excitement and fall asleep peacefully. At the time of falling asleep, opioid hormones that have a narcotic effect, endorphins and enkephalins, are released from the pituitary gland. That is why the process of falling asleep is accompanied by pleasant sensations.

Before awakening healthy body should be ready for active wakefulness, at this time the adrenal cortex begins to produce hormones that excite the nervous system - glucocorticoids. The most active of them is cortisol, which leads to increased pressure, increased heart rate, increased vascular tone and decreased blood clotting. That is why clinical statistics show that acute heart attacks and intracerebral hemorrhagic strokes mainly occur in the early morning. Blood pressure-lowering drugs are now being developed that can only reach peak blood levels in the morning, preventing deadly attacks.

Why do some people get up “before dawn”, while others do not mind sleeping until noon? It turns out that the well-known phenomenon of "owls and larks" is quite scientific explanation, which is based on the work of Jamie Seitzer of the Sleep Research Center at Stanford University in California. She found that the minimum concentration of cortisol in the blood usually occurs in the middle of a night's sleep, and its peak is reached before awakening. In "larks" the maximum release of cortisol occurs earlier than in most people - at 4-5 o'clock in the morning. Therefore, "larks" are more active in the morning, but get tired faster in the evening. They usually begin to fall asleep early, since the sleep hormone - melatonin enters the bloodstream long before midnight. In "owls" the situation is reversed: melatonin is released later, closer to midnight, and the peak of cortisol release is shifted to 7-8 in the morning. The specified time frames are purely individual and may vary depending on the severity of the morning ("lark") or evening ("owl") chronotypes.

"CIRCAD CENTER" IS IN THE BRAIN

What is this organ that controls the circadian fluctuations in the concentration of hormones in the blood? To this question, scientists for a long time couldn't find an answer. But none of them doubted that the "circadian center" should be in the brain. Its existence was also predicted by the founders of chronobiology Aschoff and Pittendrig. The attention of physiologists was attracted by the structure of the brain known to anatomists for a long time - the suprachiasmatic nucleus, located above (lat. super) crossed (gr. chiasmos) optic nerves. It has a cigar shape and consists, for example, in rodents of only 10,000 neurons, which is very few. The other nucleus, located close to it, is paraventricular and contains hundreds of thousands of neurons. The length of the suprachiasmatic nucleus is also small - no more than half a millimeter, and the volume is 0.3 mm 3.

In 1972, two groups of American researchers managed to show that the suprachiasmatic nucleus is the control center of the body's biological clock. To do this, they destroyed the nucleus in the brain of mice by microsurgery. Robert Moore and Victor Eichler found that in animals with a non-functioning suprachiasmatic nucleus, the cyclic release of stress hormones - adrenaline and glucocorticoids - into the blood disappears. Another scientific group led by Frederick Stefan and Irwin Zucker studied the motor activity of rodents with a remote "circadian center". Usually small rodents after waking up are always in motion. In laboratory conditions, a cable is connected to the wheel in which the animal runs in place to record movement. Mice and hamsters in a wheel with a diameter of 30 cm run 15-20 km per day! Based on the data obtained, graphs are built, which are called actograms. It turned out that the destruction of the suprachiasmatic nucleus leads to the disappearance of the circadian motor activity animals: periods of sleep and wakefulness become chaotic in them. They stop sleeping during the circadian night, that is, during daylight hours, and stay awake during the circadian day, that is, after dark.

The suprachiasmatic nucleus is a unique structure. If it is removed from the brain of rodents and placed in " comfortable conditions"with a warm nutrient medium saturated with oxygen, then for several months in the neurons of the nucleus the frequency and amplitude of the membrane polarization will cyclically change, as well as the level of production of various signal molecules - neurotransmitters that transmit a nerve impulse from one cell to another.

What helps the suprachiasmatic nucleus to maintain such a stable cyclicity? The neurons in it are very tightly adjacent to each other, forming a large number of intercellular contacts (synapses). Due to this, changes in the electrical activity of one neuron are instantly transmitted to all cells of the nucleus, that is, the activity of the cell population is synchronized. In addition, the neurons of the suprachiasmatic nucleus are connected special kind contacts, which are called slotted. They are sections of the membranes of adjoining cells, in which protein tubes, the so-called connexins, are embedded. Through these tubes, flows of ions move from one cell to another, which also synchronizes the "work" of the neurons of the nucleus. Convincing evidence of such a mechanism was presented by the American professor Barry Connors at the annual congress of neurobiologists "Neuroscience-2004", held in October 2004 in San Diego (USA).

In all likelihood, the suprachiasmatic nucleus plays an important role in protecting the body from the formation malignant tumors. The proof of this was demonstrated in 2002 by French and British researchers led by professors Francis Levy and Michael Hastings. Mice with a destroyed suprachiasmatic nucleus were inoculated with cancerous tumors of bone tissue (Glasgow osteosarcoma) and pancreas (adenocarcinoma). It turned out that in mice without a "circadian center" the rate of tumor development is 7 times higher than in their normal counterparts. On the relationship between circadian rhythm disturbances and oncological diseases at the person specify also epidemiological researches. They indicate that the incidence of breast cancer in women who work long night shifts, according to various sources, is up to 60% higher than in women working in daytime days.

WATCH GENES

The uniqueness of the suprachiasmatic nucleus is also that the so-called clock genes work in its cells. These genes were first discovered in the Drosophila fruit fly in the analogue of the vertebrate brain - the head ganglion, the protocerebrum. Mammalian clock genes in their nucleotide sequence turned out to be very similar to Drosophila genes. There are two families of clock genes - periodic ( Per1, 2, 3) and cryptochrome ( Cree1 and 2). The products of these genes, the Per- and Cree-proteins, have an interesting feature. In the cytoplasm of neurons, they form molecular complexes with each other, which penetrate into the nucleus and suppress the activation of clock genes and, naturally, the production of their corresponding proteins. As a result, the concentration of Per- and Cri-proteins in the cytoplasm of the cell decreases, which again leads to "unblocking" and activation of genes that begin to produce new portions of proteins. This ensures the cyclical operation of clock genes. It is assumed that the clock genes, as it were, set up the biochemical processes occurring in the cell to work in the circadian mode, but how synchronization occurs is still unclear.

Interestingly, in animals, from the genome of which researchers have removed one of the clock genes by genetic engineering methods Lane 2, spontaneously develop blood tumors - lymphomas.

LIGHT DAY AND BIORHYTHMS

Circadian rhythms are "invented" by nature in order to adapt the body to the alternation of light and dark times of the day and therefore cannot but be associated with the perception of light. Information about the light day enters the suprachiasmatic nucleus from the light-sensitive membrane (retina) of the eye. Light information from the photoreceptors of the retina, rods and cones through the endings of the ganglion cells is transmitted to the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Ganglion cells do not just transmit information in the form of a nerve impulse, they synthesize a light-sensitive enzyme - melanopsin. Therefore, even under conditions when rods and cones do not function (for example, in congenital blindness), these cells are able to perceive light, but not visual information and transmit it to the suprachiasmatic nucleus.

One might think that in total darkness there should be no circadian activity in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. But this is not so at all: even in the absence of light information, the daily cycle remains stable - only its duration changes. In the case when information about light does not enter the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the circadian period in humans is lengthened compared to the astronomical day. To prove this, in 1962, the "father of chronobiology," Professor Jurgen Aschoff, who was discussed above, placed two volunteers, his sons, in a completely dark apartment for several days. It turned out that the wake-sleep cycles after placing people in the dark stretched for half an hour. Sleep in total darkness becomes fragmented, superficial, and the slow-wave phase dominates. A person ceases to feel sleep as a deep shutdown, he seems to be daydreaming. After 12 years, the Frenchman Michel Siffre repeated these experiments on himself and came to similar results. Interestingly, in nocturnal animals, the cycle in the dark, on the contrary, is reduced and amounts to 23.4 hours. The meaning of such shifts in circadian rhythms is still not entirely clear.

Changing the length of daylight hours affects the activity of the suprachiasmatic nucleus. If animals that were housed for several weeks on a stable regimen (12 hours light and 12 hours dark) were then placed on different light cycles (e.g., 18 hours light and 6 hours dark), they exhibited a disruption in the frequency of active wakefulness and sleep. A similar thing happens to a person when the light changes.

The cycle "sleep - wakefulness" in wild animals completely coincides with the periods of daylight hours. In modern human society "24/7" (24 hours a day, 7 days a week), the mismatch of biological rhythms with the real daily cycle leads to "circadian stress", which, in turn, can cause the development of many diseases, including depression, insomnia , pathology of the cardiovascular system and cancer. There is even such a thing as seasonal affective illness - seasonal depression associated with a decrease in the length of daylight hours in winter. It is known that in northern countries, for example, in Scandinavia, where the discrepancy between the length of daylight hours and the active period is especially noticeable, the frequency of depression and suicide is very high among the population.

At seasonal depression in the blood of the patient, the level of the main hormone of the adrenal glands - cortisol, which greatly depresses immune system. And reduced immunity inevitably leads to increased susceptibility to infectious diseases. So it is possible that short daylight hours are one of the reasons for the surge in incidence. viral infections in winter.

DAILY RHYTHMS OF ORGANS AND TISSUES

To date, it has been established that it is the suprachiasmatic nucleus that sends signals to the brain centers responsible for the cyclic production of hormones that regulate the daily activity of the body. One of these regulatory centers is the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, from where the signal to “start” the synthesis of growth hormone or ACTH is transmitted to the pituitary gland. So the suprachiasmatic nucleus can be called the "conductor" of the circadian activity of the body. But other cells follow their own circadian rhythms. It is known that clock genes work in the cells of the heart, liver, lungs, pancreas, kidneys, muscle and connective tissues. These peripheral systems is subject to its own daily rhythms, which generally coincide with the cyclicity of the suprachiasmatic nucleus, but are shifted in time. The question of how the "circadian orchestra conductor" controls the functioning of the "orchestras" remains key issue modern chronobiology.

Cyclically functioning organs are quite easy to get out of control of the suprachiasmatic nucleus. In 2000-2004, a series of sensational works was published by Swiss and American research groups led by Julie Schibler and Michael Menaker. In experiments conducted by scientists, nocturnal rodents were fed only during daylight hours. This is just as unnatural for mice as it is for a person who would only be allowed to eat at night. As a result, the circadian activity of the clock genes in the internal organs of the animals was gradually completely rearranged and ceased to coincide with the circadian rhythm of the suprachiasmatic nucleus. The return to normal synchronous biorhythms occurred immediately after the start of their feeding at their usual waking time, that is, at night. The mechanisms of this phenomenon are still unknown. But one thing is clear for sure: it is easy to get the whole body out of the control of the suprachiasmatic nucleus - you just need to radically change the diet, starting to dine at night. Therefore, a strict diet is not an empty phrase. It is especially important to follow it in childhood, because the biological clock "winds" at a very early age.

The heart, like all internal organs, also has its own circadian activity. Under artificial conditions, it exhibits significant circadian fluctuations, which is expressed in cyclic change its contractile function and the level of oxygen consumption. Biorhythms of the heart coincide with the activity of "heart" clock genes. In a hypertrophied heart (in which muscle mass increased due to cell proliferation) fluctuations in the activity of the heart and "heart" clock genes disappear. Therefore, the opposite is also possible: a failure in the daily activity of heart cells can cause its hypertrophy with the subsequent development of heart failure. So violations of the regime of the day and nutrition with highly likely may be the cause of cardiac disease.

Not only the endocrine system and internal organs are subject to daily rhythms, the vital activity of cells in peripheral tissues also follows a specific circadian program. This area of ​​research is just beginning to develop, but interesting data have already been accumulated. Yes, in cells. internal organs In rodents, the synthesis of new DNA molecules mainly occurs at the beginning of the circadian night, that is, in the morning, and cell division actively begins at the beginning of the circadian day, that is, in the evening. The intensity of growth of cells of the human oral mucosa changes cyclically. What is especially important, according to daily rhythms, the activity of proteins responsible for cell reproduction, for example, topoisomerase II α, a protein that often serves as a "target" for the action of chemotherapeutic drugs, also changes. This fact is of exceptional importance for the treatment of malignant tumors. As clinical observations show, chemotherapy during the circadian period corresponding to the peak of topoisomerase production is much more effective than a single or continuous administration of chemotherapy drugs at an arbitrary time.

No scientist doubts that circadian rhythms- one of the fundamental biological mechanisms, thanks to which, over millions of years of evolution, all the inhabitants of the Earth have adapted to the light daily cycle. Although man is a highly adapted creature, which allowed him to become the most numerous species among mammals, civilization inevitably destroys his biological rhythm. And while plants and animals follow the natural circadian rhythm, humans have a much harder time. Circadian stress is an integral feature of our time, it is extremely difficult to resist them. However, it is in our power to take care of the "biological clock" of health, strictly following the regime of sleep, wakefulness and nutrition.

Illustration "The life of plants according to the biological clock."
Not only animals, but also plants live according to the "biological clock". Daytime flowers close and open petals depending on the light - everyone knows this. However, not everyone knows that the formation of nectar is also subject to daily rhythms. Moreover, bees pollinate flowers only at certain hours - at the time of production most nectar. This observation was made at the dawn of chronobiology - at the beginning of the 20th century - by German scientists Karl von Frisch and Ingeborg Behling.

Illustration "Scheme of "ideal" circadian rhythms for the synthesis of the "wakefulness hormone" - cortisol and the "sleep hormone" - melatonin."
For most people, cortisol levels in the blood begin to rise at midnight and peak at 6-8 am. By this time, the production of melatonin has practically ceased. After about 12 hours, cortisol concentration begins to decline, and after another 2 hours, melatonin synthesis starts. But these time frames are very arbitrary. In "larks", for example, cortisol reaches its maximum level earlier - by 4-5 o'clock in the morning, in "owls" later - by 9-11 o'clock. Depending on the chronotype, the peaks of melatonin release also shift.

Illustration "A graph of the number of fatal heart attacks."
The graph shows the dependence of the number of fatal infarcts among patients admitted to the clinic medical college University of Kentucky (USA) in 1983, from time of day. As can be seen from the graph, the peak number of heart attacks falls on the time period from 6 to 9 am. This is due to the circadian activation of the cardiovascular system before awakening.

Illustration "Suprachiasmatic nucleus."
If the suprachiasmatic nucleus is placed in "comfortable" physiological conditions (left image) and the electrical activity of its neurons is recorded during the day, then it will look like periodic increases in the discharge amplitude (action potential) with maxima every 24 hours (right diagram).

Illustration "Nocturnal animals - hamsters in the period of wakefulness are in constant motion."
In laboratory conditions, to record the motor activity of rodents, a cable is connected to the wheel in which the animal runs in place. Based on the data obtained, graphs are built, which are called actograms.

Illustration "The main "conductor" of biological rhythms - the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is located in the hypothalamus, an evolutionarily ancient part of the brain."
The hypothalamus is boxed in the upper image taken from a longitudinal section of the human brain. The suprachiasmatic nucleus lies above the optic chiasm, through which it receives light information from the retina. The lower right figure is a section of the mouse hypothalamus stained in Blue colour. In the lower left figure, the same image is shown schematically. Paired spherical formations are an accumulation of neurons that form the suprachiasmatic nucleus.

Illustration "Scheme of synthesis of the "hormone of the night" - melatonin."
Melatonin causes sleep, and its fluctuations at night lead to a change in sleep phases. The secretion of melatonin obeys the circadian rhythm and depends on the illumination: darkness stimulates it, while light, on the contrary, suppresses it. Information about light in mammals enters the pineal gland in a complex way: from the retina to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (retino-hypothalamic tract), then from the suprachiasmatic nucleus to the upper cervical node and from the upper cervical node to the epiphysis. In fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds, light can directly control melatonin production through the pineal gland, since light easily passes through the delicate skull of these animals. Hence another name for the pineal gland - "third eye". How melatonin controls falling asleep and changing sleep phases is not yet clear.

Illustration "The suprachiasmatic nucleus is the controller of the circadian rhythm of various organs and tissues."
It performs its functions by regulating the production of hormones by the pituitary and adrenal glands, as well as by direct signal transmission through the processes of neurons. The circadian activity of the peripheral organs can be brought out of the control of the suprachiasmatic nucleus by violating the diet - eating at night.

Cyclicity is characteristic of all biosystems and this is explained by the fact that no processes can last indefinitely, a break must necessarily follow, during which rest, restoration and accumulation of strength take place. For each living organism, the alternation of periods of minimum and maximum is much more efficient and economical than long-term maintenance of functions at an average level of intensity.

The human body is a real symphony orchestra. We most often do not even fully realize the incredible coherence of the work of all its organs, tissues and cells. All processes occurring in our body are very complex and attuned. One of the amazing features of our body is a set of changes that are commonly called the biorhythm.

HUMAN DAILY BIORHYTHM AND HIS SLEEP

So, the biorhythm is periodic changes in the increase and decrease in activity biological processes, which are independently supported and reproduced independently in any conditions.

It's no secret that nature is cyclical. These cycles have different duration: daily, annual, lunar month etc. The change of day at night, the seasons, the passage of the Moon around our planet - all this is the initial conditions for the existence of all life on our earth, therefore, of course, biorhythms are inherent not only to humans, but also to other living organisms. Flower buds closing at night, bears hibernating, ants closing the entrances to the anthill are all examples of biorhythms associated with the change of natural cycles.

The high life efficiency of a person is directly related to his biorhythm. Physical activity should fall on periods that are most conducive to this. If you become tense during the decline phase of activity, nothing good will come of it. As well as trying to sleep during the period of maximum activity. Each biorhythm is characterized the following criteria: period, frequency, phase and amplitude.

The biorhythm period is the duration of one cycle of changes per unit of time (for example, 24 hours of the duration of the daily biorhythm)

Biorhythm frequency - the frequency of periodic processes per unit of time.

Biorhythm phase - part of the biorhythm period per unit of time (initial phase, active phase, etc.)

Amplitude of the biorhythm - the range of fluctuations in activity during the period of the biorhythm.

Humans are characterized by a huge variety of biological rhythms: these are cellular periods, and blood cycles, and respiration, and daily changes, and seasonal ones. And the most surprising thing in all this is that between different durations of biorhythms there is the finest synchronization, multiplicity and consistency.

In this article, we will pay the most attention to the daily biorhythm, which is expressed in the change of phases of wakefulness - sleep.

Average daily human biorhythm

4-5 am(in real time of your geographical location) - preparing the body for awakening. Gradual increase in activity.

5 o'clock in the morning- Decreased production of melatonin, a gradual increase in body temperature, an increase in the production of activity hormones, an increase in the level of adrenaline, hemoglobin and sugar, increased heart rate, increased pressure. All this is intensified under the influence of increasing street noise, changes in illumination, changes in temperature. Please note that the preparation of the body for activity takes place at a time that most consider deep sleep.

6 a.m- the production of cortisol by the adrenal glands, which is also called the "awakening hormone". It is at this time that your physiological awakening occurs, the optimal time to start a new day, if you also went to bed in accordance with the daily biorhythm.

7 am to 9 am- the time of charging, morning training, physical activity. And then choose a more attractive value system for you. Orthodox medicine and dietetics say that this is the period of time you should have your breakfast. Modern biochemistry and biorhythmology insist that from 4 am to 12 noon the body goes through a stage of self-purification, therefore it should not be interfered with in this matter for the sake of maintaining health and you should not eat until 12 noon, only drink.

9 am- high mental activity, good working capacity(but only if you woke up on time. For those who hardly opened their eyes at 8 o'clock and did not actively work out, it will be difficult to detect high performance at 9 in the morning), it works well short term memory. It's time to learn new information, do not load yourself physically.

9-10 hours- time for planning and easy rest.

9-11 hours- strengthening your immunity, therefore, competent doctors will prescribe medications at this time that increase the body's resistance to diseases.

12 hours- reduce physical exercise if they exist. At this time, mental activity also decreases, blood slowly flows to the digestive organs, because. (as written above) 12 hours is the optimal time for eating. Muscle tone, pulse rate and blood pressure are reduced.

13 hours- lunch break for adherents orthodox medicine. End of lunch for supporters of biorhythmology.

13-15 hours- relaxation. It is not just that in the southern countries it is at this time that the siesta falls. In northern countries, where the daytime sun is not at all so active and does not interfere with wakefulness, nevertheless, activity also decreases during this period, the body is busy absorbing what was received during meals.

In this period, at about 14 hours, there is a minimum pain sensitivity Therefore, the effect of painkillers is most effective. It is very convenient, for example, to visit a dentist at this time.

15 hours- maximum activity of long-term memory.

16 hours- another increase in performance.

16-19 hours- high physical activity. Ideal time for sports. Also high intellectual activity. Those who are late at work by this time, as a rule, quickly and successfully complete their cases.

19 hours- Dinner (may be a little earlier, but not later). Preferred carbohydrate food. Maintaining a still high reaction and activity.

After 20 hours mental condition stabilized, improved memory. After 21:00, the number of whites almost doubles. blood cells(immunity increases), body temperature drops, cell renewal continues.

21-22 hours- preparing the body for a night's rest, lowering body temperature and pressure, slowing down body functions.

22 hours- immunity is in active phase to protect you as much as possible while you sleep. It is at 22:00 that you should go to bed. Just a systematic violation of the biorhythm leads to a weakening of the body, diseases and psychological discomfort.

22-2 am- renewal of body cells. Susceptibility to depression in those who are chronically awake at this time of day.

3-4 am- the deepest sleep, the lowest level of activity hormones during the day, the most low temperature body. The period during which physical activity has the worst effect on the body.

As you can see, biorhythm is a stubborn thing. He is indifferent to your work schedule, your hobbies and weaknesses. No matter how you justify your regimen, sleep should fall between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Otherwise, you daily undermine your own strength.

Life modern man has turned a lot on its head, and often, despite the opportunity, we still, due to long-term habits, continue to be awake during the period of decline in physiological activity and sleep during the period of high activity of the body, missing favorable moments.

Remember what our article began with: the human body is an orchestra, the most precise mechanism with many synchronized functions. And the long-term coherence of this mechanism depends only on you, on rational use own forces, from timely sleep and rest. published

P.S. And remember, just by changing your consumption, we are changing the world together! © econet

Mornings are wiser than evenings or what is better to eat depending on the time of day

Hey guys! Today we will be happy to tell you which foods are better to eat in the morning, and which ones should be left for the evening :)

No matter if you are a lark or an owl, any (edible J) berries are best for the first meal: strawberries, blueberries, wild strawberries, raspberries and others that you only like, as well as juicy fruits such as kiwi, persimmon , peaches, oranges, mangoes, apples, etc. Make them delicious salads or wonderful smoothies. They will gradually increase the level of sugar in the blood, "wake up" the digestive system after a night's sleep, and also saturate you with useful micro- and microelements, fiber and moisture. The boost of energy that you get from such a breakfast will help you cheer up in the morning and feel great!

During the day, you can safely snack on seeds, nuts, dried fruits or treat yourself to granola.

For lunch, various vegetables, whether it be carrots, beets, different types cabbage (white, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.), peppers, tomatoes or pumpkin, zucchini, zucchini will be just right. From this variety of products, you can prepare your favorite salads, or hearty cream soups. You can safely diversify these dishes with herbs, mega-useful sprouts, both seeds and grains or legumes, as well as sauces based on nuts, avocados or tomatoes)). During the day, it is very important to saturate the body as much as possible. healthy fats, dietary fiber and various substances to maintain high level energy and health in our body!

Between lunch and dinner, you can include flax crackers or bread in your diet, eat bananas, or drink a glass of nut milk with a cookie.

There is an opinion that it is best to have dinner no later than 2-3 hours before bedtime, so that our body can get the most out of food. We will not focus on this, because. everyone has their own rhythm of life, and let's move on to the very food that should be left for the evening. So, for an evening meal (as well as for lunch), vegetables and greens are perfect, but unlike lunch, you should not get carried away with "heavy" foods, such as nuts or avocados. It is also believed that fruits are also not the most suitable products for dinner, because they can overload our pancreas. Given these nuances, try to include in your evening menu light vegetable rolls, “green” cocktails made from parsley, celery, spinach or any other of your favorite greens, or you can even arrange a mono dinner for yourself, for example, from beetroot, it will saturate you in the evening without extra weight since morning.

Enjoy your food! Look for inspiration in simple things and we, as always, will be happy to help you with this!

The time of day affects the functioning of the brain and the process of perception and processing of information. Scientists have found that the brain of older people works better in daytime hours, while the brain of young people is able to absorb the information received well in the evening and at night.

A few years ago, scientists tested the cognitive abilities of a group of students and older people.

At the first stage, the study was carried out at night. The result showed that students' ability to perceive and process information is much higher at night.

During the next phase, the scientists tested both groups at eight in the morning. The results were unexpected: students perceived information much worse during the day, and older people - in the evening and at night. Accordingly, scientists have suggested that different age groups have different indicators of the activity of the mind and the perception of information depending on the time of day.

The brains of larks and owls work differently.

At the same time, scientists from the Australian University of Alberta, in Canada, found that the brains of morning larks and night owls are most active in different time days. Neurologists reviewed brain activity two groups of people: those who woke up early and felt most awake in the morning and those who, on the contrary, typically perked up at night.

Study participants were grouped after answering questions about lifestyle and sleep patterns. With the help of magnetic resonance imaging, brain stimulation was examined by testing the work of muscles and the excitability of pathways through the spinal cord and brain.

It was found that the brain of "larks" is most active at nine o'clock in the morning, and during the day brain productivity decreases. Completely opposite data were obtained about the "owls": the peak of brain activity was recorded at nine o'clock in the evening.

The specialists were also surprised to note that the "owls" were physically stronger throughout the day, but the physical capabilities of the body of the "larks" did not increase during the day. Initially, it was assumed that strong night sleep increase the endurance of the body. In addition, the reflex excitability of the brain pathways in the spinal cord increased throughout the day in both larks and owls.

The findings obtained indicate that nervous system carries different functions with different wakefulness patterns and plays an important role for maximum performance not only of the brain, but of the whole organism.

1. From 6 to 7 in the morning - the “window” when long-term memory works best, all the information received during this period is easily absorbed.

2. 8 to 9 turns on logical thinking, this is the most suitable time for any activity related - at the same time - to memorization and analytics.

3. From 9 am to 10 am - optimal hours to work with information and statistics.

4. From 11 to 12 days, the effectiveness of intellectual functions decreases, therefore, you can switch your attention to something abstract. For example, listen to music.

5. From 11 to 14:00 is the best time for lunch. During these hours, there is a peak, as they say in the East, of the “digestive fire”, when the food taken is digested and assimilated. the best way.

6. From 12:00 to 18:00 - perfect time for active work. Labor in the later hours forces the brain to work for wear and tear. The first signs of such an overstrain are difficulty falling asleep.

7. From 21:00 to 23:00 there is the most complete rest of the mind and nervous system.

8. From 23:00 to 1 a.m., in a dream, there is an active restoration of subtle energy. In Chinese medicine, it is called “chi”, Indian yogis call it “prana”, modern science exalts nervous and muscular strength.

9. From 1 to 3 o'clock, in a dream, a person restores emotional energy.

The influence of the time of day on the functioning of our body and individual bodies

The human body works in rest mode at night, and in wakefulness mode during the day. The organs of our body also work with rest. This is important to know, because certain procedures are best carried out at the time of wakefulness of the organ or system.

Waking up an organ or system is just as useless as abruptly waking up a person who is fast asleep. Otherwise, there is a strong failure in the work of the whole organism.

We will begin to describe the hours of the day and the work of the organs from the night, as is customary among Europeans.

1 o'clock in the morning - if you wake up by this time, then the person will feel very cheerful and confident; gallbladder especially sensitive to pain; he seems to be sleeping, but he is already waking up.

2 a.m. - the liver works in cleansing mode and removes poisons from itself.

3 a.m. - the whole body as a whole experiences physical exhaustion, it freezes. All bioimpulses and bioindicators are low. Sleep better.

4 o'clock in the morning - this time is often called the "hour of death": the body balances on the verge of the end of sleep and the beginning of awakening. Hearing is greatly heightened. At this time, as at 3 o'clock in the morning, it is especially harmful to wake people up.

5 o'clock in the morning - at this time it is good to get up, awakening will be easy and vigorous. All sleep phases have been completed by this time, but the kidneys are sleeping. The large intestine begins to work.

6 o'clock in the morning - the body wakes up. The large intestine continues to work.

7 o'clock in the morning - the stomach is not yet ready to eat, it is restored and cleansed; immune defense is increased. At this time, it is good to take herbal medicines, homeopathy is even better. You can drink warm, highly diluted juice, preferably vegetable and honey.

8 o'clock in the morning - the liver completes its cleansing work: in no case take any medicine. If you smoke, don't smoke! The stomach starts new cycle.

9 p.m. - decreased sensitivity to pain; the heart is working at full capacity. You can do procedures that you find not very pleasant. The stomach continues its preparatory work.

10 o'clock in the afternoon - the body is in excellent condition and excellent performance. The brain is especially active. At this time, intellectual activity, concentration and meditation are shown. Spleen at work.

11 p.m. - ongoing good job the whole organism as a whole. The heart is connected to the spleen at full capacity.

12 noon - all the forces of the body are mobilized; food, if taken at this time, should be light, because the body is mobilized for work, but not for rest or eating. The heart is in optimal condition.

13 hours - the liver sleeps; it must not be disturbed, it must not be cleansed of the liver, tubage, etc. At this time, you can rest, and for some, rest becomes simply necessary. Small intestine at work.

14 hours - rapid decline all reactions of the body; "low peak" of the day; Recreation is a necessity for everyone.

15 hours - all feelings and perceptions are sharpened to the highest manifestations. At this time, you need to monitor your behavior in order to avoid any negative situations and reactions. It's better not to date people you don't like - they can get irritated.

By sixteen o'clock everything is back to normal. The small intestine complements the activity of the bladder.

4 p.m. - high blood sugar! Especially take care of yourself for those who have problems with the blood, circulatory system, heart. Avoid stress. The peak of the bladder.

17 hours - a very high performance of the body as a whole and of the person - at work. A new cycle begins in the kidneys.

18 hours - reduced reaction to pain; the nervous system wants to calm down; put off making big decisions. The kidneys are working great.

19 hours - high mental instability; reactions to stimuli are very sharp and contradictory. Headaches are possible in people prone to pressure drops, suffering from heart failure, spasms of cerebral vessels.

Allergy prone: do not take irritating substances, allergic reactions are possible. The kidneys begin to rebuild for rest.

20 hours - the whole body works perfectly; maximum performance. Overreactions to what is happening: accurate, correct, fast. However, irritable people should moderate themselves. activity of the pericardium.

21 hours - memory and intellect work great. The brain is alert and functioning well. The peak of the pericardium. Turn on three heaters.

22 hours - the body is engaged in the destruction of poisons, microbes, viruses. There is leukocytosis. The body temperature is lower and lower. Calming the pericardium. The peak of three heaters and calm by 23 o'clock.

23 hours - all reactions are weak, reduced, the body began to completely rest. At this time, it is better to sleep. gallbladder activity.

00 hours - the peak of work and the calm of the gallbladder. The organism is engaged in the synthesis of the past day, starting from each organ separately and ending with the events that took place on that day.

However, the intellectual presence of the owner of the body is not expected, because introspection and self-healing (regenerative) function, inherent in man by nature, work. Beautiful dream.

If a person goes to bed at 10 p.m. and immediately falls asleep, then before 1 a.m. he gets enough sleep in the best way, and you can not spend a lot of time sleeping. These three hours of sleep are equivalent to five hours of deep rest.

Three heaters - their basis is the pericardium, which at this time cannot be overloaded. Do not take any narcotic substances, coffee during the three heaters. "Three heaters" - this term came to us from oriental medicine, which establishes its medical methods at work with energy channels and points that are located almost throughout the body (skin) of a person.

A bioenergetic point is not a projection of a diseased organ or part of the body on a person's skin. The bioenergetic point is connected with the work of this or that organ through a certain channel. According to this principle, for example, on the auricle, on the palms, on the back of the hand, on the feet, there are all points through which almost all organs of our body are affected.

Three heaters can also be considered a channel passing from the tip of the ring finger through the 4th and 5th metacarpus to the wrist, then through the back of the forearm to the cubital fossa, then to the lateral part of the arm, to the shoulder, to the collarbone, into the supraclavicular fossa, then it branches into chest and goes partially to the pericardium, then to the diaphragm, to the solar plexus. Three heaters are the "connecting line" of the whole body.