But, until now, the precise nature of the nighttime brake and what let CLOCK and BMAL proteins overcome this brake to raise PER protein levels again each morning was a mystery. As the level of PER protein rises during the daytime, reaching its peak around evening, it somehow puts a break on CLOCK and BMAL, thereby reducing its own level during nighttime.įalling PER protein levels at night causes our biological systems to slow: our blood pressure drops, our heart rate slows and our mental processes wind down.
WAKE UP TIME ALARM CLOCK DRIVERS
Scientists knew that two genes, CLOCK and BMAL1, served as the key drivers for raising PER protein levels. Our cells use the level of PER protein as an indicator of the time of the day and tell our body when to sleep or be awake. The number of PER proteins in each of our cells rises and falls every 24 hours. The central player of our biological clock is a protein called PERIOD (PER). The discovery fills in a missing link in the molecular mechanisms that control our daily wake-sleep cycle. In a report published today in the journal Science, the Salk researchers and their collaborators at McGill University and Albert Einstein College of Medicine describe how the gene KDM5A encodes a protein, JARID1a, that serves as an activation switch in the biochemical circuit that maintains our circadian rhythm.
Now that we’ve found it, we can explore more deeply how our biological clocks malfunction as we get older and develop chronic illness.” “We roughly knew what mechanism told the clock to wind down at night, but we didn’t know what activated us again in the morning. “The body is essentially a collection of clocks,” says Satchindananda Panda, an associate professor in Salk’s Regulatory Biology Laboratory, who led the research along with Luciano DiTacchio, a post-doctoral research associate. Images: Courtesy of Salk Institute for Biological Studies Fortunately, a window without shades or blinds can achieve the same phenomenon.Luciano DiTacchio and Satchindananda Panda This can help to make waking easier, and may help to reinforce natural circadian rhythms that strengthen the patterns of sleep and wakefulness. With the integration of a lightbulb, the clock will increase the amount of light in your bedroom gradually.
The bells and whistles are more elaborate. Digital Alarm: Most alarm clocks are now of the digital variety.It could also add a little style to your nightstand.
Largely replaced by modern types, this may still be a favorite among traditionalists. Traditional Wind-Up Alarm: The oldest alarm clock required winding to prime the gears with a chime and bell on top.