Most people have experienced feeling out of sync when traveling. This off-kilter sensation is attributed to the individual’s internal clock not coinciding with the real time of their new environment, thereby interfering with proper wake and sleep cycles. A person’s internal time piece is extremely miniscule, the “size of a grain of rice” and resides near the merging point of the optic nerves. Light taken in through the eyes signals the release of diverse hormones, which in turn coordinates numerous physical functions including a person’s sleep/wake cycle. Researchers have found that when an individual’s physical daily tempos are disrupted, a variety of mental disorders caused by disease of the nervous system may occur, which can include Alzheimer’s
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Some researcher’s take a different position when it comes to those afflicted with schizophrenia; they believe that the patient’s internal physiological regulatory system is impaired thus causing their bodies to sleep during normal waking hours. Studies conducted concluded that the degree of melatonin found in schizophrenic patients was not standard and therefore impaired their ability for sleep to occur at customary hours. Findings from this research sighted the schizophrenic patient’s detachment from their environment paralleling the plight experienced by those with blindness. Light contributes to an individual’s ability to establish normal daily physiological functions, if disruption of light occurs the body’s time piece does not function properly. Researchers speculate that mitigation of schizophrenic symptoms could occur if the individual’s physiological time piece functioned optimally, noting that imbalanced sleep/wake cycles often warrant the same symptoms as those associated with schizophrenia. Perhaps the symptoms suffered by those with schizophrenia actually stem from the sleep disorder and not the psychological disorder itself. Studies are underway to investigate the effect of “light therapy” coupled with melatonin, to ascertain if the symptoms associated with schizophrenia can be alleviated through this treatment. Each individual should value the importance of his or her body’s internal time piece and take steps to ensure its optimal function as one’s strength and physical condition hinge on
Some researcher’s take a different position when it comes to those afflicted with schizophrenia; they believe that the patient’s internal physiological regulatory system is impaired thus causing their bodies to sleep during normal waking hours. Studies conducted concluded that the degree of melatonin found in schizophrenic patients was not standard and therefore impaired their ability for sleep to occur at customary hours. Findings from this research sighted the schizophrenic patient’s detachment from their environment paralleling the plight experienced by those with blindness. Light contributes to an individual’s ability to establish normal daily physiological functions, if disruption of light occurs the body’s time piece does not function properly. Researchers speculate that mitigation of schizophrenic symptoms could occur if the individual’s physiological time piece functioned optimally, noting that imbalanced sleep/wake cycles often warrant the same symptoms as those associated with schizophrenia. Perhaps the symptoms suffered by those with schizophrenia actually stem from the sleep disorder and not the psychological disorder itself. Studies are underway to investigate the effect of “light therapy” coupled with melatonin, to ascertain if the symptoms associated with schizophrenia can be alleviated through this treatment. Each individual should value the importance of his or her body’s internal time piece and take steps to ensure its optimal function as one’s strength and physical condition hinge on