The cycle of day and night on our planet is age-old and inescapable, so the idea of an internal body clock might not sound that radical. “All of western society is a little bit sleep deprived and, when I say a little bit, I mean chronically.”There is growing evidence that this decoupling from the natural circadian cycle can have long-term health consequences much more far-reaching than tiredness. Saper’s team has found that animals that don’t get enough sleep, but keep their circadian pattern, do not gain weight. Schools are experimenting with later school days, better aligned with the teenage body clock, which runs several hours later than that of adults. “This is the western world; if somebody can make a buck they’re going to try to do it,” said Rosbash.

Source: The Guardian October 06, 2017 14:37 UTC