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circadian rhythm
/ sər-kā′dē-ən /
- A daily cycle of biological activity based on a 24-hour period and influenced by regular variations in the environment, such as the alternation of night and day. Circadian rhythms include sleeping and waking in animals, flower closing and opening in angiosperms, and tissue growth and differentiation in fungi.
- See also biological clock
circadian rhythm
- An activity cycle lasting twenty-four hours. Many living things, including humans, follow a circadian rhythm. ( See biological clock .)
A Closer Look
Example Sentences
Our hormones follow a circadian rhythm, and carbs eaten earlier in the day produce a smaller blood sugar spike compared with carbs eaten later in the day.
“We also learned for the first time that part of the mechanism is a disruption of the circadian rhythm of corticosterone, the stress hormone that produces our well-rounded lives.”
The theory behind time-restricted eating is that it supports the circadian rhythm, or the body’s internal clock.
However, like all living things, plants are subject to a circadian rhythm -- the biological clock that runs through day and night cycles and influences biological processes.
While most organisms possess circadian rhythms synchronized with the 24-hour day-night cycle, they have also developed other internal clocks to suit their local environments.
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