Body clock isn't just a metaphor, it is infact very real. Our bodies run on biological rhythms that are natural timing devices. Every tissue in the body operates on a biological clock, regulating a cycle of circadian rhythms. These clocks trigger needs and responses in the body like sleep and hunger.
Circadian rhythms are all of the changes/patterns that follow both physically and behaviourally in a 24 hour cycle in the body. These rhythms can influence sleeping habits, body temperature and eating disorders.
There is a master clock of all the clocks in the body and it is situated in the brain. This clock is a group of neurons found in the hypothalamus part of the brain and it's called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN relays information from the eyes to the brain and it also controls the hormone melatonin that makes you sleepy.
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati are carrying out clinical trials to see if readjusting the circadian system of binge eaters will give a better understanding of why it occurs.
The circadian system makes it possible for the body to adapt to day and night and studies suggest that it is also involved in regulating food choices.
In this study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and housed at UC’s Lindner Center of HOPE, researchers will compare the circadian system function in 80 adults with obesity, 40 with binge eating disorder and 40 without, for two weeks. Participants will complete a sleep and eating behavior diary and wear a device — a watch — that measures activity patterns. UC News
The surges in melatonin concentration when their brains are in night mode will help in accessing their circadian phases. The researchers aim at getting a new insight on circadian phases that would help as a form of therapy for binge eaters.
REFERENCES
Circadian Rhythms (National Institute of General Medical Sciences)
Obesity and binge eating: a disrupted clock in our body? (UC News)