The Inner Clock

How the groundbreaking science of body clocks can help you sleep better, feel happier and improve your overall health

'The Inner Clock explores the strange new science of why your circadian rhythms fall out of sync - and how to get them back on track to live a happier, healthier life' JAMES NESTOR, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF BREATH

'Secrets to better sleep . . . Crammed with facts, figures and fascinating scientific studies' SUNDAY TIMES

Your body contains a symphony of tiny timepieces, synchronised to the sun and subtle signals in your environment and behaviour. But modern insults like artificial light, contrived time zones and late-night meals can wreak havoc on your internal clocks.

Armed with advances in biology and technology, a circadian renaissance is reclaiming those lost rhythms. The Inner Clock explores the emerging science and its transformative applications: How could taking a walk in the morning and going to bed at the same time each night keep your body in sync? Why are some doctors prescribing treatments at specific times of day? And how might a better understanding of our circadian rhythms improve educational outcomes, optimise sports performance, and support the longevity of our planet?

Science journalist Lynne Peeples seeks out the scientists, astronauts, athletes and patients at the forefront of a growing movement. Along the way, she sleeps in a Cold War-era bunker, chases the midnight sun, spits into test tubes, and wears high-tech light sensors to decipher what makes our internal clocks tick and how we can reset them for the better.

'Peeples has new stories and surprises . . . You will find plenty of practical tips here on how to sneak an extra 'circadian snack' into your lives, reset your chronicity and live in a healthier, more timely manner' NEW SCIENTIST

Autorentext

Lynne Peeples is a freelance science journalist, specializing in the environment, public health and medicine. She holds a M.S. in Biostatistics from Harvard and an M.A. in Science Journalism from New York University. Her writing has appeared in Huffington Post, Nature, Scientific American and The Atlantic, amongst others. A 2020-2021 MIT Knight Science Journalism fellow and a finalist for the 2018 National Association of Science Writers long-form reporting award, she lives in Seattle, Washington.

Klappentext

Journalist Lynne Peeples reveals the cutting-edge research of how our circadian rhythms are threatened by modern lifestyles and the scientifically proven ways we can reset our body clocks - before it's too late.

At this very moment, a symphony of tiny timepieces is ticking throughout your body - in your stomach and skin, in your liver and lungs, even in your legs. Orchestrating this round-the-clock production is a master timekeeper in your brain. What happens when these circadian rhythms are out of tune? How has our modern lifestyle led to an epidemic of broken body clocks? And how can we reverse it?

In Clock Wise, journalist Lynne Peeples travels around the world to discover the ways in which our circadian clocks affect our days - and our nights. Speaking to biologists, professional athletes, surgeons, astronomers, software developers and sleep scientists, she reveals the cutting-edge research that is newly available about the powerful sway circadian rhythms have on our bodies and our cultures. References to a circadian clock date back to the ancient Greeks but research has only recently exposed its complex machinery and the astounding breadth of its functions, and only in the last few years have we begun connecting the dots and developing the tools to put all of this information to use.

Threats to our body clocks abound: artificial light, air pollution, jet lag, late-night meals and a myriad of other modern insults. But we can also harness our internal rhythms to our advantage - learning the optimal time to take medication, schedule a job interview or eat dinner. The time has come to reckon with the effects of circadian cycles on our minds, bodies and societies.

Zusammenfassung
This is a book founded on data, crammed with facts, figures and fascinating scientific studies, all of which point to the benefits of a "circadian renaissance" . . . There's no doubt that it would help us all to be more aware of how we can make our bodies work best Ceci Browning Sunday Times