Author Description

How can jet-lag be minimized? Why are some people "nightowls" and others are not? How do babies develop a 24-hour body clock? How is the body clock affected by aging? These are some of the perplexing questions addressed by this fascinating new book. We all have an internal "clock" that controls how we feel, our mental and physical performance, and whether we are active or asleep. This is nature's response to our rhythmic environment, which is dominated by the sun, light, and dark. The body normally adjusts to daytime activity and night-time sleep, but changes in our lifestyles can deceive the body clock and produce some forms of insomnia or depression. Night-shift laborers, nurses, and long-distance travelers frequently experience malaise or jet lag in response to body clock confusion. In non-technical language, this intriguing, authoritative volume covers all aspects of the body's daily cycles. It gives advice for travelers and night-workers as well as for everyday living, so that we can all live with - and not against - our body clocks, and reduce the problems caused by the clashes between lifestyle and internal cycles. The authors explore the role of the body clock in illness, and how it should be considered in the daily timing of medical treatment. Tests and quizzes are provided at the end of each chapter to help readers understand their own body clocks. This thought-provoking volume will interest physicians and biologists, as well as students, workers and travelers concerned with their own biorhythms.