Do You Have a 24-Hour Circadian Clock?

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We evolved to an environment where we worked outside every day. We woke up to the rising sun and we did not have serious society-wide sleep problems. So organisms separated by evolutionary divergence, what 600 million years ago, still share the same basic clock properties. It's a good illustration that the possession of some sort of 24-hour circadian clock is almost a signature for life.

Sleep can enhance your creativity, lift your spirits, improve your sense of humor, and amplify your sociability. So why do so many of us struggle to get a good night's rest? Russell Foster, a professor of circadian neuroscience at the University of Oxford, says it's because we've let the frantic drumbeat of modern life drown out the steady tick-tock of our biological clocks. That's the bad news. The good news is that Russell's here to share science-backed tips that will have you catching more z's in no time.

Russell's new book is "Life Time: Your Body Clock and Its Essential Roles in Good Health and Sleep."

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