What Is the Master Clock?

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In the late 80s, Swiss scientist Uli Shibleh showed that different cells were capable of generating a circadian rhythm. And almost overnight, our view of circadian organization had changed from this master clock forcing rhythmicity on the rest of the body to a master clock coordinating the rhythmic activity of billions and billions of individual cellular clocks. We call the clock the body clock. Well actually, it's really a circadian system, an entire sort of architecture of time throughout our bodies which is just so extraordinary.

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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