How does Brit feel at night?
Answers
Explanation:
er you’re dealing with the common cold, the flu or a stomach bug, you’ve probably noticed that your symptoms feel worse at night.
You’re not imagining things. Research suggests that your body’s circadian rhythms—as well as some other factors—can exacerbate your symptoms after sundown.
Along with regulating your sleep, your body’s circadian clocks help manage your immune system, says Michael Smolensky, a biological rhythm researcher and adjunct professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Texas. “When the immune system is activated”—like when you’re sick with the common cold—“its infection-fighting cells release a variety of chemicals, some of which induce inflammation in the infected tissues,” he explains.
This immune system activity helps kill or clear away the microorganisms that are making you ill. But the resulting inflammation causes or contributes to many of your symptoms—including fever, congestion or sore throat. Smolensky says that this immune system activity and the inflammation it produces is not constant, but instead is “highly circadian rhythmic.” As a result, “you tend to experience symptoms as most severe when your immune system kicks into highest gear, which is normally at night during sleep.”