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In contrast, ultradian rhythms have periods shorter (<24 hours) than the period of a circadian rhythm. Several infradian rhythms are known to be caused by hormone or neurotransmitter stimulation or by environmental factors such as the lunar cycles. For example, seasonal depression, an example of an infradian rhythm occurring once a year, can be ...
In contrast, circadian rhythms complete one cycle daily, while infradian rhythms such as the menstrual cycle have periods longer than a day. The Oxford English Dictionary 's definition of Ultradian specifies that it refers to cycles with a period shorter than a day but longer than an hour.
Empirically, it is an ultradian rhythm of approximately 90 minutes (80–120 minutes [2]) characterized by different levels of excitement and rest. The cycle is mediated by the human biological clock .
A zeitgeber (/ ˈ (t) s aɪ t ɡ eɪ b ər, ˈ z aɪ t-/ (T)SYTE-gay-bər, ZYTE-, German: [ˈtsaɪtˌɡeːbɐ]) is any external or environmental cue that entrains or synchronizes an organism's biological rhythms, usually naturally occurring and serving to entrain to the Earth's 24-hour light/dark and 12-month cycles.
One example of a circadian rhythm change is the release of the hormone melatonin. As it gets darker, your body makes melatonin, which promotes sleep. On the other hand, light in the morning lowers ...
Ultradian rhythms, which are cycles shorter than 24 hours, such as the 90-minute REM cycle, the 4-hour nasal cycle, or the 3-hour cycle of growth hormone production. Tidal rhythms, commonly observed in marine life, which follow the roughly 12.4-hour transition from high to low tide and back. Lunar rhythms, which follow the lunar month (29.5 ...
Part of the basis for siestas and afternoon naps goes back to our body's natural 24-hour, or circadian, rhythm in body temperature. "Body temperature is at its lowest in the middle of the night ...
Kleitman and others following have referred to this rhythm as the basic rest–activity cycle, of which the "sleep cycle" would be a manifestation. [ 14 ] [ 19 ] A difficulty for this theory is the fact that a long non-REM phase almost always precedes REM, regardless of when in the cycle a person falls asleep.