Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

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Suprachiasmatic Nucleus: This is the scientific name of the master clock in the brain that is entrained by light. This master clock has a direct signal connection to the eyes’ ipRGC (intrinsically photosensitive Retinal Ganglia Cells).  The signal the brain receives from the ipRGC in the eyes has nothing or little to do with seeing and processing an image. Rather, this ipRGC signal primarily reports to the master clock how much red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet light there is and where these colors are oriented, either high or low in the field of vision. For example, an abundance of a color like LIGHT BLUE high in one’s line of sight would tell the master clock that it’s probably mid-day. An abundance of very orange light settling low in one’s line of sight would tell this clock that the sun is setting, thus informing the clock that night is near.

If no light enters a person’s eyes, this master clock in the brain assumes one rotation of the planet happens every 24 hours and 15 minutes. Fortunately, when light does enter the eye and stimulates the ipRGCs, this stimulation signals the master clock in the brain to either move forward or backward to synchronize itself with the reality of time. Thus, the real hourly time and also seasonal time is calculated by the master clock through analyzing the sun’s intensity, color composition and position in the sky.

The master clock of the brain, the suprachiasmatic nucleus, then dictates to the pineal gland when and how much melatonin to release into the bloodstream. This variance of melatonin in the bloodstream synchronizes the 24-hour clocks founds within each cell.

This is an unconscious act, for, although the conscious mind may know it is wintertime, if the suprachiasmatic nucleus thinks it is summertime, the hormones melatonin and cortisol released into the bloodstream will be consistent with summertime. Likewise, if the conscious mind believes it’s nighttime but the suprachiasmatic nucleus determines it is daytime, these same hormone amounts and timing will be consistent with daytime.

This explains how the misuse of artificial lighting disrupts our biological repair and productivity.

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