Introduction
An organism exhibits a certain rhythms within a 24-hour period. The characteristics of these rhythms differ from one organism to another. It is pertinent to note that Circadian rhythms incorporate mental, physical, as well as physical variations in response to the environmental change of light and darkness. These rhythms are different from the biological clocks in many dimensions and their study is known as chronobiology. However, the variations of the circadian are highly related to the biological clock. Studies have revealed that there is a relationship between the genetic composition of an organism and their circadian rhythms. Signals from the environment are instrumental in switching the controls of the internal clock of an organism. The rhythm is instrumental in helping animals attain balance in the production of certain hormones and other biological activates. This is a clear indication that circadian rhythms influence the wellbeing of an organism as well as key body functionalities. An alteration of the rhythm may result to different body disorders. Moreover, studies have revealed that abnormal rhythms are causative factors in diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension.
The human body master clock plays a pertinent role in the behavioral characteristics as well as patterns of an individual. Moreover, it influences the production of the sleep related hormone melatonin. Studies on circadian rhythms have adopted a multidimensional approach where multiple variables are put into consideration. Moreover, the use of model organisms to deduce conclusions on this area is also a common aspect. However, the model organisms selected must have similar clock genes as those of human beings. To deduce the impact of variation of the environment factors such as light on the circadian rhythms it is important to perform baseline studies. Moreover, the existence of a control group in the study is necessary to enhance the validity of the results. Conclusions made from these studies play a critical role in developing treatment procedures for different disorders. The endogenous aspect of circadian rhythms has been examined through many studies. It is apparent that the key influencers to these rhythms are intrinsic.
Hypothesis:
There is a close relationship between Circadian rhythms and the variation of the pulse rate and eye-hand coordination
Materials and methods
The data was collected over a period of one week to provide descriptive statistics on several body functions. Three different measures of body function were recorded at pre-determined intervals. Some of the key points to note during the weeklong data collection process included:
- The data was collected only on days when the normal schedule was followed.
- Data collection points, which occurred at night, were accomplished without extensive interference with the sleeping conditions such as getting out of the bet. Moreover, consistence on the collection of data was pertinent. This was always observed and a pattern, which started with collection of the pulse rate followed by eye-hand coordination and lastly adding up, adopted.
- Data collection points were accurately recorded as well as the variables. It is pertinent to note that the data collection interval was two hours.
Results
The results obtained from the weeklong experiment were tabulated as shown below.
Discussion
This section provides a comprehensive analysis of the result obtained from the experiment. It is pertinent to note that the validity of the conclusions made in this discussion depends on the accuracy of the data collection process. A comparative analysis between data obtained in the experiment and those published in other studies will provided. A critique of past studies is also provided and appropriate conclusions made on their validity. Moreover, an elaboration of the possible sources of errors in the study is provided.
It is pertinent to note across the week there were some days that not a single measurement was taken. This was due to the change of schedule of those days. This resulted to the days being classified as having an abnormal schedule. The variables incorporated in the study included pulse rate, eye-hand coordination and adding speed. The relationship between the eye and hand has been examined in multiple studies in the past. However, the relationship between the kinematic as well as the time taken has not been adequately studied. Studies have revealed that the eye position as well as motion has an effect to the movement of the hand (Henriques & Crawford, 2002; Miall & Reckess, 2002). It is pertinent to note that during eye-hand coordination activities the hand first follows the movement of the eye. The experiment was different from past studies in that in that there was an incorporation of the aspect of time when counting the fingers. However, a variation in the past studies on the limb movement in relation to the eye fields indicated that the interaction is a high-level process (Schall & Thompson, 1999). The use of the dominant hand was a critical aspect in the accuracy of the results. Accuracy of performance of non-dominant hand in relation to circadian rhythms has been shown to vary. Moreover, the dominant had had lower variation in accuracy of measurement with regard to the experiment. This was in line with the results of a study performed on the differences of accuracy of performance and alertness of the two human hands (Edwards, Waterhouse & Reilly, 2008).
The pulse rate was observed to be highest at noon and lowest during the night. These results were in line with past studies conducted on the variations of human pulse rate across a twenty-four hour period. There multiple factors that contributes to the variation of pulse rate. These factors include but not limited to gender, age, physical activities, as well as metabolic factors. A close consideration of the metabolic factors of a human being indicates that there is a direct relationship between metabolic rate and the pulse rate. This is another key contributor to the variation of the pulse rate at the different measurement points in the experiment.
The occurrence of errors in the data collection process was inevitable. There were multiple points of error occurrence that were beyond the control of the researcher. Errors made in data entry and reading of measuring instruments could significantly influence the results. Moreover, systematic errors could arise from the use of in accurate timers during the experiment.
References
Edwards, B., Waterhouse, J., & Reilly, T. (2008). Circadian Rhythms and Their Association with Body Temperature and Time Awake when Performing a Simple Task with the Dominant and Non-Dominant Hand. Chronobiology International: The Journal Of Biological & Medical Rhythm Research, 25(1), 115-132.
Furlan R, Guzzetti S, Crivellaro W, Dassi S, Tinelli M, Baselli G, Cerutti S, Lombardi F, Pagani M, Malliani A. (1999) Continuous 24-hour assessment of the neural regulation of systemic arterial pressure and RR variabilities in ambulant subjects. Journal of American Medical association. 3:537–547.
Henriques, D. Y., & Crawford, J. D. (2002). Role of eye, head, and shoulder geometry in the planning of accurate arm movements. Journal of Neurophysiology, 87, 1677–1685.
Miall, R. C., & Reckess, G. Z. (2002). The cerebellum and the timing of coordinated eye and hand tracking. Brain and Cognition, 48, 212–226.
Schall, J. D., & Thompson, K. G. (1999). Neural selection and control of visually guided eye movements. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 22, 241–259
