Our biological clock governs almost every aspect of our lives. Our sensitivity to stimuli over the course of the day, and our ability to perform certain functions is subject to fluctuations. Consequently, there is an optimum time for tasks such as making decisions: around the middle of the day. Anything that physical co-ordination, on the other hand, is best attempted in the early evening. What is more, there is a dramatic drop in performance if these activities are out at other times. The risk of accident in a factory, for example, is 20% higher during the night shift.
Primitive humans lived their lives in tune with the daily cycle of light and dark. Today we are convinced that we can impose schedules on our lives at will. Sooner or later, however, we pay a price for ignoring our natural rhythms. A good example is jet lag, caused when we confuse our body’s biological clocks by several time zones. People suffering from jet lag can take several days to adjust to new time zones and have a reduced ability to make decisions, which is a worrying thought, as serious of judgement can be made. And this may be just the of the iceberg. An increasing of people suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a form of depression that can be triggered by living in artificial conditions. SAD can be serious, and sufferers may even need to take antidepressant drugs.