Here's some practical science. In every person's brain, there is a region called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (or SCN). The name isn't important, but the SCN is our internal clock that tries to keep our bodies and minds on a daily schedule. You may have learned at some point that the brain naturally gravitates toward a 24-25 hour day when you take away the factors of sunlight and such. I've always been aware of circadian rhythms, but I've never really known what they're all about. Here's how it generally breaks down...
6:00am - Morning
6:45 - Sharpest rise in blood pressure
7:30 - Melatonin secretion stops
8:30 - Bowel movement most likely
9:00 - Highest testosterone secretion
10:00 - High alertness
12:00pm - Noon
2:30 - Best coordination
3:30 - Fastest reaction time
5:00 - Greatest cardiovascular efficiency and muscle strength
6:00pm - Evening
7:30 - Highest blood pressure
8:00 - Highest body temperature
10:00 - Melatonin secretion starts
11:30 - Bowel movements suppressed
12:00am - Midnight
2:00 - Deepest sleep
4:30 - Lowest body temperature
Rinse and repeat.
On a slightly different note, I generally have a strong disdain for extremists -- folks who for whatever reason lack the "checks and balances" section of their brain. Some make me angry, but the NYU revolutionaries who hit the news recently make me laugh (or at least chuckle and slowly shake my head). If your revolution is an action against oppression and violence, that's one thing, but if your revolution makes otherwise peaceful people want to commit acts of violence against you, then you may want to step back and reevaluate. And by "reevaluate," I mean "stop ruining good causes and do something constructive with your life."
Darn it, now I'm not chuckling anymore. Come on, I didn't want to stop chuckling. I enjoy chuckling! Sigh.
