2
Effects of Endogenous Circadian Rhythm on Overall Health
Further examining the question, “How does our circadian rhythm affect our overall
health?”. This research paper will observe and discuss the ways that our biological clock and
circadian rhythm control the systems of our body, emotion and mental well-being.
3
References
Ahmad, M., Md. Din, N. S., Tharumalay, R. D., Che Din, N., Ibrahim, N., Amit, N., Farah, N.
M., Osman, R. A., Abdul Hamid, M. F., Ibrahim, I. A., Jamsari, E. A., Palil, M. R., &
Ahmad, S. (2020). The effects of circadian rhythm disruption on mental health and
physiological responses among shift workers and general population. International Journal
of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(19), 7156.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197156
Cable, J., Schernhammer, E., Hanlon, E. C., Vetter, C., Cedernaes, J., Makarem, N., Dashti, H.
S., Shechter, A., Depner, C., Ingiosi, A., Blume, C., Tan, X., Gottlieb, E., Benedict, C.,
Van Cauter, E., & St‐Onge, M. (2021). Sleep and circadian rhythms: Pillars of Health—a
keystone symposia report. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1506(1), 18–34.
https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.14661
Foster, R. G. (2020). Sleep, circadian rhythms and health. Interface Focus, 10(3), 20190098.
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2019.0098
Liu, C., Tang, X., Gong, Z., Zeng, W., Hou, Q., & Lu, R. (2022). Circadian rhythm sleep
disorders: Genetics, mechanisms, and adverse effects on health. Frontiers in Genetics, 13.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2022.875342
Mohd Azmi, N. A., Juliana, N., Azmani, S., Mohd Effendy, N., Abu, I. F., Mohd Fahmi Teng, N.
I., & Das, S. (2021). Cortisol on circadian rhythm and its effect on cardiovascular system.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(2), 676.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020676
4
Neves, A. R., Albuquerque, T., Quintela, T., & Costa, D. (2022). Circadian rhythm and disease:
Relationship, New Insights, and future perspectives. Journal of Cellular Physiology,
237(8), 3239–3256. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcp.30815
Walker, W. H., Walton, J. C., DeVries, A. C., & Nelson, R. J. (2020). Circadian rhythm
disruption and mental health. Translational Psychiatry, 10(1).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-020-0694-0
Zheng, X., Zhang, K., Zhao, Y., & Fent, K. (2021). Environmental Chemicals affect circadian
rhythms: An underexplored effect influencing health and fitness in animals and humans.
Environment International, 149, 106159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.106159
5
Appendix
(Note: Replace highlighted text and/or follow instructions as indicated).
Instruction
Example
Step
One
Begin with a general topic.
Biological Psychology
Step
Two
Narrow your general topic by
selecting a topic from one chapter
title in our textbook.
Chapter 8: Wakefulness and Sleep
Step
Three
Read that section in the textbook
to gain a general understanding.
Endogenous Rhythms (pg. 259)
Step
Four
Ask a research question to begin
your investigation.
How does our Circadian Rhythm affect our mental and physical health?
Step
Five
Begin your search to determine
what has been discovered on your
topic. This will be a preliminary
look at the topic. Feel free to flag
articles that look like they may be
helpful but don’t be in a hurry to
create a final list.
Research Tips:
1. Make a list of key words from the section of our textbook pertaining to
your topic to use as search terms. Circadian Rhythm, Endogenous Circadian
Rhythms, Biological Clock, Suprachiasmatic Nucleus, Melatonin
2. Search for one of the articles cited in our textbook in the JF Library. Your
search will produce a list of related articles.
3. Type your research question in the Google Scholar search box to locate
related articles. Within Google Scholar you can then look at the “Cited By”
articles as well as the “Related Articles.” How does our Circadian Rhythm
affect our mental and physical health?
4. Remember to narrow your search to include only articles from the last
five years.
5. In the JFL search engine you can specify the date range, the type of
article, etc.
List the limiters you used in your search. Peer-reviewed, 2020-2025 Date
Range (Last 5 Years), Academic journals,
Step Six
Based on what you find in the
literature, formulate a preliminary
purpose/thesis statement.
Your thesis statement should:
1. Answer your research
question by identifying
your topic,
2. State your position, and
3. Provide evidence to support
your position.
This purpose statement will likely
need to be adjusted/refined as
you work on your final paper.
Inadequate sleep has a significant impact on learning and memory due to X,
Y, and Z.
Type your preliminary thesis statement here.
The endogenous circadian rhythm holds a significant effect on our overall
mental and physical health due to the control it has over our physiological
properties. This includes things such as the bodily processes of our organs
and cells, chemicals and hormones, DNA repair, the regulation of our body
temperature, our sleep patterns, energy production, and pretty much any
function of our body that needs to be in tune with our biological clock.
6
Step
Seven
Finalize your research process by
choosing at least 8 articles from
the JF Library. All 8 must be
from peer-reviewed journals
published within the past 5 years.
At least 6 of the 8 should
describe original research. Each
article must support your research
question and purpose statement.
How to identify “original
research”
Original research articles will
include the following sections:
• Abstract
• Introduction (will not always
identified with a label)
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• References
The abstract for original
research will likely include
these words:
• Study
• Sample
The abstract for original
research will NOT include
these words:
• Review
• Meta-Analysis
Sample article list:
Replace the articles listed below with APA formatted reference citations for
your selected articles.
Ahmad, M., Md. Din, N. S., Tharumalay, R. D., Che Din, N., Ibrahim, N.,
Amit, N., Farah, N. M., Osman, R. A., Abdul Hamid, M. F.,
Ibrahim, I. A., Jamsari, E. A., Palil, M. R., & Ahmad, S. (2020). The
effects of circadian rhythm disruption on mental health and
physiological responses among shift workers and general
population. International Journal of Environmental Research and
Public Health, 17(19), 7156. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197156
Cable, J., Schernhammer, E., Hanlon, E. C., Vetter, C., Cedernaes, J.,
Makarem, N., Dashti, H. S., Shechter, A., Depner, C., Ingiosi, A.,
Blume, C., Tan, X., Gottlieb, E., Benedict, C., Van Cauter, E., & St‐
Onge, M. (2021). Sleep and circadian rhythms: Pillars of Health—a
keystone symposia report. Annals of the New York Academy of
Sciences, 1506(1), 18–34. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.14661
Foster, R. G. (2020). Sleep, circadian rhythms and health. Interface Focus,
10(3), 20190098. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2019.0098
Liu, C., Tang, X., Gong, Z., Zeng, W., Hou, Q., & Lu, R. (2022). Circadian
rhythm sleep disorders: Genetics, mechanisms, and adverse effects
on health. Frontiers in Genetics, 13.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2022.875342
Mohd Azmi, N. A., Juliana, N., Azmani, S., Mohd Effendy, N., Abu, I. F.,
Mohd Fahmi Teng, N. I., & Das, S. (2021). Cortisol on circadian
rhythm and its effect on cardiovascular system. International
Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(2), 676.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020676
Neves, A. R., Albuquerque, T., Quintela, T., & Costa, D. (2022). Circadian
rhythm and disease: Relationship, New Insights, and future
perspectives. Journal of Cellular Physiology, 237(8), 3239–3256.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jcp.30815
Walker, W. H., Walton, J. C., DeVries, A. C., & Nelson, R. J. (2020).
Circadian rhythm disruption and mental health. Translational
Psychiatry, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-020-0694-0
Zheng, X., Zhang, K., Zhao, Y., & Fent, K. (2021). Environmental
Chemicals affect circadian rhythms: An underexplored effect
influencing health and fitness in animals and humans. Environment
International, 149, 106159.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.106159
Step
Eight
Create an outline using evidence
you discover in scholarly articles
within the library to support your
purpose statement.
● List three main supporting
statements with at least two
sub-points under each main
point.
oOne scholarly article
should be used to support
each sub-point.
Sample:
Replace the sample information below with information based on your
research/topic.
Working Title: Effects of Circadian Rhythm on the Body
Thesis Statement:
The endogenous circadian rhythm holds a significant effect on our overall
mental and physical health due to the control it has over our physiological
properties. This includes things such as the bodily processes of our organs
and cells, chemicals and hormones, DNA repair, the regulation of our body
7
● Remember that you are not just
reviewing loosely related
articles but are presenting a
progression of ideas to support
your purpose statement.
● A Biblical Integration section
should follow the three main
supporting statements. Include
two sub-points each identifying
a Biblical concept (with
reference) that speak to your
topic.
Remember that your final paper
will also include an Introduction
and Conclusion section along
with transition and synthesis
statements to create a smooth
flow of ideas.
temperature, our sleep patterns, energy production, and pretty much any
function of our body that needs to be in tune with our biological clock
Outline:
I. Introduction
We as humans go about our day doing everything on a schedule. This
schedule keeps us on track and allows us to have reminders for when we are
to get a task done or go somewhere. In that same way, our bodies require in
a similar way to how we have a schedule, and we set it ourselves, a schedule
and scheduler is needed to keep our bodies systems in check, and to oversee
the processes that each one of these systems carry out (Kalat, 2023).
II. First point of evidence – Circadian Rhythm
A. The endogenous circadian rhythm can be defined as our self-set,
daily rhythm that only lasts up to 24 hours. This rhythm affects every
aspect of our body, and basically controls when functions are
activated, and regulates how much (Ahmad, 2020).
B. Our circadian rhythm also has a large influence over our mental
health, and how we feel. With this rhythm having control over things
such as hormone and chemical production, which can directly affect
our mood, and how we feel. Along with a physiological schedule, the
circadian rhythm also is a main driving component for our overall
emotional well-being (Kalat, 2023), (Walker, 2022).
III. Second point of evidence – Suprachiasmatic Nucleus
A. The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is the main driving force for
the rhythm of sleep and our body’s temperature. This is a component
of the hypothalamus. (Kalat, 2023)
B. If the SCN takes damage, the rhythms of the body will become
irregular and a bit erratic. (Kalat, 2023)
III. Third point of evidence - Biological Clock
A. Although our circadian rhythm runs on a 24-hour cycle, and is for
the most part accurate, there needs to be something set in place to
reset this” internal clock” so that it does not fall out of sync. (Cable,
2021)
B. Zeitgeber, refers to a stimulus that resets the circadian rhythm.
Things such as light and darkness can influence cycle tracking and
activation. The most prevalent example and indication of this is when
you go to sleep, and when you wake up (Kalat, 2023), (Zheng, 2021).
IV. Biblical Integration – how do Biblical principles connect to this
topic?
A. Proverbs 4:20-22 tells us what we think will affect our health and
physical bodies. With this in mind, we can see that the connection
between the two is a very important thing to consider.
B. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reminds us that our bodies are temples and
that we are to take care of them since Jesus paid the ultimate price for
us to have them, and the spirit of God is within us.
V. Conclusion
Step
Nine
Pull it all together using APA
formatting standards (student
version).
Include all of the following items
in a separate document:
A template for an APA (student) paper is available here:
https://dcfwfuaf91uza.cloudfront.net/online/wp-content/uploads/APA-7th-
Template-Undergraduate.dotm
To use this template, please download a copy and replace the template text
with the information you have gathered.
8
●Title page (formatted
according to APA student
standards).
●One page with your research
question and purpose
statement.
●One page with your simple
outline.
●Reference page with all
sources listed (8 peer-
reviewed journal articles, the
course textbook, and the
Bible).
●The Topic & Outline
Development Chart should
also be included as an
Appendix after your
Reference page.
NOTE: Do not include any
sources obtained outside of our
library (no magazine articles,
wikis, blog posts, etc.)
To review general formatting rules:
https://www.liberty.edu/casas/academic-success-center/apa-guide/
Step
Ten
Final Steps
●Review content
●Review formatting
●Self-check using the
assignment instructions
and grading rubric.
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