The Impact of Circadian Rhythms on Sleep, Wakefulness, and Insomnia

A circadian rhythm is the rhythm about a day in length. Typically, we function on a 24-hour cycle that goes along with the sun/moon cycle. The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is responsible for for the biological clock (Garrett & Hough, 2018). The SCN is located in the hypothalamus. If the SCN were to have a lesion, it would not be able to keep time and regulate the activity of other cells. This would impact many things including sleep, activity, body temperature, and so on (Garrett & Hough, 2018).  Waking controls consists of two pathways: the brainstem arousal centers and the basal forebrain. In the brain