In brief
When your sleep and daily routine are out of step with your body clock, as happens with shift work, jet lag or light at night.
- Melatonin can help reset your body clock after shift work or jet lag, according to healthdirect.
- Going to bed and waking up at around the same time every day helps keep sleep regular.
- Light has perhaps the greatest influence on your body clock.
How it works
Travel between time zones (jet lag) and shift work alter the normal sleep-wake cycle. Light during the night can lower the amount of melatonin you make, and blue light from phones, tablets and computers can reduce or delay melatonin in the evening.
When your body clock is disrupted, such as by shift work or jet lag, you can have sleep problems, and shift workers are often more tired during and after their shifts. Long-term sleep loss and continually shifting circadian rhythms can increase the risks of obesity, diabetes, mood disorders, heart and blood pressure problems, and cancer.
Connections
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Circadian disruption can worsen
If your body clock is disrupted, such as by shift work or jet lag, you can have sleep problems.
Source: healthdirect Australia, Sleep
Circadian disruption can cause
Shift workers are often more tired during and after their shifts.
Source: healthdirect Australia, Sleep
Circadian disruption can raise
- Type 2 diabetes Supported
Long-term sleep loss and continually shifting circadian rhythms can increase the risk of diabetes, according to the NIH.
Source: National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH), Circadian rhythms
Sources
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Summarised from the NIH and healthdirect. Sources read on 13 October 2026. General education only, not medical advice. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us through the HuBu-Intel contact page.