Articles BioMaptm A Brief History and Technical Look at Bio-rhythms.
HISTORY
Bio-rhythms are the outgrowth of biological observations dating back over 200 years. These cycles and many others became the topic of significant international conferences and societies which launched massive studies several times over the years in both hemispheres - especially overseas. Great debates raged regarding whether studied biological cycles were inherent or responses to external stimuli.
Around 1960, the word chronobiology was coined at an international conference of people who studied biological cycles. Since then the chronobiologists have discovered over a hundred different biological clocks. In recent publications, chronobiologists have identified weekly, lunar, monthly, and annual cycles.
There is currently, a resurgent interest in these cycles and articles about bio-rhythms are being published every week. Serious research is offering new theories of how long period cycles are manifested. A sub-branch of biology (biophysics) may yet determine all the human temporal parameters. Biophysicists have uncovered tools like X-ray and physiological processes like DNA among other things.
TECHNICAL
By definition, a bio-rhythm is "an innate cyclical biological process or function." All frequencies of biological processes are bio-rhythmic. Bio-rhythm frequency bands are classified as: ultradian (above a day); circadian (around a day); and infradian (lower than a day). The shorter the cycle length (i.e., breathing, eating, etc.) or the higher the cycle frequency - the easier it is to displace in time.
Ultradian cycles can be distinguished by their frequency and their phase relationship to circadian cycles. Mammals are thought to be strongly organized around a day. This is due to environmental and social entraining mechanisms (called cues). Circadian cycles appear flexible, but in fact, are extremely difficult if not impossible, to displace beyond the 16th hour in a 24 hour day.
One youngster trying to set a record, stayed awake eleven days and then slept for almost four days (3.5 days of sleep = 84 hours divided by 11 days awake = 7.6 hours per day). He may not have actually lost any sleep in the long run. This suggests, even if behavior patterns seem to move around the clock, it is not necessarily true that underlying hormonal and other physiological mechanisms do as well. For this reason infradian cycles, being longer and less flexible, can be calculated accurately with a high degree of confidence.
OBSERVATIONS
Research has indicated that the infradian cycles (that are not anchored to social queues - i.e. Thanksgiving) are probably measured out in days. If you move a herd of elk to the constant daylight of the polar region - their circannual mating cycle can be delayed, suggesting that their day count became confused by longer daylight. But, they will be on time according to the elk's day count. If it is as difficult to rotate a daily cycle as it would appear (under normal circumstances), then the idea of rotating a 23 day or 40 day cycle seems impossible.
Infradian bio-rhythm cycles range from over one day to many years. To calculate the current position in an infradian cycle - take the total age of a subject in days plus variations for leap years (since these cycles start at birth) and divide by the cycle length in days. The integer result is the number of times that the subject has experienced a complete cycle. A fractional remainder indicates the percent of the current cycle that has been completed.
Over forty major studies conducted world wide conclusively demonstrate the pervasive influence of infradian cycles on our physical and emotional well being.
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