Sometimes called your "internal clock," circadian rhythms tell your body when to eat, sleep, and perform a wealth of other physical functions.
That time will depend in part on the proclivities of your circadian clock, or what scientists call your chronotype (are you a morning person or a night owl?).
In my research, I describe a concept called "circadian advantage". A circadian advantage refers to a team that is more acclimated to the time zone where the game is being played than their opponent.
This cycle, called the circadian rhythm, affects many body processes, including temperature and hormone levels.
Many organisms on earth have evolved an endogenous self-sustained pacemaker, called the circadian clock, to anticipate daily changes in the environment and adapt its physiology.
Planet Earth's rotation – once every 24 hours – is deeply ingrained into human physiology, and each internal process, from digestion to muscle strength, waxes and wanes on a cycle called a circadian rhythm.
A rhythm with a 24-hour cycle is called a circadian (from Latin circa, "about"; di, "day"—i.e., "about a day"), solar day, diel, daily, diurnal, or nychthemeral rhythm.
The third factor has to do with circadian phase the time of day in the human body that says "it's midnight" or "it's dawn". A neurological timing device called the "circadian pacemaker" works alongside but, paradoxically, in opposition to the homeostatic drive for sleep.
