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I'm not really the biological type, but I understand that biology is basically applied chemistry, and things happen because of Chemicals.
For those individuals unfortunate enough to not have correct control over their insulin levels, a number of devices have been invented. I think we are approaching
the point of the artificial pancreas, an implanted device that monitors levels of the chemical in a person's blood, and releases chemicals accordingly.
If my hypothesis (based, admittedly, on no research whatsoever) that the circadian rhythm is also based on Chemicals, a device could be created, perhaps reusing the artificial pancreas technology, that monitors and controls the levels of those Chemicals, in order to enforce a healthy circadian rhythm for the current timezone, regardless of ambient light levels.
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It's not nice to mess with MOTHER NATURE, young one. The
bodies rhythms are deeply connected with all of the
environment and are set by the hand of the creator. |
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You are inarguably right, of course. But there were no fluorescent lights or intercontinental flights in the Garden of Eden. |
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We have already messed up those rhythms, this idea should set them back on track. |
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Your brain has a third eyeball that collects light through your other two eyeballs and produces the chemicals which regulate your circadian rhythm.
Melatonin, serotonin, tryptophan and dimethyltryptamine are released in a cycle so that we dream and heal. |
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If that cycle goes out of whack due to a prematurely calcified pineal gland (third eye) then the effect is asymptomatic for each individual so you might very well be on to something.
These chemicals are available over the counter other than Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) which is a controlled substance and, in my opinion, is the cause of much of the addiction issues we face today. |
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When the pineal gland calcifies they no longer dream as vividly.
Take away someones ability to dream and they spend their lives craving this thing which they used to be able to do as kids and have forgotten for the rest of their lives. |
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//a third eyeball that collects light through your other two
eyeballs// Well, technically it's a part of the brain that
receives nerve impulses associated with sight. |
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... unlike James T. Kirk, who is reknowned for having three ears. |
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As an alternative to a Circadian metronome, what about a Cicadan metronome, which chirps very loudly at adjustable intervals but only appears every 17 years ? |
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The interesting thing about periodic cicadas (DIGRESSION
ALERT) is that they exist as a number of distinct broods, some
of which have a 13 year cycle, and some a 17 year cycle. But
within each brood there are several species, all in sync with
one another. |
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What about a Canadian metronome ? Much bigger and heavier than a normal one, made entirely of wood, with huge feet and teeth, covered in coarse hair ... used for timing the intervals between incidents of pointless violence in ice hockey games, so buzzes rather than ticks. Except if you listen carefully, it's not a click, but a grunt. |
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////a third eyeball that collects light through your other two eyeballs//// |
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// Well, technically it's a part of the brain that receives nerve impulses associated with sight.// |
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Yes exactly.
A parietal eye intricately tied to the regulation of the human endocrine system.
It's kind of important to the physical and mental health of us vertebrate species while remaining largely untaught to our general medical practitioners until they at reach the level of studying psychneuroendocrinology. |
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I think it also has a lot to do with mental illness in general.
This whole lack of being able to vividly visualize while dreaming, but that's another topic. |
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How long does it take to drive someone insane through sleep deprivation again?
Four days or so?
How long if only deprived of their dreams? |
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It's a valid question. One I bet has been answered many times now by some psycho or other in the name of progress.
So where's the data? |
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In all probability it was lost when the now-psychotic test subject murdered the experimenters ... |
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It's surprisingly difficult to tell if (and when) someone dreams,
unless you monitor them (either brain activity, or REM) during
sleep. We only remember dreams if we wake shortly after (or
during) them, so it's largely a question of whether you wake
during (or are woken by) your dreams, or whether you sleep
soundly through them. The general consensus is that "not
dreaming" is an indication of sound, uninterrupted sleep. |
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Interesting, but if that were true then it wouldn't be possible to cause insanity by disallowing REM sleep for four days. Not sleep itself... just REM sleep. We need our dreams for health. There can be no other reason for a living creature to be required to expose themselves to predation for nearly a third of their lifespans. |
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What does it mean if memories of my dreams surface during the day which I dreamed that night or even several nights before? This is something I have always done. |
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//but if that were true//, ah, no. I believe, indeed, that
depriving someone of REM sleep is bad, and may even cause
insanity or death. I was just making the point that people
who say "I never dream" do actually dream; they just don't
remember it. |
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There was a study where they put people who "didn't dream"
in a sleep lab, and woke them in the middle of REM; then they
acknowledged that they'd been dreaming. |
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^ How would they know they were just dreaming that
they were in a sleep lab? |
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// I believe, indeed, that depriving someone of REM sleep is bad, and may even cause insanity or death. I was just making the point that people who say "I never dream" do actually dream; they just don't remember it. |
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There was a study where they put people who "didn't dream" in a sleep lab, and woke them in the middle of REM; then they acknowledged that they'd been dreaming.// |
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Ah... and about people remembering dreams days later?.. |
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See, I'm as much awake while I'm dreaming as I am dreaming while I'm awake.
I know that's not normal... but what does it mean? |
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Should I start making friends with pigeons now? |
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[2fsohm] Like some people are born with good looks perhaps
you have just been born with good dreaming and dream
awareness. I support research on the genetics of people
who have good dreams at the 99th percentile of
enjoyability, as well as 99th percentile of ability to
remember dreams. |
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Maybe... but maybe it has to do with the gist of [mixtela]'s idea.
The proper cycle of pineal gland released chemicals controls circadian rhythm and its interface with the visual cortex controls the vividness of the DMT induced hallucinatory dream-scapes. |
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Interrupt the cycle a little and... suffer jet-lag.
Interrupt the cycle a lot and... suffer something which ends in phrenia. |
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He or she is just on to something is all I'm saying. |
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I've been occasionally thinking of (not really considering) the
possibility of regulating the circadian rhythm through the
use of adjustable colored filters over the eyes. Apparently
adjustable color temperature lighting works very well for
this purpose, but it's not installed everywhere yet and won't
be for many years, so a set of glasses that adjust your
perceived color temperature throughout the day is probably
the next best thing. |
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Not if the ambient illumination lacks the spectral elements appropriate to the "time" being simulated. |
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Coloured filters can only block frequencies, not add them in. If the illumination isn't very bright, and shifted to the red end of the spectrum, then a filter can't produce the effect of bright mid-day sunlight. It can "emphasize" what little blue light there is, but it can't boost the intensity, and the intensity as well as the colour is a factor in the pineal response. |
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Hence my saying "the next best thing", not "as good as".
Another option would be glasses with LEDs that shine the
correct color temperature of light in your eyes. That's not
"the next best thing", because the bright lights shining in
your eyes would be distracting, and because it would need a
bigger battery. |
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What about spectrally-shifted virtual reality goggles ? If they were made with photovoltaic panels on the outside, then you wouldn't need batteries, but since pv cells are inefficient the device would only work well in really bright ambient light. |
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