body clock

noun

: the internal mechanisms that schedule periodic bodily functions and activities

—usually not used technically

Example Sentences

It takes a while for my body clock to get adjusted when I fly from New York to London.

Recent Examples on the Web

But doctors don't have an easy way to check the body clock. —Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 27 Aug. 2012

Melatonin is crucial in sleep regulation and its suppression muddles with the body’s circadian rhythm, or the internal body clock. —Carla Delgado, Discover Magazine, 7 Sep. 2022

This cycle has set our circadian rhythm, or body clock, for centuries. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 6 Nov. 2022

Standard time has the best correlation between the sun's cycle and your body clock. —CBS News, 6 Nov. 2022

Melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone, may lower the body’s glucose tolerance, signaling that metabolism is influenced by the body’s circadian rhythm or body clock. —Byalexa Mikhail, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2022

When the sun goes down, the body clock turns melatonin production back on, and a few hours later sleep arrives. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 19 Sep. 2022

That spectrum of light has a longer wavelength, and is less intrusive and disruptive to our circadian rhythm, or body clock, than shorter wavelengths such as blue light. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 22 June 2022

Our core body temperature, which correlates to the body clock, decreases before bed as sleep-promoting melatonin levels rise. —Alexa Mikhail, Fortune, 24 July 2022

See More

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

body clock

noun

-ˈkläk 

: the internal mechanisms that schedule bodily functions and activities

—not usually used technically