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Body Clock – How It Rules Your Life | ESL / ESOL Listening Practice

Why you feel awake at some hours and useless at others, what melatonin does, why teenagers cannot fall asleep early and what jet lag really is. Listening practice on a subject students recognise immediately.

The body clock is the internal rhythm that runs on roughly a twenty-four-hour cycle and decides when you feel sharp and when you feel useless. Daylight sets it, and it also governs body temperature, hunger and concentration through the day.

Two facts make the topic land with a class. Teenagers are not being difficult in the mornings: at that age melatonin is released later in the evening, so falling asleep early is genuinely hard while school starts at the same hour as ever. And jet lag is simply the clock refusing to move faster than about an hour a day, which is why a long flight east costs the best part of a week.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the body clock?

The internal rhythm that runs on roughly a twenty-four-hour cycle and decides when you feel awake or sleepy. It is set mainly by daylight, and it also governs body temperature, hunger and alertness through the day.

Why do teenagers find mornings so hard?

Because at that age the body clock shifts later: the sleep hormone melatonin is released later in the evening, so falling asleep early is genuinely difficult, and an early school start cuts into the sleep they still need.

What is jet lag?

The mismatch between your body clock and local time after flying across time zones. The clock resets by roughly an hour a day, which is why a long flight east can leave you out of step for the best part of a week.