For many years, most of the population of Kazakhstan has been living according to the time deviation corresponding to the UTC+6 time zone. However, the central meridian UTC+6 does not even pass through the territory of Kazakhstan!
For example, Ust-Kamenogorsk is located on the westernmost part of the UTC+6 time zone and is ahead of its time - in fact, the city is located at the beginning of the UTC+5.5 time zone.
The current UTC+6 time zone in Kostanay region does not correspond to the natural one (UTC+5) – for more than 17 years, children here have been forced to wake up ahead of time. At the same time, at 10-11 PM it is as bright as a daytime outside, which makes it difficult to go to bed, especially for the elderly and people suffering from insomnia.
The biological clock is one of the body's systems, like the immune or cardiovascular systems are. We need the biological clock to synchronize with the rhythms of nature to adjust to the change of day and night or the change of seasons.
The clock that controls our body works on three levels. The first is a tiny clock mechanism hidden in each cell - special clock proteins that are synthesized in all cells. Some of the clock proteins are formed in the morning, activating metabolism in the cell, the other in the evening, inhibiting metabolism. This is how the daily or circadian rhythm of a single cell is set.
A special gland synchronizes the rhythms of all cells - the epiphysis, or pineal gland, which produces melatonin and serotonin - hormones that regulate our sleep and wakefulness, mood. In the daytime, the pineal gland produces the "happiness hormone" serotonin, and in the dark serotonin is converted into the "sleep hormone" melatonin - it makes sleep deeper and more complete.
Melatonin is produced in sufficient quantities only in the dark, even dim light reduces its production. The time of production of this hormone is extremely short — from 11 PM to 1 AM at night, which is why it is so important to go to bed before this time.
At the same time, the pituitary gland secretes growth hormone, opioid hormones with narcotic effects: endorphins and enkephalins, the production of adrenaline decreases and, as a result, a restful sleep occurs.
Before waking up, a healthy body should be ready for active wakefulness. At this time, the adrenal cortex begins to produce the hormone cortisol, which excites the nervous system, peaking at 6-7 in the morning. It is at this time that a person should wake up, otherwise the good hormone of vivacity and energy cortisol goes to the dark side and becomes a stress hormone. Desynchronosis occurs, that is, a mismatch of biological rhythms, which is the cause of prolonged increased fatigue, depression, insomnia, decreased performance and a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular, oncological and other diseases. Acute heart attacks and intracerebral hemorrhagic strokes mainly occur in the early morning due to the release of glucocorticoids.
It is in our power to synchronize the natural rhythms of our country with the "biological clock" of its inhabitants in order to preserve the health of the nation.
The most optimal solution, in my opinion, is the introduction of a single UTC +5 time zone on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan. No matter how banal it may sound, but this, from my point of view, will allow all Kazakhstanis to live in "unison" - waking up and going to bed at the same time, will solve many logistical, economic and other issues in a positive way. As for health, the human body has great compensatory capabilities. The time in the central and eastern regions of Kazakhstan is set back only 1 hour (i.e. we will sleep an hour longer) will not have any detrimental effect on human health, but on the contrary will contribute to the synonization of our "internal clock" with natural ones.
Kureysh Khamchiyev
PhD, Professor, Head of the Department of Normal Physiology
NJSC "Astana Medical University"
