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Cellular Maintenance Windows

Meaning

Cellular Maintenance Windows are specific temporal phases within the 24-hour circadian cycle or longer physiological cycles where cellular repair, waste clearance, and the essential process of autophagy are maximally activated. These windows represent periods of naturally reduced anabolic signaling, permitting the necessary catabolic activities required for cellular quality control and organelle turnover. Hormonal shifts, particularly the nocturnal rise of growth hormone and the fall of insulin, often delineate these critical periods.