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Core Body Temperature Rhythm

Meaning

The Core Body Temperature Rhythm is the fundamental, endogenous, and highly stable 24-hour oscillation in the body’s internal thermal set point, which serves as a primary and measurable output signal of the central circadian pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). This rhythm typically exhibits a minimum point, or nadir, during the sleep phase and a maximum point, or acrophase, in the late afternoon or early evening, providing a highly reliable marker for an individual’s true biological time. Clinically, meticulous monitoring of this rhythm is essential for accurately phase-typing an individual and precisely assessing the stability and phase of their internal circadian clock.