depressed anxious and accident prone it can lead to much more serious health problems for example heart disease fatigue ulcers muscular pain and frequent viral infections can all result from trying to outsmart our body clocks altering our patterns of sleeping and waking dramatically affects our immune system while we sleep the body's repair mechanisms are at work; when we are awake natural killer cells circulate around our bodies and cause more damage Our digestive system is affected too-high levels of glucose and fat remain in our bloodstream for longer periods of time and this can lead to heart disease Unfortunately we were not designed to be members of a 24-hour society we can't ignore millions of years of evolution and stay up all night and sleep all day we function best with a regular pattern of sleep and wakefulness that is in tune with our natural environment Nature's cues are what keep our body clocks ticking rhythmically and everything working in harmony So next time you think a daily routine is boring and predictable remember that routine may well save your life in the long run