Figure 2.

The first level of circadian disruption occurs when environmental cycles and/or behavioral cycles are out of sync with the SCN. Second, internal misalignment between the central clock and the peripheral clocks, generated by, for example, misaligned meals, can create circadian disruption at the organismal level. Another manifestation of this is an improper phase relationship between the peripheral clocks of various organs. Desynchronization between cells inside tissue can alter circadian rhythms on a cellular level.