Night-time injuries heal more slowly

People who are injured at night heal far more slowly because the body's internal clock regulates the pace of healing and performs better during the day, researchers said Wednesday.

The report found that cuts and burns healed about 60 percent faster if the injury happened during the day compared to at night.

Researchers say the body's clock is the reason for the difference, because it regulates crucial body processes including sleeping, metabolism and hormone secretion.

"This is the first time that the circadian clock within individual skin cells has been shown to determine how effectively they respond to injuries," said author John O'Neill at the Medical Research Council Laboratory in Cambridge.