Circadian rhythm-controlling 'clock genes' could be tweaked to alter sleep By (0) Scientists may soon by able to influence a person's "clock genes" and alter their innate sleep patterns. Photo by Wokandapix/Pixabay May 4 (UPI) -- Researchers have identified a complex combination of genes that control the human body's circadian rhythms, the rhythms that help sync a variety of biological processes with both day-night and seasonal patterns. Scientists were able to identify the network of "clock genes," described Tuesday in the journal Applied Physics Reviews, using an advanced statistical model. Advertisement With assistance from geneticists, biologists and medical researchers, the authors of the new paper hope to work out how individual clock genes work together to influence circadian rhythms.