The hormone melatonin produced by the pineal gland is today regarded as the "supreme control authority" for the day/night rhythm, because it ensures a safe long life and quality of life. Melatonin regulates the biological clock of the body and regulates the release of all important hormone.
So steuert Melatonin den Alterungsprozess insgesamt.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin (Wikipedia CC-by-sa-3.0)