Circadian Rhythm Disorders

Simply stated, everyday people should strive to fall asleep at the time when they are sleepiest. For most people this means having the major sleep period start in the evening and conclude at dawn. However, situations arise in which a person’s sleep timing, or circadian rhythm of sleep, is not synchronized with other factors, potentially leading to sleep quality problems. The term circadian refers to a circuit or period that is about 24 hours long. Many physiological, biochemical, and behavioral activities have a circadian rhythm, with the sleep-wake cycle being the most easily recognized. The sleep-wake cycle is related to other circadian rhythms, such as core body temperature and concentrations of melatonin or cortisol, through a complex interaction of signals. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.