Chronotherapy, also called chronotherapeutics or chronotherapeutic drug delivery, refers to the coordination of therapeutic treatments with an individual's

circadian A circadian rhythm (), or circadian cycle, is a natural oscillation that repeats roughly every 24 hours. Circadian rhythms can refer to any process that originates within an organism (i.e., endogenous) and responds to the environment (is entrai ...

or other rhythmic cycles. This may be done to maximize effectiveness of a specific treatment, minimize possible side effects, or both. In the treatment of psychiatric conditions including

bipolar depression Bipolar disorder (BD), previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that each last from days to weeks, and in some cases months. If the elevated m ...

, a form of chronotherapy combining intermittent sleep deprivation and morning bright light has shown efficacy and relative tolerability in a number of controlled studies.

References

{{reflist, 30em Circadian rhythm Therapy

See also

References