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, internal process that regulates the sleep–wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours. It can refer to any process that originates within an organism (i.e., endogenous) and responds to ...
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, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...
, a form of chronotherapy combining intermittent sleep deprivation and morning bright light has shown efficacy and relative tolerability in a number of controlled studies.
See also
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Personalized medicine
Personalized medicine, also referred to as precision medicine, is a medical model that separates people into different groups—with medical decisions, practices, interventions and/or products being tailored to the individual patient based on the ...
References
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Circadian rhythm
Therapy