Circadian Rhythm - Enforced Longer Cycles

Enforced Longer Cycles

Studies by Nathaniel Kleitman in 1938 and by Derk-Jan Dijk and Charles Czeisler in 1994/5 have put human subjects on enforced 28-hour sleep–wake cycles, in constant dim light and with other time cues suppressed, for over a month. Because normal people cannot entrain to a 28-hour day in dim light if at all, this is referred to as a forced desynchrony protocol. Sleep and wake episodes are uncoupled from the endogenous circadian period of about 24.18 hours and researchers are allowed to assess the effects of circadian phase on aspects of sleep and wakefulness including sleep latency and other functions.

Read more about this topic:  Circadian Rhythm

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