Optimal schedules of light exposure for rapidly correcting circadian misalignment.

ABSTRACT: Jet lag arises from a misalignment of circadian biological timing with the timing of human activity, and is caused by rapid transmeridian travel. Jet lag's symptoms, such as depressed cognitive alertness, also arise from work and social schedules misaligned with the timing of the circadian clock. Using experimentally validated mathematical models, we develop a new methodology to find mathematically optimal schedules of light exposure and avoidance for rapidly re-entraining the human circadian system. In simulations, our schedules are found to significantly outperform other recently proposed schedules. Moreover, our schedules appear to be significantly more robust to both noise in light and to inter-individual variations in endogenous circadian period than other proposed schedules. By compa

SUBMITTER: Serkh K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3983044 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature