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Review
. 2021 Mar 24;11(4):487.
doi: 10.3390/biom11040487.

Biological Rhythm and Chronotype: New Perspectives in Health

Angela Montaruli  1   2 , Lucia Castelli  1 , Antonino Mulè  1 , Raffaele Scurati  1 , Fabio Esposito  1   2 , Letizia Galasso  1 , Eliana Roveda  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Biological Rhythm and Chronotype: New Perspectives in Health

Angela Montaruli et al. Biomolecules. .

Abstract

The circadian rhythm plays a fundamental role in regulating biological functions, including sleep-wake preference, body temperature, hormonal secretion, food intake, and cognitive and physical performance. Alterations in circadian rhythm can lead to chronic disease and impaired sleep. The circadian rhythmicity in human beings is represented by a complex phenotype. Indeed, over a 24-h period, a person's preferred time to be more active or to sleep can be expressed in the concept of morningness-eveningness. Three chronotypes are distinguished: Morning, Neither, and Evening-types. Interindividual differences in chronotypes need to be considered to reduce the negative effects of circadian disruptions on health. In the present review, we examine the bi-directional influences of the rest-activity circadian rhythm and sleep-wake cycle in chronic pathologies and disorders. We analyze the concept and the main characteristics of the three chronotypes.

Keywords: chronic diseases; chronotype; circadian rhythm; circadian typology; health; melatonin; rest–activity; sleep; social jet lag.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Factors influencing the rest–activity circadian rhythm and the sleep–wake cycle.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flow chart of the selection of studies for inclusion in this review.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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