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BACKGROUND
Biological rhythms and normal sleep/wake physiology are crucial to health. Disorders of rhythmic operations of the body and sleep-wake functions are implicated in numerous chronic physical, behavioral, or mental illness. These illnesses include respiratory disorders (e.g., sleep apnea and sudden infant death syndrome), cardiovascular disorders (e.g., heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, hypertension, and stroke), rheumatic disorders (e.g., fibromyalgia), postinfectious disorders (e.g., postviral chronic fatigue syndrome), gastrointestinal disorders (e.g., reflux esophagitis and bowel dysfunction), neurological disorders (e.g., narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, seizures, and dementia), and behavioral or neuropsychiatric disturbances (e.g., sleep-walking, sleep terrors, nightmares, bedwetting, sleep schedule disorders such as shift work and sleep-wake disorders, various insomniacs, sedative/hypnotic or stimulant dependencies, and depression). Circadian rhythms have long been known to influence human physiology, such as their effects on cardiovascular and endocrine functions. More subtle responses are emerging in biological rhythms that bear upon the timing of drug treatments, such as cancer chemotherapy, for proper effectiveness or avoidance of hazardous consequences.