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Sleep-Wake Cycle Manipulation

Meaning

Sleep-wake cycle manipulation refers to the deliberate adjustment of the timing and duration of an individual’s sleep and wake periods, often through behavioral, light-based, or pharmacological interventions, to achieve a specific clinical or performance outcome. This is a targeted chronotherapeutic strategy used to treat sleep disorders, mitigate jet lag, or optimize performance scheduling by intentionally shifting the circadian rhythm. Clinically, successful manipulation requires precise timing of zeitgebers to safely and effectively re-entrain the body’s internal clock without causing significant circadian desynchronization. The goal is to align the internal biology with external demands.