Circadian Rhythm Disorders - Risk Factors - Risk Factors
You may have a higher risk for circadian rhythm disorders because of internal factors such as your age, your sex, family history and genetics, and certain medical conditions that affect your brain or vision. External factors such as your lifestyle habits, environment, and occupation can also increase your risk.
Age
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Circadian Rhythm Disorders - Risk Factors
The rhythm and timing of your sleep-wake cycle can change with age because of changes in your brain. Teens may naturally have a later bedtime than adults, which raises their risk for delayed sleep-wake phase disorder. Older adults, on the other hand, usually sleep and wake up early. This raises their risk for advanced sleep-wake phase disorder. Older adults are also at higher risk for shift work disorder and jet lag disorder.
Environment or occupation
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Circadian Rhythm Disorders - Risk Factors
People who work during the night have a higher risk for shift work disorder. Jet lag disorder is more common in pilots, flight attendants, athletes, and people who travel often for business.
Family history and genetics
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Circadian Rhythm Disorders - Risk Factors
Your genes may play a role in whether you naturally wake up early in the morning or go to sleep later at night. This genetic preference of an early or late bedtime can raise your risk for advanced or delayed sleep-wake phase disorder if your rhythm is out of sync with your environment or social responsibilities.
mutations in certain genes can also raise your risk for circadian rhythm disorders. These include the genes that control your body’s circadian clocks and certain genes that affect brain development or health.
Lifestyle habits
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Circadian Rhythm Disorders - Risk Factors
Lifestyle habits can raise your risk for circadian rhythm disorders. These include:
- Alcohol use
- Chronic caffeine use
- Frequent air travel
- Illegal drug use
- Lack of exposure to natural light during the day
- Unhealthy sleep habits such as regularly staying up late and nighttime exposure to artificial light, including light from a TV screen, a smartphone, or a very bright alarm clock
Other medical conditions
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Circadian Rhythm Disorders - Risk Factors
Several medical conditions can increase your risk for circadian rhythm disorders, including:
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Certain genetic conditions, such as Smith-Magenis syndrome, Angelman syndrome, and Huntington’s disease
- Conditions that affect eyesight, such as blindness and macular degeneration. This raises the risk for non-24-hour sleep-wake rhythm disorder.
- Conditions that cause damage to the brain, such as traumatic brain injuries, strokes, and brain tumor
- Mental health conditions, such as bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia. This raises the risk of delayed sleep-wake phase disorder.
- Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. These conditions are more common in older adults and can increase your risk for irregular sleep-wake phase disorder.
How do neurodegenerative conditions lead to circadian rhythm disorders?
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia can damage brain cells that process light and other signals from the environment. Without correct information, your body makes less melatonin and at different times of the day than expected. This can lead to irregular sleep-wake rhythm disorder or a complete reversal of the normal sleep-wake cycle.
People who have neurodegenerative conditions and are living in nursing homes may not have a clear pattern of day and night. They may have few social interactions during the day and be awakened for medicine and care throughout the day and night. This can lead to a disrupted sleep-wake cycle, which may cause circadian rhythm disorders.
Sex
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Circadian Rhythm Disorders - Risk Factors
Men are more likely to have advanced sleep-wake phase disorder than women.
Women may be more likely to experience circadian rhythm disorders at certain stages of life.
- Hormonal changes that happen during pregnancy, after childbirth, and at menopause can cause problems with sleep.
- Discomfort during pregnancy may also prevent good-quality sleep.
- After childbirth, sleep interruptions and nighttime exposure to light while caring for a newborn can increase your risk for circadian rhythm disorders.