Circadian Rhythm Disorders - Screening and Prevention - Screening and Prevention

To help lower your risk of circadian rhythm disorders, your doctor may recommend that you make healthy lifestyle changes and avoid bright light and caffeine close to your bedtime. While caring for a newborn at night, keep the lights as dim as possible.

You may be able to prevent a circadian rhythm disorder caused by external factors such as your environment.

The following steps may help prevent shift work disorder:

• Take a short nap before your night shift to help prevent sleepiness at work.
• Adopt a sleep schedule on your days off that overlaps with your sleep time on work days.
• Avoid multiple schedule switches between day and night shifts, if possible.

The following steps may help prevent jet lag disorder:

• A few days before traveling across several time zones, begin adjusting your sleep-wake cycle to match the time at your destination. You may gradually change your sleep schedule and use bright light to help advance or delay your waking time.
• If you can, arrive at your destination a few days before an important event, to help you gradually adjust to the local time. Your body adjusts to the time at your destination at a rate of 1 to 1.5 time zones per day.
• Spend plenty of time outside at your destination. Outdoor light may shorten symptoms of jet lag.

• Diagnosis will discuss tests and procedures that your doctor may use to diagnose types of circadian rhythm disorders.
• Living With will discuss what your doctor may recommend to prevent your circadian rhythm disorders from recurring, getting worse, or causing complications.
• Research for Your Health will discuss how we are using current research and advancing research to prevent circadian rhythm disorders.
• Participate in NHLBI Clinical Trials will discuss our open and enrolling clinical studies that are investigating prevention strategies for circadian rhythm disorders.