Circadian Sleep Disorders Network

06/06/2026

Circadian Sleep Disorders Network is considering whether to formally recommend permanent standard time.

Everybody seems to hate the clock change, especially in spring. But whether to be permanently on standard time or daylight saving time? On daylight saving time you're getting up an hour earlier, relative to the day-night (light-dark) cycle. So it would seem a bit easier, for DSPD people, to be permanently on standard time. I know it's easier for me to make a 2:00 doctor appointment when we're on standard time than on daylight saving. And it shouldn't matter to Non-24s as long as we don't switch twice a year.

Yes, we all love having it be light later in summer. And we hate that it gets dark so early in winter. It will feel that way regardless of whether we're on standard time or daylight saving. But changing the clock to permanent daylight saving time, and forcing us to get up earlier (relative to the light-dark cycle), for work or school, doesn't seem like the best answer. And in much of the country it means sending kids to school in the dark in winter, or driving to work in the dark, so that the public will rebel -- as it did when permanent DST was tried in 1974 -- and just revert to the prior schedule with twice a year clock changes.

There are demonstrable health benefits to standard time, as can be inferred by comparing the eastern and western ends of the same time zone. In the eastern end the sun rises and sets earlier; the western end is more like being on daylight saving time. So, for example:
"People on the late side of sunset across U.S. time zones were 11 percent more likely, on average, to be overweight and 21 percent more likely to be obese. Diabetes was more prevalent.... Breast cancer rates were slightly elevated, too — about 5 percent higher than average."
(https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/04/19/how-living-wrong-side-time-zone-can-be-hazardous-your-health/, Christopher Ingraham, "How living on the wrong side of a time zone can be hazardous to your health", Washington Post 4/19/19. Includes references to the peer-reviewed research.)

Some research papers on this topic are listed at https://circadiansleepdisorders.org/info.php . Other sleep organizations are also in favor of year-round daylight saving time:

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) position statement indicates that “current evidence best supports the adoption of year-round standard time, which aligns best with human circadian biology and provides distinct benefits for public health and safety.” The statement was endorsed by more than 20 medical, scientific, and civic organizations, including the American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, National PTA, National Safety Council, Society for Research on Biological Rhythms, and World Sleep Society.
(https://aasm.org/aasm-statement-senate-daylight-saving-time-sunshine-protection-act/, "AASM statement on Senate passage of permanent daylight saving time bill", American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2022)

Comments?

04/14/2026

CSD-N ATTENDS NIH SDRAB -- On Apr 9 and 10, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board (SDRAB) met in person in Bethesda. CSD-N president Peter Mansbach attended in person on the 9th, and CSD-N board member Leslie Head and executive vice president Alexandra Wharton attended online. Alexandra's term on the board had expired, and Leslie's has not yet been approved.

Several of the talks touched on the inadequacy of some of the variables that we use to characterize sleep, and Peter noted that, in regard to circadian rhythms, we normally only look at their phase (time of day). We do not measure:
- their amplitude (how alert you are during wake time, how deeply you sleep);
- their waveform (do you wake up quickly or gradually);
- their resistance to change (can you easily adjust your sleep schedule, or is it resistant to change).
Differences in these circadian rhythm attributes may also contribute to the relationship between sleep and overall health.

03/14/2026

Today is - hosted by with the theme of ‘Sleep Well, Live Better.’

Circadian Sleep Disorders Network is a 501(c)(3) organization that advocates for individuals whose sleep-wake cycles are out of sync with the day-night cycle.

DSPD and Non-24 are not sleep timing preferences; people with circadian rhythm disorders (CRDs) are unable to sleep except at certain times dictated by their ‘misaligned’ internal clocks.

Individuals trying to force themselves into a conventional work or school day can develop serious health issues.

CRDs may be as prevalent as 1 in 600 people. This is in contrast to narcolepsy, which is well publicized but has a lower prevalence of 1 in 2000.

More research in CRDs is desperately needed. 🔬🧬☀️🌔

03/09/2026

CSD-N WRITTEN UP IN MONTAGE -- The AASM (American Academy of Sleep Medicine) magazine "Montage" (aasm.org/membership/montage/") features Circadian Sleep Disorders Network as their "Voices of Advocacy" patient organization in the March 2026 issue, after interviewing our president, Peter Mansbach. The magazine is only available to AASM members.

One excerpt reads:
There is a striking lack of awareness of the seriousness of these disorders, even within the medical community. In many cases, the proposed treatments do not work, and this is often unacknowledged. Sleep problems are regularly blamed on depression, when in fact depression may be caused by circadian dysregulation, resulting in poor sleep. Patients can be helped by flexibility in work and school hours, and in scheduling medical appointments. Patients need understanding from their families, friends, and colleagues that their sleep schedule is not something that a little self-discipline can alter.

03/07/2026

We lose an hour tonight.... (U.S. and Canada)

02/28/2026

Sighted non-24 is rare, though not as rare as some doctors think. (DSPD is not rare, by their criterion: rare means less than 200,000 Americans.)

The zebras? That comes from what doctors are taught: "if you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras." But sometimes it does turn out to be zebras, i.e. the rare diagnosis.

02/27/2026

CSD-N TO BE INCLUDED IN BOOK -- Author Haley Shapley contacted CSD-N about input for a book she is researching entitled "NIGHT OWL". It will explore the science of chronotypes, how sleep habits vary around the world, the history of the night owl stigma and solutions for society to be more inclusive of a range of sleep-wake cycles.

Executive Vice President Alex Wharton spoke with Shapley about CSD-N's mission to increase awareness of DSPD and Non24 and decrease the time to proper diagnosis. She explained various ways that CSD-N advocates for its members, such as offering template letters (www.circadiansleepdisorders.org/members.php ) for requesting accommodations at work and school. She also detailed her own personal history with DSPD and the impact the disorder has had on multiple generations of her family.

Shapley covered Non-24 for SeattleMet magazine (www.seattlemet.com/health-and-wellness/2025/10/circadian-rhythm-sleep-disorder), as previously reported (www.circadiansleepdisorders.org/archive2025.php ). She also wrote the popular health and fitness book, "Strong Like Her" (www.simonandschuster.com/books/Strong-Like-Her/Haley-Shapley/9781982120863).

"NIGHT OWL" is scheduled to be published by Macmillan's St Martin's Press in March 2027.

02/11/2026

We have been asked to seek participants for this study. Note that it requires two visits to their lab in Michigan:

The Better Sleep for Bipolar Study seeks to learn more about the effects of supplemental melatonin use on mood and the circadian clock in people with bipolar disorder.

Many people with bipolar disorder are also “night owls” who have late bedtimes and late wake times. This mismatch between a person’s “brain clock” and the actual clock time can cause sleep problems and is associated with worse depression symptoms in bipolar disorder.

Our study seeks to test whether low dose melatonin plus a behavioral sleep intervention commonly used to treat night owls will help shift the brain clock earlier and improve mood and sleep in bipolar disorder.

We are recruiting individuals who are night owls with bipolar disorder whose sleep schedule may impact their life. Our study is primarily virtual with only two visits to our Sleep Lab located at the Rachel Upjohn Building in Ann Arbor, MI. Compensation is provided for completing study activities.

Better Sleep for Bipolar Research Page: https://umhealthresearch.org/studies/HUM00235778

02/03/2026

Project Sleep's Rising Voices leadership program trains people with sleep disorders to become effective advocates through authentic storytelling and public speaking. Graduates are equipped to share their stories with healthcare providers, universities, local communities, news outlets, blogs, and more, to help raise awareness and reduce stigma.

The 2026 Rising Voices training will take place *online* from May 1-June 5. Spots are limited—the application deadline is March 1st, 2026.

For details and application click here: https://project-sleep.com/2026-rising-voices-application/

02/01/2026

"It isn't being a night owl that's a problem," Dr. Kristen Knutson of Northwestern Medicine University Feinberg School of Medicine said.

"I think being a night owl who's trying to live in a morning lark's world is a conflict between one's internal clock and their social clock." 🦉❤️

So-called “night owls” my faces a higher risk for heart attack and stroke, a new study published Wednesday finds.