Timing is Everything: Using Circadian Rhythms to Improve Patient Care

Course overview

The daily cycle of light and darkness has been recognized as a factor in health and well-being for millennia. Our circadian rhythms, linked to cycles of light and darkness, play an important role in many physiologic processes. These diurnal cycles can also influence our response to disease, stress, medications, invasive procedures, and surgery. This webinar is designed to help health care teams improve medication selection and timing especially for their patients with cardiopulmonary problems, diabetes, cancer, and chronic pain. The vital importance of sleep-wake cycles on anxiety, depression, stress, memory, and addiction is also reviewed. Finally, the increasingly pervasive and complex problem of polypharmacy will be addressed. A growing list of OTC (over-the-counter) and prescription medications, along with commonly used substances such as caffeine and alcohol, frequently complicate patient care. A greater understanding of the physiologic and pharmacologic principles linked to circadian rhythms will help health professionals in every field achieve better results with patient care.