Circadian rhythms: from the bench to the bedside and falling asleep

The discovery of the molecular core machinery underlying the generation of circadian rhythms in mammals, and the ability to alter the genes and protein products that comprise the circadian clock, has led to a new appreciation of the role of the clock in regulating many parameters of the sleep-wake cycle, beyond just the timing of sleep. The journal, Sleep, with its mission of publishing papers on basic and translational research in the field of sleep, is in an ideal position to insure that advances in the field of circadian rhythms are used to improve human sleep and in the treatment of sleep-wake disorders.