Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Through-the-Wall Blood Sampling Method to Minimize Sleep Disruption in Clinical Settings
Published on: June 13, 2025
Circadian rhythms and sleep in bipolar disorder
1Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia. gwm@swin.edu.au
Objective:
Biological rhythm pathways are highlighted in a number of etiological models of bipolar disorder, and the management of circadian instability appears in consensus treatment guidelines. There are, however, significant conceptual and empirical limitations on our understanding of a hypothesised link between circadian, sleep, and emotion regulation processes in bipolar disorder. The aim of this article is to articulate the limits of scientific knowledge in relation to this hypothesis.
Methods:
A critical evaluation of various literatures was undertaken. The basic science of circadian and sleep processes, their involvement in normal emotion regulation, and the types of evidence suggesting circadian/sleep involvement in bipolar disorder are reviewed.
Results:
Multiple lines of evidence suggest that circadian and sleep-wake processes are causally involved in bipolar disorder. These processes demonstrably interact with other neurobiological pathways known to be important in bipolar disorder, but are unique in that they are open to behavioural manipulation.
Conclusion:
Further research into biological rhythm pathways to bipolar disorder is warranted. Person-environment feedback loops are fundamental to circadian adaptation, and models of circadian pathogenesis (and treatment) should recognize this complexity.
Related Concept Videos
Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation
Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation
Bipolar Disorder
Management of Insomnia
Chronopharmacokinetics: Circadian Rhythms and Influence on Drug Response
The time of drug administration is an important factor to consider, as it can influence the toxic dose of a drug. For example, a study conducted by Prins et al. in 1997 examined the effects of the timing of...
Mania and Antimanic Drugs: Overview

