What factors influence individual differences in vulnerability/resilience to sleep loss and/or circadian misalignment?

Abstract

Daily rhythms are primarily synchronized by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus, the body’s central circadian clock. The SCN aligns whole-body cellular, behavioral and phenomenological processes with the Earth’s 24-hour day/night rhythm. When disruptions to the SCN’s perceptual system occur (e.g., “jet-lag,” prolonged waking, chronic exposure to light at night or habit change as the result of becoming a parent), disrupted melatonin and glucocorticoid secretion can lead to widespread dysregulation of sleep and circadian cycling. The effects of circadian disruptions are often compounded by the homeostatic sleep drive, wherein sleep pressure accumulates with protracted wakefulness to affect mood, cognition, health and well-being.