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The increased disruption of natural daily rhythms in modern societies interferes with the temporal coordination of physiological processes in the body. The resulting internal desynchronization favors the development of a range of diseases - including metabolic disorders such as obstipation, obesity, and type-2 diabetes.The combination of chronodisruption and insomnia impairs the sensitivity and efficiency of the immune defense. Vice versa, a stabilization of the circadian system can confer an increased resilience against many pathogens.In recent years the field of chronobiology has developed from a basic science to a highly translational discipline. Besides classical chronotherapy, i. e. a temporally optimized drug scheduling, stabilization of the circadian system - by behavioral interventions or chronobiologicals - offers several novel targets for prevention and therapy of many widespread diseases.Die zunehmende Aufweichung von festen Tagesrhythmen in der modernen Gesellschaft stört die zeitliche Koordination physiologischer Prozesse im Körper. Die resultierende interne Desynchronisation begünstigt die Entwicklung zahlreicher Krankheiten, insbesondere im metabolischen Bereich – von Verdauungsstörungen über Adipositas bis hin zu Typ-2-Diabetes.Die Kombination aus Chronodisruption und Schlafmangel beeinträchtigt zudem die Sensitivität und Effektivität der Immunabwehr. Umgekehrt kann eine Stabilisierung des zirkadianen Systems die Resilienz gegen viele Krankheiten erhöhen.Das Feld der Chronobiologie hat sich in den letzten Jahren von einer Grundlagendisziplin zu einer klinisch angewandten Wissenschaft entwickelt. Neben der klassischen Chronotherapie

Our modern 24-hour society shows an increasing trend towards shortened and erratic sleep. A large number of epidemiological studies indicate that in parallel, the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its key components, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus, is on the rise. Short-term interventional experiments point to a causal relationship between sleep duration and quality and energy metabolism and have identified underlying mechanisms. In particular, changes in the neuroendocrine regulation of glucose metabolism, in circadian rhythmicity as well as in the regulation of appetite and eating behavior are assumed to mediate the detrimental effect of insufficient sleep on energy balance. Although long-term interventional studies are still sparse, existing evidence suggests that improving sleep hygiene represents an attractive approach for the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases.