Next Big Thing in health care: chronotherapy

This looks like an opportunity for WakeMate (YC S09) guys.

Wouldn't it make sense for them to sell their current product as a general purpose/programmable chronoconsultant device? What kind of sensors does the device have? Can it be used to solve other health problems?

If this sort of thing is fascinating to you, and you consume caffeine, you absolutely must spend the short time to learn about antagonistic and reinforcing caffeine usage. I've read a few papers on it, but I'm not finding any of the best ones by googling. This link has a short overview though:

http://arvindn.livejournal.com/57651.html

> What is common to these tasks is that progress happens in spurts, due to the fact that they involve frequent cognitive bottlenecks. A cognitive bottleneck can only be overcome when attention level exceeds a task dependent, typically very high threshold. Clearly, then, antagonistic caffeine consumption results in worse-than-normal productivity, because it flattens the attention level curve and decreases the fraction of time spent at peak attention level. Instead, reinforcing consumption helps maximize productivity (the red line). According to this strategy, the best time to drink coffee is when you are already very alert.

Basically, caffeine gives you a boost, then withdrawal. If you're doing creative work, time your caffeine consumption to your high energy periods, then rest during the withdrawal. If you're doing rote, repetitious work, take caffeine during your low periods to smooth your energy out.

This is incredible for your productivity, especially if you're doing creative work that you can't brute force yourself to finish. Highly recommended, almost should be mandatory for any anyone who consumes caffeine and does creative work.

An opinion piece with references? Impressive.

"Several mental disorders, including bipolar disorder, can be rapidly ameliorated by a resetting of the body clock."

What she conveniently fails to mention is that there is no evidence that this works in the absence of pharmacologic measures. The reference for the actual original research can be found at PMID 19358978.

Note that WakeMate (YC 09) is making use of this.... sorta. :D

Waking up in the morning is living against bodily clock in my case. I go to sleep when I feel sleepy. I wake up when I have enough. My sleep time usually somewhat overlaps with nighttime but I can occasionally skip a night by waking later and later in subsequent days. I eat when I'm hungry. I should have serious health problems by now according to any chronotherapist.

She is like the Malcolm Gladwell of biological science (typically, but not always, with a sex-bio slant since that is her background).

What will be her Igon Value, I wonder? (Sincere question.)

Interesting read