Head: Prof. Dr. Christian Cajochen

Everyone needs sleep, but why do we become tired in the first place and why do we wake up in the morning? What determines when we sleep, how long we sleep and how well we sleep?

Under the direction of Prof. Christian Cajochen, the Centre for Chronobiology (from the Ancient Greek chrónos, meaning “time”) in Basel investigates these questions. The centre’s researchers study the circadian and homeostatic regulation of the human sleep–wake cycle.The homeostatic process can be compared to a rechargeable battery that charges during the night and discharges during the day. Its counterpart is the circadian rhythm (from the Latin circa, meaning “around” this “day”), which is regulated by the internal body clock and daylight. The two processes interact to ensure stable alertness during the day while enabling good-quality sleep at night. The Centre for Chronobiology is based at the University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK) and is part of the University of Basel’s Transfaculty Research Platform for Molecular and Cognitive Neurosciences.

If you would like to find out more about our research and current projects, please visit our website: http://www.chronobiology.ch/de/forschung/

Members of the Research Group