How does bio-rhythm affect the risk of relapse?

What characterizes the bio-rhythmic effects on recovering individuals?

Human physiological and biochemical circumstances continually undergo cyclic change. Our cognitive capacities wax and wane with circadian rest and nourishment and in the same way they continually fluctuate over various periods throughout our lifetime. Cognition and recognition are neural processes performed with the cooperation and coordination of a complex mixture of biochemical processes.

While measuring neural-chemical and physical conditions at any given time can yield a snapshot or current status of an individual, this is far from the whole picture. Consistent evidence from the many of the studies of bio-rhythm helps derive the idea that cycles ranging up to 40 days in duration, can periodically affect human judgment. One five year study of accidents, concluded that:

• Individuals do act differently on certain days;
• They are not aware of the fact that they are different even though it is apparent to others; and,
• They do not know why an accident they contributed to, had occurred.

These and many other study results demonstrate that predictable changes in human behavior, perceptions, and abilities underlie our daily experiences.

Numerous biomedical studies on neuromodulation of serotonin, melatonin and dopamine show physiological anomalies affiliated with a variety mental conditions. Included are: Depression, Suicide, withdrawal from alcohol or drugs, Premenstrual Syndrome, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Anorexia, Narcolepsy, Hyper-tension, Aging and even Schizophrenia.

Reduced neurotransmitter levels could contribute to internal desynchronization of biological processes and an increased sensitivity to long period (infradian) beat frequencies could well amplify depression and threaten abstinence.

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