Taking Chronobiology Seriously

The German chronobiology project CIRCADIA started in 2021 to investigate how circadian rhythms are influenced by new and variously combinable technologies in everyday life, an issue which became more important during the Covid-19 pandemic. The constant de-structuring of everyday life that such technology can influence, with the consequence of changes in sleep time and a de-rhythmisation of biology and psychology is particularly dangerous, as many people are unaware of structures in time, timing and their biological rhythms. Through a systematic stocktaking and foresight (literature analysis, horizon scanning, online survey, explorative workshops, impact assessment) of changes due to the pandemic, CIRCADIA took a short- (5 years) and a long-term look (10 and more years) at the potential effects of an increased use of digital devices. On the basis of our results, we will develop both prevention and solution strategies for existing problems. This paper accordingly raises the question of measuring time in the rhythms of daily life and presents results of a representative survey that measured these rhythms and matched them to chronotypes and changes in the use of technology since 2019.