Stiffness in the morning is apparently a way of how your body suppresses inflammation when you sleep at night New research published online in The FASEB Journal, describes a protein created by the body's "biological clock" that actively represses inflammatory pathways within the affected limbs during the night. This protein, called cryptochrome, has proven anti-inflammatory effects in cultured cells and presents new opportunities for the development of drugs that may be used to treat inflammatory diseases and conditions, such as arthritis. By understanding how the biological clock regulates inflammation, scientists can begin to develop new treatments, which might exploit this knowledge. Furthermore, by adapting the time of day at which current drug therapies are administered, treatments may become more effective. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/312219.php