About six months after forming that theory I once again fell into patterns of sleep that could be deemed normal I went to bed around 900 or 930 at night and got up at 600 every morning
This led me to believe that perhaps my lifelong problems with insomnia or more accurately hyposomnia could just be the result of excessive stress and clinical depression
The return to the normal schedule came on the heels of meeting a new significant person in my life whom I later married For nearly a year sleeping at normal times worked just fine for me in the past bouts of normal night time sleeping only lasted for a couple of weeks at most a couple of months
This lengthy stretch stirred hopes that it might be real that maybe I could live as a normal diurnal member of society That ended roughly 18 months ago and I am once again faced with the reality that I can no longer ignore I am and probably always will be a night creature
My husband now fondly announces to family and friends that he has married a vampire During the nights I am wide awake and exceptionally productive with work Once the sun rises my body shuts down
Every morning and afternoon is a struggle toward productivity but the moment darkness falls the drowsiness falls away and its time to live The only true sound sleep comes with the midday sun
About Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome
Sleeping pills dont work warm milk and a relaxing soak in the bubble bath doesnt work and nothing short of a solid knock on the head is likely to work at the time the rest of the family is going to bed
Sound familiar Imagine my surprise when I realized that prestigious organizations and institutions know this exact set of symptoms places like the Cleveland Clinic the Mayo Clinic and the American Sleep Association They call it delayed sleep phase syndrome also commonly called delayed sleep phase disorder
Delayed sleep phase syndrome is described as primarily a problem of adolescents and young adults This particular group has a far higher percentage of people who stay up until the early morning hours and sleep through until the early afternoon hours
Such verbiage and I suspect such data suggests a very strong lifestyle correlation with delayed sleep phase syndrome This can perhaps obscure what is likely a relatively very small percentage of people whose sleep cycles cannot be explained away by lifestyle
Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome Treatments
Several treatments are suggested for delayed sleep phase syndrome including a process of pushing the sleep schedule forward a couple of hours every couple of days ceasing to push forward once the desired hours are reached
Another suggests simply picking a schedule and sticking to it come hell or high water These dont work Many experts would suggest youre not trying hard enough or that youre not committed enough to your normal schedule
Further treatment options may include light therapy to try to re set your internal clock to its normal diurnal schedule possibly in conjunction with melatonin supplements to help re adjust your circadian rhythm
Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome or Nocturnality
They say that abnormal sleep phases for three months or more constitutes a disorder or syndrome This can mean sleeping and waking too early too late around swing shifts or while adjusting to new time zones
These are all forms of circadian rhythm disorder Three monthswhat then does a lifetime of abnormal sleep cycles constitute
What happens when regardless of time zone or light therapies the sun always triggers sleep and the light of the moon and stars triggers increased activity Most of the world still calls it a disorder but then how many labels have been given to traits that are normal in humans but not mainstream normality
This is where my line of thinking always hits a dead end The scientific community and most of the world has tentatively begun to look at the possibility but few aside from those who have struggled with being nocturnal or are possibly just realizing that they dont actually have a disorder seem to think that it can happen
This is not a matter of the body not knowing when the sun is out and when its not a problem often associated with people who work indoors away from windows for extended periods of time its the body responding to the sun the same way that experts say it should be responding to dark
Lets put this in perspective a little bit I live in Wyoming in the mountains of the US During the summer days stretch until 930 at night and the sun rises again around 600 in the morning
Throughout the winter the sun may not rise until 830 or 900 in the morning and it will be gone again by 430 in the afternoon By the natural order of circadian rhythm disorders especially assuming someone is undergoing light therapy throughout these seasonal changes the sleep and alert cycles should not change significantly if the lifestyle remains the same yet in the summer I am alert and productive around 1000 pm whereas winter sees that same alert productivity around 500 pm and that aside from Seasonal Affective Disorder complicating things
At The Alaska Sleep Clinic we understand that the dark winter nights can be difficult for many and even cause severe symptoms of depression in others Because depression is often linked to sleep disorders we want to help you get the best treatment for your disorders possible If you think you or a loved one may have seasonal affective disorder feel free to contact us for any of your sleep related needs and get started on your way to a happier healthier life
About author Mary Jones is a book lover and wonderful writer in Buy Essay Online company She lives in California Mary studied creative writing courses Her favorite hobby is drawing with her children
Topics insomnia seasonal affective disorder delayed sleep phase
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