Best Sleep Now

Delayed Phase Sleep Disorder - what is it?

May 19th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

Do you like staying up late? If this is becoming a problem for you because you’re not alert at work, you may have delayed phase sleep disorder.

Of the many sleep disorders that exist, delayed phase sleep disorder is perhaps one of the most misunderstood. People suffering from delayed phase disorder are often considered to be night owls, though others take this view as an extreme and consider these people to be lazy for a condition that keeps an individual from going to bed at times that is considered to be proper.

Delayed phase sleep disorder is a condition without a cure, though there are ways to treat and cope with it. To be able to treat this condition, though, one must understand it, as many people blame it on other things.

Different People, Different Body Clocks

Delayed phase sleep disorder is a problem that lies with circadian rhythms, or to put it simply, with a person’s biological clock. Those who suffer from this disorder have difficulty falling asleep unless it’s very late at night, usually a couple hours after midnight, and also have trouble waking up in the morning. The problem isn’t in the ability to fall asleep, as the individual can sleep at the same late time each night and is able to sleep for a full eight hours, although people sometimes mistakenly blame delayed phase sleep disorder on insomnia.

Treatments for delayed phase sleep disorder

Correcting the problems of delayed phase sleep disorder can be achieved through a number of ways, ranging from drugs to forcing changes in the sleep schedule. Drugs such as ramelton and modafinil have shown promise in treating delayed phase sleep disorder, although for those seeking treatments without drugs, light therapy has been known to help people suffering from this syndrome.

Another method is to work with the body’s desire to sleep late and to have the person suffering from the disorder to go to bed two hours later each night and sleep for eight hours, until the desired sleeping time is achieved. No matter the method, proper sleep hygiene and rigid adherence to the new bedtime once achieved is needed to prevent relapse.

Of course, treatment for delayed phase sleep disorder is only a problem if it affects your life in negative ways.

Other ways around the problems of this disorder is to take a job that doesn’t follow the typical 9 to 5 schedule, such as anything with a night shift, working in the theater, truck driving, or freelance writing.

Being able to adhere to a schedule that works for the person with delayed phase sleep disorder means that the individual can be happy and feel rested while adhering to a sleep schedule that works for them. So, while delayed phase sleep disorder is often misunderstood, it’s also one of the rare disorders that can be adapted to with great results.