by Satvika

No! you're not a night owl These are signs of delayed sleep phase.

Lately, are you having trouble falling asleep on time? And getting up on time too? Although your mom might disagree, but you’re actually not lazy. You might be suffering from Delayed Sleep Phase-Wake Phase Syndrome (DSPS). It is a type of circadian rhythm sleep disorder. The circadian rhythm is a 24-hour internal “body clock” located in the brain that cycles alertness and sleepiness. Your “body clock” needs to match the light and dark cycle in the world around you. If it doesn’t, this can cause a circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorder, such as DSPS.  

Delayed sleep phase occurs when your sleep pattern is delayed two hours or more from a conventional sleep pattern, causing you to sleep later and wake up later. Usually a person with DSPS has no problem staying asleep, but will struggle to fall asleep and might also have trouble waking up at a reasonable time. And it is more common in teenagers.

Causes

The exact causes for DSPS are not known. But there are some factors that might play a role. 

1. Psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, OCD can cause sleeping difficulties. 
2. Genetics also play a role. Forty percent of people with DSPS have a family history of the disorder. 
3. Insomnia- DSPS affects 10 percent of people with chronic insomnia. 
4. Poor sleeping habits- One factor that might be causing DSPS and the one you can control is poor sleeping habits. If you don’t get enough light exposure in the morning, your symptoms may worsen. Additionally, symptoms might increase if you are exposed to excessive light at night.  

How to treat DSPS?

Chronotherapy 

• The goal of this treatment is to shift your sleep- schedule to an earlier time and maintain the new schedule. You must follow the new sleep-wake cycle plan strictly to assure it works for you.
• It is important to get light exposure in the morning, natural light importantly. This is normally done for about an hour after you wake up when the core body temperature reaches its maximum level.
• It is also important to do the opposite and avoid bright lights at night. Therefore, try to avoid the laptop screen’s blue light or using phones an hour before falling asleep. The bright blue light can lower your natural melatonin levels and stop you from feeling as sleepy at night.
• Melatonin can reduce the time you take to fall asleep. By taking melatonin and shifting your sleep to an earlier hour, you can use it to reset your body clock to desired time.

to know more about sleep deprivation and its effect on mental health read here

References-

1. Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome- American Thoracic Society
2. What Is Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome? Medically reviewed by Elaine K. Luo, M.D. — By Kirsten Nunez

Tags: #CircadianRhythmDisorder #DelayedSleepPhaseSyndrome #TeenageSleepPatterns #Sleep-WakeCycleDisturbance #ChronotherapyforSleepDisorders #BodyclockReset #SleepHabitsandMentalHealth #MelatoninSupplementsBenefits #TeenageCircadianRhythm #HealthySleepSolutions