Delayed Phase Sleep Syndrome: The Real "Night Owls"

It's two o'clock in the morning, and you're not at all sleepy.

You tried to go to sleep, and it's not as if you shouldn't be tired. You worked all day, ran errands, cooked dinner, supervised homework, tidied the house, and put the kids to bed. Then, you worked on a hobby or surfed the internet for hours, long after the rest of the family was already asleep. You finally managed to fall asleep for a few hours, and before you knew it the alarm clock shrieked. You dragged yourself out of bed, only to spend the day exhausted, irritable, and barely able to stay awake.

If this happens occasionally, you can chalk it up to a random bout of insomnia. However, if this scenario describes your life on a daily basis, you may have a sleep disorder known as delayed phase sleep syndrome (DSPS).

Delayed phase sleep syndrome is classified as a circadian rhythm sleep disorder, a family of disorders that affect the timing of sleep. The onset of DSPS can occur as early as infancy, although the disorder most often makes its appearance during the adolescent years. Seldom does it manifest itself for the first time in persons over thirty years of age.

Persons suffering from delayed phase sleep syndrome regularly have problems falling asleep until the wee hours of the morning, and subsequently feel the need to sleep during the day. These "night owls" tend to function best late at night, and as a result they're sluggish and sleepy the next day. Generally speaking, persons afflicted with this disorder have no difficulty getting a normal amount of sleep (six to eight hours), but only if they're able to sleep and wake as their internal body clock naturally demands.

Delayed phase sleep disorder can have a profound effect on the lives of of its sufferers. Relationship, school, work, and a myriad of other problems can result. Clinical depression is so common amongst persons with DSPS that the disorder itself is frequently misdiagnosed as depression. Having DSPS has been equated with living every single day with severe jet lag. The longer the condition goes undiagnosed and untreated, the more difficult it can become for the person to function.