8 replies to this topic

[~ prometheus ~]

i have trouble getting to sleep at a godly hour, it's been going on for as long as i can remember. at around midnight i become hyperactive, my thoughts are extremely lucid and i generally am very productive. my natural sleep time is ~2am and i sleep for ~8 or so hours. i'm pretty sure what i have is delayed phase sleep onset disorder, my sleep is fine but is completely out of sync with normal folk. this wouldn't really be a problem if the world revolved around my sleep patterns. unfortunately they don't so i was wondering if anyone knew of possible treatments? i've tried melatonin, but i consistently wake up 4 hours later and have trouble getting back to bed. maybe something to deal with cortisol?

[losty]

All you can really do is just deal with the fatigue as you adjust to a new waking time by consistently waking at a set time.
This could take a few days. The quickest way to reset would be to wake up at your desired time, pull an all nighter and stay up through the next day, finally going to sleep at ur desired bedtime a full 24 hrs late. Then just be consistent with your waking time.

It is much easier to set your wake time than it is your sleep time.

[emerson]

I've had a similar situation most of my life. I don't know if it's from some aspect of biology, or the simple fact that I love the look and feel the world takes on at night. For whatever reason though, I always seem to drift back into a nocturnal schedule when the opportunity presents itself. It takes a bit of creative planning, but for the most part I've been able to simply roll with it. I'd even go so far as to say that it's proven to be more of an advantage for me than a detriment in the long run.

[patch]

Same here (hence the 1:44 AM posting). I've had periods where I've had a really regular schedule, going to bed at 11pm or so and getting up at 6 or 7. I did it by avoiding caffiene in the late afternoon/evening and having a set bed time. It takes a couple weeks or so of struggling before my body finally starts to settle into the routine, but it works eventually. The only other suggestion I can think of is to eat foods with tryptophan (e.g. carbs), which induces sleep.

[FunkOdyssey]

There are two reliable ways to advance your biological clock, according to Dr. Dement, the father of modern sleep medicine:

1) Use melatonin (physiological dose, 300-500mcg) at the time of day when you would like to fall asleep.

2) Expose yourself to bright light at the time of day you would like to awaken.

If melatonin didn't work well for you initially, try the light exposure. Both in combination would be even better. Be consistent with your schedule, and don't be discouraged if you don't get immediate results.

Take care to avoid television, the computer, and other sources of bright light in the evening as they will interfere with melatonin production and contribute to insomnia.

[RighteousReason]

Just roll with it. Go to sleep when you are tired and wake up when you need to. It will all take care of itself.

[FunkOdyssey]

Wisdom from the "ignore the problem until it goes away" system of medicine.

[~ prometheus ~]

thanks for the replies guys. part of me really doesn't see a problem, i.e. if my body is wired a specific way, then maybe it's not too bad and i should just work around my sleep schedule. but after taking a galaxy of sleeping pills over the last few months i'm looking for something that can be sustained over the long-term without causing addiction. i'll definitely be giving lower doses of melatonin a go and have a look a more consistent sleep schedule.