Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome

Sleep disorders come in many forms, and one very different type is Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome. This condition affects when you sleep, which is dictated by your circadian rhythm. There are several circadian rhythm disorders, all of which have a similarly disruptive effect on your life.

It is estimated that around 7% of teenagers suffer from Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome or DSPS. While it is possible to suffer from circadian rhythm disorder at other stages in life, it is much less common. However, because it is often confused with insomnia, the exact numbers of those suffering are not entirely understood.

What is Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome?

Think about your daily routine and how it works. Maybe you get up at 7 am, head out to work, do whatever you do, and then come home. You probably want to head off to bed at 11 pm to get your rest ready for the next day. For most of us, that all works fine. Some days, you may stay up a little later, and others go to bed earlier, but generally, it’s pretty straightforward.

This is your circadian rhythm. Your body is awake when it needs to be for your job, school, or whatever, and it knows when it is time to shut down and rest at night. But what if your life’s and body’s needs were out of sync? That is what Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome results in.

Photo by Mikhail Nilov

In our example, you may know you need to get some sleep at 11 pm and wake at 7 am, but your body wants to be awake until 1 am and sleep until 9 am. This condition is described as a delay of 2 hours or more from what your social routine needs and makes daily life a real challenge.

What are some of the symptoms and causes of Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome?

The key DSPS symptoms are difficulty getting to sleep when you go to bed and feeling tired when you wake up. This is a result of circadian rhythm disorder. At 11 pm, your body still wants to be awake for another two or more hours, making sleeping challenging.

Even if you get plenty of sleep, you may wake at 7 am and still feel tired. This is because the delayed sleep phase syndrome causes your body to want to sleep for another few hours.

The biggest challenge of recognising when you have a circadian rhythm disorder is that it often looks like insomnia. If you can’t sleep and feel tired in the morning, insomnia is probably the first thing you think of. However, the underlying problems that lead to DSPS are very different.

As with so many sleep disorders, the exact causes of the condition are not fully understood. However, your circadian rhythm, or body clock, is regulated by a hormone known as Melatonin. With DSPS, Melatonin is produced out of sync with your sleep requirements.

There are two types of Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome:

• Circadian-aligned DSPS, where Melatonin is produced less than three hours before sleep
• Circadian-misaligned DSPS, where Melatonin is produced more than three hours before sleep

Many factors can contribute to your melatonin imbalance and bring on sleep disorders such as Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome. These include:

• Lack of light exposure
• Irregular sleep patterns
• Brain trauma such as a head injury or stroke
• Depression and other mental health disorders
• Hormonal changes in teens
• Genes may influence sleep disorders, but there is currently no specific, provable data

What are some of the personal difficulties of a DSPS diagnosis?

If you have a schedule, and most of us do, it becomes a challenge to stick to it. This applies whether you go to work or school, look after your children, or whatever. You struggle to get to sleep and then struggle to wake up. If left alone, you will probably sleep until 10 or 11 am or even later.

As you can imagine, this makes leading an everyday life very difficult. Tiredness can be dangerous depending on your work and can impact your learning ability if you are a student. Just as importantly, being tired all the time is wearing and can lead to depression and other mental health issues.

Prolonged issues can lead to other problems, too, including drug or alcohol abuse. This can be caused by overusing stimulants or sleeping pills along with alcohol to get to sleep or stop feeling tired.

Are there any treatments for Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome?

In many cases, especially with teens, DSPS will go away by itself. There is no single treatment, and it will depend on your situation. For some, it can be a matter of lifestyle adjustment, getting into regular patterns and avoiding shiftwork. Light therapy can also help the body adjust properly and is often an effective solution. This can be supplemented by a melatonin supplement to provide the correct levels to aid sleep.

The biggest challenge for treating Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome is knowing you have it. It is estimated that around 10% of those living with insomnia have DSPS. You may also dismiss it as a problem yourself. How many people do you know who call themselves ‘night owls’ or ‘not a morning person’? There is a chance that Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome treatments could help them.

Conclusion

Sleep disorders are not all the same, and for DSPS, differentiating it from other sleep problems is perhaps the biggest challenge. You may be tempted to brush it off, but over time, the disruption to sleep can be debilitating. Having a drastic impact on your daily life and even your mental health is not something to ignore.

If you think you may have delayed sleep phase syndrome, you should consult your GP and undergo a sleep assessment to ensure you get the proper treatment.

Featured photo by cottonbro studio