Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome

[livingwith]

I remember having problems sleeping starting when I was 8 years old. I noticed I would stay up til 12am-2am. As the years progress, it just gets worse. By the time I was in high school, I wasn’t getting to sleep til 5am. I would have to go to detention every day because I was late. Since working full-time, I’ve been fired from 3 jobs for being late and got a warning lecture at 5 other jobs — 4 of which I ended up just quitting because I knew I couldn’t fix it and one I...Read the full article

[Norway]

Hi. Hope you're still checking for an answer this long after. Yes, you are most typically DSPS, sounds like. You don't say where you live. In the USA, the ADA was updated in 2008 (now called the ADAAA) and as of January 2009, "sleep" is specifically listed as a "major life activity". Thus, in theory at least, you have a right to accommodations. Obviously, this can't have been tested too many times yet; it's barely a half a year old.

You're young, and before DSPS wears you out completely (been there, done that), I'd advise you to start looking into this. Check forums, try to find out about "cases" tried. Look for a lawyer who knows the ADA - not just any lawyer. I think you should look at this as a rather long-term project, doing your homework, learning what's out there. That is to say, knowing as much as possible before contacting a lawyer.

Severe DSPS is a disability. Sleep researcher Yaron Dagan, quoted in this blog post [moderator note: website address has been removed], says “Certain sleep-wake schedule disorders (SWSDs) cannot be successfully managed clinically (…). …we propose new medical terminology for such cases–SWSD disability. SWSD disability is an untreatable pathology of the circadian time structure… It is imperative that physicians recognize the medical condition of SWSD disability in their patients and bring it to the notice of the public institutions responsible for vocational and social rehabilitation.” These are thoughts whose time has come.

Good luck!