[iita]

Hey.
I am not entirely sure if I have DSPS, but I wouldn't be surprised. I've been looking for a forum like this for a long time.

My sleep-phase is weird. Most of the time I fall asleep around 3 AM, but there was a period when it happened at 5 AM and currently I'm on a cycle of falling asleep at 7 AM. I go to school five days a week, and I have to wake up at 7 AM four mornings out of five. I used to sleep after school, but my parents thought I would just mess up my sleep pattern (they don't know about my problem) and I had to stop it. Also, sleeping all day on weekends is now prohibited. They think I've done this to myself, but I've tried everything. I do well in school even though I feel really tired most of the time. It might also affect my personality, but it's possible I am naturally a bad person.
How do you guys survive everyday life in a society that is organized based on the assumption everyone is able to sleep when they're supposed to?

[Circadiabsurdium]

Hi, iita.

It sounds like you could. I just put a gigantic posting on self-diagnosis and what to do before seeing a sleep doctor under another topic, "Wondering." I don't want to double-post, so if you see this posting, just mosey on over there to read it. I also put a large posting under the topic "convincing my mom" if you want some common-sense advice on that problem too. Yes, I am a windbag. :)

How does a nightowl survive in a lark-centered society? Good question! Ideally, since you are still young, pick a career that lets you work at night. Unfortunately, there aren't many of those, and even with stuff like nursing, you will have to take classes during the day before you can break into the profession. If you are lucky, your parents will find you a good sleep doctor, who will find a treatment that works.

Failing that, band up with other night owls and let's take over the world! Or at least watch out for each other. At minimum, we need to convince these crazy larks that night owls are not lazy or "naturally a bad person" because we - including YOU - are NOT. I actually had a professor jokingly call the sleepy students in her 8am class "Children of the Corn!" It was a joke, and I laughed, but it sort of reinforces the stereotype that we are all out breaking the law, worshiping the devil, and performing human sacrifice, and that's just not true. We just work better at a much later time of day, and if these larks were smart they would take advantage of that by letting us work when we are most productive.

Anyway, to meet a bunch of really active night owls, feel free to join the niteowl forum:

http://lists.circadiandisorders.org/listinfo.cgi/niteowl-circadiandisorders.org

Cheers!