Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome

[kte123]

I am 15 and sleep is becoming a problem. I've always slept late but now it's starting to affect other areas of my life such as school and family. My school attendance is suffering really bad as it is so hard to get to sleep at an early time. Somedays, I would try to get into bed at around 11-12, yet i end up trying to sleep for hours, or sleeping for an hour and waking up. When I wake up, the sleep feels so interrupted and light that it doesn't feel like i've slept. These days, I've given up trying and sleep at 2am at the earliest and strain myself to wake up at 7:30am. Some days I don't wake up until 10/11, which then means I only be able to get in school for third period - which starts at 11:15am (at times I can't even manage that and have to come in at lunchtimes). When I get home from school at around 4pm, I am uncontrollably tired and fall asleep like you would when you are tired at night. I used to wake up from sleep at 7, but now i wake up at 9-10 occasionally 11pm. Despite waking up at this time, I still try to get to bed for 2 to give me some sleep but end up sleeping later. Even on the days where I try my best to stay awake, I still end up in bed at around the same time, the time being the early hours of the morning. When I set my alarm clock, at times I don't even hear it or end up turning it off without knowing as I don't remember doing it but realise I have. Because my sleeping plan is so messed up, in school around the 4/5th lesson 1:15-3:15pm i get so tired it's hard to keep my eyes open. In the half terms it is easier for me as i sleep when I choose to and wake up without alarms at around the same times every night (mornings). 6-7am - 4p-5pm. The weird thing is, this seems to have happened to both of my sisters at around this age too. The school doesn't seem to understand and seem ignorant to the fact that I don't choose it to happen and just make me feel like I am the same as my sisters. Reading about DSPS, I have all the characteristics of a 'sufferer'. I decided to go to visit my GP two days ago hoping she would refer me to a sleep clinic or give me some sort reassurance that this isn't just insomnia or 'lazyness'. She told me the reason was partly because I was having naps during the day, and that I wasn't commiting to trying to sleep at normal times. It seems everyone has been saying this, but even when I don't sleep during the day, I am still sleeping at the same times. It is also IMPOSSIBLE for me to try to sleep at normal times because then I would end up not sleeping at all during the night and not wake up for school in the morning - causing me further problems. She also suggested all the obvious things like, not watching tv, drinking hot milk ect. but if I haven't tried all of this I wouldn't be visiting her! She prescribed me some sleeping pills 'Piriton' which is basically allergy tablets as the stronger sleeping pills would be too high a dosage for me. I feel like I haven't been taken seriously? I'm not sure if I have DSPS or not, but reading the causes, signs & symptons they all relate to me. Do I have it? If so, what can I do about it? Sorry for the long post! Please help as school is starting to really pile it on :(

[hope512]

Hi, not sure I can help much, but I totally sympathise. First it really does sound like you have DSPS. But also there is new research to suggest that teenagers really do have a different body clock to adults. It's not just 'being lazy' but for some reason teenagers do need to wake up later. But of course you have it even more difficult. It's always the same. Just when you need help the most you have to fight for it even though you don't feel like it.

Sleeping tablets do not help. And sleep hygiene (you know, not having coffee at night, relaxing etc, everything I think the doctor told you) doesn't necessarily make a difference to body clock problems. The only thing I can really suggest is to print out some of the research you've done (presumably on the internet?) and show it to him/her. Especially if you can take it from a recognised Society for sleep problems or a hospital website. I'm not sure if I can post links but here are some I've found (you might already have found them) -

http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/delayed.html

http://www.childrenfirst.nhs.uk/teens/health/conditions/d/delayed_sleep_phase_syndrome.html
(This is a British website - I'm British - but it's got some good links that might be useful for you)

http://www.psychnet-uk.com/dsm_iv/delayed_sleep_phase_syndrome.htm

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/specialists/sleep-medicine.htm

http://www.sleep-deprivation.com/articles/types-of-sleep-disorder/disrupted-sleep/delayed-sleep-phase-syndrome.php

http://www.allsands.com/kids/teenagers/delayedsleepph_vti_gn.htm

http://www.mayoclinic.org/delayed-sleep-phase/

Good luck. I really hope you get the help you need. I've had to fight for years and I'm still not sure that the doctors really understand...

Hope