DSPS

About a month ago, I was diagnosed with Delayed Sleep Phased Syndrom. Thanks to the lovely Wikipedia, I found some information about it, because I suck at describing things.

Delayed sleep-phase syndrome (DSPS), also known as delayed sleep-phase disorder (DSPD) or delayed sleep-phase type (DSPT), is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder, a chronic disorder of the timing of sleep, peak period of alertness, hormonal and other rhythms. People with DSPS tend to fall asleep well after midnight and also have difficulty waking up in the morning.

Often, people with the disorder report that they cannot sleep until early morning, but they fall asleep at about the same time every "night", no matter what time they go to bed. Unless they have another sleep disorder such as sleep apnea in addition to DSPS, patients can sleep well, and have a normal need for sleep. Therefore, they find it very difficult to wake up in time for a typical school or work day since they have only slept for a few hours. However, they sleep soundly, wake up spontaneously, and do not feel sleepy again until their next "night" if they are allowed to follow their own late schedule, e.g. sleeping from 4 a.m. to noon.

The syndrome usually develops in early childhood or adolescence,[1] and sometimes disappears in adolescence or early adulthood. It can be to a greater or lesser degree treatable, but cannot be cured. A reported 200,000 teens in the United States and Canada have it.[citation needed]

DSPS was first formally described in 1981 by Dr. Elliot D. Weitzman and others at Montefiore Medical Center.[2] It is responsible for 7 -10% of cases of chronic insomnia.[3] However, as few doctors are aware of its existence, it often goes untreated or is treated inappropriately. DSPS is frequently misdiagnosed as primary insomnia or as a psychiatric condition.

It doesn't really seem like a big deal to most people. But like the lovely Wikipedia has said, it's hard. It's hard to have a job, to go to school when I never go to sleep until around six in the morning. And I try. Believe me, I try. I've tried taking all sorts of sleeping supplements to help me sleep normally. But most of the time, they make me feel sick, uneasy. Even the ones that the doctor put me on. So, I don't take them.

It sucks because I very rarely get to see my friends. They have jobs and stuff while I'm sleeping, and by the time I wake up, they're usually dead tired and just want to relax, while I'm ready to go out and do something. I feel so disconnected from the world because of it. I know, I know. It's not that bad. But you try sleeping from 6 am until about 3 in the afternoon everyday because you can't sleep before that. It's awful.

Even if I make myself stay awake for twenty four hours, I still can't sleep until around 6 am. It seems like nothing I do helps. And it sucks. And yes, this is a random rant because at the moment, it's 5 am. And I'm not tired yet.