Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorder

[chaoticidealism]

"Circadian rhythm sleep disorder" is the official name for it. I describe it as "my brain doesn't know when it's day or night". I can be tired at 11 a.m. or tired at 3 a.m. and it's just about completely unpredictable. Apparently I'm unusually sensitive to the upheaval caused by artificial lighting. When I don't keep it carefully in check, my sleep

Comments

B-society

[anonymous]

"If I could, I'd be nocturnal. The world does not, unfortunately, allow it."

Have you come across the B-society? They recognise that different people function best at different times, and are trying to change what are acceptable working hours.I haven't read the whole site but here is a link.

http://www.b-society.org/

tinted

Re: B-society

[chaoticidealism]

I could keep up a night-time rhythm more easily than a daytime one, but I'd still end up going off-schedule, I think. I tend to have a non-24-hour rhythm anyway--most people have cycles about 24.3 hours long; I'm more like 26... except when I have to stay awake for something and suddenly the cycle gets bumped up to 30 and then down to 18... It's like being permanently jet-lagged.

Those people do have a point, though. Why not have a later shift for the night owls? Work's getting done, same as it would be anytime.

I have trouble too

[anonymous]

I had a referral to a sleep clinic a long time ago, but it was pretty far away from me. I'm not sure if this is quite what I have (it might be more of a delayed sleep phase, with non-24 hour tendencies), but there are certainly weeks and months where my sleep cycle is definitely advancing, about 26 hours when recorded. Even when I'm keeping a pretty steady night owl pattern, I have a very strong natural tendency to delay in the sleep cycle - for instance, I'll be going to bed at about 2-3 am for a few weeks, then suddenly I'm going to bed at 5, then 6:30. Melatonin has helped me a lot too (I also turn on all the lamps in the morning and keep the lights off at night except for checking e-mails & stuff), but even then sometimes that just keeps me at a steady delayed cycle. When I go to bed at 5 am I feel very alert. Sometimes I wonder if I should go into emergency medicine. Of course, I'll need to sustain a sleep cycle that I'm capable of succeeding in academics in for an academic year, for repeated years, first, which I am mostly

[ext_174713]

Sorry you have such a hard time with that. That sounds like potentially quite the problem to be dealing with... the "b-society" thing sounds interesting. I have often wondered at how everything is set up to run only in certain hours (mostly daytime) even though now we not only have electricity (so, not restricted to only doing things under daylight), but we also know that all human beings do NOT operate on the same "internal clock" schedule.

I am always tired no matter when I sleep or how much. I do tend to feel somewhat more alert at night, though.

[ext_185518]

Iv'e also tried to pre-empt my indecisive circadium rhythms with melatonin or sleep aids. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I, too, have tried eating warm breakfasts so as to give me a reason to wake up and maintain wakefulness. Cold showers back in high school to both wake me up and "chill" my anxieties. Setting up the alarm clock far away definitely does help.

It's like one has to trick one's own body to have it cooperate with a schedule heh

[kfarrey]

I can totally relate. My sleep schedule has caused me trouble all my life. I put a lamp in my bedroom on a timer years ago. I have the lamp turn on at least a half hour before the alarm. That gives my body a chance to wake up more naturally. My hubby thought I was nuts at first, but now he likes it. If we have a power failure, he checks the timer to make sure its set right. I have used melatonin also, I have found I have to take it at least 12 hours before I want to get up, or I oversleep

[chaoticidealism]

I wouldn't worry about doing those things "wrong". His web site looks really questionable. He hasn't got any actual science to back up his claims. The only things on that list that have any proven connection to sleep are controlling pain and stress.

You mean "She"

[kfarrey]

Pauline is a woman's name, and this isn't her website, they are just using her article. Actually, most of it sounds like good advice. Got to be better than skipping breakfast, drinking coffee til 10am, then reaching for a snickers bar because I'm crashing

[polygonia]

I'm a nocturnal girl in a diurnal world.

Which causes a lot of trouble at work when I can barely stay awake, but I'm ready to burn 20 cds at 3 am.