Sleep problems have troubled humans since the beginning of time. As a result, many people indulge in the endless search for and the use of vitamins, supplement, and other substances to alleviate delayed sleep phase. While medication can help treat delayed sleep phase disorder, many people fail to recognize that natural treatment can also help them drift off peacefully every night. But before understanding the solution, one needs to be acquainted with the problem. So, what exactly is delayed sleep phase disorder?
Delayed sleep phase disorder is a chronic internal sleep clock (circadian rhythm) disorder of sleep timing in which an individual’s sleep pattern is delayed for two or more hours. While delayed sleep phase disorder does not necessarily cause unrefreshing or insufficient sleep, the sufferer is out of sync with the rest of society. Individuals with delayed sleep phase syndrome tend to go to sleep late and also wake up later than the rest of the world. In the end, people with DSPS/DSPD will have a difficult time waking up at the normal time for work, school, and typical daily activities.
Delayed sleep phase disorder can sometimes be misdiagnosed as insomnia. To correctly decipher your condition, your doctor may review your medical and family history, your daily routine and conduct a physical examination.
Delayed sleep phase disorder treatments attempt to adjust the sufferer’s circadian rhythm to fit the sleeping patter into a schedule that can allow the patient to meet demands of a typical lifestyle. Methods that can be used in treatment include:
1. Good Sleep Habits
Sleep habits might also be referred to as sleep hygiene. Good sleep habits involve winding down before bed, avoiding exercises, caffeine, tobacco, alcohol and other stimulants. It is also important to stop watching T.V well before bedtime. Instead, turn off your phone, laptop, tablet, TV or another display device three hours before retiring to bed. Although it might be tempting to exercise before bed, it is not advisable.
Exercise in the morning and avoid indulging in vigorous activities close to bedtime. Also steer clear of foods such as spicy dishes, fatty meals or carbonated drinks that might disrupt your sleep. While the above activities might be a part of your life, they interfere with your sleep.
2. Bedtime Schedule
The body has its sleep clock, otherwise referred to as circadian rhythm. This inbuilt meter keeps track of both daylight and darkness and lets your body know when it’s time to rest as well as when it has had enough rest. However, a person’s circadian rhythm can be easily disrupted, particularly by an unpredictable schedule. To counter nighttime wakefulness and late wake-up time, try having a nighttime program and stick to the same routine. When picking a bedtime and a wake-up time, it is imperative to consider your lifestyle. This will allow you to make a realistic schedule and be able to stick to it.
3. Advancing Internal Clock
While the human body is hard-wired to crave specific sleep and wake times, extreme night owls can shift their internal clock to help treat delayed sleep phase disorder. Advancing internal clock involves putting into place strategies that can help you sleep early in order to wake up at the recommended time. If you are a night owl, sleeping early can be quite challenging. Therefore, make gradual adjustments. For example, if you are trying to get to sleep at 10:00 pm rather than at 02:00 am, try going to sleep at 01:00 am for one to three nights and then change it to 11:00 pm for the next few days. Keep improving your schedule, and you’ll eventually advance your internal clock.
4. Delaying Internal Clock
If you are working to decrease bedtime until you achieve the desired hour, work on delaying the body’s internal clock. Skip the snooze button. Even though it’s certainly tempting to not only ignore the alarm but also to hit the snooze button, get off bed as soon as the alarm goes off. The few extra winks you might be trying to get might end up being a couple of hours. The first few days of being an early bird won’t be easy, but keep in mind that you need to keep up with the rest of the world. And keeping up involves waking up at the right time.
5. Staying Motivated
When stress, depression, and anxiety cloud your thoughts before bedtime, there’s a good chance you will end up starting a cycle of delayed sleep phase syndrome that could be difficult to treat. In an ever busy society, keeping social and economic woes at bay before bed can be challenging, but it’s necessary. Staying motivated blocks anxiety and stress and prevents your body from becoming accustomed to a nightly routine of lying in bed for an hour contemplating your troubles. To help you stay motivated, consider reading motivational quotes and think about things or people who make you happy. Always strive to go to bed with a smile on your face or at least without a frown.
6. Bright Light Therapy
Having light exposure in the morning plays a vital role in adjusting your internal clock. However, bright light therapy should be used with the help of a specialist. If you use light therapy too early in the morning, you might end up making the problem even worse. Light therapy involves either intentionally going outside to expose yourself to natural light or a light table. Remember, the body’s internal clock is sensitive to light and darkness. Therefore, a dose of light first thing in the morning will help you wake up. Set a timer on your light table or open the curtains let the light in.
7. No Lights at Night
It goes without saying, too much light before bedtime can signal the internal clock that you need to stay awake. Before going to bed, switch off the lights or dim as many lights as possible. Also, take tech out. TVs, laptops, computers, cellphones and other devices give off light which keeps your brain too alert to fall asleep. At least one hour before you go to bed, retire the tech. A dim lit or dark bedroom lets your brain know that it’s time to shut down and rest. Without light at night, it’s unlikely that you will stay up late.
8. Medication
Another treatment for delayed sleep phase disorder is through melatonin medication. Melatonin supplements help in advancing the sleep phase hence an excellent treatment for delayed sleep phase syndrome. However, as with other supplements, it is imperative to get a set dosage consistently. Consult your doctor and get a prescription for melatonin supplements. Melatonin supplements should be taken in the afternoon or early evening to help adjust an individual’s circadian rhythm. The key to using melatonin is to ensure that you consult your physician in order to learn about melatonin’s interaction with other medication and its associated allergic reactions and side effects.
