YOU’VE put your phone down, you’ve drank the herbal tea and you’re all ready for bed.
But despite taking all the sleep tips and tricks on board, you’re still waking up tired.
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If this sounds like you, then it could be down to a sleep condition called Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS).
Most people who have this condition would consider themselves to be so-called ‘Night Owls’.
This often means that these people will function better during the evening and will be more productive.
DSPS is a disorder in which a person’s sleep is delayed by two hours or more beyond which is what is considered to be a normal bedtime, experts at Stanford Health Care say.
It’s this delay in sleep which makes it hard for people with DSPS to wake up at the time they need to.
For example, someone who suffers with DSPS might need to go to bed at 10pm, but instead, doesn’t start feeling sleepy until midnight.
This can make getting up when your alarm goes off hard work and can also hinder your performance at work.
In general, people with DSPS often have trouble falling asleep unless they go to bed really late.
This is because their internal clock is sending alerts late into the night.
People with the condition will also struggle to wake up at a normal time and this is because their internal clock doesn’t produce the alerting signals it needs to make the body feel alert and awake.
But most people who have the condition can have a good night’s sleep – as once they are asleep it seems to be quality snooze.
Unless you have other sleep issues such as insomnia or sleep apnoea then you’ll probably have a good quality sleep.
SLEEP SCHEDULE
The experts at Stanford Health say it’s a condition that usually starts in youngsters.
They explained: “You may have DSPS if the sleep disorder is also causing impairment in social, occupational or other areas of your life.
“The prevalence of DSPS among adolescents and young adults is approximately seven to 16 percent.
“DSPS may develop in early childhood but most commonly it emerges or worsens during adolescence.
“Some adolescents delay their sleep schedules for social reasons and may not have underlying abnormalities in their circadian rhythm (the internal body clock). For those, sleep schedules normalise in early adulthood.”
Struggling to sleep? Try the 10-3-2-1 method
Dr Karan Rajan previously explained the method he uses for a decent night’s sleep.
He explained: “Here’s how to sleep better with the 10-3-2-1 trick. Ten hours before bed, no more caffeine.
“This is how long it takes your body to clear it from the blood stream and eliminate the effects.”
His next tip, is that three hours before bed, you avoid big meals.
He explained: “This helps avoid heartburn and interrupted sleep. Also avoid alcohol as this impairs your REM sleep.”
The next tip, is that two hours before bed, you should stop working. Dr Raj says that this helps you get into a relaxed state of mind – there’s no way you’re getting to sleep if you’re still obsessing over the thousands of unread emails in your inbox.
One hour before bed, Dr Raj says you should cut out screens.
He added: “That means Netflix too! Blue light inhibits melatonin production which delays sleep.”
People with DSPS can find it hard to function during the day if they are tired.
It’s important that if you think you have the condition, you try and switch your circadian rhythm in order to improve your sleep.
To do this you should try going to bed at the same time every night and then waking up at the same time each morning to help get your body into a routine.
There are other methods you can try such as eating carbs a few hours before bed, making sure you’re sleeping in the right position and the trick you can use when all else seems to be failing.
If you’ve tried everything then the experts say you might benefit from bright light therapy, which can help shift your sleep pattern.
They say you can also try chronotherapy which resets your circadian clock by a couple of hours each day.
This is really a last resort though, as it can be disruptive to your every day activities.
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