nocturnal?

yawny · Joined: 13 Mar 2009 Posts: 1

I've never been to a doctor about this, but I'm starting to think I should go see one since this seems to be somewhat a problem. Basically I wake up tired in the morning and go about my day, tired, only to become more and more active during the evening and then getting energized/hyper right before sleep.

I used to spend a lot of time on pc during the night back in the high school days, for quite a few years, essentially pulling all nighters but that ended now that I have a daytime job/school. I drank quite a bit of coffee, had sodas, sweets - basically a lot of sugar. Now, as an experiment, I'm staying off coffee/tea/sugar. I thought that the tiredness would eventually go away, but after four months, no dice. Basically it seems that my activity peak is about 12 am. I'm 23.

Also, sometimes I wake up at 4-5-6 am, energized for about 2 hours... Then I'm even more tired. And I can't go back to sleep because otherwise I'll wake up at about 12 pm and won't be able to sleep during the night(just too much thinking/energy/restlessness).

Any thoughts, anyone?

Norway · Posted: May 09 2009 Post subject: Circadian rhythm

Has this started recently, or have you had it since age 16 or earlier? If you've had it a good while, consider the circadian rhythm sleep disorder known as DSPS (Delayed Sleep-Phase Syndrome/Disorder). Search for it here and on Wikipedia. See also www.dspsinfo.org

Your reaction to reading about DSPS will likely be either:
"Hmm, no, I don't think so" or
"Hey! That's exactly me!"

Fruit.Bat · Joined: 05 Jun 2009 Posts: 8 Location: Canada

Yep, sounds like DSPS to me.
Usually, it is treated with a combination of melatonin and light therapy (I question doctors who skip straight to sedatives). There is also chronotherapy, which is honestly awful, and hopefully it won't come to that for you. In the meantime:
-Make sure you are following basic sleep hygiene
-Try to make the room you sleep in as dark as possible during the time you sleep. When you wake up, get youself into the sunlight to supress your melatonin.
-Stay off the caffiene. It won't help in the long run.
-Track your sleep times. When did you fall asleep? Wake up? Did you sleep again, or during any part of the day? How did you feel that day/night? It can be very useful for both yourself and for doctors.