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Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome

Description

Delayed sleep phase syndrome is characterized by a patient’s inability to fall asleep generally before 2 a.m. Sufferers then have extreme difficulty in waking up at an early hour. This disorder is caused by an abnormality in a patient’s internal biological clock as it is relative to his or her environment.

Diagnosis

Patients suffer from poor performance at work or school during the early morning hours. This disorder is diagnosed in patients complaining of an inability to sleep but have no trouble staying asleep. Many will even wake up refreshed if allowed to sleep seven or eight hours.

Treatment

This disorder is treated primarily through proper sleep hygiene which includes exercise and avoidance of caffeine and alcohol. Bright light therapy, where a patient is exposed to bright lights early in the morning, is also used to encourage an earlier wake time. Another treatment for DSPS is Chronotherapy which requires patients to go to bed three hours later every day until they are on an appropriate sleep schedule.

Source: Adapted from International Classification of Sleep Disorders Diagnostic & Coding Manual, American Academy of Sleep Medicine.