Chronotherapy and Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome

[Uncayimmy]

Anyone ever tried chronotherapy for delayed sleep phase syndrome? I just started. Basically, I am moving my bedtime forward by two hours every other day until I reset my body clock to go to sleep at a normal time. It's gonna be fun!

[Bob Blaylock]

Originally Posted by UncaYimmy

Anyone ever tried chronotherapy for delayed sleep phase syndrome? I just started. Basically, I am moving my bedtime forward by two hours every other day until I reset my body clock to go to sleep at a normal time. It's gonna be fun!

For me, the best treatment for this syndrome seems to have been getting a job where I work “second shift”—14:00 to 22:30.

[Dancing David]

The wiki article is unclear, you are moiving your sleep wake cycle which way> earlier or later?

I think that going earlier is the safer for alertness.

[Myriad]

Originally Posted by UncaYimmy

Anyone ever tried chronotherapy for delayed sleep phase syndrome?

I helped invent it (in a very minor way, as a technician for some of the human circadian studies in the 80s that helped characterize the timing and responses of the human circadian pacemaker).

Quote:

I just started. Basically, I am moving my bedtime forward by two hours every other day until I reset my body clock to go to sleep at a normal time. It's gonna be fun!

If by forward you mean to a later time, it should be fun and more important, effective. (@Bob: Shifting to an earlier time doesn't work -- if it did, he woudn't have delayed sleep phase syndrome in the first place.)

Since as you go you'll be waking up during late morning and then afternoon hours, it will help if you avoid exposure to strong daylight in the first few hours after waking. But brighter light in your subjective "evening" (the last few hours before your bedtime) will help push your circadian rhythms later.

Once you're on the schedule you want to be, do the opposite to help maintain it. Go out in daylight as soon after waking as possible (or use bright artificial lights in the morning if necessary), and avoid bright light in your late evening.

Best wishes for great results!

Respectfully,
Myriad

[Dancing David]

Originally Posted by Myriad

I helped invent it (in a very minor way, as a technician for some of the human circadian studies in the 80s that helped characterize the timing and responses of the human circadian pacemaker).




If by forward you mean to a later time, it should be fun and more important, effective. (@Bob: Shifting to an earlier time doesn't work -- if it did, he woudn't have delayed sleep phase syndrome in the first place.)

Since as you go you'll be waking up during late morning and then afternoon hours, it will help if you avoid exposure to strong daylight in the first few hours after waking. But brighter light in your subjective "evening" (the last few hours before your bedtime) will help push your circadian rhythms later.

Once you're on the schedule you want to be, do the opposite to help maintain it. Go out in daylight as soon after waking as possible (or use bright artificial lights in the morning if necessary), and avoid bright light in your late evening.

Best wishes for great results!

Respectfully,
Myriad

That makes sense I know the rthym normally runs back in time. Especially the light exposure.

[TubbaBlubba]

Uhm, I've done this a good number of times when I had crappy sleeping schedules. Maybe not the specific therapy, but the idea of staying awake a bit later every day instead of going to bed early or being awake for 30 hours or something dumb like that.

[JWideman]

I've tried. I get myself on a "normal" sleep schedule that lasts maybe a week, and then I'm waking up at 2am.

[Uncayimmy]

Originally Posted by Dancing David

The wiki article is unclear, you are moiving your sleep wake cycle which way> earlier or later?

I think that going earlier is the safer for alertness.

I typically do not fall asleep until about 2 AM or later. In order to get it to a reasonable time such as 11 PM, the idea is to move my bedtime ahead 19 hours by staying up progressively later over a period of a few weeks. Thus I'll be going to bed at 4 AM, 6 AM, 8 AM, and so on until I reach 11 PM.

[Uncayimmy]

@Myriad

Thanks. What you describe is what my sleep doc and I discussed. It's going to be tough keeping the new schedule. It will require some serious discipline.

[wasapi]

Originally Posted by UncaYimmy

I typically do not fall asleep until about 2 AM or later. In order to get it to a reasonable time such as 11 PM, the idea is to move my bedtime ahead 19 hours by staying up progressively later over a period of a few weeks. Thus I'll be going to bed at 4 AM, 6 AM, 8 AM, and so on until I reach 11 PM.

So, regardless of what time you go to sleep, does the doctor also want you to get up at the same time every day?

There were a few years where I did shift work, and may be called in at 8am, 4pm, or midnight. It was miserable and I went around for 4 years feeling sleep deprived.

Good luck with this. I know others that it has worked well for.

Julia

[Uncayimmy]

Originally Posted by wasapi

So, regardless of what time you go to sleep, does the doctor also want you to get up at the same time every day?

Nope. The idea is to get my needed 8-9 hours. I also have sleep apnea, and even with CPAP I still don't get as restful as most people do.

Quote:

There were a few years where I did shift work, and may be called in at 8am, 4pm, or midnight. It was miserable and I went around for 4 years feeling sleep deprived.

That sucks. Most of my life I have been sleep deprived.

Quote:

Good luck with this. I know others that it has worked well for.

Thanks!

[JoeTheJuggler]

I find my caffeine consumption habits to be the biggest factor in whether or not I get a good night's sleep, whatever the hour. As I age, I find I'm more and more sensitive to it. Lately, I need to stop all caffeine (and I mostly get low doses of it in tea) something like 7 or 8 hours before I intend to sleep.

I trust you have already eliminated caffeine if you've been dealing with any kind of sleep disorder?

[Uncayimmy]

Originally Posted by JoeTheJuggler

I find my caffeine consumption habits to be the biggest factor in whether or not I get a good night's sleep, whatever the hour. As I age, I find I'm more and more sensitive to it. Lately, I need to stop all caffeine (and I mostly get low doses of it in tea) something like 7 or 8 hours before I intend to sleep.

I trust you have already eliminated caffeine if you've been dealing with any kind of sleep disorder?

I take it in homeopathic doses to make me sleep. Duh!!

[JoeTheJuggler]

Originally Posted by UncaYimmy

I take it in homeopathic doses to make me sleep. Duh!!

I walked right into that one. . .

Well, if you ever need some stimulant, this homeopathic sleep inducer ought do the opposite of what it's advertised for (since the ingredients are mostly herbal "sedatives" at relatively strong homeopathic doses but still extremely minute quantities considering the size of the capsule): Calms Forte.

[SezMe]

Thanks for the DSPS info, Unc. It describes me to a "T". I didn't know about this until you provided the link. Now that I work for myself, I go to bed between 4-5 am and sleep till noon, or even later. As the article describes, I've tried not going to bed at all but it doesn't help. The next night I STILL cannot get to sleep before 4 am.

When I was younger, had kids and a job with the usual schedule, I adopted. Not consciously but out of necessity. When they left the nest and I got divorced and started on my own, I would guess it took me less than a month to get to my "normal" cycle.

I'd be interested in knowing why you are trying to change. Job requirements?

[Uncayimmy]

Originally Posted by SezMe

Thanks for the DSPS info, Unc. It describes me to a "T". I didn't know about this until you provided the link. Now that I work for myself, I go to bed between 4-5 am and sleep till noon, or even later. As the article describes, I've tried not going to bed at all but it doesn't help. The next night I STILL cannot get to sleep before 4 am.

When I was younger, had kids and a job with the usual schedule, I adopted. Not consciously but out of necessity. When they left the nest and I got divorced and started on my own, I would guess it took me less than a month to get to my "normal" cycle.

I'd be interested in knowing why you are trying to change. Job requirements?

See my post in Community:
http://forums.randi.org/showthread.p...51#post6464951