Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder

Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS), also known as Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD, occurs when your biological clock shifts its timing, making it difficult for you to fall asleep and wake up at normal times. This is a condition that often results in marked daytime sleepiness, mood changes, and behavioral disturbances of considerable social and vocational significance. Fortunately, effective treatments are available to help reset your internal clock. Read on and find all the details about the causes, symptoms, and treatment options of DSPD in a complete guide by CLM Sleep.

What is delayed sleep phase disorder?

Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD) is a type of circadian rhythm disorder. It is characterized by a significant delay in the timing of sleep onset and wake times, often by two or more hours compared to conventional or socially acceptable schedules. This delay disrupts an individual’s ability to fall asleep and wake up at desired times. Its leading to difficulty in meeting daily responsibilities, such as work or school obligations. This delay disrupts sleep, making it hard to fall asleep and wake up at desired times. It leads to difficulty meeting daily responsibilities, like work or school.such as work or school obligations

DSPD creates an evident disparity between the internal biological clock or circadian rhythm and the claims of the environment. Hormone secretion, temperature regulation, and many other body functions may be altered in their timing as a 24-hour cycle. Consequently, persons with DSPD may experience:

• Chronic Sleep Deprivation: Due to difficulty adhering to early morning schedules.
• Daytime Impairment: Excessive daytime sleepiness, reduced concentration, and diminished cognitive performance.
• Emotional and Physical Health Issues: Increased risk of mood disorders like anxiety and depression. As well as physical health problems due to prolonged sleep disturbances.

Cause

The exact cause of DSPD is not fully understood, but it is believed to result from a combination of biological, genetic, and environmental factors. These factors disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm, making it difficult to maintain regular sleep-wake cycles.

Biological and Genetic Factors

• Genetic Factors: DSPD often runs in families, suggesting a hereditary component. Mutations in genes regulating the circadian rhythm, such as the CRY1 gene, may contribute to its development.
• Circadian Rhythm Disruption: DSPD results from an intrinsic clock that runs slow relative to the 24-hour day. This causes a loss of proper phase relation between internal rhythm and some environmental cues, like the light-dark cycle and social routine.
• Melatonin Production Disorders: Melatonin, a clock-regulating hormonal agent whose role in DSPD is central has increasingly been recognized of late. Patients sometimes demonstrate delayed or blunted circadian melatonin rhythms, or reduced melatonin sensitivity. These changes impede the initiation and maintenance of sleep at typical hours.

Environmental Factors and Lifestyle Impacts

• Light Exposure at Night: In the modern way of living, exposure for long hours to artificial sources of light is inevitable. This exposure mostly comes from blue light that emanates from electronic devices like smartphones and computers, is inevitable. This exposure completely reduces the production of melatonin hence making a person get sleep later than expected.
• Work and Study Schedules: Irregular or late-night routines, such as working night shifts or studying until late hours, can reinforce delayed sleep patterns. This makes it challenging to reset the internal clock.
• Non-dark, Noisy Sleep Environment: A poor sleep environment, such as a bedroom exposed to excessive light or noise, can make it difficult for individuals with DSPD to fall asleep on time. This can worsen their symptoms.

Disorders Affecting Sleep-Wake Patterns

• Other Sleep Disorders: Such as Insomnia or Sleep Apnea, Can Interact with DSPD. Other sleep conditions are such that conditions like insomnia can interact with the effect of delayed sleep onset. For example, difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep among people suffering from insomnia may further delay an already delayed sleep onset among DSPD patients.
• Stress or Anxiety: High Stress or Anxiety Levels: High stress or anxiety levels can throw the patient out of gear with sleep by increasing arousal and delaying the ability to relax into sleep. This thus further exacerbates the delayed sleep phase that is commonly seen in DSPD.
• Depression: Mood disorders, for example depression, many a time associate themselves with DSPD. The motifs that control both mood and sleep are well connected. A malfunction in one system somewhat causing the other to work improperly. Besides, depression can exacerbate the difficulty in being able to maintain a normal sleep schedule, hence allowing the perpetuation of the delayed sleep cycle.

Symptoms

The primary symptoms of DSPD include:

• Difficulty Falling Asleep at a Normal Time: Individuals with DSPD often find it hard to fall asleep before midnight or even later.
• Late Night Alertness: People with DSPD often experience a pronounced sense of alertness and mental clarity during late-night hours. This makes them feel more awake and productive when others are preparing to sleep. This heightened alertness can delay the natural onset of sleep, further perpetuating the disorder.
• Daytime Sleepiness and Fatigue: Due to their delayed sleep onset, individuals with DSPD often cannot obtain enough sleep. This is especially true when they are required to wake up early for work, school, or other obligations. This insufficient sleep leads to chronic daytime sleepiness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and an overall sense of lethargy. Tasks that require focus, energy, or quick decision-making may become challenging.
• Impact on Work, School, and Social Life: Difficulty adhering to early schedules can result in missed obligations, poor academic or job performance, and strained relationships.

Diagnosis

Accurate diagnosis of DSPD involves a comprehensive evaluation of sleep patterns, medical history, and the exclusion of other potential sleep disorders.

• Sleep Diaries and Actigraphy: Patients are often asked to maintain a sleep diary for one to two weeks to track sleep-wake times. Actigraphy, a wearable device that measures movement, is used to objectively monitor sleep patterns.
• Polysomnography: In some cases, overnight sleep studies are conducted to rule out other sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea or periodic limb movement disorder.
• Diagnostic Criteria: A diagnosis of DSPD is confirmed when sleep onset is consistently delayed by at least two hours. This causes significant difficulties in daily functioning, despite having the opportunity to sleep.

Treatment

Managing DSPD requires a multifaceted approach that focuses on realigning the body’s internal clock and establishing healthier sleep patterns.

• Light Therapy: Controlled exposure to bright light in the morning helps reset the circadian rhythm, advancing sleep and wake times. Specialized light boxes emitting 10,000 lux are commonly used for this therapy.
• Melatonin Supplementation: Taking melatonin supplements in the evening (timed appropriately) can signal the brain to initiate sleep earlier.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I): This therapy helps patients identify and change negative thoughts and behaviors related to sleep, fostering better sleep hygiene and practices.
• Consistent Sleep Schedule and Sleep Hygiene: Maintaining regular sleep and wake times, reducing caffeine and alcohol intake, and creating a comfortable sleep environment are essential. These practices are important for long-term management.
• Gradual Shift of Sleep Time: Gradual adjustments to bedtime and wake time by 15-30 minutes earlier each day can help align the sleep phase with societal demands.
• Avoidance of Evening Light: Reducing exposure to screens and bright lights during the evening minimizes melatonin suppression, promoting earlier sleep onset.

Conclusion of the article

Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD) is a chronic condition that disrupts sleep timing and impairs daily functioning. While the disorder can significantly impact the quality of life, it is manageable with proper diagnosis and a combination of evidence-based treatments. Through light therapy, melatonin supplementation, behavioral interventions, and lifestyle adjustments, individuals with DSPD can achieve better sleep quality. This can improve their overall well-being. Recognizing the symptoms early and seeking professional help is key to effective management and long-term success.

If you or a loved one suspect DSPD, consider reaching out to CLM’s sleep services for professional guidance and personalized treatment plans. For affordable, high-quality CPAP machines and accessories, visit CPAP Discount and explore their range of products designed to support better sleep health.