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I Finally Have An Answer To My Lifelong Sleep "Issues"

by Lora
(Portland, OR, USA)

I have been very frustrated by the problems I have had with being a night owl and then subsequent trouble getting up in the morning at "normal" hours. So I started doing some research tonight, if for no other reason than just to find something that said I'm not alone. I then found tons of websites on DSPS and ended up writing an entire blog article about it. It's kind of long so I'm just going to put a link to it here if that's okay.


http://lifeprintsportrait.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/being-a-night-owl-this-is-my-normal-miscelaneous-life-prints-portrait-design

I'll just say that knowing there is an actual physiological issue that is causing my problem (or at least it's a problem if I want to try to live by societies standards) takes a great deal of weight off my shoulders. Thanks for all the information you provide on your site and the opportunity to read others thoughts and stories. It's good to know I'm not alone.

Kevin: Great article Lora! Thanks for sharing it. Breaking down the technical/medical jargon and having stories like these that focus on what having the condition ACTUALLY translates to in real life is invaluable. It's our pleasure to provide a platform for that, and doubly our pleasure to be able to point visitors to heart-felt stories like your own.

Warmly,
Kevin

Comments for I Finally Have An Answer To My Lifelong Sleep "Issues"

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May 07, 2011
 I AM this
by: Anonymous

It's very interesting to me that as I read this post I thought to myself, "Did I write this?" Besides being Mormon, and a mom, this post described my very life! I canNOT get up before 11am. If I do, I am groggy, and beyond drowsy. If I let myself get up when I'm ready...I'm okay! And the jobs! Oh the jobs...countless early morning shifts that I just couldn't get to...People calling me lazy, and irresponsible. It hurts! I know I'm not lazy...maybe irresponsible at times, but who's perfect? I'm 22, had to take time off of college. I literally had a 4.0 in every class that started after 12pm. If it was an early one, I failed it because of absents. Ridiculous! I'm tired of being tired in the morning. I was diagnosed with delayed sleep phase syndrome too...and I'm having trouble being as optimistic with the diagnosis as Lora seemed to be. I know I'd be happier if I accepted who I am. I guess I'm just not convinced that this is how my life will always be! forever?? It doesn't seem fair. I hope I can figure out how to live my life more accepting and embrace this horrible sleeping pattern!!!
Mar 02, 2012
 it might work NEW
by: Anonymous

i have the same problems. im now gonna try melatonin. look it up. i hope it works!
Apr 19, 2012
 Be careful with melatonin NEW
by: Sherry

This is my first time on this site. I have had sleep issues for 2 yrs. I have tried every kind of prescription sleeping med, and over the counter med. I have awful side effects with every one of them. I just tried Melatonin again with the same results. I tried 2.5 mg and even took it down to 1 mg to avoid the side effects. Melatonin tends to me me very groggy and confused
in the morning. I noticed after 3 days that I felt depressed. So I stopped. I am not going to
try to reset my clock. I am getting desperate
to get to sleep before 4 or 6am. This does come and go, but in the last two years it is taking its toll on me. With chronic insomia this can affect memory, your heart health and increase you chances of having Hypertension , which I take meds for already. Hope everyone that has issues finds some remedy .
Jun 13, 2012
 May Be Helpful To Others NEW
by: C.S.

I tried Melatonin years ago and also felt extremely un-functionally groggy the following day. (Too much sleep chemicals in my body and throwing off my Circadian rhythm even worse. However; I noticed a very positive effect after a Thanksgiving turkey dinner many years ago. So, not wanting to eat turkey to go to bed, I tried an "L-5-Hydroxy Tryptophan" Capsule.(200mg) by the Solaray Brand. Again, I was also very groggy the next day. But since I knew the turkey had the right effect, I simply opened the capsule and took a pinch under my tongue for 30 sec to one minute and swallowed the rest of the pinched amount, and had a very positive effect with no groggy feeling in the morning. This method will not put me to sleep (or even make me tired)if I don't go to bed. But if I do go to bed, most times I will be asleep in 30 minutes. Although I try to adjust my bedtime in increments of one hour; but I have done more than that at times. Over three hours may not be possible unless I was on a short cycle, then maybe. But with everyday use, over time, a cumulative effect occurs, in which, I will start to feel some sleep chemicals during the day. But It definitely can help to put me in a normal or (more normal) sleep pattern when used in low doses in bursts of 1-4 days along with going to bed at a set time within an hour or two even if I don't feel tired yet. A warm shower in the morning helps to wake me up. And a little (very limited amount) of caffeine just at the right time early in the day can sometimes help me to establish a waking day cycle. I can't even think about any amount of caffeine until two to three hours after awaking and at least one meal. But it should be at least no more than a cup of coffee. But we all have different sensitivity to this so do this at your personal optimal level only if it helps and does not interfere with any medical treatments. Also note that L-Tryptophan was banned from the market for 4-5 years (if I recall correctly) for the reasons of a company in China that sold tainted product; resulting, in the FDA deeming all Tryptophan products to be unsafe and banned from the U.S. markets. So the manufactures responded with legal sales of HTTP-5 a precursor to L-Trypophan and Melatonin. I could not achieve the same timing affect with this HTTP-5 and like Melatonin, it hit me when I did not want it. So, for me, it had to be L-Tryptophan. Not everyone sells it (as a result from the previous FDA ban. However, I did see the previous mentioned product at the national chain store, the Vitaman Shop a couple of weeks ago. Also, Turkey or other food source of L-Trytophan sometimes has helped me.

C.S.
Oct 16, 2012
 Insomnia Symptoms NEW
by: Calin coroban

Symptoms of insomnia can be caused by or can be co-morbid with:

Use of psychoactive drugs (such as stimulants), including certain medications, herbs, caffeine, nicotine, cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines, methylphenidate, aripiprazole, MDMA, modafinil, or excessive alcohol intake.
Jun 10, 2013
 I Know I Have DSPS NEW
by: Susan

I know I have DSPS because I also have suffered from this all my life though I suffer from it in a different way. I can fall asleep by 11pm (I can't fall asleep any earlier than this) but I need 9 to 10 hours of sleep each night to feel refreshed. If I get any less than that, I feel sleep deprived. So if I have a day job that starts at normal time 8:30 am and if I commute 1 hour each way,than I have to get up before my natural wake time to make it to work on time. I have an extremely hard time waking up anytime before 7:30 am. The day shift has never worked for me so I either have to find a job that allows me to start 9:30 am or later (that's very hard to find) or try to find 2nd shift work which is mostly warehouse work (low pay and I can't lift boxes anymore-I'm 51). The corporate world will never change for people with DSPS (they like you to start as early as possible so there will be time left over for overtime if need be). Larks are more fortunate than Owls unless one has enough money to be able to stay home and not work
and continue being a happy owl. DSPS sucks and is a real struggle if one has to make a living. There's no real cure because if you try to change your sleep/wake cycle your body will fight it and continue to seek it's natural sleep rythym. So the struggle goes on. Anyway, I hope this helps somebody. I used to make hot extra sleepy time tea and squirt valerian root and kava kava tinctures it in. I call it my sleep potion and it really knocks you out with no groggy feeling the next day. Unfortunately, I still need to sleep to my natural wake time. If anybody tries it, let me know if it worked for you. I don't know if they sell kava kava anymore because I believe that was taken off of the shelves like tryptophan. You can just try it with valerian root tincture if you can't find kava kava. The liquid forms of valerian root and kava kava work better because I believe they get into your system faster than the pills. Though, it is more expensive.
Jan 24, 2014
 yay!! NEW
by: Anonymous

Mine hasn't been "officially diagnosed", but reading all these stories here - this is exactly what I have had my WHOLE life - my mom tells me even when I was a baby, I liked to stay up late and sleep late. I am so glad to finally read that I am not alone, and I am not crazy or lazy either! Looking fwd to reading more in the "morning"!! :)

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