The following is a visitor-submitted question or story. For more, you can submit your own sleep story here, or browse the collection of experiences and questions other visitors have shared here.

Never Recovered From Jet Lag

by Reed
(London + Los Angeles)

This article describes very well the condition I have had for years, recently exacerbated by moving from California to London for a study abroad program in college. It is as if I never recovered from the Jet Lag 8 hour time difference. Of course, I was a late sleeper (night and morning) before, but it seems like I was only a few hours off everyone else, going to bed at 1 or 2 am and getting up at 8:30 or 9. That was perfectly acceptable in a college environment, although annoying to my parents when I visited home (especially my father who goes to bed no later than 10pm and gets up at 5am).

Anyway, after coming here I have been consistently plagued by an inability to fall asleep, or stop activity like reading or watching TV, before 4 or 5 am (6am sometime) and dragging myself out of bed for a class at noon. I have occasionally forced myself to get up/ fall asleep on a regular schedule, so I know I am not still suffering normal jet lag. But every weekend I instantly relapse to a ridiculous sleeping pattern that ruins the following week.

For me it seems sleep discipline, which I desperately want, is the one thing where my willpower is totally out of control. I can convince and lecture and punish myself mentally all day, assuring myself that getting up early would be a virtue, and take elaborate steps like multiple alarms and notes to my "morning self", but when that after-midnight part of the day sets in, or when I am facing an alarm clock ringing in the morning, a whole different animal takes over. I am totally unable to tell myself to go to bed, and even if I get there, I am driven to find a distraction rather than tortuously lay there and stare at the ceiling for hours.

Every few weeks, it culminates in a "crash" where I may stay up all night, and either face a miserable groggy day, or fall asleep in mid-afternoon and spend the next few days on what I call "China Time", being completely out of sync with any time zone I've ever lived in.

Comments for
Never Recovered From Jet Lag

Click here to add your own comments

Nov 09, 2010
 Prolonged Jet Lag
by: Kevin Morton

Thanks very much for sharing this Reed, and I hope some of the strategies on the delayed sleep phase page prove helpful to some degree. The phrase "clock-dependent alerting" is one you'll want to make yourself aware of in depth, because that is what will turn your mind on in those post-midnight hours and make it borderline impossible to go to sleep. I'm writing an article on clock-dependent alerting right now, so feel free to come back to the site in the next week or two to read that if you're interested in more detail.

On one more note, have you tried taking sleeping pills to fall asleep, and if so have they been successful?

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Thoughts On Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome



Enjoy this page? Please help us pay it forward to others who would find it valuable by Liking, Sharing, Tweeting, Stumbling, and/or Voting below.

About This Site

Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.

In fact, we challenge you to do so! What do you say, are you up for the challenge?

A Note On Visitor-Submitted Questions:

Publishing sleep stories and questions from our visitors is meant to create a forum for open and proactive dialogue about an extremely important portion of our lives (one that occupies 1/3 of it and affects the other 2/3) that isn't talked about enough. It is not meant to substitute a trip to the doctor or the advice of a specialist. It's good to talk; it is not good to avoid consulting someone who's profession it is to help you with this kind of stuff.

If you are in any way concerned about your sleep health, don't wait for an answer on here, and don't necessarily rely on them. See a sleep specialist in your area as soon as possible.

More Questions:

Ask | Answer

The Stanford Sleep Book

Stanford Sleep Book Picture

Dr. Dement's pioneering textbook has been the core text for Sleep and Dreams since 1980, but it has just recently been made available to the wider public for the first time.

In it you'll find a more detailed account of the most important things you need to know about sleep, alertness, dreams, and sleep disorders. Studies, statistics, plus plenty of Dr. Dement's classic anecdotes painting the history of sleep medicine.

Preface | Intro | Contents | Get A Copy

More Sleep Resources

The Zeo

Track Your Own Sleep With Zeo

A revolution in personal sleep tracking, the Zeo is a wireless headband that transmits your brainwaves in realtime to a dock (pictured here) or your smartphone. The result? You can wake up and see exactly what stages of sleep you were in during the night! Unprecedented personalized sleep knowledge.

Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide

Sleep Paralysis Treatment Book

Ever woken up paralyzed? A surprising number of us have, believe it or not. But few know the actual causes of this phenomenon, and fewer still how to exert control over it. Dream researcher and sleep paralysis expert Ryan Hurd shares breakthrough insights into how to do just that.

How This Site Was Made

Kevin Morton With Dr William Dement

In 2007 I discovered a guide to website building that would change my life. After learning from it diligently, it would eventually empower me to help Dr. Dement take his life's mission of spreading education about sleep health to the online world. Now, several years later, this site reaches over 100,000 visitors per month and counting.

The results are due in large part to the methods taught in that guide, and they are replicable for others who have knowledge of a subject they would like to share with the masses. I've detailed some of my journey here for those who might be interested.

Important Disclaimer

Please Note:

The information found on this page and throughout this site is intended for general information purposes only. While it may prove useful and empowering, it is NOT intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgments of healthcare practitioners.

For more info, see our
Terms of Use.