delayed sleep phase disorder sine wave illustration

Introduction To Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder: My Experience Being Out Of Rhythm

What is a disorder that can throw your routine out of whack, make you stay up all night, and sleep all day? This may sound like insomnia, but this is in fact, known as Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD). And this blog post explains how I live with DSPD, and how it affects me.

How Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder Changes My Nightly Rhythms

DSPD is a lifelong mental condition, which is genetic. (Wikipedia Contributors, 2024) Individuals with DSPD have trouble falling asleep at a regular bedtime before midnight like most people can, as they are still very alert, but then fall asleep in the early hours of the morning typically (e.g. between 1am and 3am), and then sleep well. This is a persistent condition. Individuals with DSPD often cannot get up in the early morning which causes difficulties with morning employment/school.

My Experience With Co-occurring DSPD And Autism:

DSPD can also occur in 50% of cases with depression. Individuals who also have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are 50% more likely to have DSPD than those without. (Wikipedia Contributors, 2024)

ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a type of mental disorder, which is genetic (Wikipedia Contributors, 2024). It has a high heritability rate of 74%, and is also polymorphic. Some of the symptoms I have experienced from ADHD are in the list below:

  • Higher than usual activity (Hyperactivity)
  • Low attention span
  • Difficulty concentrating on certain tasks (like homework or reading this blog post)
  • The need to “let off steam”, or run outside or jump on a trampoline
  • Self-control issues
  • Frustration
  • Fidgeting
  • Impulsiveness

The low attention span and high amounts of activity are all caused by a drop in dopamine levels in the brain in individuals with ADHD. From my experience, I have found that doing activities and exercising (like jumping on a trampoline or walking for example), this helps to alleviate the symptoms of ADHD by increasing dopamine levels.

The deletion of another gene known as CRY1 also can cause DSPD in families, because the CRY1 gene also is responsible for creating a circadian rhythm. (Patke et al., 2017)

How This Clock Animation Simplifies The Explanation Of Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder

The video clip below is what Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder can feel to me at times, and it can make my sensory issues (like hearing) louder when I get my sleep cycle wrong. Made with the 3D modelling software Blender (version 3.4.1). Copyright © Zachary Wright:

This rapidly spinning clock shows what DSPD can really feel like in a nutshell – staying up too late or sleeping too early can cause sensory issues (loud hearing) for me. ⏰. Copyright © Zachary Wright.

How I cope with Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder

From my experience, the delayed circadian rhythm I experience can be improved upon by setting bedtime alarms on certain electronic devices (like mobile phones and tablets) that run from midnight to 8 o’clock in the morning, which helps alleviate the symptoms of my DSPD. A traditional alarm clock also is helpful instead of electronic devices because they are much louder and more sudden. Most people without DSPD tend to go to sleep anywhere from 9pm to 12am, but an individual like me who has DSPD may go to sleep as late as 3am to 4am in the morning.

A sleep wake cycle. Normal sleep is highlighted in short blue waves while delayed sleep is highlighted in long yellow waves, thus providing a simplified visual analogy of delayed sleep phase disorder.
The shorter blue sine wave at the top illustrates a normal sleep-wake cycle as opposed to the yellow sine waves which are more spread out, illustrating a delayed sleep-wake cycle.

This analogy helps to simplify the visual depiction of what DSPD looks like when it comes to sleep. Created with the 3D modelling software Blender (version 4.0.2). Copyright © Zachary Wright.

In my best practice for managing my life with DSPD, I try to aim to be asleep by 1 am. This works for me most of the time.

How Video Games And Electronic Devices Impact My Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder

Gaming has proven to be a problem in the past for my ability to cope with DSPD. It’s very easy to lose track of time when having fun playing video games, and this can cause me to stay up too late into the night. Before I go to sleep for the night, I save my game’s progress and shut it down.

Mobile tablets (these are a larger version of mobile phones) have also proven to be a problem when I use them at night too, even more so than handheld video game consoles due to the bright screens that trick my brain into daylight. Like with game consoles, I also try to turn mobile devices off before bedtime to ensure a good night’s rest.

How Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder Affects My Living Day

If I cannot get enough sleep, I start getting very tired, which increases the likelihood of meltdowns, and lowers my mood. Other consequences of staying up late for me are:

  • Reduced ability to cope with noise
  • Reduced performance when using computers and any electronic devices
  • Reduced gaming performance
  • Increased eye strain
  • Increased sense of hearing (louder hearing)
  • Less self-control
  • Earlier bedtime than usual, disrupting the sleep cycle even more.
  • Blurry vision due to tiredness

Note that the symptoms outlined above in the list may not be the same for everyone. From my experience, I manage my DSPD by trying to balance my sleep cycles, attempt to set alarms and align my routine so as to stabilise my day.

How Loud Noise Disrupts My Sleep Cycles

Loud noises can also interfere with my sleep cycle, acting as triggers for delayed sleep. These include but are not limited to:

  • Thunder
  • Cars (If on a busy road)
  • Motorcycles (If on a busy road)
  • Birds (to some extent)
  • Heavy Rain (Most noticeably on tin roofs)
  • Hail
  • Parrots at night (Rarely)
  • Cats (only when howling and misbehaving)
  • Dogs (When barking)
  • Mice/Rats in ceilings and roofs (Squeaking)
  • Strong Winds

All these sources of loud noise can affect my sleep, and in some cases, make it impossible for me to sleep, especially on windy nights. Thunder also has the same effect at night too. When you add in autism as a comorbid condition, it makes sleeping in loud environments much more difficult than neurotypical people find it.

Princess Lilli Lilac

A Ragdoll cat (Lilli) dozing off on a brown blanket.
Dozing off.. 💤 Copyright © Zachary Wright
References

Wikipedia contributors. (2024, July 21). Delayed sleep phase disorder. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 07:13, July 29, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Delayed_sleep_phase_disorder&oldid=1235744109

Patke, A., Murphy, P. J., Onat, O. E., Krieger, A. C., Özçelik, T., Campbell, S. S., & Young, M. W. (2017). Mutation of the Human Circadian Clock Gene CRY1 in Familial Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder. Cell, 169(2), 203–215.e13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2017.03.027

Wikipedia contributors. (2024, July 29). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 07:18, July 29, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Attention_deficit_hyperactivity_disorder&oldid=1237307309