Thursday, September 16, 2010

Circadian rhythm sleep disorders

Now all that I started researching about sleep, it got me more and more interested about sleep. So as I continued my “sleep education”, (again from wiki) it was suggested that people with the circadian rhythm disorder (a sleeping disorder) typically displays polyphasic sleep patterns. So I dwell deeper into the topic and discovered a lot more. I shall share just a tiny portion which I felt describes my case (you can research at wiki for other cases).

A little definition about circadian rhythm disorder:

Circadian rhythm sleep disorders are a family of sleep disorders affecting, among other things, the timing of sleep. People with circadian rhythm sleep disorders are unable to sleep and wake at the times required for normal work, school, and social needs. They are generally able to get enough sleep if allowed to sleep and wake at the times dictated by their body clocks.

It can be further broken down and one of the types (a type that describes my sleep habits) is Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS)

Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) is characterized by a much later than normal timing of sleep onset and offset and a period of peak alertness in the middle of the night.

Only now I finally know that I am suffering from a type of sleeping disorder for a big part of my life. I always knew I was a late sleeper, but never did I thought that it was medically considered a sleeping disorder. It was also because of my having Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS), that triggered my polyphasic sleep patterns. Well I guess if given a choice, I would sleep late but have uninterrupted monophasic sleep for 8 hours like I do so back in my NTU hall days, where I usually sleep after 4am and wake up at noon. However because of work now, I cannot afford to sleep till noon, hence my body had to adapt to polyphasic sleep patterns where I nap a few times a day.

No wonder I always felt more refreshed at night than in the day.


P.S: Maybe I should go see a doctor.

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