Understanding Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders

Circadian rhythm sleep disorders can account for many sleep problems. There are many people who have an irregular body clock and they just don’t know it. Circadian rhythm sleep disorders occur when there is a mismatch between the sleep-wake cycle required by your environment and your own internal sleep wake cycle.

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Disclaimer: All of the information on this channel is for educational purposes and not intended to be specific/personal medical advice from me to you. Watching the videos or getting answers to comments/questions does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. If you have your own doctor, perhaps these videos can help prepare you for your discussion with your doctor.

[vickythecat]

Why don't doctors ever mention or ask for further tests to see whether one suffers from one of these disorders? My whole life, I've felt guilty for being lazy even though I am not a lazy person, for not being able to get up early in the morning. At many jobs, I'd call in sick because I felt sick, especially on a Thursday morning (true hell, after 3 days of dragging one's body through the social clock) Doctors always dismissed it, until I saved up enough money to go to a private sleep clinic, and finally at age 38 I was diagnosed with 2 different and serious sleep disorders. 38 years of exhaustion, self-hate, loss of social life, career, relationships ...

[fieldofreeds]

My psychiatrist diagnosed me with delayed sleep phase disorder last year.
I can remember back to age 5-6 not being able to sleep when other kids were, and from that age it only got worse for me. Twenty years later it has impacted my life like crazy. I usually go to sleep around 3 am and wake up at 11am or noon, but I’d happily sleep in until 3-4pm given the opportunity. During the covid lockdown in my city I just let myself fall asleep whenever I felt like it and I was nearly nocturnal after doing that for a couple weeks. Ive used light therapy, sleep deprivation, etc. but nothing is super effective for me. I have a few other severe mental illnesses and it’s kind of a circle of one making the other worse.
It was hugely helpful to be diagnosed though, because I was so sick of being guilted by morning people like I’m a lazy pos when I am actually very driven, creative, and productive… just not at the same hours as most people.
Living with delayed sleep phase has been more shameful to me my entire life than my depression, anxiety, and even my periods of psychosis.

[hamilton]

I’m certain I have delayed phase sleep disorder. Even when I force myself to get up at 6am I still can’t sleep till 4am. I tried to get a diagnosis and was told I had to force myself to wake up early every day for two weeks so I’ll be tired at night. It didn’t work and I made myself extremely ill trying. I’ve been in bed since 9pm trying to sleep and have only just now (at almost 4am) picked up my phone. That’s 7 hours of laying there doing nothing but get pissed that I can’t sleep!

[strangelee]

I didn't even know this was a recognised medical disorder. I told my Doctor over 7 years ago that i must have been born on mars because my body clock was set to 26 hours, his reply...? Drink less coffee and set an alarm :(
I manage to 'sync' every 10 days but the cycle starts again. I have pretty much cut myself off from society as it is impossible to operate on their 'normal' clock. Work, family, shopping for groceries, eating, talking on the phone..it all goes out the window.

[XxSingingCoyotexX]

I'm pretty sure I have delayed phase sleep disorder. I can't sleep until early morning hours and I wake up in the afternoon. I'm just more active at night.

[EricaCole]

Thank you Dr. Marks for mentioning that sighted individuals can have this. It is rare that someone in the medical community will acknowledge this.

[claireeyles]

I have delayed sleep phase disorder with occasional noncircadian days. I do believe I've had this since birth, so most likely hereditary for me. Apparently I was a bit of a curiosity in the maternity ward as a baby, because when the other babies were sleeping I was wide awake and fully engaged with my environment (and I slept very little). Right from early childhood I was fatigued and ready to sleep during the day, but come nighttime I was wide awake and had all the energy in the world. Christmas time was interesting, most children are up at the crack of dawn to open their presents, I was still asleep past lunchtime because I hadn't actually gotten to sleep until around 2 in the morning. I very rarely sleep before 2-3am, sometimes later, and regardless of how little sleep I've had the day before once it hits around 10/11 pm I am awake, focused and energised (and still not sleeping 'til at least 2 am or later). I've tried light therapy, a controlled forward shifting of sleep time by 1-2 hours a day, various types of sleep therapy (including CBT-Sleep), sleep hygiene, sleeping pills, and so on - and nothing has worked. These days I just let my sleep/wake cycle work how it works and I structure my day/life/work around it. Took me a while to stop fighting the body clock I was born with, but I find I'm much less stressed and actually have better sleep quality (albeit during the day time mostly) than I did when I was trying to force myself into a 'normal' sleep pattern.

[michellet]

So glad to have come across other sufferers. I am having a problem with my GP giving this disorder any consideration. My gp would like to treat me for depression as opposed to listen to the explanation that the sheer exhaustion & stress induced from trying to maintain an ‘unnatural’ schedule for so many years is a huge factor in said depression & anxiety. After years of what I labelled insomnia I started to do my research and it’s lead me to DSPD. It is my life on a page. My natural rhythm is 4am - 12pm but owing to work responsibilities & school etc I have to wake at 7am most days. I am beyond exhausted and have felt this way for as long as I can recall. I’ve always had problems keeping jobs and maintaining friendships due to my erratic sleep pattern. The problem has been catapulted ten fold since having a child and losing out on even more sleep than what I used to. Does anybody have any information on sleep clinics/doctors in the UK who will accept self referrals? Thank you in advance!

[caller]

I have for the longest time suspected that I have non 24 hour sleep disorder. In highschool it was a big problem, I had trouble falling asleep, sometimes I slept right after school, sometimes I slept normal. I was almost always tired and would sleep basically when I could and was sleepy enough. Now I have been two years doing nothing with my life, on "early retirement". Now I can sleep, I'm not tired all the time, but my sleep goes forward all the time, usually by 2 - 3 hours a day. It feels so much better to be able to sleep, but it makes getting back to studying very challenging

[tex]

“you fall asleep between 1am and 6am”
Me watching this ar 2am after a week of being tired during school zoom meetings: huh.

[attor]

3:41
OMG I'm LITERALLY this person. Thank goodness that I know this now. I used to think something is wrong with my sleep. Now I get it. Thank you 4 sharing information.

[Mooremia]

Its 430 am and I found this video 🤔 I usually cant shut down until about 5am. Off days I sleep until 12pm. Otherwise have to force myself to wake up at 8am to got to work smh everytime I tell my doctor they say try to shut down earlier in the evening. Now this video just confirmed i have a sleep disorder.

[danielstevens]

Great video thanks for sharing!! My delayed phase is OK because I mostly work late but those random days I have to be up at 6am its a sleepless drag and can mess my cycle for a few days afterward. Looking forward to breathing disorders!

[ThirteenKidsLater]

Great explanation. Further discussion on treatment and effects would be appreciated. My daughter was just diagnosed with N24 and is sighted. Two months of a to gigaton y confirmed it. She recently turned 18 but has struggled with it since age 11. She has been literally unable to attend school since 5th grade. Depression due to isolation and occasional suicidal ideation as a result. No one took her seriously as she and we described this shifting sleep cycle. We just got endless lectures on sleep hygiene. She eventually got her GED and started college online. Once she turned 18, finally doctors gave her a referral to a sleep specialist and she got her diagnosis. From what we under, treatment options are limited and not always very successful. If they do succeed, they require significant dedication and work to maintain or you’re back to square one. And it is lifelong. So many aspects of life are affected by this. I would appreciate a deeper dive. Thank you.

[violetlove]

Once again, you're brilliant. Thank you, Dr. Marks

[wickie]

I can see fine with glasses but I am completely convinced I have Non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder. My doctor foolishly told me I have insomnia. I showed her a sleep journal, which looked IDENTICAL to all the ones you see when you look the disorder up on google. It's not that I have trouble sleeping, it's that I get tired and tired later and later each day no matter when I wake up. I have had this issue since I was 13-15 years old and nobody has ever diagnosed me. It is completely debilitating. I missed SO MUCH college because of it, and no matter what I do, I can't seem to fix it. I did have some success at slowing it down quite a bit, to where over 3 weeks back in September, it only moved ahead 3 hours (whereas normally I would've already gone around the clock at least once), but it still wasn't enough.

[francinesandino]

👏👏👏👏the best explanation i found in youtube. New subscriber right here🤗

[DebraGravelle]

Hi Dr Marks! I love your videos. Thanks so much for your work on YouTube. I have had sleeping issues since I was a kid. Later in life was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I focus on making sure I get as much sleep as I can. I’m currently OK about falling asleep but staying asleep doesn’t happen very often for me. I take a couple of natural sleep aid but nothing keeps me asleep. Once in a while I get lucky and sleep maybe 7 hours

[MrRMD]

I'm a registered nurse work full time shift work. I am missing too much work because I just cannot sleep when I need to and I'm switching my circadian rhythm so quickly- every 2-3 days. I'm feeling so frustrated because I'm trying everything to produce healthy sleep hygiene. Exercising, exposing myself to sunlight early in the day, eating healthy, not eating late, not using electronics 2-3 hours before bed.. . I keep going to my doctor every 5 months or so for benzodiazrpines, I know they are addictive so I take them very sparingly. One 30 day prescription lasts me a few months, hence visiting my doctor every 5 months or so. I'm so frustrated, I feel guilty for calling in but I don't feel safe working on my feet for 12 hours, rarely taking a break when I don't sleep for 24 hours before work.

[cynthiaholland]

Beautiful, intelligent sister doctor? Subscribed!