Delayed sleep phase syndrome, also known as lag phase syndrome is a type of circadian rhythm sleep disorder, which is characterized by a problem or delay with the timing of a person’s sleep phase in accordance to the conventional sleeping time. Usually, people who are suffering from delayed sleep phase syndrome (sometimes referred to as “night owls”) finds it very hard to fall asleep at night early (usually falls asleep past midnight) and will most probably sleep in until late in the morning. Delayed sleep phase syndrome can cause sleep deprivation, which can really be unhealthy physically and socially to the one suffering from delayed sleep phase syndrome.
Who Gets Affected by Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome?
In every 500 adults, only 1 adult is suffering from delayed sleep phase syndrome. However, if DSPS rarely affects adults, DSPS is quite common in adolescents, affecting at least 7% of all adolescents. Delayed sleep phase syndrome has even been accepted as a normal part of puberty in adolescence, since more and more adolescents, especially males, are already suffering from symptoms of delayed sleep phase syndrome.
Causes for Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome
It is still not known what is the exact medical cause for delayed sleep phase syndrome. The circadian rhythm, or a person’s internal body clock is usually described to be altered, which can really affect a person’s normal sleep wake patterns, which can result in delayed sleep phase syndrome or DSPS. And usually, people who are suffering from delayed sleep phase syndrome have an abnormal response to the light exposure. Even artificial light in the evening can give false signals to the brain that it is still not time to fall asleep.
Sleep Deprivation and Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome
Sleep deprivation is the most common effect of delayed sleep phase syndrome. Sleep deprivation happens when a person with DSPS needs to get up early for school, work, or any other agendas, and yet, he or she fell asleep very late at night. Most people suffering from delayed sleep phase syndrome can usually get only 5 hours or less sleep every single night. There are a lot of people who are complaining of difficulties in falling asleep think that they are suffering from insomnia. What they do not know is that their difficulties of falling asleep may not be insomnia but delayed sleep phase syndrome. People suffering from delayed syndrome do not experience any alterations with the quality of their sleep.
