HELP!!! my weird sleep schedule - Sleep Disorders Message Board

hhsuey · 04-28-2005, 10:49 PM

hey, i'm a junior in high school. for the past several months, i've sinked to and been locked under a weird sleep schedule. i would sleep for roughly 3 hours after school (2:30-5:30pm) and do work until 3am and then sleep again (3:00am-6:30am). i have tried many times throughout the past months to alter this schedule but i simply cannot succumb to breaking from this habit. i try to stop taking naps and sleep a little earlier but i feel so tired after school that i just have to take a nap and i end up sleeping for a long time as usual. then i'm obligated to work until the late hours and sleep at 3am as usual. this may seem like a frivolous matter but i think it has made my life a lot miserable. please give me some support/ideas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SylAlien · 05-03-2005, 04:11 AM

yo man im out of school i dont do anythign really liek i got no job my friends are all in college so liek my sleeping scedue is horrible i fall asleep every day around 7a.m and wake up around 3 in the afternoon and stay up all the way till the sun coem sup mostly around 6a.m to 7am is when i fall asleep its reall horrible, and if i try to go to bed around anormal time liek 12 it never happens i just stay up and stay online it sucks!

mgray · 05-03-2005, 10:07 AM

Hi, *.Alien,

I have somewhat the same problem. My sleep specialist suggested that I buy one of those light boxes that people who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) use. He told to set a definite sleep schedule ... I used 2400 hours to 0800. I went to bed @ 2400. When I awakened I was to read something that was unexciting until I returned to sleep. At 0800, I was to get up and turn the light box on for thirty minutes. I was to do this whether or not I returned to sleep that night.

His suggestion made some sense. He felt that I had a circadian rhythm problem. Going to sleep and getting up at the same time every day would establish a new sleep pattern. Using the light box @ 0800 would teach my brain that this was my new normal wake up time. I did try it but didn't go all the way with the light box. I found that just staying awake until 2400 and forcing myself to get going @ 0800 did start changing my sleep pattern. On the nights when I only slept three or fours hours, it was a real struggle to stay awake until 2400 hours that night. So, instead of fighting to go to sleep, I was struggling to just stay awake. I began to fall asleep very quickly. I still awakened earlier than most people but I was sleeping much better than before. I was starting to sleep for 6 to 6 1/2 hours a night without interuption. I'm sure that had I used the light box, I could have developed an even better pattern of sleep.