Hello,
Thanks for asking your question. You asked the following:
“My question is: "How can I wake up at 6am every morning and still feel
refreshed?"
So I'd love any advice or resources on how to get a "good nights
sleep"! (and make the most of the 6-7 hours of sleep I might be able
to get) As well, any resources to help me fall asleep earlier (to get
7 hours or sleep, I'd need to be 'falling asleep' around 11pm! a good
3 hours earlier then I'm used to).. so anything to help with that are
also appreciated.
As well, as a secondary question.. does it help to take 30-45 minute
naps throughout the day?
And a third bonus question: how do you prevent and get rid of the
rings under your eyes?”
1) How can I wake up at 6am every morning and still feel refreshed?
What you are describing is delayed sleep phase sydrome (DSPS).
From Helioshealth:
“Most people are "programmed" to fall asleep around 10PM at night and
wake up the next morning around 6 or 7 a.m. Some people, however, have
trouble falling asleep that early. They may only feel drowsy and ready
for sleep at 2 or 3 a.m. Consequently, these "night owls" may not
awake until 10 the next morning-too late for a full day at the office
or at school. These people may suffer from delayed sleep phase
syndrome.”
http://www.helioshealth.com/sleep/sleep_03_02.html
Sleep Disorder Channel describes DSPS as someone that has a similar
story to you:
“A person with this disorder is typically unable to fall asleep before
2 a.m. and has great difficulty waking early, say by 7 a.m. These
people are sometimes called “night owls” or described as “not being
morning people.” If allowed to sleep a full seven to eight hours, i.e.
until 10 a.m., they feel rested and function normally. Unfortunately,
this is not usually the case.”
http://www.sleepdisorderchannel.net/dsps/
You are asking what can be done to remedy this. Here are some
solutions. From Sleep Disorder Channel:
“All forms of treating DSPS are aimed at rephasing the patient’s
circadian rhythm and sleep pattern. The ultimate goal is to
synchronize the patient with societal routine and the subsequent
demands that lifestyle, employment, or school place on him or her. The
patient wants to wake up at a given time feeling refreshed and
functional. Since the ability to wake up and function normally is
dependent on an adequate amount of sleep, the patient adjusts to an
earlier bedtime. Sleep therapy of this kind usually combines proper
sleep hygiene practice and external stimulus therapy. Benzodiazepines
are sometimes used to modify sleep-wake patterns, but their efficacy
is not proven for DSPS.
The two main external therapeutic methods used to advance the patient’
s sleep phase are bright light therapy and chronotherapy. When
combined, these therapies are known to produce significant results.”
http://www.sleepdisorderchannel.net/dsps/treatment.shtml
Specific treatments describing how to implement bright light therapy,
chronotherapy, b12, and melatonin can be found at the Sleep Disorder
Channel:
http://www.sleepdisorderchannel.net/dsps/treatment.shtml
2) Does it help to take 30-45 minute naps throughout the day?
There are conflicting statements regarding the role of naps and DSPS.
Here are some comments regarding the association with naps and DSPS.
“Working the evening or night shift, or working at home, can make DSPS
less of an obstacle. Some people nap, even taking four hours of sleep
a day and four at night. Long daytime naps are discouraged by almost
everyone because they're believed to promote nighttime sleeplessness,
but you may decide that a regular nap to make up for lost sleep at
night is an acceptable pattern for you.”
http://www.geocities.com/delayed_sleep/treatment.html
“They are sleepy during the day, especially in the morning, if they
have had to get up early. They sleep in on weekends (often past noon
and for more than 10 hours) to make up for not getting enough sleep
during the rest of the week. Some people with DSPS take naps during
the day and feel refreshed afterwards.”
http://www.geocities.com/delayed_sleep/additional_symptoms.html
“Daytime naps also help [in DSPS], but napping is not feasible if you
are trying to hold down a job.”
http://sleepdisorders.about.com/library/weekly/aa041399.htm
“Another sign of DSPS is the feeling of drowsiness during the day,
especially the early morning hours. DSPS sufferers tend to sleep in on
the weekends, often past noon, to make up for lost hours of sleep
during the week. Afternoon naps might also make up lost time.”
http://www.kstatecollegian.com/stories/101801/opi_powell.shtml
Dr. Kramer of the Colorodo Neurological Institute comments on the role
of naps and DSPS:
“Treatment of DSPS can be very difficult because, in essence,
treatment is fighting against a patient’s natural biological rhythms.
However, sleep hygiene practices, coupled with melatonin at night, are
very important. Transient nocturnal sedative-hypnotic use with
melatonin is debated but may be indicated in certain patients. Early-
morning exercise and bright light also help phase-advance a patient’s
sleep timing. Naps should rarely be prescribed or allowed. However, if
they are, they should be completed by 2:00 pm at the latest. Naps
later in the day tend to phase-delay these patients.”
http://www.thecni.org/reviews/10-2-p09-kramer.htm
3) How do you prevent and get rid of the rings under your eyes?
Here is an explaination of why people get rings under the eyes:
“The short answer is that nobody has done a lot of research in this
area, so we don't have one single definite answer. But we do have a
bunch of partial answers.
The skin under the eyes is very thin, and almost transparent - so it
will show any colour changes in the layers underneath very easily.
First, the blood supply from that skin drains into the internal
jugular vein. That drainage is a lot better when you're lying down
than when you're standing up - so the blood tends to pool there. This
is one factor that will give you dark half-circles under the eyes.
Second, you have huge numbers of Mast Cells in the skin under the eyes.
These Mast Cells will release histamine (sometimes by themselves, and
sometimes when you rub them), which will cause swelling under the eyes
- and darkness.
Third, when you get dehydrated (which sometimes happens when you get
tired), the skin under the eyes gets dark. And finally, not a reason
but an observation. Eyes in animals are an important signalling area.
So if we humans get dark under the eyes, it's a way of telling other
humans that we're tired.”
http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/homework/s95516.htm
This article is from BBC Health:
“Three things contribute to dark rings under the eyes:
· an inherited tendency
· natural aging processes, and
· lack of sleep.
There is very little that can be done about dark rings, other than
getting as much sleep and rest as possible. This may mean taking a
serious look at your work and sleep habits, including not just the
amount of sleep - but the quality of it too. Is sleep interrupted,
especially by snoring or waking episodes? Do you get enough sleep,
especially at the right times of the night for you? “
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/ask_doctor/eyes_darkcircles.shtml
This site suggests that prevention of fatigue will help prevent rings
under the eyes:
“Plain tiredness will also add to the problem of bags under your eyes,
and especially to those ugly dark circles under the eyes.”
http://www.ageless.co.za/black-circles-under-eyes.htm
Plastic surgery is also an option for treatment:
“Dark rings or circles under the eyes often lend a tired or uninviting
look to one's face. The Berman Skin Institute is one of very few
centers to utilize a laser to lighten the pigment causing such
problems. Typically, only a topical anesthetic cream is used for
prevention of pain during the procedure. Most patients undergo one
treatment, though more than one treatment may be required. The
benefits of this approach can usually be appreciated within one week
following the treatment.”
http://www.bermanmd.com/bsi_2_darkrings.html
Dark circles under the eyes from sinus problems are addressed here:
http://www.ivillagehealth.com/experts/ent/qas/0,11816,242110_187300,00.html
Please use any answer clarification before rating this answer. I will
be happy to explain or expand on any issue you may have.
Thanks,
Kevin, M.D.
Google and Teoma search:
delayed sleep phase syndrome
DSPS
naps and dsps
rings under eyes
Links:
Sleep disorder channel – DSPS
http://www.sleepdisorderchannel.net/dsps/
Helios Health – DSPS
http://www.helioshealth.com/sleep/sleep_03_02.html
About.com – DSPS links
http://sleepdisorders.about.com/msubdsps.htm
Case study on DSPS
http://www.aasmnet.org/MEDSleep/Products/(Avidan)csdsps.pdf
Treatment for DSPS
http://www.geocities.com/delayed_sleep/treatment.html |
