On Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome

Gene Controlling Circadian Rhythms May Be Involved In Onset Of Bipolar Disorder

2007-04-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

Gene Controlling Circadian Rhythms May Be Involved In Onset Of Bipolar Disorder

Basically the "Clock gene" (the gene that regulates sleep) appears to be intimately involved in bipolar syndrome. Both Lithium and the gene's protein given to mice exhibiting manic behavior returned to normal behavior. So for all you bi polars out there who have a sleep disorder ( like me ) the two are apparently related.

redcinco5: I have DSPS

2006-11-23T22:53:00.000-08:00

redcinco5: I have delayed sleep phase syndrome.: "It basically boils down to an inconsistency between what is the 'established norm' for circadian rhythms and exposure to light. I can sleep normally and I am fully capable of achieving deep-wave sleep, however the onset of it is much later than normal.

According to tests I begin to process the hormone melatonin around 12:45 am, thus making my theoretical sleep time sometime around 2:45-3:15am. I typically awake around noon or so. This isn't normal and has to do with a variety of influences..."

[I like how easily he describes what DSPS is]

BBSRC New Investigator Award given to Surrey academic for research into genes and the body clock

2006-10-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

BBSRC New Investigator Award given to Surrey academic for research into genes and the body clock: "Dr Simon Archer of the University of Surrey School of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences has recently been granted a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) New Investigator Award for £380,948 over three years to further his research into circadian clock gene polymorphisms, or how differences in DNA sequences among individuals, groups, or populations can affect body clocks to make them ‘larks’ or ‘owls’ with regards sleep and sleeping patterns.

The grant, which will enable the employment of a full-time postdoctorate researcher, will specifically allow Dr Archer to study in more depth the two different variants of the PER3 polymorphism that he has already shown to be associated with extreme morning preference and delayed sleep phase syndrome."

Melatonin and Sleep Disturbances

2006-07-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

Melatonin and Sleep Disturbances: "Of the 61 subjects who answered the questionnaire, 59 (96.7%) reported that the treatment improved their condition, while only two (3.3%) reported that the treatment had not helped them at all. Furthermore, 31 (50.8%) of the subjects reported that the change took place within less than one week, 17 (27.9%) within one to two weeks, nine (14.8%) within two to four weeks and two (3.3%) after a month. Side effects were minimal. Thirty-five of the subjects (57.4%) reported no side effects, 21 (34.4%) reported slight fatigue, and five (8.2%) experienced headaches or nausea. None of the women reported menstrual changes. Of the 59 subjects who found the treatment helpful, 54 (91.5%) reported a relapse to their pretreatment sleeping patterns within one year of stopping the melatonin. Only 17 (28.8%) reported that the relapse occurred within one week."

All Headline News - Researchers Advocate Melatonin Use - May 5, 2006

2006-05-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

All Headline News - Researchers Advocate Melatonin Use - May 5, 2006: "London, England (AHN) - Researchers from the Divisions of Sleep Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School have found that melatonin, taken orally during non-typical sleep times, significantly improves an individual’s ability to sleep.

These latest findings are particularly important for rotating or night-shift workers, travelers with jet lag and individuals with advanced or delayed sleep phase syndrome."

Best Time to Take Melatonin?

2006-05-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

Best Time to Take Melatonin?: "May 3, 2006 -- A new study shows that timing may count when taking melatonin supplements."

Melatonin Most Effective For Sleep When Taken For Off-Hour Sleeping

2006-05-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

Sleep Disorder and Apnea > Melatonin Most Effective For Sleep When Taken For Off-Hour Sleeping

(PERSONAL NOTE: I have DSPS and take 3mg of Melatonin a night around 10pm and it does WONDERS for my sleep schedule. However, doses larger than 3mg have had negative long term affects on me. 3mg is more than enough for me and starts working within 30 minutes).

Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome - Sleepchannel

2006-04-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome - Sleepchannel: "Delayed sleep phase syndrome results from a desynchronization between the patient's internal biological clock and the external environment. Unlike jet lag, this desynchronization is not activated by travel or change in external environment. Rather, the patient's propensity to fall asleep is simply 'delayed' in relation to that of the general public. Subsequently, a patient with DSPS is desynchronized with the routine that governs most of his or her life"

Health Journal: Doctors probe why it's hard for many kids to get up

2006-03-22T20:02:00.000-08:00

Health Journal: Doctors probe why it's hard for many kids to get up: "DSPS is believed to be the result of the body's internal clock -- called the circadian system -- getting stuck in the wrong place, causing kids to stay up late. As kids enter puberty, circadian rhythms that affect sleep begin to change, which is why most kids' bedtimes shift about an hour later as they get older. But for reasons no one understands, some kids experience more dramatic changes as their internal clocks shift forward too far. Those kids can't fall asleep until the early hours of the morning, but still have to get up early for school, so they have to get by on just a few hours of sleep each night."

Sleep disorder probed - 03/22/06 - The Detroit News

2006-03-22T20:01:00.000-08:00

Sleep disorder probed - 03/22/06 - The Detroit News

Staying up late and sleeping until noon usually seems like normal teenage behavior.

But there's increasing concern among doctors that many teens may actually be suffering from a little-known sleep disorder called delayed sleep phase syndrome. It isn't well known and is underdiagnosed, but it may afflict up to several million teens and young adults, according to a 2004 article in the journal Sleep.