Living with Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome

I’ve always had trouble sleeping until I was ‘good and ready’. This doesn’t normally happen until about 1-2:00 a.m. I’ve lived in all sorts of time zones and the pattern doesn’t change. There are times when I will stay awake until the sun comes up and then immediately fall asleep. I love sleeping in the afternoons.

As with most people who have this kind of disorder, life can be hell when one has to follow normal work habits. My brain is dysfunctional during the day. I am now in my own business as a financial advisor. I do not take any appointments before 11:00 a.m. and I’m happy to meet people in the evening when my thinking is at its sharpest. Luckily this tends to work as I can meet people outside their normal work environment with all its attendant pressures. If I want to exercise (weights, treadmill etc), I do it after 8:00 p.m. I don’t eat breakfast (believe me I’ve tried) and my main meals are at 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

I am fortunate to have a family that accepts my condition without question. My wife is particularly understanding. As long as I perform, both at work and at home, there is really no problem. She is a normal and heavy sleeper and having the light and t.v. on in the bedroom doesn’t really affect her. Once in a while she’ll opt to sleep in another bedroom for a day or so, but does this without any rancor. Lucky guy!

By the way, I’m typing this at 1:00 a.m. on a weekday.