Your circadian rhythm is your body’s biological clock. It lets you know when you need to sleep and when to wake up. There are a lot of circadian rhythm disorders out there, so here is everything you need to know about advanced sleep-wake phase disorder and when you should visit a sleep center Silver Spring for diagnosis and treatment.
What Is Advanced Sleep Wake Phase Disorder?
Your body is naturally wired to let your brain know that it’s time for you to go to bed. Similarly, your body also naturally knows when it is time to wake up. Even if you don’t set an alarm, after some time, your body gets attuned to when it should hit the hay and when you need to open your eyes, stretch your limbs, and start your day. This is the doing of your body’s circadian rhythm.
However, in advanced sleep-wake phase disorder, you will feel tired earlier than usual and you will also wake up early. Advanced sleep-wake phase disorder is a disorder in which your circadian rhythm occurs earlier than when you are used to.
So, let’s say you were going to sleep at 10 pm every single night and waking up at 8 am on the dot. When you are suffering from advanced sleep-wake phase disorder, you will fall asleep earlier than 10 pm, more like 7 to 8 pm, and you will wake up at around 6 or 7 am.
Even though on the surface, advanced sleep-wake phase disorder doesn’t seem harmful, it can cause a lot of issues in your routine and it can also lead to sleep deprivation and you will feel tired most of the time, which isn’t what you want.
Causes Of Advanced Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder
Advanced sleep wake phase disorder is, well, advanced, so it is still in the phase of getting studied and picked apart by sleep experts. It is found to be a very rare sleep disorder. Experts say that only 1% of the total population suffers from this sleeping disorder, which means that studies carried out on this disorder are scarce and yield few results.
From what experts can gather, advanced sleep-wake phase disorder can be related to genetics and family history.
Sure, some things like changing the time zone, working night shifts, and not having a routine can play a crucial role in aggravating the disorder, but it is still up in the air.
It is being heavily studied by experts and they conclude that certain genes in the body can cause advanced sleep-wake phase disorder, but to prove this claim 100%, further studies are required, which means that it is still a disorder with potentially no cause, and this makes things all the more frustrating.
If something is caused by a certain factor or a habit, then it can be easily diagnosed and a treatment plan can also be made accordingly. However, with advanced sleep-wake phase disorder, this can be hard, since the definitive cause is still quite hazy and even though it can be related to genetics, there is no saying for sure that can put everyone at ease and figure out a treatment plan for this disorder so that people can get on with their lives.
Symptoms Of Advanced Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder
Now that you know what exactly advanced sleep wake phase disorder is, here are some of the symptoms that will make it easier for you and the sleep doctor Frederick to navigate through this seemingly harmless but still destructive disorder.
Disrupted Routine
First of all, you will have a disrupted routine. You will wake up and fall asleep at different times. If you’re someone who plays by ear and doesn’t care much for a routine, then this change might not affect you a lot, but if you’re someone who has to stick to a routine, then this early onset of the circadian rhythm can pose a lot of problems for you in the long run.
Difficulty In Sleeping
You will also have a hard time falling asleep. You will toss and turn all night long and when you finally do sleep, it will be very disrupted.
Slightest Disturbance Wakes You Up
You can wake up even at the slightest disturbance and that is not good at all, because falling asleep will be a mean feat.
Tired After Waking Up
When you wake up, you will feel as though you aren’t well rested and that is typically a really common symptom with a lot of sleeping disorders. But with advanced sleep-wake phase disorder, when the circadian rhythm is disturbed, it will have aftereffects.
Constant Exhaustion
You will be exhausted and fatigue will be a constant feeling in your body. Fatigue is when you constantly feel like you have no energy left in your body. You will feel drained, tired, and you will have a hard time focusing on anything.
Hazy Mind
Speaking of focusing, your mind will be very hazy. It will be as if you just woke up, but in reality, you have been awake for quite some time. It is going to cause a lot of trouble in your work and personal life.
Diagnosis And Treatment For Advanced Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder
Diagnosis
As far as the diagnosis of advanced sleep wake phase disorder goes, it is similar to other sleeping disorders. You can try at-home sleep monitoring, journaling your symptoms, and even speaking to your doctor about a potential sleep study and you can figure out what you’re truly dealing with.
Treatments
As for treatment, since there is no definitive cause of advanced sleep-wake phase disorder, the only thing you can try to manage is bringing the circadian rhythm back on track. Since advanced sleep-wake phase disorder is the derailment of the circadian rhythm, you need to do things to bring it back to normalcy as much as you can.
Here are some things you can try:
- Melatonin supplements can help to regulate your sleep cycle and they can alter the circadian rhythm to allow you to sleep at a set time.
- You can also try light therapy. It involves exposure to light to trick your circadian rhythm into thinking that it is day or nighttime and it is time for you to sleep. It does take some time, but it has quite promising results. So, if you want to give it a try, then you can ask your doctor.
- Having a routine can do wonders for the circadian rhythm. If you eat your meals at a certain time of the day, exercise, and avoid napping during odd hours, then you can trick your circadian rhythm to let your body know that it is tired and wants to go to sleep.
All of these methods can be incorporated into your daily life with guidance from your doctor, so make sure that you’re consulting them every step of the way. It will take some time, but it might just be helpful.
Conclusion
Advanced sleep-wake phase disorder can mess with your body’s natural clock and it can cause you to sleep and wake up irregularly. If you notice the symptoms, see a sleep specialist Bethesda as soon as possible.
