Deep Sleep-Phase Syndrome (DSPS); Introduction, Symptoms, Medications

Deep Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS) or Delayed Sleep-Phase Disorder (DSPD) is a kind of neurological sleep disorder which disturbs the normal sleeping and waking time of a person. It affects our body’s clock and delays the sleeping time for hours. The patients suffering from DSPS are unable to sleep early or at time in the night and such type of disorders are likely to affect 20 of every 1000 adults every year. Let’s read more on DSPS symptoms, causes and some remedies in this article.

What is Deep Sleep-Phase disorder?

Deep sleep-phase disorder (DSPD) or DSPS is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder that affects the normal sleeping time of a person, resulting into disturbed body clock with undesired high and low level of alertness of body and brain. Patients having DSPS find it difficult to sleep at proper time as well as their time of waking up in the morning does not have a control. In most of the cases, the patients are found unable to wake up by the ring of their alarm clock and mobile ring as well.

Ultimately, the people with Delayed sleep-phase disorder as late as in the midnight and wake up late with the traces of excessive daytime sleepiness. However, excessive daytime sleepiness is not found when the patients are left to sleep at their very own and changed sleeping time.

History

DSPS was first introduced in formal by Dr. Elliot D. Weitzman and his colleagues at Montefiore Medical Center. [Source: Wiki]

Symptoms of DSPD

• Patients with Delayed sleep-phase syndrome or DSPD are able to sleep healthy and normally when following their delayed sleeping schedules, experiencing no excessive daytime sleepiness.

• Patients have greater than normal ability to fall asleep in the morning time; however, a normal healthy person may find difficulties in sleeping in morning time.

• Patients have difficulty to schedule their sleeping time to an earlier time.

• Patients do have a disturbed sleep schedule; however, there comes no issues of a broken, disturbed or non-continuous sleep once they are asleep.

• Patients usually tend to fall asleep after 2 a.m. of midnight.

• Babies and children with DSPS refuse to go to bed before they become too drowsy to fall asleep.

The symptoms of DSPD are often confused by people as well as doctors with other sleep disorders and insomnia; however, DSPS has been put in different category of ICSD. Unlike other sleep disorders, DSPS actually, is a chronological and neurological sleep disorder.

Additional health effects of Delayed sleep-phase syndrome include weight gain, diabetes, cancer, anxiety disorders, fibromyalgia and many more problems. The patients suffering from a long-term DSPS are likely to be having a less effective immune system and have all chances to be caught by severe depression problems which may even result into migraine.

Treatment

• Chronotherapy- In this treatment, the patients are kept under observation making sure that they sleep at the normal time for months rather than their delayed sleeping time. It is also referred as the process of resetting the circadian clock of patient’s body.

• The patients are given Vitamin B12 tablets as a helpful remedy to solve DSPS.

• The patients are also given Melatonin a few hours earlier than their bedtime. Melatonin is known for its sleepiness factor in medical field. However, an improper amount of Melatonin can always be of ne help, hence, it is highly recommended to consult a doctor before consuming it.

Some advanced applications of Chronotherapy also include forcing a patient to remain awake for a day of two and then go for sleep some hours before their delayed sleeping schedule. Good repetitions of this process have been helpful in treating the problem of DSPS in a number of patients.

Also read: Childhood Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Is your child at psychological risk?