I recommend LightBulb, an open source alternative on Windows: https://github.com/Tyrrrz/LightBulb
Remember that filtering blue light is not sufficient although it does help, as you also have to dim the screen luminosity to minimum brightness. LightBulb also includes a setting to dim down the screen even further than your screen can.
Google docs man, you don't need excel to make a spreadsheet. Or download openoffice. They both are as easy to use for basic data entry, just don't ask me how to do formulas in either. It's probably exactly the same as office 2003.
I know someone here posted a sleep log, but it was only for two weeks if I recall.
Lots of good advice here, so I'll add one thing to assist with improving sleep hygiene, Just Get F.lux.
This program lowers the blue light from your computer and can be set to do so in a very slow change way so you don't notice it happening. It is the easiest step to take towards sleep hygiene because strong blue light discourages the body from sleeping. I love the program, it sounds crazy, and when you tinker with it you might think it's too noticable at first. Try it for a few days and you do quickly forget it is running - your brain is smart about color as seen here and you will still see the full range of color you're used to while it is less harsh to your eyes. (Link is an image of red strawberries made out of grey, blue, white, and black pixels only - brainpower fixes color contrast and sees red!)
This subreddit isn't the busiest, but some of us come around. Don't feel alone if there isn't constant activity. We're all in this together even though we have our challenges and lives to work on.
Spend a lot of time at computers? If you don't have it already, just get Flux. It tones your computer screen to more red hue/less blue at sunset so you reduce the strain on your eyes but also the impact on your body's reaction to stay awake to the strong blue light usually default in computers. At sunrise, it turns off, so you get your usual crisp, colorful picture. It has a variety of intensity settings so you can find your comfort level. I have tested turning the red/blue adjustment on and off quickly but often forget how much difference there really is between the modes. Even after adjustment, the screen is still very colorful and hard to really remember F.lux is on. It's no fix to DSPD but I firmly believe it has helped me with efforts to balance my DSPD.
For the blue blocker glasses (that's how they are more commonly called) to do dark therapy more easily, you can buy these:
https://www.amazon.com/FreeMascot-190nm-550nm-Wavelength-Treatment-Protection/dp/B07M92ND2L
Similar laser safety glasses (red tinted) exist around the world, in all Amazon shops and other online shops as well. I highly recommend them, they are highly effective, and they are cheap.
Not just lower brightness but the blue of the light. Inverting the settings to be white text on black may help as well for less overall light intensity. If your eReader can have apps, consider if F.lux is right for you to use as well. The goal is to reduce light intensity (lower brightness) and lower Blue light if possible. Blue light is a specific trigger to our eyes and body to inhibit (slow/prevent) the release of melatonin - aka, blue light is a "do not sleep yet" signal.
I've been using this one for a while, it vibrates the mattress: https://smile.amazon.com/Sonic-Alert-SBB500SS-Extra-Loud-Flashing/dp/B000OOWZUK/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=vibrating%2Balarm&qid=1622149129&sr=8-8&th=1
There was a study at the Oregon Science and Health University where they phase-shifted delayed sleep phase people using 0.1 mg melatonin 6 hours before sleep onset. So you have to get, like, liquid melatonin because it doesn't come in such tiny doses commercially, and take like a drop six hours before you would normally go to bed.
You should also wear blue-blocking glasses at night and/or stay away from computers and tablets and other blue light sources.
And then if you don't have a bright light, can you get outside immediately after waking? You can just sit there for a while if you don't wake up easily. Eating breakfast and exercising in the morning can also help you phase shift, though not as dramatically as bright light and blue blockers and melatonin.
Finally there are some cheap lights on Amazon now that claim to give 10000 lux. I'm a little skeptical but maybe? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DCRFVBM/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B08DCRFVBM&pd_rd_w=xSUIB&pf_rd_p=085568d9-3b13-4ac1-8ae4-24a26c00cb0c&pd_rd_wg=8Wde9&pf_rd_r=6WFSTGXKFJ2KSWZXF43G&pd_rd_r=cdfd7a78-28d0-47b2-968c-0c040f229c2e&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzNlBSN1lYSDlSWjBVJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzIwOTkyM1JYWFVUTUZQR0tXQiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjAwNzk3MjlZWDVVVFFTT0JLRyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2RldGFpbCZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
For the tracking: assuming you have some sort of smart phone, there's apps that help. I use "sleepmeter for android" for years and love it, but obviously there's similar offerings on iOs. It allows you to tap a widget (which is it's own app) when you go to bed or get up, and it then let's you edit details, like how long it took you to fall asleep. Details like sleep quality, dreams and tags (home, hotel, phone rang, rain, ...) can also be entered and of course defined for your needs. The app can then also export to csv (for excel import), or can directly show all sorts of statistics/graphs. All heaps better than on paper though, surely.
If you don't mind wearing that, basically any smart watch can track your sleep, too. This is fully automated, but you may or may not be able to correct any entries that happen to be wrong, export options I'd check before buying. The quality of this tracking obviously varies, but even cheap fitness bands are apparently kinda ok at it. I personally use a pebble 2 hr, but they aren't made anymore and require "special technical attention" to work properly, but sleep tracking for me at least is excellent. I manually transfer sleep entries to the app mentioned above.
What about something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Enabled-Amazon-Google-Assistant/dp/B01NBI0A6R/ref=sr_1_3?s=lamps-light&ie=UTF8&qid=1514615008&sr=1-3&keywords=wemo+smart+plug
You can schedule it to come on at a specific time.
Here is an objective way to assess whether sitting outside on a cloudy day is still effective for you:
Finally, if you want to get systematic and weather-independent light exposure of at least 500 lux, I recommend trying light therapy glasses such as Luminette. This is different from a light box because it's optimized (blue light) to elicit maximum circadian phase response, and also because it's always optimally positioned so you are guaranteed to get at least 500 lux by just wearing the glasses (which is not the case with light boxes - try to use the lux meter apps on smartphones, you'll see how the distance impacts the lux you get - BTW I tested measuring the Luminette v3 and it indeed provides 500 lux up to 1500 lux at the eyes level depending on the intensity setting you choose).
It sounds like you're already trying to do work that fits to your sleep, this is one of the best adaptations you can make. However, that's not your question.
You could try what my neurologist prescribed me to do:
Take melatonin 1hr before desired fall asleep time. Your body needs an adjustment period, so adjust the sleep/wake times by 30mins every week (at most) until reaching the desired times to stick with. Do NOT take naps under any circumstance (it's rewarding your body for bad behavior!). Make sure you do not have caffine (soda, tea, coffee, energy drinks) within 4 hours of your desired sleep time.
Other tips:
Reduce blue light with https://justgetflux.com/ on your computer. My cellphone has a built-in blue light filter but I think there are apps for it as well.
I find taking melatonin pills is not reliable to fall asleep and will not make me groggy. It will, however, help me stay asleep when I fall asleep earlier than typical. I must still put myself at calm & into bed at a reasonable time. If I take melatonin and stay active, I will completely negate the desired benefit.
Any day you miss on your desired sleep schedule will set you back (and with DSPD it is basically a full reset). So be ready to push yourself to get to the schedule you want and follow it everyday, period.
Could you make 2am-11am work? There is a theory that we sleep our best in sets of 3-hours. In this theory, resting for 9 hours is more attuned to your sleep rhythm than 8 hours, in terms of stages of sleep. I don't know much to it but I actually try to follow this one because I swear it's helped.
And remember, this isn't just how you go to bed, this is about how you wake up too. Build routines on both ends of the sleep period to encourage yourself to sleep at the desired time & reward yourself when you're waking up on time.
Here's the biggest thing to DSPD: regular, restful sleep at "unusual" times. What you have described needs backed up with consistency if you're concerned about DSPD. I don't want to blow this off, but your age is a factor and it's normal for teenagers to have adjusted sleep patterns.
Start tracking daily things about when you go to bed, when you fall asleep (to the best of your knowledge), what time you wake up without alarms or assitance, and if you're waking up and going back to sleep (disruptions) for when and how long you were awakened for.
Also consider what times you're consuming caffine; soda, coffee, tea, etc. If you're having caffine within 2hrs of your desired bed time could also be a factor no matter how much you feel it isn't. Your body can be subtle that way and I know as a teenager I loved soda in place of, well, any other drink. So that was a bad habit combined with sleep challenges.
Like to be on your phone or computer until you feel tired? Consider https://justgetflux.com/ as a program that you can calibrate to gradually reduce blue-light which is known to disrupt natural melatonin production (the process that helps you fall asleep).
In hindsight, I did develop DSPD as a teenager. It also did not impact my grades, it only made me miserable through my first class or two of the mornings, but homework after school I was more awake so I could keep up with my study.
have a sunrise alarm clock and it's fantastic. it also has a gradually dimming night option, which I also love! it's this one: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07GXWDXBD but I got it through Costco where it was quite a bit cheaper
I am a graduating US MD student with severe DSPD.
I did this my first year of med school and then got a vibrating alarm that's fucking loud also. It did the trick: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OOWZUK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
I tell people with DSPD that they must be tough. You have to set an amount of time in bed and if you don't sleep during that time, you get up anyway. Give yourself a 9 hour window to sleep and nothing more. You can't sleep in on the weekends more than an hour or two past your regular bedtime. Your bedroom, while it should be dark during the night, should also have open windows that light it up when the sun it up. You could also get a programmable happy lamp to hit your face or mimic a sunrise. You can also use 5 mg melatonin 2-3 hours before your bedtime to help regulate your sleep cycle. Exercise will also help tremendously. You may also see your doctor about prescription sleep medicines if the behavioral stuff doesn't work. Minimize alcohol.
I do all this + prescription sleep med and have changed from 6AM to 2 PM sleep schedule to 12AM-7AM (8-9AM on weekends). I still can never sleep before 12, but my life is effectively changed.
For light shifting, just get F.lux, here (it's free!) . This is not as weird to get used to as it sounds. I love having it on my computer and even with the "fast change" setting, I often fail to realize when it kicks in and I strongly feel it has helped me wind down at night more reliably. This functions like the blue-light blocking glasses, but has your computer screen adjust to reduce the blue intensity.
Also consider, if you have a proof of diagnosis, arranging with your employer to have later shifts - assuming you're not in love or must have such an early shift. In the United States, DSPD can get clasified as a disability because it impares our ability to sleep and sleep is a major life function.
A big key is being nice about it and asking to work with the schedule to make it possible, not demanding the accomidation without some give and take.
I was advised that adjusting a sleep schedule is done in 30min intervals. I think I was told to be moving by 30min every 2 weeks, I don't know how good that advice would be, it came from my physician instead of my sleep specialist. I have not tried this method personally.
Do you take naps? If you do, try to cut those out any days that you can. Naps "reward" your body to keeping on sleep schedules you don't want to be on.
Consider Flux, you can get it here https://justgetflux.com/ - this may help reduce the negative effects electronics have on natural sleep triggers. I find it remarkably comfortable if I'm in a dark room with my computer and Flux enabled (automatic mode), that I can get groggy at better times. It doesn't mean I always fall asleep sooner, but it means I feel that I want to be sleeping and am more comfortable when I lie down to try sleeping.
For white noise generation, the Noice opensource Android app is awesome, check it out (and it's free!). I configure it to include pink noise and brown noise and some natural sound such as raindrops and this works perfectly well to mask out external noises, good alternative or complement to earplugs.
Any blue light filtering app will be good. You'll find lots available for any OS.
On Windows 10 you can use the default one that is included with the OS, it works great. I also use LightBulb on top to be even more reddish.
I also recommend to use a brightness dimmer such as Dimmer v2 on Windows, to dim the screen brightness down even further than what is allowed by the screen when you use the hotkey.
This alarm has a shaker that you put under your mattress (or under your pillow if you want to be shaken super hard). I'd recommend putting it far away enough from your bed that you have to stand up to turn it off.
The glasses i most often use nowadays have a 30% VLT, so they filter out 70% of light: https://www.amazon.com/FreeMascot-190nm-550nm-Wavelength-Treatment-Protection/dp/B07M92ND2L
But in practice that is not sufficient to completely eliminate the effect of sunlight. You likely want a VLT of 5%, which I used in the past. But it's rare to find such glasses, especially red tinted.
To know if the glasses are doing their job, your pupils should remain dilated, ie, accommodated to darkness. If they contract, then the glasses aren't (sufficiently) dimming light.
Yeah ... i wouldn't use that dose of melatonin. It's just not good. Go on amazon or whatever they have in your country. I have this stuff, taking half the dose so two droppers.
https://www.amazon.com/Natrol-Melatonin-Liquid-Tincture-Fluid/dp/B07DW9LJG3
Mornings is not waking up at 12 pm... If you're waking up at 12pm of course you're going to be up at 2 AM. Surprised you're not going to bed later actually.
I find it very odd that your dad is focusing so much at you going to bed at 2 but ignoring the fact that you're waking up so late, but it seems like on certain days you have a sleep deficit. You really need to be waking up at a consistent time and structure your days around that, the low dose melatonin will help with that.
Here's one, just as an example. There are much cheaper ones out there! https://www.amazon.com/Aurora-Lightpad-Brightest-Seasonal-Depression/dp/B00ZQ30YOS
You don't have to stare at it, but you have to face it, be a certain distance away from it, and use it for ~30 minutes or longer every day.
There are also wearable versions, like the Luminette. I much prefer those as you can just go about your day as you normally would while wearing it.
Unfortunately using it too long before your natural wake time can make matters worse by further delaying your sleep cycle (make you naturally fall asleep and wake up later than you do already).
If you naturally wake up at 2pm, ideally you would use it at 2pm or, if you can get up earlier, 1pm or so -- not when you drag yourself out of bed for school in the morning. But I imagine that would be difficult to manage on school days.
Many teens experience a circadian shift around your age and later grow out of it. That's why it might be hard to get a diagnosis. They can't really do anything for you with a diagnosis, though. All of the interventions that exist are things you can try on your own. This is what people are talking about when they talk about light therapy.
This is the exact brand I have. Not trying to be a salesman. It's ok for me, it's not a big deal, it's there, it's small, whatever. I have an app that plays white noise sounds too (nature, rain, etc). I only use these things sometimes.
I bought mine for $20.
https://www.amazon.com/Pure-Enrichment-Machine-Therapy-Built/dp/B07LBZ7789
Funny, a lot of users said the blue light annoys them lol. But using the blue light is optional. Interesting what you said regarding light color.
Regarding exercise, I used to be in sports as long as I could remember, USED TO BE, lol; BACK THEN I STILL HAD dspd. I started walking and jogging again. Morning is best for me because afternoons are too hot, and dark outside is too dangerous.
Thanks so much.
Do you find that style of ear bud better than this?
I use those with some success.
That sleep mask looks great. Thanks. Word on the herbs too. I’ve used kava but I’ll investigate the rest.
Why not just wear blue blockers? Uvex Skypers absorb 98% of blue light and you can get them for <$10 on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Uvex-Blocking-Computer-SCT-Orange-S1933X/dp/B000USRG90
I've been wearing them at night for about a year. I'm still nocturnal, but I believe the 98% claim, they definitely reduce eye strain (transcriptionist + student = LOTS of computer use), and they're comfortable enough to wear for long periods of time.
I ordered mine from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Simulation-Headspace-Subscription-HF3520/dp/B0093162RM - it's a little awkward to set up, but once I got mine programmed it's been easy to use. It's unfortunately not the cheapest thing ever but it's fairly worth it IMO.
For the research thing, I feel like it might have been connected with dim-light melatonin onset (DLMO) but I'm not sure. If I can find a link, I'll post it.
And you're welcome! We DSPDers gotta stick together.
​
not sure if that's what you're talking about. but I've been using that for years and I feel like it doesn't really do anything (maybe I'm not using it for long enough)... although as u/lrq3000 said above - i tested it with that app and it does say it's 1100 lux.
I think the title of the book I recommended is causing confusion.
Yes, there is a procedure called chronotherapy (staying up later and going around the clock), and I also don’t recommend it, partly because it’s hard on the body, partly because it never “sticks “ for long, and partly because it’s associated with at least one person developing non-24 sleep disorder.
However, that technique isn’t the topic of the book I suggested. The book called Chronotherapy was written by a chronobiologist about the larger issue of human body clocks — in all people, not just in people with delayed sleep phase. His recommendation for DSPS, based on research (he runs the Center for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms at Columbia University), is micro dosed melatonin six hours before bedtime, combined with blue blockers at night and bright light in the morning.
(About melatonin in particular, the book says that that lots of people use melatonin in 3 mg doses at bedtime as a sleeping pill when research shows that for DSPS tiny— like 0.1 mg —doses taken way before bedtime are more effective in shifting the body clock. His lab tried to produce a time release micro melatonin tablet but I think that never came to pass; when I’ve taken melatonin I just bought it in a liquid form and only took a tiny drop.)
The book also covers the basics for people learning about their sleep-wake systems, in addition to information about other circadian-linked phenomena like seasonal affective disorder, and I still recommend it for OP, although there may be newer books which are also helpful. (I also see that the second edition of the book is called “Reset Your Inner Clock”; if I ever recommend it here again I’ll recommend it under that name, haha.)
https://www.amazon.com/Chronotherapy-Resetting-Inner-Alertness-Quality/dp/1583334726
https://www.amazon.com/Reset-Your-Inner-Clock-Drug-Free/dp/158333534X
Maybe try /r/AskDocs for the burning stomach and tongue numbness.
As for the DSPD, the melatonin I’ve been taking is <$4 on Amazon right now. I shoot for taking half a tablet about 8pm, and getting some light as soon as possible in the morning. That’s worked pretty well for the last few years, though it’d work better if I worked harder at taking it on time.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GG2I9O/
But I agree about not pushing your body, and getting as much restful sleep as possible if you can, esp with the other issues going on.
I doubt they'd be a treatment, or something you could rely on for a long period of time. I also doubt they'd work for everyone for DSPD (or any disorder). Personally, I couldn't fall asleep with headphones on, or I'd get a pressure sore.
But that being said, I have two apps I like for binaural beats that I use sometimes for headaches. Honestly I'm not sure it helps pain much, but the white noise can be nice if I'm sound-sensitive.
myNoise
Binaural Beats Generator
I was recommended these glasses from my sleep clinic:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005IPPBNI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Nice and cheap. I was told to wear them when the sunsets. Apparently one of her patients using these alone was able to push her sleep forward 2 hours.
Thank you very much for the reply.
I just have a few more questions:
When do you recommend taking the melatonin? 10pm every night? Are these https://www.amazon.ca/Puritans-Pride-Strength-Capsules-Melatonin/dp/B00K8K937I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546919639&sr=8-1&keywords=rapid+release+melatonin good? And what should the dosage be?
If I can't go to sleep or if I felt I haven't gotten enough sleep, should I still get up at the set wake up time?
I'm almost 100% sure my DSPD was caused from too many late nights and irregular sleeping schedules.
I tried going to a sleep doctor, but all they did was diagnose me with sleep apnea. When I mentioned DSPD, they just brushed it off and told me to slowly wind my bedtime back without any tips. I've been referred to a second sleep doctor who will hopefully take my concerns seriously.
There is an older textbook that has a chapter on the genetics of DSPD: https://www.amazon.com/Genetic-Basis-Sleep-Disorders/dp/1107041252
My local university had a copy, so I read through it last year. Essentially, there were 4+ different genetic loci that were suspected in DSPD, with researchers across the world suspecting different genes. Nothing conclusive, quite the opposite.
The chapter on ADSP (Advanced Sleep Phase DIsorder), on the other hand, had a well-accepted mechanistic explanation of the gene that causes ASPD. That's what people are looking for: a genetic mutation that causes a change in the biomolecular machinery of the cell that results in the perceived effects of the disorder.
The latest research on the CRY1 mutation in DSPD provides that mechanistic explanation for DSPD. We don't know much more than that right now, but now that the groundwork has been laid, there will hopefully be more progress in this area in the future.
Sorry if my tone came across as irritated, I'm dealing with a gallstone right now. :)
You can try a sleeping mask, it is a lot cheaper than curtains and works probably better, it is less comfortable, but not very uncomfortable in my opinion. If you buy a sleeping maks, make sure you get a 3d model, and not a flat one, so there is room for your eyes and your eyelids don't touch the fabric, these will be much more comfortable. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Mask-Bedtime-Bliss-Comfortable/dp/B00FJQFJX8/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1537308233&sr=8-4&keywords=sleep%2Bmask&dpID=41v5DMWuoZL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch&th=1
I don't have these myself, so I don't know if this one is comfortable.
Loud alarm clocks with bed-shakers;
https://www.newtrendinsight.com/best-loud-alarm-clocks/
Also, you might be able to find one somewhere like a Pilot Travel Center/gas station that caters to truckers.