Posted by Kathleen6674 on November 11, 2001, at 20:00:59
In reply to Circadian rythms and mood fluctuations, posted by Delphine on November 11, 2001, at 17:55:55
I have EXACTLY the same sleep pattern - it seems rather intractable at this point, with me.
I've been taking Ambien on the nights I before I need to get up early (i.e., the same time as most people - in the morning rather than the afternoon). Still, no matter how much sleep I've gotten the night before, I'm horribly down and sluggish in the morning, and I often don't resist the temptation to stay in bed.
It could be a number of things: my circardian rhythms could just be off - delayed sleep phase syndrome (my biological clock is inherently "shifted"); my depression could be the melancholic type, or I could be lazy.
Personally, I prefer the first two explanations, and given the repeated attempts to change my cycle, I'm pretty convinced it's hard-wired, and hence always going to be a struggle to make my schedule like everyone else's.
I'm not even sure that it's ONLY characteristic of melancholic depression - in my therapy group, I'd say a majority of the people have this kind of sleeping pattern if they don't consciously do something to alter it; it's pretty characteristic of bipolars as well as melancholics. Also, general lethargy is pretty much a hallmark trait of depressives, so I imagine that even if were biologically a morning person, I probably still would lie around most of the day.
What to do about it? That is the question. Other than the sleeping pill thing (which sucks because, like you, I feel like taking a sleeping pill in the evening is just shutting myself down at precisely the time I feel my best and most productive), I'm not sure what can be done.
poster:Kathleen6674
thread:83918
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011104/msgs/83933.html