6-7 hours on average. My actual sleep schedule rhythm has always been terrible though. I have DSPD.
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at January 24, 2017 9:10 PM MST
I am familiar with that, I think. Something about not being able to wake up and being sleepy all the next day. Yes? I think I came about that term when I was still trying to fix my problem. That must be difficult for you! You know, a long time ago, when I was in the Army, we had a couple of guys that just couldn't get up in time. At one point, just to keep myself out of trouble, I'd go personally and wake them up in the morning for formation. I used to think they were just lazy. This was before I knew anything about this. I wonder now if they were suffering from the disorder. Thanks Glis. I had not thought about the possibility of this until just now.
Kinda, basically it means your natural circadian rhythm is reversed from what most people's are. Your body and brain wants to release melatonin during the day and serotonin at night. So your body wants to sleep and gets the best quality of sleep during the daytime hours and feel more energized at night. I find I will often catch second winds in the early evening, or if fall asleep early after a particularly exhausting day, wake up around 11 and have no ability to go back to sleep. If I get a week were I am not tiring the hell out of myself during the day, I will go right back to sleeping 8am to 4-5ish and feel great when I wake up. If I don't exhaust myself during the day I will catch one those second dinner time winds, stay up all night with no drive or ability to sleep, and then feel sleepy at 5-9ish am and go right back to that daytime sleep schedule. Been that way since childhood too. I wouldn't say I suffer because of it, but handling it is easier once you are diagnosed and understand what's going on. Life is perfect if you find an overnight job. I read up on it years ago out of curiosity that some researchers hypothesis that it's a residual evolutionary trait from our tribal early days. Groups that had a small number of individuals who passed on the trait had an advantage over groups that didn't because while the majority of the groups were sleeping so they could hunt and gather during the day, were left protected by those who had a nocturnal bio-clock while those groups who didn't were left with little defense from predation and hostility while they all slept. So tribal groups with people who had it would be more prosperous over ones that didn't. In turn spreading the genes responsible. Groups who a dominate majority of individuals with it, would likewise be disadvantaged by not being able to hunt and gather at the most advantaged time to do so. So it evolved as a minority trait in our species. It's hypothetical conjecture but still an interesting theory as to why some people's genetics favor it. They have found some genetic predispositions to it. Yet research is somewhat thin on it because most people learn to adapt and learn how to live with it and don't experience much distress over it. Especially compared to other neurological disorders and anomalies. In fact many in the medical field and science communities are questioning if it should be classified as a true disorder or just an anomaly because most don't experience suffering or distress because of it directly.
That seems to be a feasible explanation. Good thing you have found a way to handle your problem. I stopped fighting it a long and many pills ago. Now I take a twenty minutes nap here or there and sleep when I can. Or when im able. I used to do constructive things during my staying up hours, but then I discovered Answer Mug. :(
Benedict Arnold 