DNS Sleep Disorder or Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder

There are many different types of sleep disorders out there, but you may not realize that there is a sleep disorder which occurs in up to 10% of teenagers and it’s called Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder, or DNS. This is a sleep condition which many teenagers outgrow by the time they grow into young adults, but during the time that they suffer from this condition, it can be frustrating to deal with. Many times, when a teen suffers from this condition, it is mistaken for insomnia, when in fact the person can sleep.

When teenagers with DNS – Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder are left to their own devices, they will often stay up until the very early morning and sleep very late into the day. Many people will call these not quite adults “night owls”, but the truth is that they don’t become tired until that time. The true matter may be that they are suffering from a delay in their sleep cycle which is due to all the other developing they are doing at this time.

Many times, when kids who suffer from this sleep disorder are forced to get up early for school, they have a very difficult time. Even when they are awake, they are groggy and tired for most of the day. In fact, many of these kids go to bed at a very normal time, but instead of falling asleep like children without this condition, one who suffers from this sleep disorder will toss and turn for most of the night and not get much rest at all. This is part of the reason that people mistake this condition for insomnia. The difference is that with teenagers who have DNS, there is no trouble falling or staying asleep; as long as it is when their sleep cycle dictates it’s time to fall asleep.

Treatments for this type of sleep disorder include bright light, prescribed sleep medication and melatonin, which will help to reset the body’s sleep cycle in many people. In fact, melatonin has proven to be very successful in treating this condition and is a natural drug free treatment option. Treatments such as Bright Light treatment uses light to “trick” the brain into getting its schedule back to normal. The other common treatment, chronotherapy takes about a week to complete because each day the bed time is pushed back by about three hours.

For instance, for a person with the DNS sleep disorder might go to bed around 3:00 am. If they want to fall asleep around 11, the sleep time will be pushed to 6:00 am. The next night, it is pushed to 9:00 am and so forth for a week until the desired bed time is reached. It is best if you choose to undergo this therapy during the summer or a school break, as it can require a week from daily activities. This has been shown to be an effective way to reset the natural sleep rhythm and treat this sleep disorder. If you think you might be having this problem, or your child may be suffering from this condition, then you should seek medical attention and treatment so that sleep patterns, and normal life can resume.