Advanced sleep phase syndrome, or ASPS, causes patients to fall asleep abnormally early and awake before they intended. Patients with this condition effectively have a sleep schedule slightly offset from everyone around them. This condition affects both men and women, especially the elderly. There are some treatment options available if the disorder becomes a problem for the patient.
Patients with this condition start to get very tired very early, and may have trouble staying awake. They might not be able to work late shifts, care for family members, or drive safely because of their extreme fatigue. When they sleep, they may experience a normal, restful sleep cycle, but because they go to sleep so early, they wake up abnormally early in the morning. Some patients interpret the early rising as insomnia, because they had planned to sleep longer.
This pattern must persist for a minimum of three months for a doctor to correctly diagnose advanced sleep phase syndrome. The patient may attempt to manage the condition at home with tactics like trying to stay awake, taking sleeping pills, or lying in bed in the mornings. These activities may create other sleep problems, as they could disrupt the patient’s sleeping habits. Stress about advanced sleep phase syndrome might, for example, lead to insomnia during the night, which can cause daytime fatigue.
In a patient evaluation, a doctor may ask about sleeping habits, sources of stress, and other health issues. Advanced sleep phase syndrome can be associated with stresses like major life changes or pressure at work. Resolving stress may help address the sleep problem, and could help with other health problems as well. For example, a patient with reduced appetite due to stress might start feeling better and begin eating a more balanced diet.
Older adults are more at risk of developing advanced sleep phase syndrome. Even among older patients, it is a relatively rare sleep disorder. One treatment option is bright light therapy to offset the patient’s circadian rhythms. By keeping the light on into the evening hours, the patient can start to stay awake longer, which will allow for a more normal night’s sleep. If the light therapy is disruptive for family members, it may be necessary to sleep in a different room or convert an isolated area of the house to use during light therapy sessions.
