DSPS: Genetically Inherited?

by Krishna
(California)

As far back as I can remember, and even further back than that (according to my mother), I have had what seems to be DSPS. As a toddler and small child, my parents would put me to bed and I'd lie there for hours without falling asleep. I used to try to get my older sister to talk to me during those times but, since she "wouldn't" answer, I assumed we'd get in trouble for talking after bedtime. I thought it was a strange routine (going to bed well before sleepiness had set in, lying there in quiet darkness) but as a kid, who was I to argue with it?

It was years before I discovered that my sister had never answered me because, like a normal person, she was asleep. When grammar school began, my mother knew that I was terribly difficult to wake in the mornings but thought I was being unruly, not sleep deprived. It wasn't until I was about 10 years old and talked with my dad that I began to figure out that my sleep pattern wasn't normal.

He had been this way his whole life (a night owl, sleepy in the morning, hard to wake before noon). He declared that I must have gotten it from him. In my adulthood, my behaviors have certainly contributed to the issue, I enjoy the energy I have at night and find myself most productive after 11pm. In fact, the only time in my life I have felt rested and alert regularly was during a 2-year stint when I worked a grave shift job with a 9pm-7am schedule. It was like I had finally found out what it was like for all those "morning people".

I'm curious to know if this is only a "disorder" or if this can be an inherited issue. I'd like to "fix" it but, to be perfectly honest, if it weren't for the expectations of the rest of the world, I'd love this schedule.

---

Kevin: Hey Krishna, thanks a bunch for sharing your experiences and insight here. It's really interesting to get your childhood self's perspective on your delayed sleep phase. What, you mean this isn't normal??

I don't know too much myself whether circadian disorders have genetic components. I'd imagine they would, although I don't know whether or not anyone has found specific evidence for it. I'll turn this one over to our global Internet audience while I search for any answers I can find. Does anyone know anything more on this?

And I can relate to your enjoyment of the delayed phase despite it being outside the social norm. If it's what keeps you functioning optimally, hey, sometimes you shouldn't have to conform to the world. I'd imagine many a genius breakthrough was made in the wee hours of the night by someone working alertly due to a delayed sleep phase. Having one is certainly not inherently bad. It's the schedule that turns it into a menacing sleep deprivation feeder.

All the best to you,
Kevin