My best sleep happens.....

[jy13131]

So my deepest and most satisfying sleep happens from 5am-10:30am. The problem is that I have to get up for work at 7am. It has become increasingly difficult to rouse myself from that deep slumber. Is there any way to adjust my own circadian rhythm? Is this typical for our population? The general population?

[rthom]

hey jy

Mine is in the same timeframe and for years i've tried following the dr's orders and reset by keeping the time to bed the same nightlya nd eating properly etc. This is supposed to work but I frustrate the dr's because it just doesn't for me. The dr has finally decided i should sleep when i can and try to do the best i can to sleep nights or at least on a schedule. So from my experience it seems it may not work well for us, don't know but it seems from reading others comments that it is quite possible it just doesn't work for us. Hope this is not the case for you. Good luck with it.

[ViewsAskew]

Yes, this is typical.

No, there is no way to adjust it that is meaningful, as I understand it. It's part of the disease.

[Chipmunk]

I am the same way - I think my body is finally able to get into a deep, restful sleep for the first time all night, although for me it is more like 7 am to 11 am. I quit my job last year because I couldn't continue on such poor sleep. Now I still have to get up with my daughter but she sleeps until about 8:00, which is light years better than when I had to get up at 6 am.

My sleep doctor said this was typical of RLS patients because the RLS/WED ebbs and flows with the circadian rhythm and substantially lessens for most people at around 6 am.

My current career trajectory is Ph.D student and professor, which means I can largely set my own work hours (with the exception of classes and meetings). I really can't see being able to work normal hours ever again, unless it was second shift. Of course I would do it, if circumstances dictated that I get a full-time day job, but for me it would be just an existence and not a life, if you know what I mean. The purpose of my life would change (back) to surviving, not thriving.

[rthom]

Amen and good for you Tracy

[badnights]

I also cannot work normal hours. I thought I could, after about a year of being on adequate medication. I thought it was just a matter of moving my body's circadian day. I couldn't move it back so I moved it forward. I did that twice, not in a row, cycled right through later and later bedtimes til I finally was going to bed at a normal time, and within 2 days it was all messed up again. I just couldn't fall asleep and that was that.

I have tried numerous times since then to get up at a normal hour day after day and go to work and work all day; and I can't. I last 3 days. I fail. It scares me. I want to leave this job because I don't thrive under my current bosses, but who would have me?

[rthom]

Wow, that is a horrible situation to be in Beth.
I often wonder why we put so much pressure on ourselves to conform to societies concept of normalcy. I get it generally--but in this case it is so obvious that it is just not going to work. And yet we try and try and try....till we are so beat down mentally and exhausted physically that we can no longer function with any quality of life. Yet deep down every one of us knows deep down whether or not it will work--we know ourselves, why can't it just be ok to be us and fit in this world without the added stress we place on ourselves to try to fit the mold. I'm not saying not to try but rather not to beat ourselves senseless doing it.
Beth you are obviously a good person who works hard so why shouldn't you be valued in this world the same as anyone else--just because you need a different schedule shouldn't matter.
I get scared to--scared of being useless. of the long nights. stress my WED causes my family monetarily as well as emotionally etc.
Maybe we should start a thread that is for people to post ideas for employment ideas--doesn't matter if it seems useful to ourselves just things other rls sufferers might be able to use. Help us to help each other to better our lives financially and socially. What do you think? Like maybe proofreaders--wouldn't be good for me but might be great for you.
If I had a thriving business I would have you in a minute.

[ViewsAskew]

I also cannot work normal hours. I thought I could, after about a year of being on adequate medication. I thought it was just a matter of moving my body's circadian day. I couldn't move it back so I moved it forward. I did that twice, not in a row, cycled right through later and later bedtimes til I finally was going to bed at a normal time, and within 2 days it was all messed up again. I just couldn't fall asleep and that was that.

I have tried numerous times since then to get up at a normal hour day after day and go to work and work all day; and I can't. I last 3 days. I fail. It scares me. I want to leave this job because I don't thrive under my current bosses, but who would have me?

I totally understand this!

If I didn't have my own business, I'd be in deep trouble. Even with my own business, I struggle with early morning meetings. I usually say, "Sorry, that's not available, how about 2 PM?" But, sometimes I have to do the early meetings. I volunteer quite a bit in professional societies; I lie to all my colleagues and tell them I'm not available for morning meetings because I reserve that for my clients.

As Randy asked, why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to be normal....

Well, a few years ago, I "came out" to some close colleagues, explaining what was really going on. With the exception of one, they all stopped working with me or they still didn't get it. I decided it was better to pretend to be "normal" and make up other lies to cover.

[Polar Bear]

As Randy asked, why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to be normal....

This thought actually crossed my mind on Tuesday night when I was at my GP surgery.
My back had been really painful for 3 weeks and none of the usual pain relief meds were helping.
it was an evening surgery and my appt was for 8.45pm.

As I was waiting my legs started to play up and I did all the usual rotating my ankles etc. etc. but it just got too much and I had to get to my feet.
So there's me, on my feet, moving about a bit ''' and holding my back by way of stretching out the lumbar area''''. !!!!
My point being that I just had to move and felt it was more acceptable to have an obvious sore back than to be walking about and stretching and jigging like someone who was 'disturbed'. I don't feel good about myself for having covered up like this, I normally am quite outspoken about what the problem is. Then I realised that on this occasion I was on my own. Didn't have the support of having others with me who knew that I am quite a normal person.