Are You a Night Owl? You Could Have Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome

If you had full control over your sleep — no job, kids, school, or other responsibilities dictating your sleep schedule — what would be your ideal bed and wake-up times?

For most people, the answers to these questions are about the same. That’s because the internal body clock — or circadian rhythm — has you naturally programmed to go to bed about 3 hours after sunset and wake up 7 to 9 hours later. 

That is, unless you’re a night owl. 

In your case, your ideal bedtime might be closer to a couple of hours after midnight. And if you had it your way, early morning wake-ups would be outlawed. 

In fact, there’s a medical term for being a night owl: delayed sleep phase syndrome, or delayed sleep-wake phase syndrome. While there’s nothing wrong with being a night owl, your sleep habits can get in the way of your everyday life. If you think you could have delayed sleep phase syndrome, here’s what you should know about optimizing your sleep. 

What causes delayed sleep phase syndrome?

Delayed sleep phase syndrome is caused by a natural shift in circadian rhythm. Here’s how that shift happens in your lifetime:

• Infancy: You develop your circadian rhythm when you’re an infant and your body sticks to the same pattern until puberty.

• Puberty: When you hit puberty, your circadian rhythm shifts. Your brain starts releasing the sleep hormone melatonin later in the evening. This shifts your sleep schedule up about 2 hours. So you naturally start staying up later and waking up later as a teen and adult. 

• Older age: As you get older, your circadian rhythm shifts again and you naturally start going to sleep earlier again.

People with delayed sleep phase syndrome follow these patterns too. It’s just that their natural sleep and wake times are pushed back by a few hours. Their night owl tendencies may not be obvious in childhood. But by the time they hit their teen years or adulthood, the difference is very clear. 

So, for this group of people, delayed sleep phase syndrome is just their normal. And studies show that most of the time they live with a family of night owls too. 

People who work late or overnight shifts can also develop delayed sleep phase syndrome, even if they’re not naturally night owls. For this group, the changes can be more difficult because they’re fighting their natural sleep-wake cycle. 

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Others who can develop sleep-wake disorders are those who fail to stick to their sleep schedule, also known as revenge bedtime procrastination.

What are the symptoms of delayed sleep phase syndrome?

Symptoms of delayed sleep phase syndrome include: 

• Trouble falling asleep and waking up at times required for work or school

• Good sleep quality and normal sleep duration when allowed to choose their own sleep schedule

In order to be diagnosed, these symptoms have to be present most days of the week for at least 3 months. Also, people can’t have another explanation for these symptoms, like another sleep disorder or medical condition.

In short, people with delayed sleep phase syndrome can’t naturally get to bed or wake up when they’re supposed to. But if allowed to follow their own sleep schedule, they sleep just fine. 

This is how you can tell delayed sleep phase syndrome apart from other sleep conditions like insomnia. People with insomnia have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. And they have poor sleep quality almost all the time. 

People with delayed sleep phase syndrome might have trouble falling asleep at a “normal” bedtime. But they have no trouble staying asleep or getting good-quality sleep when left to their own schedule.

How do you treat delayed sleep phase syndrome?

For most people, delayed sleep phase syndrome is just a part of who they are. But it can still turn their lives upside down. The reality is that the rest of the world mostly runs on the same schedule, and night owls have to adjust. School and work schedules just aren’t built around a night owl timeline.

This can be especially tough for teens who are learning to navigate their new normal and have limited or no control over their schedules. 

Almost two-thirds of teens and one-third of adults don’t get enough sleep. The risk of not getting enough sleep can go up if you have delayed sleep phase syndrome. This is because you’re waking up earlier than is natural while still going to bed late. Over time, lack of sleep can seriously affect your health and emotional well-being.

So, if you’re a night owl, you need to actively work on your sleep schedule. This is important to make sure you get enough sleep and to take care of your health. Here are three steps you can take to adjust your circadian rhythm.

1. Stick to a sleep schedule

This may sound simple, but it’s not. If you have delayed sleep phase syndrome, you need to stick to a regular bedtime and wake-up time. You shouldn’t shift your sleep all at once, though. You want to shift your sleep by 15 minutes every few days until you get to your desired bedtime and wake-up time. Make sure to set alarms in the morning and don’t hit the snooze button. 

Once you’ve hit your desired sleep and wake-up time, stick to your schedule no matter what. 

If you fall into your usual night-owl routine for weekends, holidays, and vacations, your body will shift back to its natural rhythm. And all that work you did will be lost.

2. Get the right light exposure

Exposure to light in the morning can help reset the body clock: 

• If you can, sleep with your curtains open to allow natural light into your bedroom with the sunrise. 

• If you can’t leave the curtains open overnight, make sure to open them first thing in the morning. 

• You can also eat breakfast near a window or go for a walk after you wake up to get extra sunlight. 

You should also avoid blue light in electronic devices for at least 2 hours before bedtime, which can decrease your melatonin levels. If you read on your device to fall asleep, set it to night mode, which reduces blue light emissions. 

3. Try melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone that shifts your body into nighttime mode and gets you ready for sleep. People with delayed sleep phase syndrome have a natural delay in their body’s melatonin release. Taking a melatonin supplement can replace this natural release and help you fall asleep earlier. You should take a dose about 4 to 6 hours before your desired bedtime.

Melatonin is available over the counter. The right dose of melatonin depends on your age and medical history. Melatonin can interact with other medications and cause side effects. 

If you’re not sure whether it’s right for you, talk to a healthcare provider about the risks and benefits of taking melatonin for delayed sleep phase syndrome. 

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Written by:

Brian Clista, MD

Dr. Clista is a board-certified pediatrician who works in private practice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He previously served as a National Health Service Corporation Scholar in the inner city of Pittsburgh for 11 years.

Edited by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

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