Circadian Clock (body clock issues)

[luthien]

So I've always had issues with being tired all day every day since a teenager. Family, friends and doctors have always just said I need to sleep more but it's different to that sort of thing. I have a normal working life and even now I notice I am really tired during the day.

I've been making a note of my feelings / tiredness levels and natural sleeping pattern when on holiday / weekend. I find I naturally want to fall asleep between 1 to 2am, and if left to sleep, I will sleep through / resfully until about 10 - 11am. I've gone with that must be my natural circadian clock. However this differs to the usual working day, so I end up trying to go to sleep about 11pm and getting up when my alarm goes off at 7am, realistically I've only slept properly from about 2am to 7am in that case.

Anyone else noticed this issue and how much of an impact it has on your mood / life outlook? I'm so much more positive / friendly / aproachable when I've slept in time with my normal body clock.

No one seems to understand what I mean when I'm trying to explain it, people just think I like to go to bed late / sleep in, like I'm lazy and it really gets me down. How do you cope?

[Hidden]

I understand it completely. I have the opposite of you, my sleep onset is early evening at 6:30 pm. If I bypass my sleep window my sleep is severely compromised.

Maybe look up Delayed Phase Sleep Disorder. Sounds inline with what you describe.

[luthien in reply to Hidden]

That sounds like me, will have to look into it more.

Glad you get what I mean, and thanks for the help

[Orangeblossom85]

Any chance to move your work schedule to later hours? 12-8 would be just perfect

[luthien in reply to Orangeblossom85]

I would very much like to however I find I actually work better in the morning, weird I know. And I like my evenings, plus my hubby works normal hours / sleeps normal hours so he's often trying to stay awake until I fall asleep which I know isn't right but he doesn't like me being "bored" and on my own.

I have sports I like to do around 6pm as part of a group so I'd need to have a normal work pattern

It's crazy isn't it, how our lives revolve around work.

[Orangeblossom85 in reply to luthien]

Would be just amazing if you could do a part time. But I know... money always make a huge difference.

[luthien in reply to Orangeblossom85]

I'm looking at changing my contract once my probationary period is up so that may help.

I currently work 37.5 hours a week, I'll ask if I can reduce it to 30 hours, which means I could do 4 days, spend one day doing my own self employed little bits and pieces which means I can control when I wake up. It'll mean playing catch up but it could be good. Would also mean I'm more productive when I am in work. Or the other option is to work from home, we already do flexible working, so work from home one day a week which means I could get up a bit later and finish a bit later. Or I could take the 30 hour week but perhaps have two half days off rather than one whole day off - maybe work afternoons for two days, and full days for the other three

I also have endometriosis so that as it's own stuff which also compounds my tiredness.

[Orangeblossom85 in reply to luthien]

Sure it does! Hormones change everything in our bodies

[hypercat54]

Hi my body clock is the same as yours ,but now thankfully I am retired and can indulge it. I always had problems waking up for my 9-5 job like you. I found what helped most was grabbing up to 1 hours kip around 6-7. I would then go to bed around 11.30 or 12 and I slept just as well or better.

Another thing you can do is get extra sleep at weekends. x

[luthien in reply to hypercat54]

Glad someone has exactly the same problem!

I do sleep lots during the weekend, but it always feels like catch up rather than planning and preparation I end up having a nap on sundays about 4pm to 6pm, so that we can still have an evening before the working week.

After 5 days of 7am starts I get to Friday evening and my body / brain crashes at about 10pm sounds great but it means I'll wake up about 3am as my body thinks it's napped and 3am is my actual bed time lol! But yeah weekend's I love my extra sleep even if it's broken, I still feel more rested.

It's worse when you have a family whom are all early birds so just don't get it.

[hypercat54 in reply to luthien]

Tell them you are normal and they aren't 😁 x

[NFLSTAR08]

I feel the same way. Always have. I've Been treated the same also. People think I'm lazy. I'm late for work a lot. I've been let go from multiple jobs for this issue of being late and tired. I've started going to bed at 9 pm and hopefully by 1030 or 11 I am ready for sleep. It helps sometimes but it's hard to do. I feel like I'm living my life so I can just go to work. Also have sleep apnea and since starting CPAP I'm able to sleep throughout the night more often. It's a horrible feeling that you can't get rest. Good luck to you.