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THURSDAY, Aug. 21, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Researchers at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago are starting two studies to determine the cause of delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS), a disorder that affects several million Americans.
People afflicted with DSPS can't fall asleep until several hours after their preferred bedtime. They have difficulty waking up in the morning to begin normal activities. DSPS is a disorder of the circadian rhythm, indicating it's caused by a malfunction within the body's internal 24-hour clock.
While people with DSPS can sleep normally once they fall asleep, the delay in achieving sleep means they are often late for jobs or school in the morning or may be too sleepy during the day to be productive.
The first study will measure amounts of the hormone melatonin found in the saliva of people with DSPS. Melatonin is activated at night. The study will also measure their daily light exposure and sleep-wake patterns. The study will include 10 people between the ages of 18 and 30.
In the second study, volunteers will stay in the Rush Sleep Disorders Center for six consecutive days and evenings. The researchers will closely monitor the volunteers' sleep activity, mental performance during wakefulness and functioning of the body clock system.
The researchers' aim is to lay the foundation to determine what factors -- behavioral, psychological, sociological -- influence the cause of DSPS.
"DSPS could be a social phenomenon because teens or young adults may see changes in their sleep patterns due to changes in school, homework or extra-curricular activities. It could also be a psychological phenomenon with more going on later in the night or it could be a biological phenomenon or any combination of the three," study author Dr. James K. Wyatt says in a news release.
More information
Here's where you can learn more about sleep disorders.
