Home Topics Types Of Sleep DisordersAsps

Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome (ASPS)

Advanced sleep phase syndrome is a sleep disorder in which people generally fall asleep and awake in the morning earlier than normal. Symptoms of ASPS include:

awakening spontaneously at an earlier time than desired
being unable to stay staying awake until desired bedtime
falling asleep as early as 6 p.m. and no later than 9 p.m.
waking up as early as 1 a.m. and no later than 5 a.m.

While ASPS patients usually have no problems performing their typical daytime activities, such as working or going to school, they are unable to remain awake for evening activities.

ASPS is not life threatening and does not affect the health of the sufferer. Difficulties with this condition are mainly social, as the rest of the world functions on a different clock.

Causes of ASPS

Advanced sleep phase syndrome is caused by a problem with the body's circadian rhythms, internal clocks that regulate many natural functions, including sleep-wake patterns. While ASPS is not fully understood, experts believe that the pineal gland and melatonin secretion play a role in making these patients more sensitive to light. In theory, as soon as the sun goes down, ASPS patients naturally produce more melatonin, causing them to get sleepy. Alternately, as soon as the early morning has some light, people with ASPS will start to wake up.

Research has proven that ASPS can run in some families. In these cases, the condition is called familial advanced sleep phase syndrome. While researchers have found evidence that a genetic mutation is linked to this condition, they continue to investigate the precise causes of ASPS.

Risk Factors of ASPS

Anyone can develop advanced sleep phase syndrome if he is genetically prone to it. Those more likely to have this condition include elderly people and those with a family history of ASPS.

Diagnosing Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome

To diagnose ASPS, your doctor will need more than just a list of classic symptoms. Problems with circadian timing can have many underlying causes. Your doctor will probably want to perform some tests to rule out other conditions that may be causing your sleep problems. Depending on your particular symptoms, diagnostic tests for ASPS may include:

blood chemistry tests
blood gases tests
blood pressure screening
CT scan or MRI
drug screening
pulmonary function tests
sleep studies
urinalysis
venous pressure and circulation time testing.

Most patients are also asked to keep a sleep diary for two weeks. Sleep diaries are journals in which you note various aspects of your sleeping behavior. Some things to include in your sleep diary can be:

the time you awake each morning
the time you go to bed each night
the time you start feeling sleepy each night
what you eat and/or drink before you go to bed
when you exercise.

Your doctor will inform you about which details are more or less important to include in your sleep diary for ASPS.

Treating ASPS with Light

Many people with advanced sleep phase syndrome respond well to light treatments. This involves exposing the patient to bright light for two hours in the evening. In general, your home lighting is likely not bright enough for these treatments. Instead, light treatments require that you sit near special lights that are five times more intense than home lighting. Exposure to this bright light in the evening helps the body to understand that it is not yet bedtime.

While light treatments can help people with ASPS stay awake at night, they don't help them sleep longer in the mornings. Unfortunately, when the sun begins to rise, ASPS patients will awaken, regardless of how late they went to bed. However, keeping the room dark in the morning can be very effective in helping people to sleep later. If you have problems sleeping in the morning, try using blackout shades or sleep masks to shut out any light that may be waking you up.

Other Treatments for ASPS

In addition to light therapy, you can try some other treatments known to relieve the symptoms of advanced sleep phase syndrome. These include:

exercise
chronotherapy (systematic delay of bedtime)
improved sleep hygiene
medication such as melatonin
vitamin B12.

Resources

About, Inc. (2008). Advanced or Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome. Retrieved January 18, 2008, from the About.com Web site: http://sleepdisorders.about.com/library/bldsps.htm.

The Cleveland Clinic (2008). Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome and Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome. Retrieved January 18, 2008, from the Cleveland Clinic Web site: http://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/health-info/docs/3700/3714.asp?index=12116.

Toh, KL et al. Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah (2001). An hPer2 phosphorylation site mutation in familial advanced sleep phase syndrome. Retrieved January 18, 2008, from the Pubmed.gov Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11232563.

Weistling, Stephen (2001). Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome. Retrieved January 18, 2008, from the Talk About Sleep Web site: http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/sleep-disorders/archives/parasomnias_apss.htm.

Wrongdiagnosis.com (2007). Diagnostic Tests for Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome. Retrieved January 18, 2008, from the Wrongdiagnosis.com Web site: http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/a/
advanced_sleep_phase_syndrome/tests.htm.

Other Topics in this Section

Add a Comment

Print this Article

Email to a Friend