I should have seen that coming.

Hi, /u/gone_internal! You are correct - "springing forward" is particularly challenging and involves the loss of one hour of sleep. This is associated with an increased risk of motor vehicle collisions, heart attacks, strokes, mood disorders, and even substance use and suicide. The duration varies with each effect, though there is some evidence that we struggle to adapt to some of the effects even months after this change.

From having previously lived in Mpls, I appreciate that this can be even more challenging in the winter and I would encourage you to continue working with your team towards improving your mental health and your sleep! There is a bidirectional relationship between mental health and sleep and it can be difficult to know which came first if things have been ongoing for years.

Hi, /u/mixreality! Adding to /u/SomnumBene, improving sleep typically relies on exploring the underlying cause(s)...and there are many different causes!

A thorough assessment is routinely the first step in uncovering factors that may be affecting sleep negatively. Like any other problem in life, it can be challenging to solve a problem without understanding its cause! Specific to sleep studies, these may be one helpful investigation if a doctor strongly suspects certain, specific conditions.

Hi, /u/Slommyhouse! Adding to /u/MedPedsChief, the impact is different for everyone and additionally varies by duration, intensity, and frequency of exposure. For example, someone engaged in more stimulating content on their phone in the evening may have more difficulty than someone who only checks their email at noon to look for BestBuy coupons.

> Will you ever give up on standard time?

You can find my (personal) tl;dr here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Hi, /u/BBTB2! Your friend certainly has an interesting sleep pattern! Our ability to carry out higher (executive) functions is impaired by lack of sleep. The longer we are awake, the bigger our “balloon of sleepiness” gets. At a certain point, the balloon overcomes our drive to remain awake…and we sleep.

In broad strokes, it appears that being awake for 17 hours is similar to having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05%; at 24 hours, it’s similar to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10%. Depending on your location, drivers who are intoxicated with alcohol are considered legally impaired anywhere from 0.05%-0.08%. Please do share this with your friend.

Sincerely,

/u/SnoozeMD’s friend

Hi, /u/ITinMN. What you describe sounds exhausting! There are many factors that impact people’s ability to fall and stay asleep and mental health conditions - like the ones you mentioned - are very closely linked to disordered sleep. In fact, they’re so closely linked that negatively-impacted sleep is part of the diagnostic criteria for both conditions!

It also sounds like you have tried many different options and still have hope of finding what works for you. It may be worthwhile to reach out to your family doctor, psychiatrist, or sleep physician and work with them to identify what symptom is causing the greatest impairment and working on improving that as the first step.

Hi /u/Starfinger10, it depends on what you consider “bad.” For some people, starting out the day with immediate immersion into social media (sorry, Reddit mods!) progresses to affect their activity during the day - and subsequently, their ability to sleep and the quality of that sleep at night. Everyone is different.

What we do know is that bright light exposure in the morning - preferably from the great outdoors (even if it’s just walking from the parking lot into work or school!) - can help keep your body’s clock on track.

Adding to /u/MedPedsChief/, what you’re describing is something we think of as “social jetlag.” It’s similar to when you fly across multiple time zones and haven’t quite adapted to the local one; given some time and effort with shifting to your new local time zone, your body’s internal clock can sync up. However, with social jetlag, it’s like your body is flying to another timezone and it can be exhausting.

Ultimately, how people choose to reconcile the discrepancy between their internal clock and the one on the wall (mindful of work and social obligations) is a personal choice. If needed, your doctor may be a helpful resource.

Hi, /u/AfroLatinaChiefin! The availability and cost of medications available for treating narcolepsy with cataplexy vary by country severity of symptoms. Narcolepsy is a condition that can be quite distressing and challenging to live with. However, the degree of improvement each person experiences from different medications is unique.

Nowadays, in the US, there are a few medications related to sodium oxybate (Xyrem) that are available and that remains the mainstay of treatment for people who may need more than other medications can provide. One medication - unrelated to Xyrem - that is sometimes used to treat milder forms of cataplexy is a medication called venlafaxine (Effexor); it is commonly used to treat depression and anxiety and can have an activating effect. Overall, the decision about treatment (medication and non-medication) is one that would best be made together with your sleep physician.

Hi, /u/Ok-Feedback5604! Just adding on to Dr. Strang’s response, eating a meal shortly before bed can make some people feel a bit uncomfortable or even experience reflux (an uncomfortable sensation in the stomach or chest related to acid leaking out of the stomach and into the esophagus), affecting their sleep.