A Night Owl’s Guide to Staying Up All Night

Why You Can’t Sleep

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Crescent Moon

Source: Crescent Moons | Penelope Peru Photography P³

Although sleep disorders are ravaging the lives of millions across the globe, they aren’t always the reason behind your restlessness.

While your sleep may be impacted by your day to day schedule, what you put into your body also plays a role in regulating your cycle.

Caffeine – Caught Coffee Handed

According to Villanova University, caffeine is by far the most popular drug in America, with 90% of adults consuming it one way or another. Whether it’s through coffee, tea, soda, or chocolate, Americans are staying caffeinated.

Caffeine is a stimulant. Unlike cocaine, amphetamines, and other traditional stimulants, which block or reverse the effects of dopamine transporters, caffeine acts by blocking our adenosine receptors, according to a book published by the National Academies Press. Caffeine also promotes the release of glutamate and wake-active histamines, as reported in the American Journal of Physiology.

This doesn’t mean you should blame that cup of joe you had at sun rise as you mindlessly scroll through your phone nearly 20 hours after consuming it.

However, Harvard reports the average American drinks about 3 cups of coffee a day. It may be worth skipping your second or third cup at lunch to see if it leads to any improvements in your sleep habits.

Lifestyle

The very way that you chose to live your life could also lead to a few sleepless nights.

Western societies are incredibly monochronic. Time is viewed as linear and we are held to schedules, deadlines, etc… Our lives are dominated by due dates and directed by clocks.

Both school and work may rob you of rest. Between early morning classes, night-shift work, studying, homework, homelife, and attempting to budget in a social life, the average adult in today’s day and age spends their lives scrambling to master this world-class balancing act.

Naturally, this can lead to a lot of stress, which only perpetuates the cycle of sleep deprivation. You may find your nights filled with a whole lot of tossing, turning, and ruminating over your To-Do lists piling up.

On the flip side, taking too many naps throughout the day will throw off your circadian rhythm.

Your Body’s Clock May Naturally be Off

In some cases, your body’s clock may naturally be off. This could be classified as a Circadian Rhythm Disorder.

There are multiple Circadian Rhythm Disorders including:

• Advanced Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder (ASP): a sleep pattern that may be classified as an “early bird” circadian clock. These individuals tend to fall asleep between the hours of 6 and 9 P.M. and wake between 2 and 5 A.M.
• Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder (DSP): a sleep pattern that is delayed by at least two hours. Although sleep is generally normal, the individual tends to prefer going to bed later at night and waking later in the day.
• Irregular Sleep-Wake Rhythm Disorder: sleep that is so disorganized, it doesn’t appear to follow a clear pattern. These individuals tend to get their sleep fragmented in a series of naps throughout a 24 hour period.
• Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Rhythm Disorder: a pattern of sleep that shifts a little every day. While individuals may appear on schedule one night, these shifts eventually lead to major disruptions in their cycle.

In the case of a Circadian Rhythm Disorder your body may be tuned for sleeping at times outside of what society considers “normal”. Those with ASP would be classified as “early risers” (or “reverse nightowls”, as I often call myself), whereas those with DSP would be your “late risers” or your “night owls”.