By Mariam Nihal

Saudi Gazette

If you're one that struggles to get a good night's sleep and battles it out every night, you are not alone.

Sometimes it's difficult to form a routine and you are left wondering how everyone else does it. Other times you just can't sleep at all, well until it's too late.

This in turn becomes a problem because your whole day gets affected. People with delayed sleep phase have a natural inclination to go to bed later and hence wake up later than usual.

Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS) is a sleep disorder where a person’s circadian rhythm or day cycle is delayed from the typical cycle and is in fact the most prevalent of all such disorders.

When the disorder clashes with daily routines, that requires waking up early and carrying out tasks as per usual, the disorder could lead to sleep deprivation, stress, anxiety, mood swings and other issues. Delayed sleep phase is responsible for 10% of all chronic insomnia cases.

Nearly 50% of all reported subjects with DSP also suffer with depression.

The best way to deal with it is the gradual scaling back of sleeping times, until they achieve the desired timeframe.