Hypernyctohemeral Syndrome after Chronotherapy for Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome

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Abstract
Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) is a disorder of the timing of sleep caused by an abnormally delayed circadian clock and manifested by a persistent inability to fall asleep until late in the night and great difficulty in arising until late in the morning.1 An ideal treatment would allow patients with DSPS to advance their sleep period enough so that they could sleep during normal hours. Unfortunately, patients with the syndrome cannot readily do this. Some, however, can successfully reset and normalize their biologic clocks by delaying their sleep time further through a process called chronotherapy. This treatment consists of progressively staying up later each night until the sleep period makes a circuit around the clock and reaches the desired nocturnal interval. A combination of exposure to bright light in the morning and avoidance of bright light in the evening has also been reported to advance circadian rhythms and to be an effective treatment for DSPS.2

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