Delayed sleep phase syndrome is a disorder in which a person’s sleep is delayed by 2 or more hours beyond the socially acceptable or conventional bedtime. This delay in falling asleep causes difficulty in waking up at the desired time.
As an example, rather than falling asleep at 10:00 pm and waking at 6:30 am, an adolescent with DSPS will fall asleep well after midnight and have great difficulty getting up in time for school.
Most children and adolescents with DSPS describe themselves as "night owls" and say they function best or are most alert during the evening or night hours.
