Review Article| Volume 11, ISSUE 3, P389-401, September 2016

Diagnosis, Cause, and Treatment Approaches for Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder

  • Author Footnotes
    1 These authors equally contributed to the article.
    Michelle Magee
    Correspondence
    Corresponding author. Be Active Sleep and Eat (BASE) Facility, Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Ground Level, 264 Ferntree Gully Road, Notting Hill, Victoria 3168, Australia.
    Footnotes
    1 These authors equally contributed to the article.
    Affiliations
    Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, BASE Facility, Ground Level 264 Ferntree Gully Road, Notting Hill, Victoria 3168, Australia

    Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
    Search for articles by this author
  • Author Footnotes
    1 These authors equally contributed to the article.
    Emily M. Marbas
    Footnotes
    1 These authors equally contributed to the article.
    Affiliations
    Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory, Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, 1725 Pleasant Street, Clare Small 114, Boulder, CO 80309-0354, USA
    Search for articles by this author
  • Kenneth P. Wright Jr.
    Affiliations
    Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory, Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, 1725 Pleasant Street, Clare Small 114, Boulder, CO 80309-0354, USA
    Search for articles by this author
  • Shantha M.W. Rajaratnam
    Affiliations
    Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, BASE Facility, Ground Level 264 Ferntree Gully Road, Notting Hill, Victoria 3168, Australia

    Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia

    Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Departments of Medicine and Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA

    Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
    Search for articles by this author
  • Josiane L. Broussard
    Affiliations
    Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory, Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, 1725 Pleasant Street, Clare Small 114, Boulder, CO 80309-0354, USA
    Search for articles by this author
  • Author Footnotes
    1 These authors equally contributed to the article.

      Keywords

      To read this article in full you will need to make a payment

      Purchase one-time access:

      Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online access
      One-time access price info
      • For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
      • For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'

      Subscribe:

      Subscribe to Sleep Medicine Clinics
      Already a print subscriber? Claim online access
      Already an online subscriber? Sign in
      Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect

      References

        • Markwald R.R.
        • Melanson E.L.
        • Smith M.R.
        • et al.
        Impact of insufficient sleep on total daily energy expenditure, food intake, and weight gain.
        Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013; 110: 5695-5700
        • Wright K.P.
        • Hull J.T.
        • Czeisler C.A.
        Relationship between alertness, performance, and body temperature in humans.
        Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2002; 283: R1370-R1377
        • Wright Jr., K.P.
        • Hull J.T.
        • Hughes R.J.
        • et al.
        Sleep and wakefulness out of phase with internal biological time impairs learning in humans.
        J Cogn Neurosci. 2006; 18: 508-521
        • McHill A.W.
        • Melanson E.L.
        • Higgins J.
        • et al.
        Impact of circadian misalignment on energy metabolism during simulated nightshift work.
        Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014; 111: 17302-17307
        • Morris C.J.
        • Yang J.N.
        • Garcia J.I.
        • et al.
        Endogenous circadian system and circadian misalignment impact glucose tolerance via separate mechanisms in humans.
        Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015; 112: E2225-E2234
        • Scheer F.A.
        • Hilton M.F.
        • Mantzoros C.S.
        • et al.
        Adverse metabolic and cardiovascular consequences of circadian misalignment.
        Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009; 106: 4453-4458
        • Buxton O.M.
        • Cain S.W.
        • O'Connor S.P.
        • et al.
        Adverse metabolic consequences in humans of prolonged sleep restriction combined with circadian disruption.
        Sci Transl Med. 2012; 4: 129ra143
        • The International Classification of Sleep Disorders
        Diagnostic and coding manual.
        3rd edition. American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Westchester (IL)2014
      1. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5th edition. American Psychiatric Association, Arlington (VA)2013
        • Reid K.J.
        • Jaksa A.A.
        • Eisengart J.B.
        • et al.
        Systematic evaluation of Axis-I DSM diagnoses in delayed sleep phase disorder and evening-type circadian preference.
        Sleep Med. 2012; 13: 1171-1177
        • Weitzman E.D.
        • Czeisler C.A.
        • Coleman R.M.
        • et al.
        Delayed sleep phase syndrome. A chronobiological disorder with sleep-onset insomnia.
        Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1981; 38: 737-746
        • Paine S.J.
        • Fink J.
        • Gander P.H.
        • et al.
        Identifying advanced and delayed sleep phase disorders in the general population: a national survey of New Zealand adults.
        Chronobiol Int. 2014; 31: 627-636
        • Schrader H.
        • Bovim G.
        • Sand T.
        The prevalence of delayed and advanced sleep phase syndromes.
        J Sleep Res. 1993; 2: 51-55
        • Saxvig I.W.
        • Pallesen S.
        • Wilhelmsen-Langeland A.
        • et al.
        Prevalence and correlates of delayed sleep phase in high school students.
        Sleep Med. 2012; 13: 193-199
        • Thorpy M.J.
        • Korman E.
        • Spielman A.J.
        • et al.
        Delayed sleep phase syndrome in adolescents.
        J Adolesc Health Care. 1988; 9: 22-27
        • Sivertsen B.
        • Pallesen S.
        • Stormark K.M.
        • et al.
        Delayed sleep phase syndrome in adolescents: prevalence and correlates in a large population based study.
        BMC Public Health. 2013; 13: 1163
        • Roenneberg T.
        • Kuehnle T.
        • Pramstaller P.P.
        • et al.
        A marker for the end of adolescence.
        Curr Biol. 2004; 14: R1038-R1039
        • Micic G.
        • Lovato N.
        • Gradisar M.
        • et al.
        The etiology of delayed sleep phase disorder.
        Sleep Med Rev. 2016; 27: 29-38
        • Rahman S.A.
        • Kayumov L.
        • Tchmoutina E.A.
        • et al.
        Clinical efficacy of dim light melatonin onset testing in diagnosing delayed sleep phase syndrome.
        Sleep Med. 2009; 10: 549-555
        • Crowley S.J.
        • Acebo C.
        • Carskadon M.A.
        Sleep, circadian rhythms, and delayed phase in adolescence.
        Sleep Med. 2007; 8: 602-612
        • Carskadon M.A.
        Patterns of sleep and sleepiness in adolescents.
        Pediatrician. 1990; 17: 5-12
        • Roenneberg T.
        • Wirz-Justice A.
        • Merrow M.
        Life between clocks: daily temporal patterns of human chronotypes.
        J Biol Rhythms. 2003; 18: 80-90
        • Watanabe T.
        • Kajimura N.
        • Kato M.
        • et al.
        Sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances in patients with delayed sleep phase syndrome.
        Sleep. 2003; 26: 657-661
        • Lack L.C.
        • Wright H.R.
        • Bootzin R.R.
        Delayed sleep-phase disorder.
        Sleep Med Clin. 2009; 4: 229-239
        • Sadeh A.
        The role and validity of actigraphy in sleep medicine: an update.
        Sleep Med Rev. 2011; 15: 259-267
        • Horne J.A.
        • Ostberg O.
        A self-assessment questionnaire to determine morningness-eveningness in human circadian rhythms.
        Int J Chronobiol. 1976; 4: 97-110
        • Liu X.
        • Uchiyama M.
        • Shibui K.
        • et al.
        Diurnal preference, sleep habits, circadian sleep propensity and melatonin rhythm in healthy human subjects.
        Neurosci Lett. 2000; 280: 199-202
        • Duffy J.F.
        • Rimmer D.W.
        • Czeisler C.A.
        Association of intrinsic circadian period with morningness-eveningness, usual wake time, and circadian phase.
        Behav Neurosci. 2001; 115: 895-899
        • Lewy A.J.
        • Sack R.L.
        The dim light melatonin onset as a marker for orcadian phase position.
        Chronobiol Int. 1989; 6: 93-102
        • Arendt J.
        Melatonin and human rhythms.
        Chronobiol Int. 2006; 23: 21-37
        • Keijzer H.
        • Smits M.G.
        • Duffy J.F.
        • et al.
        Why the dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) should be measured before treatment of patients with circadian rhythm sleep disorders.
        Sleep Med Rev. 2014; 18: 333-339
        • Oren D.A.
        • Turner E.H.
        • Wehr T.A.
        Abnormal circadian rhythms of plasma melatonin and body temperature in the delayed sleep phase syndrome.
        J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1995; 58: 379
        • Ozaki S.
        • Uchiyama M.
        • Shirakawa S.
        • et al.
        Prolonged interval from body temperature nadir to sleep offset in patients with delayed sleep phase syndrome.
        Sleep. 1996; 19: 36-40
        • Shibui K.
        • Uchiyama M.
        • Okawa M.
        Melatonin rhythms in delayed sleep phase syndrome.
        J Biol Rhythms. 1999; 14: 72-76
        • Regestein Q.R.
        • Monk T.H.
        Delayed sleep phase syndrome: a review of its clinical aspects.
        Am J Psychiatry. 1995; 152: 602-608
        • Schwartz W.J.
        • Busis N.A.
        • Hedley-Whyte E.T.
        A discrete lesion of ventral hypothalamus and optic chiasm that disturbed the daily temperature rhythm.
        J Neurol. 1986; 233: 1-4
        • Eastman C.I.
        • Mistlberger R.E.
        • Rechtschaffen A.
        Suprachiasmatic nuclei lesions eliminate circadian temperature and sleep rhythms in the rat.
        Physiol Behav. 1984; 32: 357-368
        • Cohen R.A.
        • Albers H.E.
        Disruption of human circadian and cognitive regulation following a discrete hypothalamic lesion: a case study.
        Neurology. 1991; 41: 726-729
        • Czeisler C.A.
        • Duffy J.F.
        • Shanahan T.L.
        • et al.
        Stability, precision, and near-24-hour period of the human circadian pacemaker.
        Science. 1999; 284: 2177-2181
        • Duffy J.F.
        • Cain S.W.
        • Chang A.M.
        • et al.
        Sex difference in the near-24-hour intrinsic period of the human circadian timing system.
        Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011; 108: 15602-15608
        • Lazar A.S.
        • Santhi N.
        • Hasan S.
        • et al.
        Circadian period and the timing of melatonin onset in men and women: predictors of sleep during the weekend and in the laboratory.
        J Sleep Res. 2013; 22: 155-159
        • Czeisler C.A.
        • Richardson G.S.
        • Coleman R.M.
        • et al.
        Chronotherapy: resetting the circadian clocks of patients with delayed sleep phase insomnia.
        Sleep. 1981; 4: 1-21
        • Hasan S.
        • Santhi N.
        • Lazar A.S.
        • et al.
        Assessment of circadian rhythms in humans: comparison of real-time fibroblast reporter imaging with plasma melatonin.
        FASEB J. 2012; 26: 2414-2423
        • Micic G.
        • de Bruyn A.
        • Lovato N.
        • et al.
        The endogenous circadian temperature period length (tau) in delayed sleep phase disorder compared to good sleepers.
        J Sleep Res. 2013; 22: 617-624
        • Minors D.S.
        • Waterhouse J.M.
        • Wirz-Justice A.
        A human phase-response curve to light.
        Neurosci Lett. 1991; 133: 36-40
        • Ozaki N.
        • Iwata T.
        • Itoh A.
        • et al.
        Body temperature monitoring in subjects with delayed sleep phase syndrome.
        Neuropsychobiology. 1988; 20: 174-177
        • Uchiyama M.
        • Okawa M.
        • Shibui K.
        • et al.
        Altered phase relation between sleep timing and core body temperature rhythm in delayed sleep phase syndrome and non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome in humans.
        Neurosci Lett. 2000; 294: 101-104
        • Micic G.
        • Lovato N.
        • Gradisar M.
        • et al.
        Nocturnal melatonin profiles in patients with delayed sleep-wake phase disorder and control sleepers.
        J Biol Rhythms. 2015; 30: 437-448
        • Chang A.M.
        • Reid K.J.
        • Gourineni R.
        • et al.
        Sleep timing and circadian phase in delayed sleep phase syndrome.
        J Biol Rhythms. 2009; 24: 313-321
        • Dijk D.J.
        • Visscher C.A.
        • Bloem G.M.
        • et al.
        Reduction of human sleep duration after bright light exposure in the morning.
        Neurosci Lett. 1987; 73: 181-186
        • Rosenthal N.E.
        • Joseph-Vanderpool J.R.
        • Levendosky A.A.
        • et al.
        Phase-shifting effects of bright morning light as treatment for delayed sleep phase syndrome.
        Sleep. 1990; 13: 354-361
        • Dagan Y.
        • Eisenstein M.
        Circadian rhythm sleep disorders: toward a more precise definition and diagnosis.
        Chronobiol Int. 1999; 16: 213-222
        • Aoki H.
        • Ozeki Y.
        • Yamada N.
        Hypersensitivity of melatonin suppression in response to light in patients with delayed sleep phase syndrome.
        Chronobiol Int. 2001; 18: 263-271
      2. Cain SW, Stanghi J, McConchie O, et al. Hyper-sensitivity of the circadian system to light in Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder. Paper presented at: Society for Research on Biological Rhythms. Montana, June 14–18, 2013.

        • Campbell I.G.
        • Feinberg I.
        Longitudinal trajectories of non-rapid eye movement delta and theta EEG as indicators of adolescent brain maturation.
        Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009; 106: 5177-5180
        • Uchiyama M.
        • Okawa M.
        • Shibui K.
        • et al.
        Poor recovery sleep after sleep deprivation in delayed sleep phase syndrome.
        Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1999; 53: 195-197
        • Uchiyama M.
        • Okawa M.
        • Shibui K.
        • et al.
        Poor compensatory function for sleep loss as a pathogenic factor in patients with delayed sleep phase syndrome.
        Sleep. 2000; 23: 553-558
        • Watanabe T.
        • Kato M.
        • Sekimoto M.
        • et al.
        Polysomnography and body temperature changes by phototherapy in a delayed sleep phase syndrome case.
        Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1998; 52: 255-256
        • Saxvig I.W.
        • Wilhelmsen-Langeland A.
        • Pallesen S.
        • et al.
        Objective measures of sleep and dim light melatonin onset in adolescents and young adults with delayed sleep phase disorder compared to healthy controls.
        J Sleep Res. 2013; 22: 365-372
        • Sack R.L.
        • Auckley D.
        • Auger R.R.
        • et al.
        Circadian rhythm sleep disorders: part II, advanced sleep phase disorder, delayed sleep phase disorder, free-running disorder, and irregular sleep-wake rhythm. An American Academy of Sleep Medicine review.
        Sleep. 2007; 30: 1484-1501
        • Cain N.
        • Gradisar M.
        Electronic media use and sleep in school-aged children and adolescents: a review.
        Sleep Med. 2010; 11: 735-742
        • Chellappa S.L.
        • Steiner R.
        • Blattner P.
        • et al.
        Non-visual effects of light on melatonin, alertness and cognitive performance: can blue-enriched light keep us alert?.
        PLoS One. 2011; 6: e16429
        • Chang A.M.
        • Aeschbach D.
        • Duffy J.F.
        • et al.
        Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness.
        Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015; 112: 1232-1237
        • Franken P.
        • Dijk D.J.
        Circadian clock genes and sleep homeostasis.
        Eur J Neurosci. 2009; 29: 1820-1829
        • Shiromani P.J.
        • Xu M.
        • Winston E.M.
        • et al.
        Sleep rhythmicity and homeostasis in mice with targeted disruption of mPeriod genes.
        Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2004; 287: R47-R57
        • King D.P.
        • Takahashi J.S.
        Molecular genetics of circadian rhythms in mammals.
        Annu Rev Neurosci. 2000; 23: 713-742
        • Takahashi J.S.
        Molecular neurobiology and genetics of circadian rhythms in mammals.
        Annu Rev Neurosci. 1995; 18: 531-553
        • Archer S.N.
        • Carpen J.D.
        • Gibson M.
        • et al.
        Polymorphism in the PER3 promoter associates with diurnal preference and delayed sleep phase disorder.
        Sleep. 2010; 33: 695-701
        • Archer S.N.
        • Robilliard D.L.
        • Skene D.J.
        • et al.
        A length polymorphism in the circadian clock gene Per3 is linked to delayed sleep phase syndrome and extreme diurnal preference.
        Sleep. 2003; 26: 413-415
        • Hohjoh H.
        • Takasu M.
        • Shishikura K.
        • et al.
        Significant association of the arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AA-NAT) gene with delayed sleep phase syndrome.
        Neurogenetics. 2003; 4: 151-153
        • Hohjoh H.
        • Takahashi Y.
        • Hatta Y.
        • et al.
        Possible association of human leucocyte antigen DR1 with delayed sleep phase syndrome.
        Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1999; 53: 527-529
        • Carpen J.D.
        • von Schantz M.
        • Smits M.
        • et al.
        A silent polymorphism in the PER1 gene associates with extreme diurnal preference in humans.
        J Hum Genet. 2006; 51: 1122-1125
        • Carpen J.D.
        • Archer S.N.
        • Skene D.J.
        • et al.
        A single-nucleotide polymorphism in the 5'-untranslated region of the hPER2 gene is associated with diurnal preference.
        J Sleep Res. 2005; 14: 293-297
        • Auger R.R.
        • Burgess H.J.
        • Emens J.S.
        • et al.
        Clinical practice guideline for the treatment of intrinsic circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders: advanced sleep-wake phase disorder (ASWPD), delayed sleep-wake phase disorder (DSWPD), non-24-hour sleep-wake rhythm disorder (N24SWD), and irregular sleep-wake rhythm disorder (ISWRD). An update for 2015: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline.
        J Clin Sleep Med. 2015; 11: 1199-1236
        • Sharkey K.M.
        • Carskadon M.A.
        • Figueiro M.G.
        • et al.
        Effects of an advanced sleep schedule and morning short wavelength light exposure on circadian phase in young adults with late sleep schedules.
        Sleep Med. 2011; 12: 685-692
        • Morgenthaler T.I.
        • Lee-Chiong T.
        • Alessi C.
        • et al.
        Practice parameters for the clinical evaluation and treatment of circadian rhythm sleep disorders. An American Academy of Sleep Medicine report.
        Sleep. 2007; 30: 1445-1459
        • Wyatt J.K.
        Circadian rhythm sleep disorders.
        Pediatr Clin North Am. 2011; 58: 621
        • Oren D.A.
        • Wehr T.A.
        Hypernyctohemeral syndrome after chronotherapy for delayed sleep phase syndrome.
        N Engl J Med. 1992; 327: 1762
        • Wirz-Justice A.
        • Armstrong S.M.
        Melatonin: nature's soporific?.
        J Sleep Res. 1996; 5: 137-141
        • Burgess H.J.
        • Revell V.L.
        • Molina T.A.
        • et al.
        Human phase response curves to three days of daily melatonin: 0.5 mg versus 3.0 mg.
        J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010; 95: 3325-3331
        • van Geijlswijk I.M.
        • Korzilius H.P.
        • Smits M.G.
        The use of exogenous melatonin in delayed sleep phase disorder: a meta-analysis.
        Sleep. 2010; 33: 1605-1614
        • Mundey K.
        • Benloucif S.
        • Harsanyi K.
        • et al.
        Phase-dependent treatment of delayed sleep phase syndrome with melatonin.
        Sleep. 2005; 28: 1271-1278
        • Suhner A.
        • Schlagenhauf P.
        • Johnson R.
        • et al.
        Comparative study to determine the optimal melatonin dosage form for the alleviation of jet lag.
        Chronobiol Int. 1998; 15: 655-666
        • Lockley S.W.
        • Dressman M.A.
        • Licamele L.
        • et al.
        Tasimelteon for non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder in totally blind people (SET and RESET): two multicentre, randomised, double-masked, placebo-controlled phase 3 trials.
        Lancet. 2015; 386: 1754-1764
        • Dodson E.R.
        • Zee P.C.
        Therapeutics for circadian rhythm sleep disorders.
        Sleep Med Clin. 2010; 5: 701-715
        • Wilhelmsen-Langeland A.
        • Saxvig I.W.
        • Pallesen S.
        • et al.
        A randomized controlled trial with bright light and melatonin for the treatment of delayed sleep phase disorder: effects on subjective and objective sleepiness and cognitive function.
        J Biol Rhythms. 2013; 28: 306-321
        • Lack L.
        • Bramwell T.
        • Wright H.
        • et al.
        Morning blue light can advance the melatonin rhythm in mild delayed sleep phase syndrome.
        Sleep Biol Rhythms. 2007; 5: 78-80
        • Czeisler C.A.
        • Kronauer R.E.
        • Allan J.S.
        • et al.
        Bright light induction of strong (type 0) resetting of the human circadian pacemaker.
        Science. 1989; 244: 1328-1333
        • Khalsa S.B.
        • Jewett M.E.
        • Cajochen C.
        • et al.
        A phase response curve to single bright light pulses in human subjects.
        J Physiol. 2003; 549: 945-952
        • St Hilaire M.A.
        • Gooley J.J.
        • Khalsa S.B.
        • et al.
        Human phase response curve to a 1 h pulse of bright white light.
        J Physiol. 2012; 590: 3035-3045
        • Saxvig I.W.
        • Wilhelmsen-Langeland A.
        • Pallesen S.
        • et al.
        A randomized controlled trial with bright light and melatonin for delayed sleep phase disorder: effects on subjective and objective sleep.
        Chronobiol Int. 2014; 31: 72-86
        • Baehr E.K.
        • Eastman C.I.
        • Revelle W.
        • et al.
        Circadian phase-shifting effects of nocturnal exercise in older compared with young adults.
        Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2003; 284: R1542-R1550
        • Gradisar M.
        • Crowley S.J.
        Delayed sleep phase disorder in youth.
        Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2013; 26: 580-585
        • Burke T.M.
        • Markwald R.R.
        • McHill A.W.
        • et al.
        Effects of caffeine on the human circadian clock in vivo and in vitro.
        Sci Transl Med. 2015; 7: 305ra146
        • Bartlett D.J.
        • Biggs S.N.
        • Armstrong S.M.
        Circadian rhythm disorders among adolescents: assessment and treatment options.
        Med J Aust. 2013; 199: 16-20
        • Ito A.
        • Ando K.
        • Hayakawa T.
        • et al.
        Long-term course of adult patients with delayed sleep phase syndrome.
        Jpn J Psychiatry Neurol. 1993; 47: 563-567
        • Dagan Y.
        • Yovel I.
        • Hallis D.
        • et al.
        Evaluating the role of melatonin in the long-term treatment of delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS).
        Chronobiol Int. 1998; 15: 181-190