ASPS — Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome
When your body starts shutting down at 7 p.m. and throws you out of bed at 3–4 a.m.
Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome (ASPS) is a circadian rhythm disorder where your internal night starts and ends earlier than typical. You feel sleepy very early in the evening and wake naturally in the very early morning — often hours before you’d like. As with DSPS, the core issue is timing, not laziness or willpower.
ASPS is more common in older adults and can be influenced by genetics. In modern life, it means nodding off during social events, struggling to stay awake through dinner, and then being wide‑awake when everyone else is asleep. If you try to “push through” your natural sleep time, you may get a second wind — but it can fragment sleep and worsen daytime fatigue.
Treatment aims to shift the clock later: carefully timed evening light exposure, avoiding bright morning light too early, and sometimes shifting routines so that bedtime and wake time gradually move. As with any circadian shift, small, consistent adjustments beat heroic one‑night overhauls.
In some cases, embracing the early rhythm — early morning walks, earlier work starts, earlier dinners — can be kinder than fighting it endlessly. Not everyone needs to be a night owl to have a full, satisfying life.
Why It Matters
Labeling ASPS gives context to “I wake up absurdly early” — and opens up strategies beyond blaming yourself for not fitting a standard schedule.
Closing Line
If your clock loves sunrises more than sunsets, the goal isn’t to become someone else — it’s to shape your life and light so you’re not fighting your own wiring all the time.