Struggle to stay awake during the day

[Maxster]

For years my work meant working during the evening, so i would sleep during the day. Then when i left work, my sleep pattern sort of stayed the same - i'd sleep around 6am and wake up afternoon. No matter how disciplined i tried to be, waking up early, trying to sleep early, all the tricks, eventually after a few days my pattern would return to sleep during the day. 

Even when i am awake during the day, i'm so exhausted that i'm like a zombie. Yet in the evening i'm fresh and roaring to go. Tell me to get disciplined and go to sleep at 9pm or a 'normal hour' and i'm unable to fall asleep, i'll be just tossing and turning all night. Come 6am and sunlight i'm shattered and ready to fall asleep like a baby. 

Even in Thailand. I can't get my body clock adjusted, it's same pattern - i sleep during the day time. 

 

I've read up on people suffering from some sort of sleeping pattern disorders. But now i have a steady girlfriend and it's really impacting me. Went out today during the day, and honestly i was yawning and ready to fall asleep everywhere i went. I can't keep sleeping around 6am, and waking up in the afternoon - i'm just missing the day out with a partner who has normal sleeping patterns. 

Anyone been through something similar? How did you get out of it?

[Mrbiggles]

I think some of us prefer to sleep during the day.

I tend to sleep from about 5am till 1030am.

Then sleep from about 5pm till 7pm if discipline is removed from the equation.

If I miss that 5pm sleep then I cannot focus that well in the evening.

[Wide_western]

You could try going for a weeks or longer hike in the mountains. Sleep in a tent, cuts out artificial light and maximizes exposure to sunlight.

You'll be forced to hike during the day and most people will be able to sleep after 8 hours of hiking.

[swede37]

Take Melatonin 1 hour before you want to sleep

[JamesCook45]

I find it really difficult to adjust my sleep pattern.  I've given up now and just accept that my brain shuts down at midnight.  

 

Andrew Huberman has a a few realted videos on his YouTube.  He's one of the top neuroscientists. 

[Greg_B]

Sounds like a doctors visit is required

Edited February 27, 2025 by Greg_B

[Ziplee]

I worked night shift (7pm-7am) for twenty years. It took months to get back to regular hours.

I ended up doing small time adjustments for a week at a time, until I flipped the clock.

I retired to Thailand and now doing the same process. 

[Gatestar]

Sounds like you need to retrain your body clock to the time you want to go-to sleep.

 

I faced something similar but not as extreme years ago.

 

It's kind of like jetlag on steroids. Biggest thing to do would be consult a doctor and get them to give you a regime to get to the sleeping hours etc you want.

 

When trying to sleep Melatonin as suggested above would definitely help. I take 10mg of it when I really need to sleep but you would want to start with a 3mg first, might be enough, if not try the 5, etc.

 

Then stay awake during the day (dependent on the doctor's advice) with the method that will help the most 

 

EG: Caffeine or over the counter things like Pseudoephedrine (it's actually a nasal decongestant but will give you about 4 hours of alert/awake without euphoria). But honestly doing things like going for walks, cleaning the house, making sure you eat really well will help the most.

 

It's super hard to retrain the body clock but once you do it then it's just done. Seeing a doctor about what sleeping pills/stay awake regime you should do is the best bet for it.

[hormone]

On 27/02/2025 at 12:22, Greg_B said:

Sounds like a doctors visit is required

Yes, a sleep medicine specialist, of course !  @Maxster Not just a general medicine doc, please...

How many years / months has it been you stopped working? 
How long has it been you have moved to TH permanently ? 

Yes there's your circadian cycle which is probably "offset" vs what most people have.  I worked mostly evenings + early night during all my career in Farangland and it's always been the schedule that seemed to fit me best... until suddenly a few years ago I became a morning person!  
But if you're sleepy/ yawning dozing off during the day, might need to consider if you have obstructive sleep apnea aslo. 
You'd be more at risk if you are overweight, if you snore and a few other things.  The sleep medicine doc will assess all this and decide if you should go through sleep studies.