Circadian Rhythm Disorder

Circadian rhythm sleep disorders are a family of sleep disorders affecting the timing of sleep. People with circadian rhythm sleep disorders are unable to sleep and wake at the times required for normal work, school, and social needs. They are generally able to get enough sleep if allowed to sleep and wake at the times dictated by their body clocks. Unless they have another sleep disorder, their sleep is of normal quality.

Humans have biological rhythms, known as circadian rhythms, which are controlled by a biological clock and work on a daily time scale. Due to the circadian clock, sleepiness does not continuously increase as time passes. A person's desire and ability to fall asleep is influenced by both the length of time since the person woke from an adequate sleep, and by internal circadian rhythms. Thus, the body is ready for sleep and for wakefulness at different times of the day.

...More at Wikipedia  

Related Links:

• Talk About Sleep
• Cleveland Clinic

Recent Hope Cube Blog Entries For Circadian Rhythm Disorder

• 3 AM Sun, November 11, 2007 - [view]
  This morning I have nothing bad to report.I went to bed last night at a decient hour. I'd say around 9PM or so. What's funny is that even though I went to bed at a normal hour, I woke up at an inhumanly early hour.So just a little while ago it was 3AM and I was laying in bed, listening to the TV I left on. It was still dark out and I had to wonder just what the hell time it was. I look at the clock and it's 3AM? Strange! Normally I sleep around 10-12 hours. But I feel refreshed so it's enough for me. 
• Unreliable Wed, November 07, 2007 - [view]
  Well, my mother and I just had it out.Here's what happened...Normally I have a class on Tuesdays. I knew I wouldn't be awake at the right time to get to class so I asked my mother to wake me up so I could get to class. She gives me a ride there anyways and she's woken me up every other time I've asked so I didn't see the problem.She didn't wake me up though. I faintly remember her coming into my room once and saying something to me and leaving. When I woke up naturally that night at around 11pm, I thought she'd been nice by letting me sleep.After all, my class was at 1pm.Now 8am has rolled around and she came into my room to tell me that she'd not woken me up not because she thought I needed the sleep but because I'm 'supposed to be an adult' ...
• Different Cycle Wed, October 31, 2007 - [view]
  I'm still in a tired haze right now. I kind of wish I could go back to bed but I know I've gotten enough sleep today. In fact, I'm probably tired because I got too much sleep... that happens sometimes, it's a bit frustrating. Normally I require 12 hours of sleep to function normally the next day. After that I'm usually awake for 14-18 hours but sometimes it's drastically more or less, depending on what I do or how I feel. That doesn't add up to 24 hours, does it? Nope, it doesn't. When I tell people that I function on a non-24-hour day, they try to prove I'm lazy or simply lying. They don't understand when I say that my body works differently from theirs. Alarm clocks? I'm too exhausted after they wake me to function. Going to bed early? I'll lay there for hours and hours unt...