{"id":33,"date":"2024-11-27T04:16:41","date_gmt":"2024-11-27T04:16:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sightednon-24.org\/?page_id=33"},"modified":"2025-02-05T04:22:25","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T04:22:25","slug":"explaining-sighted-non-24","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sightednon-24.org\/?page_id=33","title":{"rendered":"Explaining Sighted Non-24"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"33\" class=\"elementor elementor-33\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-15bfa369 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"15bfa369\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-57e37bbb elementor-widget__width-auto elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"57e37bbb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Non-24 can be difficult to explain. For many, it&#8217;s important to have easy ways to explain what it is like to live with Non-24.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Put simply, people with Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder have body clocks (circadian rhythms) that are NOT 24-hours.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Usually, our days are longer (but they can be shorter). This means the amount of time we\u2019re awake and the amount of time we need to sleep adds up to more than twenty-four hours. For example, someone with a 25-hour day might sleep for 9 hours and be awake for 16, causing their wake time to shift forward daily.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>We struggle to wake up at the same time every day without feeling permanently jet-lagged, sleep deprived, and non-functional.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>See our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sightednon-24.org\/faq\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"24\">FAQ page<\/a>\u00a0and our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sightednon-24.org\/?page_id=44\">Non-24 Dictionary<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<h3><strong>We asked fellow Non-24 patients how they describe their disorder to family, friends, and acquaintances.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h5>This is what they said&#8230;<\/h5>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been recently diagnosed and, so far, after I explain Non-24, I haven\u2019t been able to avoid people asking\u00a0<em>\u201chave you tried vitamin D\/melatonin\/just going to bed at the same time?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<br \/>I think using the term \u201cneurological\u201d or mentioning my neurologist helps.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>I also have a thought experiment I use:\u00a0<br \/><strong>Imagine that every single day your work starts 1-2 hours earlier<\/strong>. So you start at 8am today, 6am tomorrow, 5am the next day, and so on. When do you sleep? Could you just go to bed earlier every night to compensate?\u00a0 Would you sleep at all when you\u2019re working schedules like 10pm-6am? How do you plan things knowing your work could be 7-14 hours later next week and you always work an 8 hour shift?<br \/>Since I\u2019m on a 25-26 hour rhythm, that\u2019s how it feels for me to wake up at the same time: like waking up earlier and earlier every single day.\u201d<br \/><em>\u2013 Hans Vohet<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:image {\"id\":186} --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-186\" src=\"http:\/\/articles.sightednon24.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Site-Caps.png\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Explaining Non-24 to a friend<\/em><span style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p><!-- \/wp:image --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy body doesn\u2019t seem to respond to day\/night light cues, and my circadian rhythm rotates around the clock. I usually sleep about 7-8 hours a day, with 17-18 hours awake, though my cycle is not completely predictable.\u00a0<strong>I sleep fine when I follow my own clock<\/strong>, but get insomnia when I try to sleep early.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>When I fight my Non-24 rhythm, I get physically ill with a fatigue buildup that feels like constant jet-lag crossed with a bad hangover.<\/strong>\u00a0If I push it long enough, I lose the ability to wake up to alarms. When I follow my rhythm, I have fairly normal energy levels, wake up easily, and feel much better!<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>This disorder is common for blind people and much rarer for people with sight. No one knows for sure what causes sighted Non-24, but a lot of us started out as night owls. In college, I adopted a chaotic sleep schedule to compensate for being unable to wake up early. That may be what messed up my wiring, but I can\u2019t say for certain. My bedtime has rotated involuntarily since around age 20.\u00a0<strong>I resisted my pattern for a decade, until I physically couldn\u2019t fight it anymore. No treatments have worked for me besides free-running.<\/strong>\u201d\u00a0<em>\u2013 Anonymous Non-24 patient<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:image {\"id\":187} --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-187\" src=\"http:\/\/articles.sightednon24.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/site-caps-2.png\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Explaining struggles with Non-24 to a friend.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p><!-- \/wp:image --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI try to\u00a0<strong>emphasize the many functions of the circadian rhythm\u2026 that it\u2019s not just sleep, that<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>it governs EVERYTHING in the body and is very difficult to change.<\/strong>\u00a0I gain an hour of jet lag\/sleep an hour later every day. Or if they don\u2019t need to know all that, just \u201cI have a sleep disorder.\u201d\u00a0<em>\u2013 Chava Sara Stone<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:image {\"id\":188} --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-188\" src=\"http:\/\/articles.sightednon24.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/site-caps-3.png\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Confusingly discussing Thanksgiving plans with a friend.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p><!-- \/wp:image --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDepending on the situation, I usually say, \u2018I have a circadian rhythm disorder called Non-24\u2019 so that\u00a0<strong>people are more likely to take me seriously than if I just say, \u2018I have a sleep problem\u2019 because it is much more serious than a sleepless night here and there.<\/strong>\u00a0More generally, I usually describe Non-24 as, \u201ca disorder that causes my sleep to shift forward every day. So, I can be waking up at 6AM and then going to bed at 6AM a week later. If I try to have a normal schedule with alarms,\u00a0<strong>I get incredibly sleep deprived and cannot function<\/strong>. I\u2019d end up bedridden, anyway. The difference between forcing my sleep to a \u2018normal\u2019 schedule and free-running is my productivity level and my ability to actually live if I sleep my Non-24 rhythm.\u201d<br \/><em>\u2013 Liberty (admin)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:image {\"id\":189} --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-189\" src=\"http:\/\/articles.sightednon24.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Evvie-Check-to-see-what-her-name-should-be-anonymous-maybe.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Screenshot provided by Anonymous Non-24 Patient<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p><!-- \/wp:image --><!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} --><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>Wrap-Up<\/em>&#8230;<\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Non-24 patients must often simplify, use metaphors, and sometimes show people their sleep log to explain their disorder. Being taken seriously by people is a struggle. Often, we run into people who think we can just force our sleep, but this is usually due to chronotypical people taking their circadian rhythm for granted.\u00a0<span style=\"font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; text-align: var(--text-align); background-color: var(--ast-global-color-5); color: var(--ast-global-color-3);\">We recognize that typically, people do not realize how powerful and influential the circadian rhythm is &#8230; and how it keeps your body on a constant schedule. It works automatically, so to try and manipulate the circadian rhythm is almost impossible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>If circadian rhythms were easy to manipulate, circadian disorders would not be so rare\u00a0<em>and<\/em>\u00a0they would be easier to treat. There are many different ways patients explain their Non-24 disorder, but<strong> the common connection we have is struggling to explain how debilitating Non-24 is.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Non-24 can be difficult to explain. For many, it&#8217;s important to have easy ways to explain what it is like [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-33","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sightednon-24.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sightednon-24.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sightednon-24.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sightednon-24.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sightednon-24.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.sightednon-24.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":273,"href":"https:\/\/www.sightednon-24.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33\/revisions\/273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sightednon-24.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}