I am very tired early in the evening and go to bed around 9:30 p.m. Then I wake up around 4:30 a.m. which is fine, except I'd like to change my sleep pattern (stay up later, sleep in later) and haven't had much success. I only make myself more tired because I can't stop waking up at 4:30 a.m. How can I change my sleep pattern? Thank you.
In this case, the first thing that comes to mind would be either light therapy or melatonin, both of which need to be used under a doctor’s supervision. In this case, the likely cause could be something called a phase advance syndrome. I can’t be sure without a full interview, but basically, this boils down to a biological clock that is pushed slightly forward. Light, given at the right time, will move the body clock forward or backward. It takes a bit of time but is very helpful.