tried changing sleep schedule, now trouble sleeping and staying awake

[chronwor]

Because of work, I have to change my sleep schedule, and I want to change it to within 8 am to 5 pm, or 9 am to 6 pm, optimally. I've been trying to shift my sleep schedule around since last year, based on what experience I had - I had to work once around 2 pm to 11 pm and had successfully shifted my sleep hours to 12-3 am to around 10 am. One summer break I had even been sleeping around 3 am to 10 am, but that was so long ago (I'm 27 now).

Now, though, I'm having trouble getting a regular 8-hour sleep schedule. I try to stay awake at night by drinking massive amounts of coffee and tea, but I still get sleepy around every 2 hours or so, and I have particular trouble staying awake around 3-5 am. I end up waking up around 8-10 am (the latter if I'm lucky), and I have trouble going to sleep by 10 to 2 pm - I wake up really refreshed by 10 to 11, and end up having to eat and wait for sleepiness to hit me again, which happens around 1-2 pm. I try to make up for the lost hours by sleeping from 2 pm to 5 pm, sometimes 6, and at times 4 to 9 pm, but I can't keep myself really, fully awake and the sleepiness hits me through the night again despite me taking coffee.

What can I do?

Also, I've tried to make my room as dark as I can, but I can't afford thick curtains. I've had to make do with a sleep mask, but so far it hasn't been helping either.

[Jerry_NJ]

I agree with the above post, light during your wake period is as important as dark during your sleep period.  The mask should give you dark for sleep.  Now light during the awake time may be more difficult, if you work at a desk a bright rich in daylight spectrum (many offers in the market place) should be used.  If you are up and about it may be much harder to get concentrated light.

Stay away for caffeine to keep you awake, it is likely keeping you awake during your sleep period... or at lest take no caffeine in for 6 to 8 hours before "bed time".  

Melatonin can help rest you "clock" for sleep, as noted already.

I was confused (too?) about what you are doing and decided I would need to put a time-line ona a piece of paper to graph and understand you data..so my comments are direct to someone working the "Grave Yard" , as it once was called, shift... approximately 12 midnight to 8 AM.  

[rkw213]

First I would say only mess with your body's natural circadian rythym if you have a true need to sleep during the day. It's not clear if you currently have a night job or are just experimenting. If you are just experimenting then you are doing more harm than good with all this fragmented sleep.

If you are working nights and need to adjust your sleep cycles accordingly, look into light therapy to help you stay awake and melatonin to help you sleep. You may need to do light therapy multiple times throughout your waking hours in the beginning to help train your body.