Question: Ever since I was young I’ve had the same problem, I physically cannot fall asleep at a normal time and it is pretty much impossible for me to wake up on time. I’m currently in college and about to graduate and it has gotten progressively worse. I’ve slept through appointments, interviews, shifts at work, exams, presentations, etc.
No one understands why I can’t wake up and assume I’m lazy or just don’t care enough. My sleep habits have become an ongoing joke for those who know me and I try to laugh it off but at times it can be offensive because I literally can not help it. For example I slept through 15 alarms and a final project presentation this morning (thankfully due to a lifetime of this I have an arsenal of excuses and have become a pretty damn good liar), I came home from class could not stay awake and took a ‘short’ 4 hour nap, and it is now 5 am and I’m wide awake… good thing I need to be up in three hours.I have worked so hard to get my degree and have secured an incredible internship (that is required in order for me to graduate) but it starts at 8 am every day with an hour commute, I know myself I won’t wake up on time every day and if I do manage to wake up I am terrified I’m going to fall asleep while driving and kill myself, or worse someone else. If I get fired from this internship (which I’m pretty sure is going to happen if I’m late every day) I can’t graduate, and I have to explain to my parents who don’t understand why I can’t grow up and wake up that I’ve wasted their money and can’t graduate or work like a normal person.It’s humiliating and I don’t know how to fix it. I’ve tried everything but I sleep through everything and if someone helps me wake up I can have a full conversation with them, fall back asleep for hours and have no memory of them ever waking me. I can’t afford a sleep study and if one more doctor tells me I just need 8-9 hours of sleep I’m going to punch them. I’m losing my mind over this and from the stories I’ve read there seems to be no hope. Should I just give up and accept that I’m always going to be lazy and a failure?