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Circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorder is defined by a mismatch between your body's internal clock and the external environment, leading to inconsistent or poorly aligned sleep-wake timing. The clock is signaling you to sleep or wake at times that don’t fit with your daily schedule, which can cause trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking at the right times, with daytime sleepiness or sleep disruption as a result.

General treatment aims to realign and stabilize that clock with the outside world. This typically includes light therapy to shift the circadian phase (exposure to bright light at specific times of day to advance or delay sleep timing), timed melatonin to help push the clock in the desired direction, and a consistent, regular sleep-wake schedule to reinforce the new rhythm. In practice, practitioners tailor the timing of light and melatonin to the pattern (for example, delaying or advancing sleep), but the core idea is to reset and stabilize the internal clock so it matches the daily environment.

Excessive daytime sleepiness is more a symptom than the defining issue here, and difficulty staying asleep or nightmares point to other sleep problems not caused by circadian misalignment.