DEAR DR. GOTT: My 16-year-old granddaughter has had a lifetime of not being able to sleep at night. This has been the case since birth. I might add that because of her parents’ jobs, they encouraged “sleeping in.” She now lives with me, and I have allowed her to take Benadryl at night so she can get a decent night’s sleep to be alert in school. She is an excellent student and has no other health problems. This works very well; however, I am worried about the side effects over time. Can you advise me on this?
DEAR READER: I know several people who have flip-flopped their days and nights because of job commitments and other reasons. They can get a good rest only in the middle of the day and have no problems remaining awake when most of us are sleeping. [Read more...]