I cannot seem to wake up! I regularly oversleep my alarm clock and wake up an hour later. I think I'm getting enough sleep (seven hours most nights). I've tried tricks like moving the alarm clock, leaving the lights on, or sleeping in a different position. Each works for about a day, then I'm back to the same problem. I don't have regular sleep/wake times, because I work at different times each day, including some early mornings and late nights. This habit cost me my previous job, and my current boss is starting to get tired of my lateness. I am a responsible person, but somehow all that goes out the window in the mornings.

Louise

You might consider getting an evaluation to determine whether you have a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea, that could be preventing you from getting truly restful and restorative sleep. Such evaluations involve sleeping overnight in a clinical laboratory setting (often called a "sleep lab") hooked up to instruments that measure brain waves and other bodily functions. Your physician should be able to refer you for such an assessment.

Of course, not getting enough sleep -- or enough good-quality sleep -- can cause fatigue by itself. It's possible you need more than seven hours' sleep a night. The seven-to-eight-hour sleeping period most of us think of as normal is just an average -- some people need more, while others need less. You might try going to bed earlier to see if getting more than seven hours of sleep makes a difference.

Working a varying schedule can also contribute to sleep problems. People who work rotating shifts (for example, 7am to 3pm for a couple of weeks, then 3pm to 11pm, then 11pm to 7am until they start the cycle over again) are prone to sleep problems, perhaps because their bodies never get a chance to settle into a routine sleep pattern. You may need to devise a work schedule (with your boss's help if necessary) that allows you a regular sleep/wake schedule and the amount of sleep (whether seven hours or more) you determine you need.

In addition, make sure you're eating nutritiously and getting some regular exercise, both of which can improve energy. Decrease or eliminate alcohol or caffeine consumption, both of which can interfere with sleep. If you try all of these options and there's still no improvement, consider consulting with a psychologist or other therapist to see if there might be psychological reasons for your oversleeping and tardiness at work.