I am 23 and suffer from some unusual sleeping problems as I do not follow normal sleep patterns/cycles. Whereas most people get tired at the same time each day, I find that my sleep/wake cycle extends between 2/4 hours each day. This means that if I fall asleep at 10p.m. on Monday and wake at 6a.m. then the next day my body can't fall asleep until 12a.m. and I won't wake until 8a.m. the following morning. I also have trouble waking up when I sleep, as a teenager staying in a hotel I had the staff axe down the door on me because no one could wake me and I had double bolted the door.

In high school I was late to school nearly half the year (after I graduated they changed the attendance policy in my district because of me) and I was never able to fall asleep at any semblance of a normal time. This caused me to suffer in school and prevented me from really achieving everything I could have.

About three or four years ago I embraced a lifestyle of Alcohol as part of my collegiate experience which has since yielded many positive results on my sleep issues. If I drink until I am buzzing then I can fall asleep at the same time each day and wake up without a problem. The oddest thing about the effects Alcohol has on my body is that I feel well rested and I am able to be much more productive after drinking. My business partners swear I am from another planet because the only way I am up at 7a.m. ready to tackle the world is if I have been out drinking until 2a.m. the night before.

The problem is the alcohol is starting to cause stomach issues for me (I have to take an antacid each day) and I fear it will only continue to worsen unless I find an alternative treatment for my sleep issues.

I have been to sleep clinics in the past and one of the many things they had me try was attempting to fall into a more repetitive pre-sleep pattern but that yielded no change in how my body handled sleep.

Is there something out there that causes sleep disruption to the level that alcohol does but isn't as harmful to the body?