(This is one of the most popular blog posts from last year so I wanted to share it again. Mania can sneak up on you during the holidays.) Manic sleeping problems are different from insomnia in many ways- with insomnia you’re tired, you want to sleep, you toss and turn, you worry about how tired you will be in the morning, you want medication relief. With mania! Whew! you want to stay up, you’re wide awake and doing something, you have unlimited energy, a racing mind, lots of creative thoughts (whether they are truly creative or not, they feel creative.) You have no desire to get in bed and sleeping feels like a real waste of time. It takes more meds to knock you out and there is a chance you will be even more manic the next day. Here are some of the things you may think when you’re manic at night: – Sleep [ Read More ]
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Thanks to everyone for such amazing and insightful comments on the Mania and Sleep blog post. The topic is obviously so important. It really is such a chicken and the egg problem. I can be in bed and unable to sleep and I have to go through my list- am I just wound up because I stayed out late? Will I get to sleep eventually? Is it possible it’s agitated depression? What if it’s hypomania? Then I have to truly assess if I will actually get to sleep if i just lie there. I listen to my Ipod podcasts – which helps a lot. I do sleep exercises (counting something!) and breathing. I do it all! And if I’m still awake, I say to myself. “Ok Julie, it’s essential that you sleep at least seven hours. Take your sleep meds!” Why is it such a struggle? I think we all want to just sleep normally [ Read More ]  Manic sleeping problems are different from insomnia in many ways- with insomnia you’re tired, you want to sleep, you toss and turn, you worry about how tired you will be in the morning, you want medication relief. With mania! Whew! you want to stay up, you’re wide awake and doing something, you have unlimited energy, a racing mind, lots of creative thoughts (whether they are truly creative or not, they feel creative.) You have no desire to get in bed and sleeping feels like a real waste of time. It takes more meds to knock you out and there is a chance you will be even more manic the next day. Here are some of the things you may think when you’re manic at night: Sleep is SUCH a waste of time. It’s only 1:00 AM. I could go to the grocery store right now! The tile really needs to come [ Read More ] Like everyone, I struggle with doing what’s right for myself versus doing what I want to do.
I’m paying the price. Sleep is always an issue and lately I haven’t been a good girl when it comes to getting to bed on time. In fact, I’m doing things that are counter intuitive. Eating way too close to bed. Eating foods I’m allergic to- which means body pain that makes it hard to sleep.
Drinking too much decaf- eating chocolate and drinking iced tea. They all have caffeine!
Watching TV really late- but that’s because of the Olympics!
I can make so many excuses. Managing sleep is one of the best ways to manage bipolar disorder. I get tired (no pun intended!) or [ Read More ]  |
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The health information contained herein is provided for general education purposes only. |
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