Bipolar Disorder and Sleep: Football, friends, brain chatter and Ativan

Sorry guys, I am going to be a broken record for a few days about my travels and how they affect bipolar disorder. I’m on the East Coast and wow, I have had sleep problems. Last night I stayed up late (midnight) to watch the football playoffs and when I finally got to bed I had visions of Payton Manning (quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts) throwing the ball all night. Then I heard words from the game and words from the conversations with my friends. I really love being with people, but I easily get overstimulated. It’s not good for me.

This brain chatter is like having a train go through my head. It just won’t turn off. I have a section in my book Get it Done When You’re Depressed called Expect Brain Chatter.  I just read that strategy again. It’s true- the running commentary in your head that keeps going even when you’re [ Read More ]





I slept nine hours!

Well, nine hours of sleep is so amazing for me I actually woke up and wanted to do a little jig. I’m what I call an undersleeper. I was actually talking with my friend Kristin yesterday- she’s the author of Bipolar and Pregnant, and we spent a long time talking about bipolar disorder and sleep. Here are all the ways it affected our sleep:

#1. Issues due to meds. Kristin talked about Topamax. She has no idea if it affects sleep- but she’s pretty sure it affects memory. Kristin uses Lunesta to sleep.

#2. When I’m depressed, I have agitated sleep which means my brain doesn’t shut down at night. Bother! I use Ativan to sleep when it gets bad.

#3. Of course, mania is the biggest problem. I rapid cycle almost daily, so on the nights I can actually fall asleep normally and get 7-8 hours of rest is pretty great!

#4 . Excessive [ Read More ]