I'm not bipolar, but unipolar depressed. I had a manic thingy - it was too short to even call it an episode - once of about 4 hours. I couldn't sit still, I walked so fast I bumped into everything and tripped over my own feet, and I really abused the piano.. which I guess also abused my parents' ears. My mum called the on-call pdoc who prescribed me some strong sleeping aids and my mum gave me the choice: either I'd take them or she'd stay up with me all night. I took them and when I woke the next morning I was mostly back to normal.