Hi Fuzzybear. I'm sorry to read that you are not getting as much (or as quality) of sleep as you like. I think if you are not happy with your current sleep situation, it should be addressed. I will say that not getting 8 hours of sleep can be perfectly fine and acceptable for some, but that's as long as such people don't mind. For example, I think my husband sleeps maybe four or five hours per night, regularly. He does not have bipolar disorder. He doesn't mind only getting that much because he enjoys being a night owl. I think that as some people reach middle-age and older, sleep amount often decreases. I don't know exactly how old you are, but I assume around 30 years old or above?

I think that it would be great to determine the exact source(s) of your sleep issues. Is it just because of bipolar disorder? Or also anxiety? Medication? And/or some other non-mental illness related issue?

I sleep quite well as long as I'm not very hypomanic or full blown manic. Of course I do take 650 mg of Seroquel XR and 0.5 mg Klonopin every single night. I know that when I don't take these (usually by accident or if I'm changing time zones or traveling), I can't sleep much at all. Probably not more than two or three hours, or even at all. I discussed that once with my psychiatrist and he said that my insomnia without the Seroquel XR is because of my bipolar disorder, but I'm not so sure that would always be the case. I think that if I was stable (or depressed, when I often have hypersomnia) and not dependent on Seroquel, that I could likely sleep. I just think that since I am dependent on the Seroquel, that when I skip it, I have withdrawal insomnia. Of course I never skip it hardly ever, and when I do it's only for one night MAX. I also believe that if I stopped Seroquel XR that I would become manic. Then, I'd surely have insomnia from mania, itself. Of course if I became totally unmedicated (or inadequately so), I assume that after a manic episode, I'd become depressed or (if lucky) a little stable. I'm only basing this on my years BEFORE my diagnosis, though I'd say that those years were quite often elevated mood years. Plus, the course of my bipolar disorder worsened.