Tired but just cant sleep :(

Im trying to figure out if the reason I am up til 3 or 4 am sometimes 5 am is because Im' not working and my days are fairly relaxing? I do ok with it sometimes and have really accepted my new body clock being up late and sleeping til about ten or so, my body only seems to need six hours of sleep to funtion the next day. Tonight tho I feel very agitated and frustrated. I have to admit that I've been watching a whole of CNN coverage of Joplin MO and the tornado coverage and my heart is broken, I also follow along on Facebook about Will and Lantz who are young kids both missing, Lantz died in the tornado, Will is still missing they are all , everyone affected is in my prayers. I hope Will is found alive I do recognize when its time to take a break and shut the tv off or put a silly comedy on and I also watch shows like Chelsea lately and Ellen and Jimmy Kimmel Live they all make me laugh a lot. I dont know I Think I'm just venting. Thanks for listening. Oh now I read on FB that joplin has the Tornado Sirens going off again tonight, they just can't get a break can they. On Positive note I walk around my new apt. complex which is huge 3 times a day with amazing views of Pikes Peak mountain which is still snow covered and the whole mountain range is just breathe taking, one side of the complex is a view of the amazing dog park they have its all fenced in and completely safe with all the dogs running off leash and free, its awesome< I am a big dog lover, Then the last part of the walk since we are high up in the foothills right at the base of the mountains is a view of down town Colorado Springs, Its absolutely gorgeous all the lights and its huge, can see forever. I am in paradise truly and am just so grateful for this new beginning and second chance I have been given to do things right. Ok i'm done LOL thanks for listneing I really love this message board and am so grateful for it and u guys too. Goodnight. Kristen.

It sounds like you live in a beautiful place. Bipolar can affect our sleeping patterns, so it's really important to have a structured sleep schedule (says the person who works shift work) If you don't already I would suggest asking for a sleeping pill prescription to use when you can't sleep. There are also herbs that can help with this, but I haven't tried them. Another thing I find that helps is to fill my day. If I don't I find I'm not tired at night.

While you're off work it's important to still make your day structured and you may want to start volunteering even if it's just a couple of hours per week. Staying up late etc. is a recipe for disaster for the bipolar and it can also be a symptom of a hypomanic or manic episode.

Hi yeah i worry that Im manic too, I am obsessed with keeping the apt clean and neat I am in an apartment that is easy to maintain because everything works right and I had slumlords in Buffalo. Anyways, I want to volunteer at the Humane Society and especially walking the dogs I LOVE DOGS so much but I found out some of the duties is observing the dogs behavior and temperment and doing a write up about it for potential adopters and I am a little nervous about that afraid I wont be able to handle that responsibility as lame as that sounds since I've held very responsible positions in the mental health field and with addicts for over ten years. Really not sure what has happened to me

Go easy on yourself. We tend to not give ourselves enough time to recover. You wouldn't expect a person that had gone through chemo treatment to suck it up and get back to work. Take this time to recover, learn about the illness and do things you weren't able to do when you were working full time.

P.S. I love Chelsea Lately! She is also my favorite author.

Chelsey lately is hysterical and yes that is good good advice, I am really enjoying this slow paced life a whole lot. The pool opened today just waiting for the water to warm up.

I'm not sure about the days being relaxing being the reason. You definately seem entertained at night. So maybe record some of the shows and watch them during the day. Try to override your current body clock, so that you can reset it to maybe sleeping midnight to 6 am.

Well, I can't tell you why, but I've been there too, with the hours you're talking (in past) and amount of sleep (past and current). (In fact 5-6 seems to be my norm too -- for quite some time now. It's kind of annoying, but like you say, functioning pretty well, so...<shrug>).

Maybe you could try slowly ratcheting the time you go to sleep backwards??? Good luck! It might not help you figure out the why, but perhaps it would bring it back into a range that feels more normal to you.