[lunarpariah]

So once more I am wide awake at the wee hours of the morn. Among other meds I am currently taking Trazadone 100m and Saroquel 300m. Both of which should allow wonderful sleep. However they mock me. I went to sleep earlier this eve at 0930 pm and woke up wide at a mere two and a half hours later. A little manic maybe?

Anyone have any home remedies that help them fully sleep? My next pdoc appt is still two weeks away. Just not feeling like staring at the wall until I get to see him.

[SunAngel]

Boy, I could have written this myself. I am awake this morning at 5:10 and went to bed at 1:00, 4 hours of sleep, but my problem is a lack of a mood stablizer. I have been manic for days now.

I don't have any home remedies for you because if I did, I wouldn't be awake at this hour. I have only slept for an average of 3 hours of sleep for days.

I just wanted to tell you that you are not alone and if you want to talk, I am here to listen.

I am going to send you a friend request, so if you ever want to talk about anything, you can send me a private message. If we are the only ones awake at this hour, we can even talk here if you'd like.

[Ryask]

3:45am been laying in bed for 45 minutes pretending i can sleep. My home remedies are not working however they may work for you. Don't do anything stimulating like watch t.v, go on the computer, play games on your phone before bed..or if you wake up. Sometimes it helps to write in a journal...sometimes having things on your mind makes it hard to sleep so if you get it out it can make it better, a warm bath, a warm decaffeinated drink, or reading a boring book. hope you get some sleep

[Anneinside]

Last night I couldn't take my Ambien and I didn't sleep at all. It was such a long night! I had ECT this morning so of course I was under anesthesia and the hang over usually means I sleep when I get home. Not today. I laid there for two hours and no sleep at all. All I can hope for is that when I take the Ambien tonight that I can get some sound sleep. Then Thursday night no Ambien again because of ECT on Friday. I hate it when I can't take my sleeping pills.

[Sophia57]

I take a minimum of 4 sleep meds but I've been under a lot of stress and just not sleeping well.Last night I added a night time antihistamine which sometimes helps, but finally just took the Zyprexa.

Not being able to sleep is a big issue. That is how I went manic. Sorry everyone is having sleep issues, but nice to meet so many people with the same problem. I was wondering why it is not an issue in the profile sign up?

[kaliope]

Up until a couple years ago I was in your guys situation. Total insomnia. I couldnt seem to get to sleep before 4 am for the life of me. sleeping pills did not seem to help. People would ask me if it was the caffeine from the energy drinks or coffee they would see me with and i would swear up and down that it didnt matter, that i needed them to survive because i couldnt ever sleep. it has been this way for as long as i can remember. turns out i am just so sensitive to caffeine or any stimulating ingredient that if i have it during the day, it will keep me up all night long. i dont know why i fought against this idea for so long. now i sleep like 9-10 hrs a night, more on weekends. its like i am trying to make up for all the missed sleep in my life. sorry yu guys are having difficulties. hope you find some help soon.

[Sophia57]

I only drink green tea and in the morning. But it has caffeine in it, so maybe I will have to go completely to herbal tea. I was drinking the green tea because it is supposed to be good for you - antioxidants and for weight loss.

I'm really glad you mentioned this kaliope, because this is exactly the thought I had this morning. However, my dad is very sick and probably dying and hubby is out of town.So those might be big stressors.Still, it never hurts to try something, so out with the green tea! LOL

I drink about half a pot of coffee a day, but it still doesn't make a difference if I am feeling fatigued or manic. I've done a lot of experiments in trying to keep caffeine out of my body, but when I simply CAN'T sleep: I need it or I feel irritably cranky with my inability to rest. If I must be awake, at least I'd like to be able to function. But on top of bipolar, I also have cyclothymia. So sometimes I will be awake for 8 hours & asleep for 14, then awake for 22 & asleep for 9. It's very hard to determine sometimes if it is insomnia or merely my circadian rhythm being off kilter.

[Anneinside]

Shay - I am not sure I am following you. First, if you have bipolar I or II then you would not be diagnosed with cyclothemia as the definition requires that the hypomania/mania does not meet the threshold for a bipolar diagnosis. Perhaps it is a "rule out" diagnosis because they are not sure if you have bipolar or cyclothemia. As to sleep, you pattern of sleep is typical of some in the bipolar spectrum who has not yet established good sleep hygiene. For example I always go to bed between 10 and 11pm. I usually read for about an hour after going to bed. I set an alarm so that I will sleep a maximum of 10 hours. I usually wake up after 8 or 9 hours. I also never take naps because that can interfer with sleep that night. I never drink caffeinated drinks after 11am. The guidelines were given to me by my pdoc.

[Phoenix_1]

BP II is Bipolar Lite, and cyclothymia is even lighter than that. Cyclothymia is mild mood swings, up and down, but not enough to ever be called either manic or depression. It can be a precursor to BP, but I don't see how you can have both - it would be one or the other.

Ever since I was a teenager I slept 3-4 hours a night. That was my normal, and I had no clue I had BP II. I didn't drink coffee when I was a teenager, but I did drink Coke. It wasn't until about 7 years ago when a pdoc prescribed Trazodone that I got 8 hours of sleep a night.

Since my BP II diagnosis in June, my pdoc has given me a drug cocktail to take - with an anti-psychotic to help me sleep instead of Trazodone. It works. I drink 2 cups of coffee a day max, all before 10:00 am.

When I didn't sleep (about 35 years), I used various methods to get to sleep: playing solitaire on the computer until my eyes were so tired they crossed and my head was heavy, using aromatherapy with lavendar oil, listening to meditation or relaxation cd's, reading dull and boring books in bed, a warm bath before bed, warm milk (with vanilla because I can't stand the taste), whatever I could think of. Some people recommend staying away from the computer and TV. Some people fall asleep with the TV or radio on (not me). I hope you find something that works for you.

[Sophia57]

I cut out the green tea, but it didn't make much difference. What really helped was having my husband home, and my father feeling better in the hospital. I still take 4 meds to sleep, but I try and avoid the anti-psycotics unless it is past 3 am.

I think the sleep hygiene idea is great, except it never worked for me. I do try and avoid getting stimulated at night, and have learned to exercise early in the day, and try to relax in the evening. Two years ago I got off all sleep meds and I was doing really well. Then I got shingles, and I could not sleep for more than an hour or two at a time the pain and itching was so bad. It took a year to clear up the PHN, so I have never been able to get med free again.

I used to sleep 3-4 hours a night for years, till I got sick with numerous auto-immune diseases. Now my body can't survive on less than 10 and sometimes more if the meds fail. I guess we are all different that way.

[STILL_Grindin]

@Lunarpariah I was on both of those Meds and found it nearly impossible to sleep because my problem was with racing thoughts and I would lay down and start to relax then start thinking about all the things I needed to do in the morning and have to get up and set stuff out so I didn't forget all the things I was currently pondering. I still have sleeping issues but I've found that (if you like reading) a good book always helps me to calm down and relax my mind. Also it helps if you refrain from late night eating especially of things with lots of carbs and sugars. It also helps me to make something hot to drink such as tea and I also love listening to my favorite kind of music on Pandora. I hope you find something that works for you. I also forgot to mention two Meds that have worked for me: Ativan ( which is potentially addictive so this is just a short term solution to develop a pattern) and also a very small dose of Resperidol Has seemed to help with my racing thoughts at night but you have to be positive about these solutions as I definitely believe positive and negative energies play a huge role.

Annie: SORRY. I was being tired & idiotic & got all of my medical lingo mixed up... Forgiiiiive me. What I was MEANING to say was that I have "Hypernychthemeral syndrome" AKA Non-24 Circadian Rhythm Disorder. But perhaps THAT could be a misdiagnosis for my lack of sleep hygiene... Though I HAVE tried. But with how incredibly manic I get, it's pretty much assured that I am Type I hahaha, sorry for the confusion. :/

Phoenix: Yeah, I didn't really discover until I looked back on my younger years "Wow, I had to have been bipolar that ENTIRE time" based on how little I slept. I would go 2 or 3 days without sleeping & still be the life of the party, cleaning the house, & getting a bunch of writing done. Hahaha I suppose a bit of self-reflection is good for everyone.

Sophia: I am SO sorry to hear that you got stuck with shingles & autoimmune diseases. I've had Rheumatoid Arthritis since I was a little kid & I evidently have Fibromyalgia now as a result of my nerves becoming hypersensitive. My mother has Lupus & my maternal grandfather has Multiple Sclerosis, so I've done a lot of research about most autoimmune diseases & they suck so bad. Feel better!!

Grindin: Pandora is DEFINITELY a godsend!! I listen to it pretty much whenever I don't have a specific song in mind, whether it's when I need calming music to sleep to or ambient music to write/read to, & it magically knows the best possible playlist! I especially love it when I haven't heard of a band before or a band I've forgotten about... Anyway, I am rambling. I have racing thoughts too. Hahah

[allme]

I can soooo relate! I take 600mg of seroquel and 7.5mg of zopiclone....can I sleep? Can I hell! However, when I do get to sleep at like stupid o'clock in the morning, i am out for 13 - 15 hours! Argh.... good sleeping habits is a HUGE problem for me.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

HAHAHAHA "stupid o'clock'. BOY, can I relate, lol! I am stealing your saying. XD

[allme]

lololol