[hamster-bamster]

I had a total of 7 hours (not in a row), which turns out to be sufficiently less than my normal 8-9 hours a night to feel wasted. Did not go to the offsite. Cannot concentrate on work. The most miserable feeling of something squeeeeezing my heart persists. Slight anxiety. Left a frantic VM for the p-doc asking for 50 mg Seroquel because everything else either fails or causes increased appetite (Elavil). Temazepam failed, Benadryl failed, Melatonin failed. Trazodone failed. Posted on the Sleep Issues and Dream Interpretation board and will ask you guys as well: what is happening to me - is it illness+age or unorgasmia at work? I remember when I was not medicated at all in my twenties and thirties I could fall asleep at any hour following sex, either with a partner or solo. Are orgasms such powerful sleep inducers or not? Should I hope for unmedicated sleep following the return of orgasms (hopefully after some time after I stop Geodon) or is it a lost hope?

And how do people FUNCTION on little sleep or no sleep? Do you not get this feeling that something or someone squeeeeeezes your heart?

I am going go for a walk - maybe that will help.

I did not always fall asleep after sex. Sometimes I had periods when I was wide awake, but looking back they were (hypo)manias or mixed episodes. It was a distinct symptom of hypomania for me to stop falling asleep after partner sex. With my first husband, a prolonged period of not falling asleep after sex resulted in a call to a suicide hotline (which talked me out of it but stupidly enough did not suggest that I visit a p-doc), with my second husband I actually attempted, out of a mixed state. So now looking back I know that these were golden opportunities to take some Zyprexa (just PRN, not on a regular basis) and SLEEP, not DO anything. I wonder if anyone else has this symptom: suddenly stopping to fall asleep following partner sex?

I admit that your subject caught my "Should be working" attention. Orgasms release the dopamine in a big rush. This is Exactly what my ADD brain needs, so low are the dopamine levels on a good day. I can fall asleep almost immediately afterwards.

These shots of dopamine have been something I've been addicted to forever. Most of us ADDer's have an addiction or two to help us stay awake. I've never had an issue with drinking or drugs, but food and sex were the ones which got me in trouble.

After my ADD DX at age 43 (3 1/2 years ago) and Adderall treatment, my food addiction is pretty much gone, but the other is too good to give up

[bluemountains]

Hmmm, it definitely depends on the state of mind for me. Orgasms generally induce sleep, but sometimes I start talking nonstop with happy thoughts when finished, I guess it's hypomania. I wouldn't be able to depend on orgasms for sleep.

As for sleeping, I consider it a good night when I get 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I sometimes might get 8 hrs. on the weekend, but I can't remember the last time I was in bed, sleeping, for 9 hours!

A walk is a great thing, if not for sleeping, at least to clear some of the anxiety. Worrying might also interrupt your sleep, so try to relax Hammy!

Bluemountains

[BlueInanna]

orgasms don't really make me fall asleep, more like they make me want 5 more.
but in my limited experience, they do seem to make men fall right asleep.

even though i'm medicated i still get the moods, i get manic, but it's been different and felt less dangerous to me. maybe you're having some mania. and you have extra stress right now. can you try to walk a little more each day? or ask for the extra sleep aid, i think you need that 9 hours a night, that seemed to be keeping you strong and steady.

hamster...this is really digging deep...I don't know what?

people don't subsist on little sleep!

and they don't survive on orgasms

any orgasm is great!

people don't subsist on orgasms

...and they don't subsist on staying awake to have them....

not for much more than about three natural days.

by then yes any orgasm if lucky enough will suddenly shock anyone into a two day coma.

with sweet dreams

it's almost worth it!...

oh Hammy...I'm so sorry....you ask such innocent questions

love, dm

[hamster-bamster]

Thank you both! I have had a nice walk. This unpleasant sensation of squeezed heart bothers me less now.

While walking, I was thinking that my friend Joe who said that bipolar is a HARDWARE (not software) defect of the brain was right. Cocoabeans who said that her brain is such a faulty product was right. I mean, sleep is a primary function. It is necessary for survival. Why does my brain fail me? My stomach, intestines, kidneys and bladder do not fail me. They work perfectly every day. Without drugs. Every time I wanted to get pregnant, I got pregnant immediately. That function did not fail me. I did not need fertility treatments. The myriad of complex functions necessary to grow a baby and push it out did not fail me. The lactation function did not fail me: I spent 8 years of my life breastfeeding. I produced exactly the amount of milk my children needed. Somehow bodily functions do not fail me, but my brain does: I cannot sleep without drugs.

For some reason I find this thought terrifying - I CANNOT SLEEP WITHOUT DRUGS. How would I have survived before drugs were invented? Did people in the past self-medicate to sleep with alcohol? I do not even particularly like alcohol - it's been months since I had a drink and I do not miss anything. I CANNOT SLEEP WITHOUT DRUGS. Isn't it frightening? For some reason, I am comfortable with the notion of needing a drug (namely, Lithium) to control my spending. It is no big deal. I am glad I have found this drug and I am thankful that it works like a clock, unlike those sleep aids that become ineffective over time! But the thought of needing drugs for the primary function of sleep!

And what will happen when I run out of sleep aids? When everything fails me? What will I do?

[hamster-bamster]

Thank you everyone, not just two people - we were posting at the same time.

Will try to concentrate on work now.

[hamster-bamster]

Cannot quite focus on work yet. Another thing I remembered while walking: it was a joy to fall asleep embracing a sleeping child. A naked, warm child. They frequently came to our bed and they were welcome.

It was as good as it gets - no worse than orgasms, just different. A luxury I will never experience again.

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

Cannot quite focus on work yet. Another thing I remembered while walking: it was a joy to fall asleep embracing a sleeping child. A naked, warm child. They frequently came to our bed and they were welcome.

It was as good as it gets - no worse than orgasms, just different. A luxury I will never experience again.

damn that must be the best thing in the world!

to hold a child to sleep...

and this phenomena is why the human race has got this far...

embracing babies...

what a marvelous thing.....protecting babies....what a beautiful thing

making more babies....what an intimate thing

[BlueInanna]

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

Cannot quite focus on work yet. Another thing I remembered while walking: it was a joy to fall asleep embracing a sleeping child. A naked, warm child. They frequently came to our bed and they were welcome.

It was as good as it gets - no worse than orgasms, just different. A luxury I will never experience again.

I miss that too!!!!!! The way the babies smelled, I could tell each one apart, and smelling the top of my daughter's head, I will never ever forget her scent, I got high off of it. I do miss that, but I smile too, remembering.

You have children, who will possibly bear your grandchildren. You could have babies in your future again, hopefully not too soon!

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

it was a joy to fall asleep embracing a sleeping child.

I could not agree more

[Trippin2.0]

Orgasms always make me hyperactive and squeezed heart? Nope. That cant be good. My brain kicks into overdrive quite quickly. If i get 2hrs sleep and feel tired at noon, all it takes is some fresh air and a quick distraction for me to rev up again...Yip, hardware malfunction.Mine hardly shuts down without command... Look at now for eg. I was dosing off at 10, but really wanted to finish that episode of The mentalist. I did, & now its 1am & its like I was never tired to begin with.Gotta hit the shutdown key

[cocoabeans]

How do I function without sleep? Well, I've posted enough about sleep to say I don't have any other choice.

I'm also anxious a lot, nearly all the time right now but, ever notice anxiety feels just like being excited about something? I can trick myself into thinking I'm happy

The last two weeks I feel like I'm on the verge of a migraine and I guess the pain killers are just holding it back because they seem to be doing nothing. Probably a result of lack of sleep!

You slept more in one night than I have in two days!

[bluemountains]

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

Cannot quite focus on work yet. Another thing I remembered while walking: it was a joy to fall asleep embracing a sleeping child. A naked, warm child. They frequently came to our bed and they were welcome.

It was as good as it gets - no worse than orgasms, just different. A luxury I will never experience again.

You are so right about this HB! For a couple of weeks recently I was babysitting my friend's 9 month old, and everyday I let him lay on my chest for his two hour nap and I would nap as well. It was such a joy to feel his little body breath in and out with not a care in the world. Yes, I spoiled him terribly those two weeks, but he has a new nanny and I figure she can break him of the habit.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by cocoabeans

How do I function without sleep? Well, I've posted enough about sleep to say I don't have any other choice.

I'm also anxious a lot, nearly all the time right now but, ever notice anxiety feels just like being excited about something? I can trick myself into thinking I'm happy

The last two weeks I feel like I'm on the verge of a migraine and I guess the pain killers are just holding it back because they seem to be doing nothing. Probably a result of lack of sleep!

You slept more in one night than I have in two days!

My anxiety does not feel exciting at all! The feeling of squeezed heart is nothing exciting. There is no way I can believe that this is mania. And I know, 7 hours is a lot for some people - Madonna claims that she is functional on 5 only, but NOT ME!

Well,

-- left two VMs for the p-doc asking for a low dose of Seroquel. Akathisia did not start for me until a fairly high dose - higher than the usual sleeping aid dose. I remember sleeping very soundly on Seroquel - frighteningly soundly, as in "would I ever wake up?". So can try that again. Alas, no call back from the doctor

-- SURPISE, SURPRISE! Ex gave me one cannabis capsule to try for insomnia. I did not expect it after what happened (I coincidentally attempted suicide having tried a brownie for the second time in my life the night before - brownie at night, OD at about 5PM the next day, long after the effect of the high wore off but THC was still present in the system). He told me to research cannabis-geodon interactions online. There are only anecdotal reports and they vary: good and bad. So I will try and see for myself. If it does not work for insomnia, I will take Elavil and will have a hard time fighting increased appetite tomorrow, which is not the end of the world for a day but in the long-term Elavil is not a viable option.

I will post tomorrow with the results of my trial. Something tells me that I will not experience anything: no relief from insomnia, no high, no nothing. But we shall see.

[roads]

BlueInanna is so right, hamster-bamster's ... never say never (or always, I thing the expression goes on to say). But yes, orgasms do usually slide me pleasantly off into sleep. Walks outside in pleasant or mildly stormy weather work, yoga, meditation. Lately I was getting about 2 hrs & a tweak of my meditation fixed it so I'm now back to my 6.

It's a broken 6 though, pain wakes me, but often I can adjust my body and get back to sleep pretty fast.

I've been on meds at time for sleep. Amitriptyline for awhile, and I take Topamax now but not enough to help with sleep. I've never worried very much about taking meds. I worry about developing something someday for which there are no meds ... No known cure. That's the kind of thing I worry about.

I hope things work out.

[cocoabeans]

I wasn't talking about mania...physiologically, anxiety and excitment are similar. Your mental perception is different.

[hamster-bamster]

Well, pot worked quickly and softly to make me fall asleep for two hours but then I woke up. I was concerned that I would not fall back asleep so I took Elavil. I am in for a lot of fun now trying to disregard increased appetite although it has not hit me yet.

Surprisingly, after several hours altered states of consciousness hit me 4-5 times for brief periods of time. I was aware of them - aware that I was doing an experiment.

All in all got 9 hours of sleep, albeit seriously interrupted. No sensation of squeezed heart, thanks god!

No unpleasant aftertaste in terms of moods. Everything is normal.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by Roadie

I've been on meds at time for sleep. Amitriptyline for awhile, and I take Topamax now but not enough to help with sleep. I've never worried very much about taking meds. I worry about developing something someday for which there are no meds ... No known cure. That's the kind of thing I worry about.

That's true! And come to think about it things could have been much worse. My poor mother had her whole elimination system seriously screwed up in addition to bp: malfunctioning kidneys, for one, and chronic constipation for another. No fun! At least the brain is my only faulty organ.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by YYZadd

I could not agree more

Yeah, I think that parents who strictly enforce separate bedrooms really miss out on very important things in life.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by cocoabeans

I wasn't talking about mania...physiologically, anxiety and excitment are similar. Your mental perception is different.

I hate anxiety and love excitement: they seem distinct, no?

Btw searching for medicinal cannabis and insomnia I came across research from Canada - there seems to be a lot of going on now.

[cocoabeans]

Sure, they seem distinct and are distinct because you percieve them as such.

[derekgraham78]

Sex for me definitely helps me get to bed much faster. So yeah more orgasms the better

Meds:
Lithium Carb 300 mg 2 at breakfast 2 at dinner 1 at bedtime
Busiprone hcl 10 mg twice a day
Effexor hcl 75 mg twice a day
Seroquel 300 mg at bedtime

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hamster-bamster]

Orgasms do induce sleep - orgasms and what Bluemountains called contentment. Yes, they do!

Yesterday this new guy, G., invited me over. I took my nighttime meds, Lithium and Amitriptyline, with me. He lives with his adult daughter but thought that the daughter would stay with her boyfriend for the night. He was on chat with the daughter and found out that no, she would come home for the night. So we went to my place. I asked him at some point whether he would stay the night or leave - last time he stayed the night. He said he would leave. Several days ago I lost my keys in the apartment and had to go to work without locking the front door, and the cats did not run away, so I was not worried about his leaving without locking the door and letting the cats out. So I did not tell him "make sure I say bye to you". I did not have that many orgasms, just three, but very high quality. Then apparently I fell asleep. I woke up at some point and noticed that he was gone. Must have left very quietly. I went straight back to sleep. Then I woke up at 5:30 to take my Levoxyl which is a synthetic thyroid hormone that enables me to be on Lithium. I realized what had happened. I took Lithium but not Amitrtiptyline. Usually I go back to sleep for one-two hours after taking Levoxyl, but now I am wide awake - that is the only difference.

So I CAN sleep without drugs!

..hammy, you sure deserve quality sleep like anyone who is lucky enough to get it. I was tempted to say "achieve" it!...but I'm not sure if it's something that can be 'arranged' ....so to speak.

your mind is so active...I know what that is like

....mental batteries are fully charged...all the time no two or three days are alike even though they should perhaps be easily similar!

i can't talk about sex and sleep because I only do one of them.

regular sleep is so exhausting for me I have to have a follow up sleep.

it's ridiculous