[Miss Laura]

Hey guys,

I have been told by my CPN (Community Psychiatric Nurse) today that I am choosing to not sleep as I'm getting more than 6 hours a night. He says its my sleep pattern that's needing worked on. But I don't know what to do. I take my meds and they just don't have the sedation effect anymore. What do you guys all do to make you sleep? I'm struggling to sleep and to get up at a decent hour

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[Ash89]

Honestly? Getting a little physical activity. If you are able to get a little exercise 2-3 hours before bed to wear yourself out, it really does help. Even if you just do a light walk/jog up and down your street a few times. It doesn't have to be anything intense, but if you can get some exercise I know that it really does help me.

Another thing that tires me out is reading. I can get into a really good book but after a while my eyes start to get tired. I've actually fought to stay awake to finish a chapter more than once, lol.

What also helps me is meditation and if you aren't in the habit of that the least you can do is unwind with some music or do a guided meditation. I don't use these but this one might be helpful to you:

Guided Sleep Meditation

This isn't meditation, just really relaxing music:
Zen Album

I also love music from Dan Gibson, his Dan Gibson Solitudes albums are really great for relaxing. You can find them featuring wolves, running water, crickets, birds, whatever. I myself like the running water and crickets route, but that's just me.

Anyways hope you can sleep better soon!

[vans1974]

It's probably due to some of the medication you're taking! I'd ck with a pdoc over a cpn to see what they recommend! Best of luck!!

[Miss Laura]

Hey guys, I have tried exercise or just general business but nothing. Meditating and tai chi vefore bed, journalling, listening to soothing music, no caffeine after 5pm etc nothong works. I hace been an insomniac since I was a kid but have mostly handled it well enough to function. I am only taking Depakote 500mg AM abd PM and Serequol 25mg AM, 150mg XR PM and 75mg PM. Psych and CPN work together abd have both said the same thing. Will only get Zopliclone if it gets severely worse

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[IndieVisible]

how long have you had trouble sleeping? That's a main factor here. I've had a sleep disorder for the past 15 years. I go to the gym regularly and I eat right and am in a healthy BMI. I average 4 hours sleep. I have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. So for me it's not meds, or any thing goofy like diet or exercise. If this has been going on for years you may have a sleep disorder, otherwise it may be something as simple as your diet, sleep pattern, health, etc. Good luck!

[BipolaRNurse]

I've noticed that having an actual routine has helped me settle down somewhat more easily. My pdoc gave me a curfew (yep, that's what I call it!) of 11:30 PM and I have to be up and out of bed by 8 AM. If I can't fall asleep within half an hour of lights-out, I can get up and read, but no TV or computer---nothing stimulating---for a half hour or until I feel sleepy. Then I go back to bed and repeat the process as needed. So far I've only had to get up on a few occasions, and I've always fallen asleep by the middle of the second try.

Also.....don't exercise within four hours of bedtime, and stay away from caffeine after 2 PM (noon if you're really sensitive to it). You may also want to try some melatonin with your pdoc's OK, although it tends to lose effectiveness after a few weeks or months.

[Ash89]

I agree with indievisible, if the basics aren't doing it and it's not your medication, you could very well have a sleep disorder.

[yagalada]

Have you tried aromatherapy? Lavender diffused in your bedroom can help. Also maybe increasing the seroquel since you are on a low dose.

[monochromatic]

There's a really good sleepy-time tea with valerian root. It doesn't knock me out, but it contributes to my winding down ritual and makes me a little heavy, and that helps put me in the mood for sleep.

But on the nights I absolutely cannot sleep because my brain is so wired, which is probably 1-2 per week, I take 2mg lorazepam OR 2 benadryl OR regular sleeping pills. I have to change it up or I get accustomed and it doesn't work anymore

A 3 week course of Melatonin cured my sleep issues - that was 3 years ago and I still have very few problems.

I used to have huge problems with sleep. It got to the point nothing would knock me out - sleeping pills were my PRN during the day for anxiety as they no longer worked to put me to sleep at night. HUGE doses of antipsychotics, also failed.

I do not have ANY caffeine at all. It can affect my sleep pattern, even if I have it at 11am. I need daily exercise and activity, if I sit around doing nothing all day with only 30 mins of exercise I do not sleep well, I need to do more. I cant be overstimulated near bedtime, so no exciting tv shows, or entertaining chats. I try to stay away from sugar at night too but that doesnt always work.

Sleepytime tea works great, not every time but a lot of the time. The first time I drank it I couldnt believe that it would knock me out - but it did! Worth a try.

Some nights it does take me hours to get to sleep, but I am in bed by 11pm and out of bed by 8am regardless. I do not get up during the night if I cant sleep - unless it is 3am, then I try warm milk or a warm shower. Resting in bed for those hours, even if you dont sleep, is almost as beneficial as sleeping. It is essential that I stay in this routine. One late night or morning sleep in can mess me up for days.

I hope you can find something that works for you, it really sucks when you cant sleep - believe me - I KNOW! I am so appreciative that I can sleep pretty well now, it makes life a whole lot easier and it definitely has an effect on my mood state and energy. I believe that a good sleep routine is absolutely essential in managing Bipolar.

[monochromatic]

Supernova, is there a difference between just taking Melatonin and doing a "course of Melatonin"?

Honestly Im not sure. My pdoc said it was a strong course that would get me into the right routine. Once I was in the right routine it was much easier to keep, and I have very few issues since. It was a 21 day course and I had to get a prescription for it. I would not hesitate to use it again. I wonder though because I had never used it previously, it had more of an effect on me. Would taking melatonin PRN or regularly affect its effectiveness? Do you build up any type of tolerance to it? I wouldnt take it except in the manner I have, because it is what works for me. I also found with melatonin that I needed to go to sleep the second I felt the slightest bit sleepy. If i pushed past that then I didnt sleep, I had to go to bed AS SOON as there was any effect.

[middlepath]

I have sleep problems too, my avatar twin . many of the things that i do have already been mentioned, so i will just add a couple of additional items that seem trivial, but they work. I use a heating blanket (obviously not in the summer), and make sure the bed is warm before I get into it. I make sure the lights are out and my TV is on something mindless like the cooking channel with the "sleep timer" set BEFORE i get into bed. I add a heavy blanket to the area that covers my legs because it helps when my legs feel "busy". I noticed when my brain is busy, my legs feel busy and vice versa so the heavy blanket trick can really help sometimes. My husband thinks i have made myself some sort of a cacoon : ). For me it works though! Well, most of the time it works.

[PrairieCat]

Originally Posted by Miss Laura

Hey guys,

I have been told by my CPN (Community Psychiatric Nurse) today that I am choosing to not sleep as I'm getting more than 6 hours a night. He says its my sleep pattern that's needing worked on. But I don't know what to do. I take my meds and they just don't have the sedation effect anymore. What do you guys all do to make you sleep? I'm struggling to sleep and to get up at a decent hour

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Right now I am taking 1 mg. Alprazolam (Xanax) for sleep at night and it works, works also for anxiety for me, but it can be addictive and can cause dementia when you 'get older' which I am, so my doc is taking me off of it soon. The new cost for it for the new year will be almost $200 per month! Vs. the usual maybe either $4 to $14 copay! So I am happy to quit it but it will take time to do, probably many weeks.

You can try Melatonin which is natural and you get it at the health food store. It has worked for me in the past. You may have to experiment with the amount you take. Also, this is not the only option. Talk to your doc about this.

Good luck!
PrairieCat

Getting at least 6 hours of sleep a night (if I'm reading your post right) is not completely out of the range of normal for some people. Are you waking up feeling rested? If so, I wouldn't worry about it. If not, that would be the indication there is a problem.

Is this a case of your sleep hours not happening at a normal hour? For instance, you are going to bed really late so you sleep in later in the morning. I have that problem at times, not so much that I'm not getting enough sleep, but that my sleep schedule gets off which can leave me feeling sluggish.

I have to really make myself go to bed at a decent hour when I get like that. I generally get into a pattern of too much distracting activity late at night (like watching TV or being on the computer, etc.), so my brain won't shut down. My therapist has me turn it all off and let my brain wind down several hours before I head to bed, take my sleep meds a bit earlier, and head to bed by 10PM. Cramps my style a bit, but generally after a few nights, my sleep cycle regulates a bit. I start getting my sleep at normal hours, and that feels much better.

[thickntired]

You said no caffiene after 5pm. I would scale that back to no caffiene after noon. I agree with the Sleepy time tea and self-guided meditations. If you have a smart phone you can download the meditation apps and listen with headphones in bed.

[Miss Laura]

Hey guys,

I only drink caffeine drinks I don't like milk, tea or coffee.... fussy person here!!! I have suffered from insomnia since I was a kid but have always managed to function well enough on little to no sleep. I am falling asleep late 1-4am then sleeping in until 12-4pm so getting a full 'nights' sleep but at the wrong times. Turning night into day. I could sleep forever once I'm asleep. I gave tried lavender and have a bedroom spray of lavender but still nothing

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Well in that case I agree with your nurse... You're choosing caffeine drinks? What about sticking to water? Thats the best for you by far anyway. The stuff that caffeinated drinks has in them could really be affecting you a lot more than you know.

Have you tried getting out of bed at 8am regardless of what time you go to sleep? If you only get 3 or 4 hours sleep that night you might fall asleep earlier the following night. Once you get into a good routine it is easy to keep. Might be hard for the first few weeks but it will be worth it.

I really cannot stress enough how much a good sleep pattern will help your moods and functionality.

[Miss Laura]

I'm struggling just to get motivated.... its just a low patch I know. I drink decaffinated coke and Irn Bru (Scotland's nationally drink) I know I should stop but I need it as I don't drink alcohol or smoke or do drugs. It's my weakness. Once the New Year is here it will get better I'm sure

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