Seasonal Affective Disorder seems to get a grip on me again. Last year I was able to avoid it by using the lamp in the mornings. This year it all happened so sudden. A few days ago I didn't sleep in the night, but fell asleep in the morning and slept some hours of the day. I have not been able to get my normal sleep-routine to work again. Are for the time being not sleepy before after midnight and wake up several hours into the day.

That's why I haven't used the lamp. Because if one doesn't use it early in the morning one will have problems with going to sleep in the night.

Bad circle: If I do not fall into sleep before midnight I will sleep in the day. If I sleep to many hours into the day, I cannot use the lamp. If I use the lamp after becoming awake some hours into the day, that will prevent me from sleeping at night.

I have a lot of tension in my body! I am very easily distracted and it is difficult for me to do something ...

This is a cry out! I am frightened! I need to change my sleep pattern! How shall I be able to manage?

It is good to write here: I got the idea,now, that I can try to get up early in the morning and sit in front of the light-bulb. If I feel sleepy afterward, I can go to bed again. (I'm so tired ).

For now I'm forcing myself to go to the grocery to buy something to eat! It is hard!

I’m sleepy too and thinking of getting a lamp also. For me, my sleep is perfect when it’s perfect and I can’t sleep when I can’t sleep. Meds, routines, shaming and complaining has had little effect on this reality. I must accept what my body demands.....it always wins in the end and failing to measure up to what’s expected of me does little to correct the issue......just makes me feel bad for not measuring up to expectations ...........being tired is so painful......meds make it so much worse......if only I could always sleep when painfully tired I’d not complain.

Good luck in getting this figured out.....everyone I know complains they can’t sleep or sleep too much.......it’s a systemic problem which modern society does little to help. (((Hugs)))

Originally Posted by ElsaMars

I’m sleepy too (.........) (((Hugs)))

Thank you so much for answering my post, ElasaMars! It is of enormous value to be reached out to when one is struggling with a serious problem.

Like I wrote yesterday, I got the idea while I wrote the post that I could try to get up use the lamp early and than go to bed again if I felt for it. I tried that this morning and so far it has functioned OK. I'm still depressed though, but perhaps a little more on the hope site, that is that it still is possible to do something to get control over the "Winter depression".

I did post it in the bipolar forum because I have read some place that SAD is a cyclic disorder and as such part of the bipolar diagnoses. I forgot that many bipolar people cannot use the recommended lamp for SAD .

May be the best is to take this problem up in the Depression forum or another forum. SAD is not cured from one day to another. Support will be needed for some time.

[emgreen]

I've got SAD, too, & use a light box. It's hard to say whether they work for depression, but the light sure feels good in the morning. I use light, Vitaman D an anti-depressant & mood stablizers...& then there's the six inches of mush inside my head. It's hard to separate all those factors out. If the light box is good at fighting, thats' wonderful. The light just feels good...

[Sunflower123]

Same here. My SAD usually shows up late November - mid December and I use a light box as well...sometimes year round. Good idea on getting up to use your light box and then giving yourself the option to go back to bed if needed. I hope you get your sleep straightened out and feel better soon.

Originally Posted by emgreen

I've got SAD, too, & use a light box. It's hard to say whether they work for depression, but the light sure feels good in the morning. I use light, Vitaman D an anti-depressant & mood stablizers...& then there's the six inches of mush inside my head. It's hard to separate all those factors out. If the light box is good at fighting, thats' wonderful. The light just feels good...

I use an SSRI for long term + methods that work for me (exercise and so on), but nothing works against the winter depression. It usually comes in the middle of November. I avoided the winter depression last winter by using the light box. Then I started to use it before the winter depression had started to bloom. I became so scared when I discovered that my S.A.D.had already kicked in this year. I feel better today, because I did get up early and used the box (and went to sleep afterward ).

Originally Posted by Jennifer 1967

Same here. My SAD usually shows up late November - mid December and I use a light box as well...sometimes year round. Good idea on getting up to use your light box and then giving yourself the option to go back to bed if needed. I hope you get your sleep straightened out and feel better soon.

I was able to get up early this morning to use it. That gave me hope! I feel more relaxed today because I stopped to think that the "last train" was gone for this year. Hopefully it will take me a couple of weeks before I feel much better. I slept for 9 hours last night (6 before the light box and 3 afterward). I hope that is a good sign. I slept more than 11 hours the night before that.

I use my light bulb in other times of the year if there is a long rainy period with little sun. It is good somebody got the idea to develop such tools for us! The evening before the 11 hours sleep, I almost felt the dark. It was painful and scary.

Hope you will be able to use your "box" this year as well and that it will function against the S.A.D.

[BipolaRNurse]

I recently read about some studies that have shown light therapy to be more effective in people with bipolar, with less switching, by sitting in front of the lamp at midday rather than the early morning. That works for me, as I hate getting up in the morning and prefer to sleep till at least 9 AM. I haven't had to use my light yet, but I'm going to try doing it around noon to see if that works better for me. I don't work so it wouldn't interfere with a schedule, but it would be hard for someone who works during the day unless they use the light at lunchtime.