[TomRiddle]

Hi all. I have never been a morning person as long as I can remember and it wasn't until the last couple years that I realized that this issue is the main cause of my anxiety, depression and other symptoms. The problem is, if I have to get early for work or school (even 930 is too early) I experience horrible symptoms. I normally fall asleep around 2 am but if I am up later before an early morning I will feel horrible all day. If I'm really really tired I have a reaction where my brain "accelerates" for several days and sometimes I do stupid things like yell at friends or make an expensive purchase (not excessive, like a few hundred dollars tops). This "accelerating" phase is followed by an equally long "depression". I don't feel down or anything, I just don't enjoy anything. I just have to float through life until it passes.

I recently quit my job so I don't have to get up so early but my 1030am class twice a week is still affecting my life. I graduate college in several months and I know I won't be able to get or hold a job so I don't know what to do. My doctor doesn't take my problem seriously. I also have some soft-addiction issues (sorry I don't really want to go into details) and I relapse exclusively after I start having these symptoms.

Just to give a little more detail: When I wake up too early I might fine while in the shower and driving to work or class but I start to crash soon after and I feel awful the rest of the day. Sometimes I start to feel better and then crash again throughout the day. I hate it. I feel awful. After school and work I go home and just sit. No one else has ever heard of this so no one takes me seriously. Do anyone know what is wrong with me?

[Lexi232]

Has anyone ever diagnosed you with bipolar?
and by "awful" what do you mean? i'm thinking it may be something i experience too, but not sure if your "awful" the same as my awful.
And if you take a nap after feeling that way, does the feeling disappear once you wake up again? if its what i'm thinking it is, it's a side effect of having too much sleep deprivation.

But what you describe sounds logical enough to me, as most of the things are mentioned within sleep deprivation articles. Have you tried to see a neurologist about it?
There's also something else that i think of when you mention about your sleep wake cycles.. it usually happens with people who work nights, but can happen with daytime workers as well.
Here's a link on this(however where it states it's insomnia if you dont work night schedules, that is misinformation. as night shift isn't the only thing that can mess with someones sleep schedule on a persistant basis. Insomnia is just the "cant get to sleep" phase, while the other types of sleep problems are more indepth)..
Shift Work Sleep Disorder-Topic Overview

My neurologist was the one who figured out what my sleep issues were (Hypersomnia (Reason: fell asleep to quickly each time in the morning test), sleep disorder nos (reason: I never ever go into the REM cycle sleep stage)), and due to the daytime and nighttime issues caused, he put me on both a sleeping med, and a wake up med (which was seroquil and vyvanse for me).
Most likely the first thing the neuro will want to do is a sleep study, and prolly a EEG (monitors to see if you have any abnormal brain signals that could cause sezures or epilepsy), and i can't remember the name of the test in the morning that they did, but it was 4 letters and the first one started with a M. and that one tests to see how fast(or slow) you fall asleep each time they wake you up. if its quicker than the normal range, then thats hypersomnia.. if it's slower than the normal range then it's called insomnia.

[TomRiddle]

Originally Posted by Lexi232

Has anyone ever diagnosed you with bipolar?
and by "awful" what do you mean? i'm thinking it may be something i experience too, but not sure if your "awful" the same as my awful.
And if you take a nap after feeling that way, does the feeling disappear once you wake up again? if its what i'm thinking it is, it's a side effect of having too much sleep deprivation.

But what you describe sounds logical enough to me, as most of the things are mentioned within sleep deprivation articles. Have you tried to see a neurologist about it?
There's also something else that i think of when you mention about your sleep wake cycles.. it usually happens with people who work nights, but can happen with daytime workers as well.
Here's a link on this(however where it states it's insomnia if you dont work night schedules, that is misinformation. as night shift isn't the only thing that can mess with someones sleep schedule on a persistant basis. Insomnia is just the "cant get to sleep" phase, while the other types of sleep problems are more indepth)..
Shift Work Sleep Disorder-Topic Overview

My neurologist was the one who figured out what my sleep issues were (Hypersomnia (Reason: fell asleep to quickly each time in the morning test), sleep disorder nos (reason: I never ever go into the REM cycle sleep stage)), and due to the daytime and nighttime issues caused, he put me on both a sleeping med, and a wake up med (which was seroquil and vyvanse for me).
Most likely the first thing the neuro will want to do is a sleep study, and prolly a EEG (monitors to see if you have any abnormal brain signals that could cause sezures or epilepsy), and i can't remember the name of the test in the morning that they did, but it was 4 letters and the first one started with a M. and that one tests to see how fast(or slow) you fall asleep each time they wake you up. if its quicker than the normal range, then thats hypersomnia.. if it's slower than the normal range then it's called insomnia.

Many thanks for your reply Lexi!

I have not been diagnosed with bipolar and no one seems to think I am.
To describe my awful, I would describe it as being mentally in pain. It's like being uncomfortable and there's nothing I can do to make the feeling go away. I just have to exist with it until it passes. It truly is horrible. I don't take naps anymore because I spend the rest of the day feeling spacey, but the feeling doesn't go away even if I can get decent sleep the next night. The feeling lasts 2 or 3 days until I transition into the "accelerating" stage.

Thanks for the Shift Work link, I had read about it in the past but dismissed it because I don't have night or rotating schedule problems. Also, I will keep a neurologist in mind the next time I try to get help from my doctor.

I appreciate you taking the time to post. It's really been a struggle to figure out what exactly is my issue and I'm really becoming concerned as I approach graduation.

[Ahkrill]

I am much the same way. I don't know if this is good advice, but I can reset myself by not sleeping for a night and being as active as possible during the day. Come night fall I can usually get to sleep. If I am in the over-tired state where I can't sleep I run a really hot bath and put tonnes of lavender in it. Once I get out I am immediately hit with tiredness and I can sleep.