Sleep...or more appropriately lack of...

[inkjunkie]

One of the things about being bipolar is your brain is pretty much amped up. Thoughts are clear as mud. For me I hear things, one of which is voices. More like a constant murmur, kind of like a barely audible ringing. This obviously makes sleeping a bit of a challenge.
Anyhow, seen my doc for my monthly narcotic scripts yesterday. Doc mentioned I looked more tired than normal. Told him I am sleeping in 20-30 minute chunks. He looked thru my records and laughingly said we have hit you with everything but the kitchen sink. He thought for a few seconds and told me drug rep was just there, might have something "new" for me. Gave me Belsomra. 2 different doses are available, he gave me the stronger. Took one last night...nada...

So what do you folks do for sleep troubles. Being bipolar presents all sorts of hurdles. Lot of sleep med are also antidepressants. Give a bipolar folk an antidepressant without a mood stabizer and often it just triggers a maniac spell, which is the case for me. I don't drink, consuming alcohol just leads me to self medicate. Some of the meds I have taken for this triggered some wild hallucinations.

 

[themule69]

I'm so glad I don't have that problem. I hope they find something that works for you soon.

Happy smoken.

David

 

[michief]

I often find my mind running full power when I am ready to sleep. I also have tinnitus which can get really bad around bedtime. I put on talk radio at a very low volume. Just loud enough that I can hear the voices but not so loud that IO can fully follow the conversation. This keeps me from getting focused on the conversation but also calms my brain. YMMV

 

[inkjunkie]

I often find my mind running full power when I am ready to sleep. I also have tinnitus which can get really bad around bedtime. I put on talk radio at a very low volume. Just loud enough that I can hear the voices but not so loud that IO can fully follow the conversation. This keeps me from getting focused on the conversation but also calms my brain. YMMV

Years ago I had a hearing test, they checked for tinnitus and said that was not my problem. But funny you mention talk radio. I used to tune my Sirius tuner to a jazz station when going to bed. Would set the timer for 2 hours and go bed. I did sleep better...but then again everything has gotten worse since then. But I am going to try it again. Thanks for the reminder.
Can say that the new drug help me sleep last night. Only problem is I have been out of bed for 3 hours now...still waiting to wake up.

 

[zeroids7]

I'm sure you'll find a way to cope with your sleeping problems. I have them too lol, There are times when I wake up at around 2pm, and sleep at around 4am. Believe me or not, that has happened a lot.

________________________

Brygget  - eat drink and be merry

 

[tigerregis]

Try melatonin, a natural remedy for some.

 

[inkjunkie]

I'm sure you'll find a way to cope with your sleeping problems. I have them too lol, There are times when I wake up at around 2pm, and sleep at around 4am. Believe me or not, that has happened a lot.



 

________________________
Brygget - eat drink and be merry

Sadly I have been battling this since I was 15....just turned 49. I will go thru a week or two where I will sleep for a few hours at a clip. Every now and then I will skeep for 6 straight hours...which ALWAYS results in a day or two of serious depression.

Try melatonin, a natural remedy for some.

Used to help. I am super sensitive to most meds. I have 4 different otc sleep aids I use. I can normally get a few hours a night when I rotate them using each one for one night. But after the second trip thru them they don't work, only leave me super foggy the next day.
Up to this med my doc has given up with prescription sleep meds. If they make me sleep at night I am semi-comatose the next day...til about dinner time. After a few days I end up staying awake for 2-3 straight days. Others didn't work at all. My favorites were the ones that gave me the wild, bizarre hallucinations.

 

[jirodriguez]

I feel for you.... my brother-in-law is bi-polar and has similar struggles. Not sure if he has come across any great schemes to work or not.... I suggested the Looney Toon's method to him last week... gave him a good laugh.

 

[crazymoon]

IJ, I hope you find something that works, lack of restful sleep is a serious situation. .

 

[welshrarebit]

What ever you do don't go to Michael Jackson's doctor!!!

Seriously, I hope you can get better and find something that will help...

 

[daveomak]

Ink.... After commercial fishing in Alaska, and sleeping next to an 871 screaming jimmy, I found trying to sleep in the quiet was impossible... I can sleep really well, with headphones on, and watching a NASCAR race on the tube... Try headphones and those CD's with sounds.... like jungle sounds, river sounds, ocean sounds.... etc... will keep you from thinking....

 

[inkjunkie]

Ink.... After commercial fishing in Alaska, and sleeping next to an 871 screaming jimmy, I found trying to sleep in the quiet was impossible... I can sleep really well, with headphones on, and watching a NASCAR race on the tube... Try headphones and those CD's with sounds.... like jungle sounds, river sounds, ocean sounds.... etc... will keep you from thinking....

Dave...I have come close to strangling myself with the cpap hose several times....can only imagine what would happen if I added headphones....lol

 

[beachbunny]

I'm sort of hesitant to mention my sleep help because I am not bipolar and they are pretty wimpy... But I'll do it anyways. :) I do breathing exercises. I breathe in deeply for seven counts, hold for no more than four counts, and then out slowly for no particular number. I've heard that counting shuts off the running numbers part of your brain that is adding up all the bills and the income and such. There is also the trick of keeping a pen and paper on the bed stand to write down irritating "to do" things that pop into your head. There is also a station I listen to on iHeartradio about aliens that is so rambling about nothing really that I just fall asleep. I hope that you find a dr/ balance that can help you!

 

[GaryHibbert]

Hey IJ

Like BeachBunny, I'm a little hesitant to say any thing.  I'm not bi-polar--just can't shut my brain down at night--but I've found a method that works great for me.  I just start to play the tape of "Time to say goodbye" by Andrea Boccelli in my head.  Kinda weird as there are only 4 words of English in it (the rest is in Italian, which I don't speak), but it works.  It overpowers any other thoughts in my head and I drift off to sleep.  Been using this method for about 2 years. You'll just have to pick a powerful, calming song that you like.

Hope this will help in some way.

Gary

 

[atomicsmoke]

Dave...I have come close to strangling myself with the cpap hose several times....can only imagine what would happen if I added headphones....lol

Bluetooth?

 

[drewed]

Full dark room.  Cover up all the little LED lights on TV, computers, cable boxes routers, whatever.  I've even taken to putting my clock in a black sock - I can still read the numbers, but they don't light up the room any more.

Either that, or stay up and do an all night smoked pork butt and beans?

 

[inkjunkie]

I'm sort of hesitant to mention my sleep help because I am not bipolar and they are pretty wimpy... But I'll do it anyways. :) I do breathing exercises. I breathe in deeply for seven counts, hold for no more than four counts, and then out slowly for no particular number. I've heard that counting shuts off the running numbers part of your brain that is adding up all the bills and the income and such. There is also the trick of keeping a pen and paper on the bed stand to write down irritating "to do" things that pop into your head. There is also a station I listen to on iHeartradio about aliens that is so rambling about nothing really that I just fall asleep. I hope that you find a dr/ balance that can help you!

Meditation used to help me. Never did breathing exercises, usedan to use candles/incense and a cd from a Native American Flute player among others. Sadly I just can't seem to put myself in that mindset anymore. But I am going to try. Meditating, along with the help of my former head doc and a diehard AA believer saved my life.

Hey IJ

Like BeachBunny, I'm a little hesitant to say any thing.  I'm not bi-polar--just can't shut my brain down at night--but I've found a method that works great for me.  I just start to play the tape of "Time to say goodbye" by Andrea Boccelli in my head.  Kinda weird as there are only 4 words of English in it (the rest is in Italian, which I don't speak), but it works.  It overpowers any other thoughts in my head and I drift off to sleep.  Been using this method for about 2 years. You'll just have to pick a powerful, calming song that you like.

Hope this will help in some way.

Gary

This may sound kind of strange but I used to use that cd to help me doze off "back then". Don't know what it was about it but would often help. Guess it is time to dig thru the cd collection again?

Bluetooth?

Full dark room.  Cover up all the little LED lights on TV, computers, cable boxes routers, whatever.  I've even taken to putting my clock in a black sock - I can still read the numbers, but they don't light up the room any more.


Either that, or stay up and do an all night smoked pork butt and beans?

Full dark room used to help. But not anymore. Used to go as far as putting the clock in the closet and sealing the bottom of the door with a towel. But now-a-days the.....Let's just say distractions.....are what wakes me up...that and the pain...

I often hear/see things. Will frequently happen when I am wide awake. One of the things that I frequently hear is bagpipes. Out of the blue I will just hear them. Another is a guy with a leaf blower. Sometimes this guy is up on top of a snow covered mountain, just standing there with a leaf blower running. Doc has told me that this is just my brains way of trying to shut down. That it will throw something "out there" in an attempt at giving itself something to focus on.

I have tried to keep a notepad near the bed to jot stuff down. Problem is most of the time there is not a single thought that I can focus on. Brain is just spinning out of control. There is just bits and fragments of thoughts. Luckily I haven't had many panic attacks lately.
Have been thru more head docs than I can remember. Sadly there is no "fix" for me. There is just trying to deal with it. I have several triggers...things that will more or less put me in a very primal type of mindset. One of them is stress. Even a simple disagreement will often put me in a manic state. And then the fun begins.

My head doc always apologies to me....for not really being able to do much for me. There is no fix, just management. I suffer from this wonderful thing called persacutory ideation...I think everyone is out to "get" me. Pretty much means I am paranoid. All this junk is why I live on 5 acres...with a fence and locked gates. Pretty much don't talk to my neighbors. Only friends I have are my wife and my buddy Doug in AZ. Doug is just like me...seems like the only people I have ever been able to tolerate are folks that suffer from this nightmare.
One of the other traits of my ailments is what I am doing right now...rambling. I do apologize for this...

 

[atomicsmoke]

IJ,

Can't begin to imagine your suffering. I really hope you work this out with your MDs.

What impresses me is your detached, seemingly unbiased description of your struggle. People I know with similar symptoms don't seem to acknowledge their condition. On the contrary.

Way to go dude.

Wishing you well, peace and restful sleep.

 

[inkjunkie]

IJ,

Can't begin to imagine your suffering. I really hope you work this out with your MDs.

What impresses me is your detached, seemingly unbiased description of your struggle. People I know with similar symptoms don't seem to acknowledge their condition. On the contrary.

Way to go dude.

Wishing you well, peace and restful sleep.

Thanks. I was one of those that didn't acknowledge my troubles for a long time. The one thing that made that change was the day I was sitting on the toilet...with a loaded .357 in my mouth and I pulled the trigger. Tried doing the medication thing...but like a lot of folks with problem they only made things worse. That's when I finally gave in and decided if I was going to have any sort of life I needed to learn how to manage it.

Part of me getting thru the disability process was taking some goofy test...the MMPI2 I think it was called. While the test in itself doesn't mean much when it was coupled with the notes my head doc had on me it gave me a clue as to what was truly going on. Doc I was seeing had one entire drawer in a filing cabinet on me.
But it is what it is. I really don't mind talking about this junk. I saved a few couples marriages over the years by explaining to the "healthy" spouse what it is like to be like this, most folks have no clue.
Can say I am truly grateful I got "neutered" at the ripe old age of 24...don't know if I could have lived with myself if I passed this nightmare on. My mother never admitted to having a mental health problem, but she did. I have never been able to get along with my sister....she is just like me. No doubt in my mind I would have passed this on...

 

[smokin sid]

Hi inkjunckie

    It is no fun where lack of sleep is concerned.Just the other night, I had something on my

mind that was just screaming in my head. I hadn't gotten much sleep the previous nights and

I was exhausted. My little bunny Harley has been sick,so I worry about him constantly.

Is he going to be ok? I then remembered I took a class last year. I think it was called

"State Of Mind" I learned that releasing negative thoughts helped clear my mind and help me relax. Maybe releasing can help? 

  In the meantime I hope you find some peace so you can get some rest, and know that

you are in my thoughts and prayers.

                                                                           Smokin Sid