Can't sleep! Anyone else so I'm not alone

[Hannahjay85]

Just been diagnosed with bi polar,
I go from going to sleep early to up all night nothing in between

 

[Lunar Lady]

Just been diagnosed with bi polar,
I go from going to sleep early to up all night nothing in between

I'm in the "up all night" phase, Hannahjay so you're far from alone. I haven't slept before 5 in the morning for at least two months.

Trying something different tonight - I'm going back to reflexology. I had great results with it before but sometimes you stop doing something and forget all about it.

I've got my feet soaking in a warm bowl of water with some essential oils then I'm going to massage them with olive oil. I've linked the pressure points below if you're desperate and want to give it a try.

 

[Hannahjay85]

Thanks for that glad I'm not alone! I've tried soaking my feet it does in deed relax me which is good, just nothing seems to calm my mind, I just have to go with it and sleep when I'm tired

 

[Lunar Lady]

Thanks for that glad I'm not alone! I've tried soaking my feet it does in deed relax me which is good, just nothing seems to calm my mind, I just have to go with it and sleep when I'm tired

I think just going with it is the best way. I don't lie in the dark tossing and turning and getting stressed out - it's just torture!

I've grown to enjoy music and reading through the small hours. It's not so bad in the summer because it's light early and it's always a relief when dawn comes.

I'm trying to ease back to a better routine. Planning to be deeply relaxed and asleep by 4 this morning...well, we'll see how that goes!

I don't mean to keep throwing videos at you but I've been playing things this last hour and I found this one made me very relaxed and sleepy - only 5 minutes but it slowed my mind down..

 

[Hannahjay85]

Not at all any help is great, plus nice to know someone is listening, I've tried similar to this before, sounds silly but my mind has to be in a place to even listen to that
Im also trying cbd tea which helps

 

[Ramson mash]

I dont take my meds so i'm the same.

Currenty trying to think of comforting things.
Like i usually imagine i am a sniper who is on guard in my safe zone.
Or that my legs have been shot and i am incapacitated.
Its strange but it's what i do.
Random thoughts tend to keep my brain ticking, so i have these kind of rituals i guess so that my brain cannot overanalyse and keep me awake.
Best of luck to you both tonight

 

[Lunar Lady]

I dont take my meds so i'm the same.

Currenty trying to think of comforting things.
Like i usually imagine i am a sniper who is on guard in my safe zone.
Or that my legs have been shot and i am incapacitated.
Its strange but it's what i do.
Random thoughts tend to keep my brain ticking, so i have these kind of rituals i guess so that my brain cannot overanalyse and keep me awake.
Best of luck to you both tonight

I'm actually getting drowsy from massaging my feet and listening to classical music...looking good!

 

[Hannahjay85]

I dont take my meds so i'm the same.

Currenty trying to think of comforting things.
Like i usually imagine i am a sniper who is on guard in my safe zone.
Or that my legs have been shot and i am incapacitated.
Its strange but it's what i do.
Random thoughts tend to keep my brain ticking, so i have these kind of rituals i guess so that my brain cannot overanalyse and keep me awake.
Best of luck to you both tonight

Thanks for your reply! That actually made me smile,, well done you, I would make a good sniper protecting my safe place!

 

[HLon99]

Dear Hannahjay85,

I recently got diagnosed with bipolar disorder and have been struggling with sleep issues for a number of years now.

When I was manic I couldn't sleep more than 2-3 hours for the life of me. I also suffered from crippling paranoia/hyperarousal that would haunt me in the middle of the night, stopping me from going to sleep for a number of hours. No matter what I tried its like my brain refused to switch off. My pdoc prescribed me aripiprazole (Abilify) which helped with both of these. Now I sleep like a baby.

I understand where your coming from. Even before I had bipolar, I've always struggled with anxiety and insomnia. I was never a sound sleeper, I often struggled with anxious thoughts before going to bed. Try limiting your screen time before bed, read a relaxing book and always try go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. Other than that exercise and mediation is absolutely key. Also make sure you take your bipolar medication regularly, if you have it, as this will help you sleep as well.

I hope this helps you.

Best wishes,
-H

 

[Carol1952]

Just been diagnosed with bi polar,
I go from going to sleep early to up all night nothing in between

I have the same problem .I just go on the computer for awhile hoping it will tire me out but it doesnt. ALso turn on the tv nothing helps.

 

[UpnDwn1978]

I'm in a sleepless state right now. I have a thousand thoughts and ideas in my head and I jump from idea to idea, never getting to start or finish anything and just ending up procrastinating. I also get easily irritated by the slightest thing, have anxieties, exalted moments, deep depression, everything at once. My head is a battlefield and it's impossible to sleep through all the noise.

 

[Mister_Fabulous formerly BetaMale]

Don't worry about sleep. Your body will claim as much sleep as it requires.

 

[Another Maniac]

Sleep is super important and is closely intertwined with our health. So it's worrisome when we're not getting the right amount of sleep. It's currently 5am where I am and I haven't slept a wink so I can understand what you're going through. Usually when this happens I nearly sleep through the whole of the next day.

I got a bunch of tips from my psychologist about how to maintain your sleep hygiene. Things like exercise and breathing techniques can help. I was told if you spend more than 30 minutes trying to get to sleep, instead of tossing and turning, get up and do something relaxing and then try again.

Hopefully everyone is getting some restful sleep these days

 

[UpnDwn1978]

When I'm hypo I can go for days without sleep, but when I crash I can sleep for 20 hours straight. Otherwise my anxieties keeps me from getting a good nights sleep and I usually wake up several times every night unless I take seroquel but it makes me so drowsy that I can't take it if I have something important to do the next day or I will most likely oversleep. My doctor won't give me sleeping pills because of a suicide attempt when I was younger so this is all I got. I have tried meditation and it helped for a while, but my anxieties makes it difficult for me to get into a meditative state.

 

[Tramble]

I used to take serpquil my gf used to yake ot too tjat made me sad i have hard time slerpimg too my anxiety keep me up