Hi everyone
well I still having drama with Sleep.
So I thought we might all learn from what I have found.
These are all quotes that I have been reading...
“We are living in the middle of history’s greatest experiment in sleep deprivation and we are all part of that experiment,” says Robert Stickgold, PhD, a sleep research specialist and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Stickgold makes this dramatic assertion in a recent Harvard Magazine article that also cites some startling statistics. Americans today sleep far less than people did 100 or even 50 years ago.
http://www.bphope.com/Item.aspx/159/the-quest-for-sleep
We are all sleep deprived but for bipolar people its worse due to the Circadian Rhythmic nature of bipolar.
So what is a Circadian Rhythm.
in a strict sense, circadian rhythms are endogenously generated, although they can be modulated by external cues such as sunlight and temperature.
Circadian rhythms are important in determining the sleeping and feeding patterns of all animals, including human beings.
So why is this important for bipolar? especially those of us with rapid cycling bipolar?
As difficult as getting a good night’s sleep is for most people, those who have bipolar disorder know all too well the significant health costs of poor sleep. “Most people who don’t have bipolar disorder have a consistent sleep problem over a long period of time. In people who have bipolar disorder, sleep problems often occur cyclically,” explains Michael J. Thorpy, MD, director of the Sleep-Wake Disorder Center at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York. “They may fluctuate week to week or month to month. So in the manic or hypomanic phases, they get very little sleep but at times of depression, they may sleep or just stay in bed for excessive amounts of time.”
Bipolar disorder, commonly known as manic-depressive disorder, is highly influenced by the circadian system - thebody's
internal clock - and a specific kind of psychotherapy may help decrease irregularities in the circadian system that can trigger key symptoms of bipolar disorder, according to a study presented today at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) annual meeting.
"Having already found that disruption in daily routines can make individuals with bipolar disorder vulnerable to new episodes of illness, we have now learned that working with patients to achieve and maintain regular social rhythms - including regular sleep patterns and adequate physical activity - will help to protect them against episodes of mania or depression," says Ellen Frank, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Each body organ — from kidneys to muscles — has a gene that puts it on an internal 24-hour clock. These are called circadian genes, and the sleep-wake patterns, or rhythms, they produce are known as endogenous rhythms because they are produced within the body. However, as Frank explains, the sleep-wake cycle is also influenced by exogenous rhythms outside the body — such as the rising and setting of the sun, or mealtimes. "For instance," Frank says, "if my plane lands in Italy at seven a.m. and my gut's still on Pittsburgh time, where it's the middle of the night, I won't want to eat. But once I see sunshine, smell food cooking, and put something in my stomach, my organs will wake up: 'Hello! Something different is going on here.'" In people with bipolar disorder, both exogenous and endogenous rhythms are much more sensitive than in people without this condition, says Frank, which makes them prone to sleep disturbances.
Track your daily patterns. Filling out a daily form called a "Social Rhythm Metric" can help identify your daily sleep-wake patterns as well as other regular activities, and also track how your mood corresponds to each. "It takes two minutes a day. You record when you got up, when you first had contact with another person, when you started work or school, when you had dinner, and when you went to bed," says Frank. By using the form over several weeks or months, you can figure out which bedtimes and wake times correspond to your best mood state.
Look out for zeitstorers! The German words "zeitgeber" (time-giver) and "zeitstorer" (time-taker) are used by researchers to describe different cues in your environment that can affect your schedule. A zeitgeber, says Frank, is an event or person that helps you maintain your routine — for example, a cat that should be let out at a given time or a spouse who must catch the same train daily. A zeitstorer, conversely, disturbs your routine, the way a business trip or overnight guests might. Figuring out how to maximize the use of zeitgebers and minimize the effect of zeitstorers will ultimately help improve your sleep and mental health.
Try IPSRT. Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy (IPSRT), developed by Frank and colleagues about 20 years ago, helps you understand the importance of regularity in your daily routines, especially how a consistent sleep/wake cycle can stabilize your mood and help to prevent new episodes of illness. "You learn to anticipate changes in routine, such as a vacation or a time when your spouse will be away, and how to maintain — as closely as possible — your usual sleep patterns in spite of these changes. You also learn how to carefully adhere to your usual
medication regimen," says Frank.
Accept the situation and work with it. "This problem isn't going away," says Frank. Just because your spouse can choose to go to bed at eight p.m. one night and one a.m. the next and suffer no ill effects, you can't. You must make your sleep routine a priority of the household.
Like a Finely Tuned Watch
Frank sympathizes with how difficult it can be for people with bipolar disorder to regulate their sleep and other activity routines. "But I like to use an old TV commercial for Timex watches as an analogy," Frank says. "A Timex was thrown off the top of the Empire State Building, and when it hit the ground, it was still ticking. Well, you wouldn't get the same result if you threw a Piaget watch off the top of that building. It's an exquisitely sensitive instrument. And that's what we tell our patients: You aren't a Timex. You're a Piaget."
Certain
bipolar medications may also affect sleep as a side effect. For example, they may disrupt the sleep-wake cycle. One way to address this is to move bedtime and waking time later and later each day until you reach your desired goal. Two other ways to handle this situation are bright light therapy and use of the hormone
melatonin.
Of course, your doctor may recommend a change in medication, if needed. Be sure to discuss any other drugs or medical conditions that may be affecting your sleep, such as
arthritis, migraines, or a back injury.
Restoring a regular schedule of daily activities and sleep -- perhaps with the help of cognitive behavioral therapy -- can go a long way toward helping restore more even moods.
Steps like these may also help restore sleep:
- Eliminate alcohol and caffeine late in the day.
- Keep the bedroom as dark and quiet as possible and maintain a temperature that is not too hot or cold. Use fans, heaters, blinds, earplugs, or sleep masks, as needed.
- Talk with your partner about ways to minimize snoring or other sleep habits that may be affecting your sleep.
- Exercise, but not too late in the day.
- Try visualization and other relaxation techniques.
Most people know that they need to eat well and exercise to be healthy and fit, but ignorance about sleep is widespread.
Dr. Thorpy, of the Sleep-Wake Disorder Center at Montefiore Medical Center, encourages consumers who have bipolar to exercise enough for optimal sleep. “It’s vital to keep active even during a depressive phase,” he says. “But be careful not to exercise strenuously too close to the sleep episode” because doing so can be too stimulating. “Get exposure to bright light during the day,” he adds. “Don’t just exercise inside a dark environment. Get outside.”
I know its a lot of quotes but with my mind how it is this is the best I can put forward...
I'll come back and organise this post better when my frame of mind is up to the task.
As for this I think I need to work on a routine of better sleep.
Don't forget to follow or comment below.
The blue rose.
#sleep #bipolar #circadian rhythm #insomnia #help
