I Am Proof of the Connection Between Proper Sleep and Stable Moods
Tips on keeping your mood stable from someone who’s been there
I am going to be totally honest. I miss being hypomanic.
Hypomania and mania, at least for a time, are better than any drug I’ve ever used — the duration is always much longer. But the come down… the crippling depressions, the lost time, the suicidal ideations. No, thanks.
I still miss those feelings of excessive energy and totally believing in myself and everything that I do.
I remember being manic one time, off my meds, smoking meth in my car coming back from the dealer’s house. I was listening to the Bush song, “Come Down”:
I don’t want to / come back down / from this cloud.
And you know, I did not want to come down. I wanted to be high. I wanted to be manic. Permanently. I loved that feeling. But it never lasts. The come down always happens.
And, after decades of cycling moods — of boundless energy followed by hopeless despair — I can say I do not want to be manic anymore.
The nourishment of sleep
One big way to help avoid mania is consistently sleeping well — and the daily habits that go along with that.
Living with bipolar disorder for 24 years, I’ve learned much that has helped me have a better, more stable life. One of those things is having consistent sleep habits.
It took years for me to believe this, but it is true: a solid sleep schedule is key to mood stability (along with taking your prescription meds).
When we don’t get enough sleep, our cortisol levels are raised. It makes us feel even more stressed and anxious. We live in a society that glorifies minimal hours of sleep and maximum hours of productivity. But research shows that one of the best things you can do for your physical mental and emotional health is to prioritize your relationship with sleep.
The great predictor for manic episodes is sleep deprivation. Whether you’re up all night or sleeping just a few hours a night over a period of time, you are definitely lighting the fuse for a mood disruption.
I recently read the book, Two Bipolar Chicks: Guide to Survival, by Wendy K. Williamson and Honore Rose. They said, “Bipolar disorder only affects your mood: that is NOT true. It also affects your judgment, your concentration, your sleep, memory and energy levels.”
I’ve come to realize that I need 7 hours of sleep each night for an optimal state the next morning. That is my goal every night. I try not to sleep less. Some nights maybe 8 or 9 hours.
When I’m sleeping poorly several nights in a row, I know I’m heading for trouble. Those hypomanic feelings start coming: high energy levels, all the plans, too many thoughts going through my head at once, thinking I have insight into everything and everyone. It can be difficult to rein yourself in.
You normally sleep less when you’re feeling hypomanic. There is definitely a difficult interplay between lack of sleep and these psychotic breaks. When you recognize that starting to happen — when you notice you’re sleeping less and your mood is beginning to ramp up — doing what you can to improve your sleep is even more important.
Clean living is better
A few years ago I was not sleeping at all for a couple weeks. I was using drugs and drinking heavily, abusing prescription pills like Adderall. I was out of my mind manic and caused all kinds of trouble at my girlfriend’s house.
I physically hurt my girlfriend, along with the mental abuse I put her through. The police showed up. I was half-clothed, vaping, and they asked what was going on. They took one look at my girlfriend and saw the bruises and right away put me in the police car.
During this psychotic episode and similar ones, I thought everything I was doing was right. I thought that I was a god — that I know what’s best for myself — and for you and you and you. I ended up going to jail for a couple days because of that manic outburst. It was hard. It was horrible. For my girlfriend especially.
I was not in control of my thoughts during this manic episode — or any manic episode. My brain was in overdrive. And it still was while I sat and stewed in the county pen.
I told myself it would never happen again: physically and emotionally hurting someone close to me. I had to make serious changes in my life and get my shit together. Somehow I would try to right my wrongs.
When I was finally released, I went back on my psych meds. I got sober for a good while. I smoke marijuana from time to time these days, but have been clean from street drugs for almost 4 years. I no longer take any addictive psych meds.
Hospitalization, new meds, sleep
About a week after getting out of jail, I was hospitalized inpatient for my mania. I had slept maybe 10 or 20 hours the past two weeks prior (including when I was in jail, where I did not sleep at all).
The first thing the psychiatrist said to me was, “You need to sleep.” He gave me my first dose of a non-addictive sleeping pill. That night, I slept 11 or 12 hours.
Since then, I have made sleep hygiene a priority in my life. I’m on a pretty regular schedule, in bed by 11–12 pm and up by 6–7. Life has been more constant.
Stay in contact with your doctors, keep a journal or med chart, be honest with yourself
A couple months ago, I was having a problem sleeping for about a week. And I got hypomanic, had plans for things I never really completed. And I knew where I was headed.
In years past, I would have embraced this energy and done little to keep it making my life haywire: exactly what happens when hypomania goes unfettered.
But this time, I called my psychiatrist. He recommended that I take a newer, atypical antipsychotic. He said, “I know you don’t want to take any more meds than you already take. Try it for a few nights and see if it helps.”
And lo and behold, 3 or 4 days later, I was getting back to my baseline. I felt more normal and less hyper and agitated. In a couple weeks, I’d found stability again. I stopped taking the antipsychotic. My psychiatrist told me that I could take the pills as needed if I felt hypomanic again.
My atomic sleep habits
There are several things I’ve been doing to help me sleep better the past few years. And yes, they have helped.
My psychiatrist recommended no caffeine after 4, so I usually abstain. At night, I have taken over-the-counter, inexpensive melatonin, which was also recommended. At times I still take the sleeping pill.
I use a white noise machine to block out distracting sounds. It provides greater mind clarity in a peaceful environment. I use the white noise at night when I’m going to bed, and also when I’m at my computer writing.
I picked up the white noise machine for about $40, but it’s definitely worth it if you’re having problems with noise in your house, cars outside, neighbors or dogs, whatever it may be.
I normally don’t watch TV late at night. I always keep my bedroom cool; I usually don’t sleep well when it’s too warm.
I also minimize screen time on my phone and iPad. I try not to play games or do something that’s stimulating right before bed. Reading a good book before turning off the light is a calm and relaxing way to unwind at the end of the day.
These nighttime changes have greatly improved my mood stability. I have had better days because of better sleep (along with avoiding drugs and staying true to my meds). I wish you all good nights of slumber!
