MY LIFE AS A BIPOLAR | MENTAL HEALTH SERIES

My Life as a Bipolar — Chapter 3

Manic Symptom #2 — decreased need for sleep

Photo by Girl with red hat on Unsplash

MANIC SYMPTOM #2 — Decreased need for sleep

The DSM-5 Criteria chart for manic episodes is a valuable resource for reference.

Mania and hypomania symptoms of bipolar disorder. Bipolar II exhibits symptoms of lesser severity and length than Bipolar I — See 271538.png (798×604) (digitalbed.net)

The energy buzzed inside and out of me like a swarm of hornets driven from their nest. I couldn’t help it, I HAD to finish this project that I was working on. Who needed sleep anyway?

Have you ever been there? Restless, driven, obsessed? Many times this has happened in my life, but I didn’t know why until I was diagnosed bipolar. The need for sleep went by the wayside in favor of vitally important stuff to do. Organizing closets, rearranging a room, building a spreadsheet, and more “can’t wait” projects.

I remember as a kid thinking that I needed 10 hours of sleep per night. Yes, you heard that right, TEN. Who really needs that much sleep? But there were times when I slept only 5 or 6 hours per night for three or four nights and was just fine. Why? Because I had something that I was doing and…