Bipolar Insomnia

• ARTICLE

Adapting to time changes—traveling across time zones, or Daylight Saving Time (DST)—can be challenging with bipolar. Here’s how to adjust to the change: Ben Franklin first mentioned what we now call Daylight Saving Time in a 1784 essay, somewhat satirically proposing an idea to conserve candles in the early morning hours. While DST has been...

• BLOG

Rhythms comfort us with their soothing predictability, and our natural circadian rhythm can help bring restorative sleep and a sense of order to our lives. To everything, there is a season, and a corresponding rhythm. I guess it is the musician in me, but I can’t help but observe that, just as there is timing,...

• BLOG

Changing sleep patterns can be an early indicator that bipolar symptoms are returning. Monitoring and addressing these patterns can help reduce your symptoms. Lying awake in my bed at night with my head spinning out of control is something I used to think was just common for me. I had labeled myself a person who...

• ARTICLE

A new study is the first to provide evidence that not getting enough sleep can make anger stronger and more pronounced in frustrating situations.   November 27, 2018, AMES, Iowa – Losing just a couple hours of sleep at night makes you angrier, especially in frustrating situations, according to new Iowa State University research. While...

• ARTICLE

Eating excessively at night can lead to heightened anxiety and can interfere with healthy sleep, new research shows   August 1, 2018, FORTALEZA, Italy—People with bipolar disorder who also have night eating syndrome have more disorder-related problems, a new study says. Brazilian researchers found that people with bipolar were more likely than people without the...

• ARTICLE

Those who get less than 8 hours of sleep per night have a higher risk of developing depression and anxiety, according to new research   Sleeping less than the recommended eight hours a night is associated with intrusive, repetitive thoughts like those seen in anxiety or depression, according to new research from Binghamton University, State...

• ARTICLE

Listening to yoga music at bedtime is good for the heart, according to new research.   August 27, 2018, JAIPUR, INDIA—Listening to yoga music at bedtime is good for the heart, according to research presented today at ESC Congress 2018. Dr Naresh Sen, study author, Consultant Cardiologist at HG SMS Hospital, Jaipur, India, said: “We...

• PETS

Newswise — SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — Let sleeping dogs lie … in the bedroom. That’s according to a new Mayo Clinic study that’s sure to set many tails wagging. It’s no secret that Americans love their dogs. According to the American Veterinary Association, more than 40 million American households have dogs. Of these households, 63 percent...

• VIDEO

Sleep is important to stability when living with bipolar disorder, and there are some simple strategies you can use to catch those vital z’s.   There are two things that I must do to take care of myself, and they are related: getting enough sleep and avoiding stress, with sleep being the most important. If...

• ARTICLE

The study shows that only 10% of American adults prioritize their sleep over other aspects of daily living. WASHINGTON, March 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The National Sleep Foundation’s annual Sleep in America® poll finds that among U.S. adults with excellent sleep health, nearly 90% say they feel very effective at getting things done each day,...

• BLOG

While getting enough sleep may seem overwhelming, there are some small aspects of your sleep environment that can make a big difference.   I’ve learned the secret to peaceful sleep: no sugar junk food or caffeine, no stimulation at least three hours before bed, no relationship issues, a calm home environment, no work problems, no...

• BLOG

Insomnia often goes hand-in-hand with bipolar disorder, and it can have dangerous consequences for bipolar symptoms. One well-known companion of bipolar disorder is the lack of sleep.  It is something that I’m very familiar with.  Since about 2000, I have been dealing with insomnia in some form; I can honestly say that my time in...

• ARTICLE

January 5, 2017, BERKELEY, CA—Overall amount of sleep and a variable sleep schedule appear to contribute to cognitive deficits in people with bipolar disorder, according to a new study. American researchers noted that sleep disturbance and cognitive dysfunction are impaired even between bipolar mood episodes. They looked at two cognitive categories before and after treatment...

• ARTICLE

Tips for keeping your wellness & recovery progress static while the time changes. By Melvin G. McInnis, MD, FRCPsych   Time changes—whether due to daylight saving time (DST), or shift work, or travel—can be difficult for people to adapt to. With the end of DST on November 1, 2015, what better “time” to talk about sleep...

• BLOG

Often, travel entails changes in sleeping patterns, which can trigger mood episodes.   The answer is…… changes in sleep patterns. I call travel the all purpose bipolar disorder trigger. Even short trips can affect our moods. This is especially true with travel that disrupts our sleep patterns. Managed sleep that follows a daily circadian rhythm...

• ARTICLE

Sleep is an extremely important part of your bipolar disorder wellness plan, even when your brain is telling you you don’t need it. By Melvin G. McInnis, MD   How important is sleep, really, if my brain seems to be telling me I don’t need it? Sleep is critical for a healthy balance in the...

• ARTICLE

Sleep disturbance and bipolar disorder are definitely related. Sleeping less is a prominent signal of elevated mood states, and sleeping the day away can also be typical of the low pole of bipolar.   Several months before my first psychotic break, I made a decision. At the time, I thought it was a bright idea,...

• ARTICLE

How mood and sleep affect each other when you have bipolar disorder. By Jane Mountain, MD   Is it true sleep plays a major role in bipolar disorder? Sleep is an essential clue to what is going on with bipolar disorder, and mood and sleep affect each other. Poor sleep can intensify difficulties with mood,...

• ARTICLE

When you know that you’re experiencing insomnia or hypersomnia, how do you regularize your sleep/wake cycle?   Sleep deprivation is one of the leading causes of depression and bipolar disorder. My psychiatrist and I have worked out a plan to manage my sleep pattern. Number one is to go to bed at the same time...

• ARTICLE

Find out what’s causing your sleep disturbances—and how to get some rest. By Jodi Helmer   Most nights, Will J. has no interest in going to bed. He prefers catching up on work, logging a few hours on his flight simulator, or watching late-night TV to crawling under the covers and counting sheep. “It feels...