Sleeping too much......?

[rainbows n kittens]

Hi all
I'm new to the forum here-I live in a remote area & was lamenting quietly to myself that there aren't any support groups here for anything when suddenly I thought duh, online? Anyway, glad you're here....!!

So I've been diagnosed (about 2yrs ago) with bi polar. I do tend to be more down than up. I regularly sleep well over 8 hrs a night, sometimes 10, 11 hrs. My question is this: is this hurting me more than helping? I basically find if I sleep even 8 hrs for a couple of nights in a row that I feel just awful & get bad headaches. Now I do have some other yucky health issues as well, such as diabetes & chronic back/hip pain & I'm not sure if this might be impacting too. Anyway, I appreciate any input!!
Thx

[paul m]

Hello rainbows n kittens and welcome to the forum. Not everyone requires the same amount of sleep. I find that I do best with about 7 hrs a day of good sleep. I too have physical problems and I find it difficult to get 7 straight hrs sleep, so I tend to sleep in shifts. That can cause problems as you need a certain number of hrs in a row to get a proper rest.

If I sleep less than 7-8 for several days in a row I will start not to want sleep (bad sign for me as I'm probably a little manic) and if I start to sleep too much I start a downhill slide.

You may also have a type of sleep apnea. Most people think that sleep apnea involves snoring and generally it does. Another type of sleep apnea involves too shallow of breathing during our sleep and or periods where we stop breathing. Both types decrease our blood oxygen content and increases our carbon dioxide level and a common side effect is a morning headache. Only a trip to a sleep lab can tell for sure. Your doctor can refer you to one. In Ontario it's covered by our provincial health care, I don't know about other provinces.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_apnea

Or it could be something else. I'm certainly no doctor. But welcome to the forum and please feel free to ask more questions, answer other people's questions and/or use the forum to vent out a few of life's problems. Take Care. paul m

[rainbows n kittens]

Thx for the reply Paul. It seems we have the opposite problem. You can't sleep & I can sleep too well lol!! I appreciate the info about sleep apnea. I have been tested & the results were "inconclusive".

[AJ]

Welcome to the forums Rainbows n kittens.

Everyone is different in the amount of sleep they require to feel rested. Most people need at least 7 or 8 hrs. Life being what it is, many don't get it.

I get physically sick if I don't get enough sleep (unless I'm manic). My sleep is interrupted by physical pain, and occasionally by a 'busy' brain.

[uni]

Hello Rainbows n kittens,and welcome to the forum! I'm glad you decided to check out the online forums and found this one. I've found it to be a godsend!

I'm not much help with the sleep question, as I've come to the conclusion that everybody's different; who knows why? Feeling awful and getting bad headaches doesn't sound good though. Maybe something to do with medication? Just a thought.

[George]

I find too much sleep makes me feel tired and lazy. I get headaches too from sleeping too much. I agree that for most folks 7 hours a night of sound sleep is perfect. Too bad I usually have to take Meds to fall into a good sleep! That's my story so far.
Welcome to the forum.
Geo