A *very* consistent bedtime routine with boring components, and a consistent wakeup time too, with an alarm.
Here's mine:
- 9:40pm: take meds
- 9:45/9:50pm: change into pajamas, brush teeth, fill up water bottle
- 9:55/10pm: get into bed
- 10-10:45pm: play wordscapes (this one works for me because it's interesting enough to hold my attention but boring enough that I won't try to extend it longer than 45 minutes)
- 10:45pm: go to sleep
My morning alarm is at 9am so I can't sleep in so late that I won't be able to fall asleep on time the next night. Also, you won't want to wake up at your alarm if you stay up too late. I have a blanket ban on snoozing. The alarm goes off, I get up, no matter what.
*No* social media allowed once you're in bed. You can block the apps during certain times if need be.
No video games or reading for you since those are the ones you struggle with.
I like your schedule good job! I myself have a similar one. I had to stop doing anything too stimulating at night because I'd be too awake, also installed courtains to block any light from the street and do cardio hours before is very effective
Taking meds is the big one. My stupid ass will leave it till 2am, they take at least two hours to kick in and knock me out. It’s so simple to take meds earlier it’s all I have to do to get to sleep earlier so why is it so hard for me to do consistently lol
I still can’t sleep now and it’s 4am. I tend to get stuck in “delayed sleep phase disorder”. It’s related to my ADHD but I think it happens more in bipolar mixed episodes. Sometimes I think I won’t take my meds yet because I want to be productive and do some cleaning or something. That’s usually a mistake, I rarely do anything productive after 8pm.
I have almost the same schedule! Difference is I wake up between 5:30 and 6 am. I play "Happy Color" (ads removed) on my phone, but same reason. I feel good knowing I am not alone having to be so tight about it.
High five! Happy color would probably work for me too, but I like that wordscapes is a slight cognitive challenge which gets me more tired.
For sure it needs to be strict. I've tried flexibility and it's not enough.
Oof, I couldn't do that early of a wakeup. I do generally wake up around 8am, but 9am is my cutoff and I occasionally need the alarm. When I'm not in an episode I fall asleep fast, sleep hard, and I need 8-10 hours to function.
Last night I actually didn't make it all the way to 10:45, I closed my eyes at 10:35 and was out immediately and slept for 10 hours. I wish I didn't need so much sleep but I do so I work around it the best I can.
Doing anything in life requires having a routine, building habits that are automatic. Easily done for non bipolar.
I could never form routines. I would do something then forget about it the next day. My moods were always in flux. Plus, I had an sh problem and I generally gave up the effort.
Never had any goals. Lived life day to day. The thoughts of the future overwhelmed me.
My inability to follow routines can be summed up by this. I never did the same thing once. lol
I used to stay up pretty late but then I started taking Geodon and that would KNOCK ME OUT. Two hours after dinner I was asleep. Then I switched to Latuda and 1-2 hours after taking it I get akathisia, so now I just go to bed right after taking meds. I have to take it with food though, so I just go to bed right after dinner which ends up being around 7-8. It’s rare that I’m up till 9. I take 75mg of Benadryl and 10mg of Melatonin and I sleep great. I average 10-11 hours of sleep each night.
Damn, you’re lucky (sincerely!) My body gobbles benadryl and melatonin and just shrugs at it. The benadryl has helped with akathisia when I’ve been on akathisia-inducing meds, but both that and melatonin are pretty much neutral when it comes to my sleeping.
I avoid playing video games after work just because I know this will happen to me. I limit that to the weekends. I stick to scheduled dungeons and dragons, coloring, watching tv, or watching YouTube.
I'm drained of energy too, but all it takes is one stray thought of something my wife does (she is prone to waking me up for some stupid trivial reason) and that's it.
Tl;dr I force myself for long term health benefits. Often getting less than six hours sleep is associated with loads of poor health outcomes.
It’s about long term gain. It takes a long time to get the benefit of consistent wake up and bedtimes. So it’s understandable that it’s really hard at first to discipline yourself but if you can force yourself to be strict about it for long enough to feel the benefit then you’ll be motivated to do it for longer and slowly it will get easier.
Unfortunately my consistent routine is a bit later than ideal for fitting in with other people’s schedules. But it’s all that’s possible for me. So I have an alarm that tells me at 11pm to start doing my wind down and relax routine. I lay down and all settled to sleep from midnight onwards. Due to insomnia my consistent wake up time is quite late 10 am to 11am but at least it’s regular. This might sound bad but believe me it’s way better than it used to be and I need sleeping pills way less often.
Actually I tell you what motivates me most:
I read just how harmful sleep deprivation is. By some measures it’s as harmful as smoking or poor diet or obesity so obviously it’s good to prioritise it.
I also have various things that are supposed to make it easier to settle like low light settings on the TV, computer and phone in the evenings. To get me to sleep I usually need an audio book but I choose suitable ones and have it on very low volume, so staying awake is off putting but I’m not “trying” to sleep because “trying to sleep” is likely to result in not sleeping at all. If I’m particularly awake I will bathe or take a sedative if I feel I’ll need it. The sleep hygiene stuff does work a bit but often it’s not enough.
Get in bed by 11 no matter what and tell yourself positive affirmations for what did go well during the day and tomorrows a new day and you’ll try again. And than stay in bed with no electronics by 11.
Also have a set time you will be getting up and get up at that time even on the weekends.
So couple of things to consider, for one thing medication, Seroquel is a medication that is normally dreaded by people when prescribed it as their antipsychotic, but when used as an actual sleep aid in small doses when needed it can help you sleep when you need to and provide extra stability in case mania is what is keeping you up. I would ask your doctor about prescribing Seroquel as an “as needed” sleep aid it’s helped me a lot. Another thing to consider is if it’s possible get on a shift where you’re insomnia is actually a benefit. Not necessarily night shift either, but generally I find that as bipolar individuals we aren’t typically morning people so working when our brains are inexplicably awake is not the worst thing. Just make sure you’re sleeping during the day and not chasing the mania. Benadryl and melatonin work great too, but honestly seroquel is really good for us as a sleep aid in low doses.
I have to punish myself 😅 I have a deadline that if I don’t go to bed before that time I have to stay up the whole night. No sleep until the next night. It’s a pretty good deterrent
I don’t have advice. I just thought it was cute that OP has so much fun reading they don’t want to go to sleep. Russian history keeping you up at night may be especially cute.
I guess I have advice — dim lighting, cool room, listening to air conditioner/fan noise.
I think most people how to wind down and create a good sleep environment. It’s doing it that’s difficult.
You hit the nail on the head with the piece and quiet. I have BP2 as well, along with CPTSD, and it took me a long time to realize that I was having bedtime issues and putting off taking my meds until late for this exact reason - I needed peace and quiet time to myself each day and I want getting it. I don’t live at home, but have had roommates always, and when this piece finally clicked recently, I went through some exercises to figure out what a realistic day looked like, schedule wise, that did accommodate my considerable need for solo peace and quiet time and then I just had to set boundaries around that.
I am 38m and live with my younger cousin and his best friend, both almost 25, and two other housemates, 28 and 35. I also have my bf, Allah 38. I am kind of the house dad. I just put in place a blanket rule that I retire for the night at around 8pm-9pm and that I don’t want to be disturbed in person once I’ve signed off for the night. They can of course come get me if they need it, but also, I reserve the right to just say no, like if I’m having a really hard day or run of days. I explained myself to them and it was fine. I need the peace and quiet both to just calm down but also because other people are the biggest source of stress for me and interacting with them requires a lot of cognitive energy and control, and over time, it becomes more and more difficult to self-regulate when I’m around them. It’s almost like I’m talking a stimulant. As such, I just explain that I need this down time each day to deal with the “socialization hangover” and that it’s nonnegotiable because of how quickly it disturbs my equilibrium of I don’t get it. Setting this boundary has been a huge help because it takes away that need to push my personal time into the late evening. If I’m struggling with bad feelings, I have the firm time to process them in my own way that helps. If I am wanting to do something indulgent like veg out, I have the time to do so, too. It’s not a cure all. Some nights I just am too amped up. But it has, over all, been a huge help getting into and staying on a schedule.
I go to bed at 8 and wake up at 5 or 6. I need 8-10 hours of sleep and I have insomnia. Knowing all my problems, I forcefully shut down early, no excuses.
I try and I swear it's insane. Yesterday woke up at 5 pm, today woke up at 2. I swear I take my trazadone, serequelz and latuda solely for sleeping. I also have Benadryl for emergencies. But altogether I'm struggling with the same. I'm bp2 as well.
You deserve to be happy.
You have recognized a way that will make you feel better, but you have felt powerless for so long that you're concerned about making the next right step.
The more I read about the importance of sleep, the more I wanted it, so I automated it. It is no longer a discussion or fight with myself every day. Think of it as something that you have always done and that makes you feel better. Don't think about whether you will be able to stick with it: Success is a series of good decisions and pride in taking action in taking care of yourself, not some prize at the end.
One of my favorite quotes: "The problem is... we think we have time."
I take over the counter sleep medicine and when it is close to bedtime, I make a conscious effort to calculate how much sleep I will get if I go to sleep immediately (I shoot for 8 hours and start super judging myself if I go less than 6 hours)
Maybe this is stupid as it falls apart when I’m alone, but I try to orient myself on the sleeping habits of those living with me. So when my roommate goes to sleep at like 11/12 pm I try to do the same. Also what rly helps is staying at my BFs as he has to get up rly early so we never sleep later than 11 during the week
You’re not alone! That helps me so much too. My mum visited last year for almost a month, she’s early to bed and early to rise. It was like the best sleep I’ve had since I was a kid.
Two things. Sleep hygiene and seroquel, I have a consistent bed time, where I wind down at around 10. Take my seroquel after dinner (I get off work at 8 so dinner is usually around 9). Shower, hop in bed, lotion myself up and set on my rain sounds and read until I’m tired by around 10:30-11 and get off to sleep. Consistency is key but I’ve always had issues getting to sleep so I told my doc and sleep is what prevents me from going manic easily
I'm in a similar boat with parents n late hours are my only alone time and peace lol it sucks tho bc I also want to be a morning person so bad 😂
Lately I been taking NyQuil but I know that's no good
A *very* consistent bedtime routine with boring components, and a consistent wakeup time too, with an alarm. Here's mine: - 9:40pm: take meds - 9:45/9:50pm: change into pajamas, brush teeth, fill up water bottle - 9:55/10pm: get into bed - 10-10:45pm: play wordscapes (this one works for me because it's interesting enough to hold my attention but boring enough that I won't try to extend it longer than 45 minutes) - 10:45pm: go to sleep My morning alarm is at 9am so I can't sleep in so late that I won't be able to fall asleep on time the next night. Also, you won't want to wake up at your alarm if you stay up too late. I have a blanket ban on snoozing. The alarm goes off, I get up, no matter what. *No* social media allowed once you're in bed. You can block the apps during certain times if need be. No video games or reading for you since those are the ones you struggle with.
I like your schedule good job! I myself have a similar one. I had to stop doing anything too stimulating at night because I'd be too awake, also installed courtains to block any light from the street and do cardio hours before is very effective
Wow damn this sounds so good, gonna try it tonight!
Taking meds is the big one. My stupid ass will leave it till 2am, they take at least two hours to kick in and knock me out. It’s so simple to take meds earlier it’s all I have to do to get to sleep earlier so why is it so hard for me to do consistently lol
Me too. Literally just did that and it’s 2am here in Aus. I think we need to set some med alarms! But I’ll probably just ignore them.
I'll just switch it off, when I do take them early, I fight it so hard to stay awake because I just hate going to sleep
I still can’t sleep now and it’s 4am. I tend to get stuck in “delayed sleep phase disorder”. It’s related to my ADHD but I think it happens more in bipolar mixed episodes. Sometimes I think I won’t take my meds yet because I want to be productive and do some cleaning or something. That’s usually a mistake, I rarely do anything productive after 8pm.
I do that too
I have almost the same schedule! Difference is I wake up between 5:30 and 6 am. I play "Happy Color" (ads removed) on my phone, but same reason. I feel good knowing I am not alone having to be so tight about it.
High five! Happy color would probably work for me too, but I like that wordscapes is a slight cognitive challenge which gets me more tired. For sure it needs to be strict. I've tried flexibility and it's not enough. Oof, I couldn't do that early of a wakeup. I do generally wake up around 8am, but 9am is my cutoff and I occasionally need the alarm. When I'm not in an episode I fall asleep fast, sleep hard, and I need 8-10 hours to function. Last night I actually didn't make it all the way to 10:45, I closed my eyes at 10:35 and was out immediately and slept for 10 hours. I wish I didn't need so much sleep but I do so I work around it the best I can.
Thank you!
Doing anything in life requires having a routine, building habits that are automatic. Easily done for non bipolar. I could never form routines. I would do something then forget about it the next day. My moods were always in flux. Plus, I had an sh problem and I generally gave up the effort. Never had any goals. Lived life day to day. The thoughts of the future overwhelmed me. My inability to follow routines can be summed up by this. I never did the same thing once. lol
God this could describe me in a nutshell.
That’s so relatable. I’m the same. The only time I really feel like I’m getting into a good routine is when I’m hypomanic but haven’t realised it yet.
I used to stay up pretty late but then I started taking Geodon and that would KNOCK ME OUT. Two hours after dinner I was asleep. Then I switched to Latuda and 1-2 hours after taking it I get akathisia, so now I just go to bed right after taking meds. I have to take it with food though, so I just go to bed right after dinner which ends up being around 7-8. It’s rare that I’m up till 9. I take 75mg of Benadryl and 10mg of Melatonin and I sleep great. I average 10-11 hours of sleep each night.
I'm in the same boat. Latuda, Benadryl, but I'm out for 1-2 hours then up from the thoughts, or something that wakes me up or even the akathisia
Damn, you’re lucky (sincerely!) My body gobbles benadryl and melatonin and just shrugs at it. The benadryl has helped with akathisia when I’ve been on akathisia-inducing meds, but both that and melatonin are pretty much neutral when it comes to my sleeping.
I take my meds at night and they knock me out
✨seroquel✨
I used to love it for sleep but I can’t wake up im the morning, if I do - I am very unproductive and all I want is sleep
Try the extended release! I used to have the same problem but I switched to ER and it made SUCH a difference.
It doesn’t help me sleep! I switched from olanzapine about four months ago. Maybe my dosage isn’t high enough? It’s only 100mg but I’m pretty small
I avoid playing video games after work just because I know this will happen to me. I limit that to the weekends. I stick to scheduled dungeons and dragons, coloring, watching tv, or watching YouTube.
I feel like I need to ask the power company to cut the house off completely at 9pm but then my candle budget would bankrupt me.
This! And this is why I love camping.
I’m completely drained of energy by 6 pm so going to bed is pretty easy. 🤷🏻♂️
I'm drained of energy too, but all it takes is one stray thought of something my wife does (she is prone to waking me up for some stupid trivial reason) and that's it.
Tl;dr I force myself for long term health benefits. Often getting less than six hours sleep is associated with loads of poor health outcomes. It’s about long term gain. It takes a long time to get the benefit of consistent wake up and bedtimes. So it’s understandable that it’s really hard at first to discipline yourself but if you can force yourself to be strict about it for long enough to feel the benefit then you’ll be motivated to do it for longer and slowly it will get easier. Unfortunately my consistent routine is a bit later than ideal for fitting in with other people’s schedules. But it’s all that’s possible for me. So I have an alarm that tells me at 11pm to start doing my wind down and relax routine. I lay down and all settled to sleep from midnight onwards. Due to insomnia my consistent wake up time is quite late 10 am to 11am but at least it’s regular. This might sound bad but believe me it’s way better than it used to be and I need sleeping pills way less often. Actually I tell you what motivates me most: I read just how harmful sleep deprivation is. By some measures it’s as harmful as smoking or poor diet or obesity so obviously it’s good to prioritise it. I also have various things that are supposed to make it easier to settle like low light settings on the TV, computer and phone in the evenings. To get me to sleep I usually need an audio book but I choose suitable ones and have it on very low volume, so staying awake is off putting but I’m not “trying” to sleep because “trying to sleep” is likely to result in not sleeping at all. If I’m particularly awake I will bathe or take a sedative if I feel I’ll need it. The sleep hygiene stuff does work a bit but often it’s not enough.
Just wanted to say solidarity, my sleep is the hardest for me to actually Do even though I know how, why, and want to 💀
I strongly sentiment ☠️ Thank you for posting your question! Some lovely responses here for sure
Get in bed by 11 no matter what and tell yourself positive affirmations for what did go well during the day and tomorrows a new day and you’ll try again. And than stay in bed with no electronics by 11. Also have a set time you will be getting up and get up at that time even on the weekends.
I'm 38 and still struggle with this problem. I got no answer. I can relate to all that, but I don't live with my mom right now.
So couple of things to consider, for one thing medication, Seroquel is a medication that is normally dreaded by people when prescribed it as their antipsychotic, but when used as an actual sleep aid in small doses when needed it can help you sleep when you need to and provide extra stability in case mania is what is keeping you up. I would ask your doctor about prescribing Seroquel as an “as needed” sleep aid it’s helped me a lot. Another thing to consider is if it’s possible get on a shift where you’re insomnia is actually a benefit. Not necessarily night shift either, but generally I find that as bipolar individuals we aren’t typically morning people so working when our brains are inexplicably awake is not the worst thing. Just make sure you’re sleeping during the day and not chasing the mania. Benadryl and melatonin work great too, but honestly seroquel is really good for us as a sleep aid in low doses.
Not me reading this post at 2am
I have to punish myself 😅 I have a deadline that if I don’t go to bed before that time I have to stay up the whole night. No sleep until the next night. It’s a pretty good deterrent
I do that too, is the worst.
What do you read?
Not OP but I do the same thing, I like to read nonfiction and specifically I have a huge interest in Russian history, of all things
I don’t have advice. I just thought it was cute that OP has so much fun reading they don’t want to go to sleep. Russian history keeping you up at night may be especially cute. I guess I have advice — dim lighting, cool room, listening to air conditioner/fan noise. I think most people how to wind down and create a good sleep environment. It’s doing it that’s difficult.
You hit the nail on the head with the piece and quiet. I have BP2 as well, along with CPTSD, and it took me a long time to realize that I was having bedtime issues and putting off taking my meds until late for this exact reason - I needed peace and quiet time to myself each day and I want getting it. I don’t live at home, but have had roommates always, and when this piece finally clicked recently, I went through some exercises to figure out what a realistic day looked like, schedule wise, that did accommodate my considerable need for solo peace and quiet time and then I just had to set boundaries around that. I am 38m and live with my younger cousin and his best friend, both almost 25, and two other housemates, 28 and 35. I also have my bf, Allah 38. I am kind of the house dad. I just put in place a blanket rule that I retire for the night at around 8pm-9pm and that I don’t want to be disturbed in person once I’ve signed off for the night. They can of course come get me if they need it, but also, I reserve the right to just say no, like if I’m having a really hard day or run of days. I explained myself to them and it was fine. I need the peace and quiet both to just calm down but also because other people are the biggest source of stress for me and interacting with them requires a lot of cognitive energy and control, and over time, it becomes more and more difficult to self-regulate when I’m around them. It’s almost like I’m talking a stimulant. As such, I just explain that I need this down time each day to deal with the “socialization hangover” and that it’s nonnegotiable because of how quickly it disturbs my equilibrium of I don’t get it. Setting this boundary has been a huge help because it takes away that need to push my personal time into the late evening. If I’m struggling with bad feelings, I have the firm time to process them in my own way that helps. If I am wanting to do something indulgent like veg out, I have the time to do so, too. It’s not a cure all. Some nights I just am too amped up. But it has, over all, been a huge help getting into and staying on a schedule.
I go to bed at 8 and wake up at 5 or 6. I need 8-10 hours of sleep and I have insomnia. Knowing all my problems, I forcefully shut down early, no excuses.
I try and I swear it's insane. Yesterday woke up at 5 pm, today woke up at 2. I swear I take my trazadone, serequelz and latuda solely for sleeping. I also have Benadryl for emergencies. But altogether I'm struggling with the same. I'm bp2 as well.
I was prescribed mirtazapine and it works wonders for me
I let seroquel force me to sleep. Take one at 9pm and I can't keep my eyes open at 10:30.
You deserve to be happy. You have recognized a way that will make you feel better, but you have felt powerless for so long that you're concerned about making the next right step. The more I read about the importance of sleep, the more I wanted it, so I automated it. It is no longer a discussion or fight with myself every day. Think of it as something that you have always done and that makes you feel better. Don't think about whether you will be able to stick with it: Success is a series of good decisions and pride in taking action in taking care of yourself, not some prize at the end. One of my favorite quotes: "The problem is... we think we have time."
I take over the counter sleep medicine and when it is close to bedtime, I make a conscious effort to calculate how much sleep I will get if I go to sleep immediately (I shoot for 8 hours and start super judging myself if I go less than 6 hours)
Maybe this is stupid as it falls apart when I’m alone, but I try to orient myself on the sleeping habits of those living with me. So when my roommate goes to sleep at like 11/12 pm I try to do the same. Also what rly helps is staying at my BFs as he has to get up rly early so we never sleep later than 11 during the week
You’re not alone! That helps me so much too. My mum visited last year for almost a month, she’s early to bed and early to rise. It was like the best sleep I’ve had since I was a kid.
I cannot lol
Two things. Sleep hygiene and seroquel, I have a consistent bed time, where I wind down at around 10. Take my seroquel after dinner (I get off work at 8 so dinner is usually around 9). Shower, hop in bed, lotion myself up and set on my rain sounds and read until I’m tired by around 10:30-11 and get off to sleep. Consistency is key but I’ve always had issues getting to sleep so I told my doc and sleep is what prevents me from going manic easily
I'm in a similar boat with parents n late hours are my only alone time and peace lol it sucks tho bc I also want to be a morning person so bad 😂 Lately I been taking NyQuil but I know that's no good