Since about 2000, I have been dealing with insomnia in some form I can honestly say that my time in the military hasnвЂ™t made it any better.

It is something that IвЂ™m very familiar with. One well-known companion of bipolar disorder is the lack of sleep. Insomnia often goes hand-in-hand with bipolar disorder, and it can have dangerous consequences for bipolar symptoms. She voices her experience getting healthy on Twitter, She is passionate about social justice issues, reading, writing, learning and sharing. Leslie is a mental health patient in Atlantic Canada. ItвЂ™s the simple things that make the difference, like a good nightвЂ™s sleep. IвЂ™m finding the will to start doing the things I love again. IвЂ™m sleeping more often than not these past couple weeks and that is an accomplishment. For me, insomnia really is a result of the culmination of habits surrounding my sleep (known as sleep hygiene). I still have to force myself many days to get to the kitchen and drink that glass of water. With the addition of the help of a new medication IвЂ™m on for my other mental health issues, I find myself drowsy near the same time nightly. I fall asleep a little easier these days. ThatвЂ™s an almost guaranteed good nightвЂ™s sleep. If IвЂ™m tired I try to be aware of that as I continue through my day/evening but itвЂ™s good to finish the day tired. If I get up before the ninth hour IвЂ™ll take a cursed nap. Many people operate fine on seven hours of sleep. I start my day with a big glass of cool water instead of fake fuelling myself with sugar and caffeine (did I mention that really sucked at first?).It helps keep me from going back to bed and helps my mood too. Deep breathing, and deep muscle relaxation exercises help put me in the sleep zone. I take my relaxation techniques to bed.No more looking at the clock and being exasperated at the hour I find myself *still* awake. So many gadgets to hide with their tempestuous glow. I removed the clock and any direct light from my sleep area.I added more artillery to my sleep war chest over time building a stronger defense against insomnia: But I do want to be able to sleep well most nights. I didnвЂ™t want to go to bed at 10:30 pm when House was only half over. Setting an unwind time alarm and a bedtime alarm felt a little silly at first.

Training my brain to shut down and wake up at the same time every day is hard. Maybe out of desperation or out of new found knowledge I wanted to change. I had to want to change before my sleep habits started to improve. Staring at the wall, numb and dissociated from wakefulness and sleep alike is dangerous. Quieting a busy, synapse-firing brain is tricky and left me feeling hopeless at times. (No coffee?! This was initially a cruel form of torture advised by my doctor, naturopath, and various sleep information rich websites alike.) I Had to Want to Cure My InsomniaДЄt bed time, calming a worrying mind takes practice and effort. I made my mornings peaceful waking experiences without coffee. Focused on getting past insomnia, I started by taking my medications at the same time every day. This meant I constantly woke feeling rushed (a very anxiety inducing way to start the day). I rarely gave myself the time for all the things my morning contained. What couldВ I do? How I Changed to Help Cure My Insomnia Some worked briefly but didnвЂ™t give me any sense of being in control of my mental health as their reliability was sketchy at best. First I tried over-the-counter sleep aids, then doctor prescribed sleep aids. I had no concept of proper sleep hygiene. What DidnвЂ™t Help My Insomnia and Bipolar Disorder I donвЂ™t blame my mental illness on my poor sleep nor do I blame my sleeplessness entirely on my mental illness but as IвЂ™ve come to learn bipolar disorder and insomnia affect each other in such a way both deserve the attention and respect of proper self-care and good sleep hygiene. I had begun the dip into major depression and bipolar behaviors. I began to feel like I could barely survive. The tired feeling morphed into a bone deep lethargy an energy sucking, crippling fatigue drained me. Their brains must be cleaner, the floorboards of the skull well swept, all the little monsters closed up in a steamer trunk at the foot of the bed. IвЂ™ve always envied people who sleep easily. Insomnia doesnвЂ™t keep you awake permanentlyвЂ¦ just until you crash. I would wake grouchy, confused and still tired. Some days I would come home from work and collapse on my bed until the next morning.

I would go on through my days likeВ a zombie. Unable to calm my mind yet unable to focus my thoughts clearly, IвЂ™ve been sleepless for days on end. IвЂ™ve lost many hours holding the wall up with my glazed stare. The Bipolar Burble welcomes Leslie Smile for todayвЂ™s piece on how she recognized that sleep was affecting her bipolar disorder and how she worked to cure her insomnia.

Bipolar insomnia help