-- Posted by x3Andreax3 at 1:47 am on Aug. 11, 2008 School here starts August 27th, but the problem my parents told me I should start trying to sleep soon for school. I can't ever sleep! My mind is full of problems, worries, and so on. If I go to sleep around 11 or so, I just wake up 2 hours later and can't go back to sleep. By the time I go back to sleep, the alarm goes off an hour later. Staying up 3 to 4 days with a couple of short naps throughout the evening during the summer. I can't keep doing this bc I don't want to be tired throughout the school day. I know my I have insomnia, but my parents say I just drink too much caffeine. Problem is, I cut down on caffeine a lot in the past 3 years drinking bottled water after 6 p.m. So I don't know? Maybe I just have so much stuff running through my head at once keeps me from sleeping and my bipolar disorder might be affecting this?  If any of you are bipolar, do you have a hard time sleeping? Any advice at all. -- Posted by LightThisCity at 1:49 am on Aug. 11, 2008 Vodka, puts you to sleep nice and quick -- Posted by ranman at 1:52 am on Aug. 11, 2008 KK this is what you do, you have to over the course of the next few weeks gradually adjust your body clock from polyphasic sleeping to 8 hour sleeping... That means no naps! sleep only in 8 hour intervals and cut out caffeine entirely... try to goto bed and wake up with the sun -- Posted by x3Andreax3 at 1:55 am on Aug. 11, 2008 Quote: from ranman at 1:52 am on Aug. 11, 2008 KK this is what you do, you have to over the course of the next few weeks gradually adjust your body clock from polyphasic sleeping to 8 hour sleeping...   That means no naps! sleep only in 8 hour intervals and cut out caffeine entirely... try to goto bed and wake up with the sun Easier said then being done! The only reason why I consider them naps bc I stay up 3 days, and take like a small 1 hour nap or so, then I'm awake for the next 3 or 4 days again. Even if I am tired, I can't keep my eyes closed? -- Posted by JustJai at 1:57 am on Aug. 11, 2008 Hey, hunni, i feel for you, i really do. i was diagnosed with  bipolar just over 6 months ago, the reason there was any concern was mainly because of lack of sleep leading to hallucinations. I was also under a lot of stress with some things going on in my life, but some tips i found that really helped me relax... (i know most people say these, but for me they really worked) I'd set myself a nighttime 'ritual' of sorts, where i would have my tea at 5, a hot drink at 6, would read for an hour 6:30-7:30, would then write down as many of the thoughts rushing through my head in my diary for an hour or so, and then jump in a hot bath with lavender bath oils ( to aid relaxation) for 45 mins/1 hour.   Finally, i'd get ready for bed and have a herbal tea - camomille is excellent (and i cant spell, sorry). If i couldnt get to sleep within about 20 mins, i'd get up and write down again whatever thoughts i had, describing them and my feelings towards them as best i could (though sometimes this is a struggle as i can't always hold on to them, so i focus on the most prominent thoughts/worries) I'd leave the book in the bathroom cabinet or in some other room to where im sleeping, and then try go to sleep again. Sometimes this takes quite a few times, and on bad nights im up and down through the night, but it really does help me to relax a bit, even if im not getting much sleep. Hope this helps and im not just repeating everything that others have said. Hope you manage to get some sleep soon! Love Jai x -- Posted by nickiiROCKETSHIP at 2:01 am on Aug. 11, 2008 I can't either. I should be worrying about that too. Fuck. -- Posted by x3Andreax3 at 2:05 am on Aug. 11, 2008 Quote: from JustJai at 1:57 am on Aug. 11, 2008 Hey, hunni, i feel for you, i really do. i was diagnosed with bipolar just over 6 months ago, the reason there was any concern was mainly because of lack of sleep leading to hallucinations. I was also under a lot of stress with some things going on in my life, but some tips i found that really helped me relax... (i know most people say these, but for me they really worked)   I'd set myself a nighttime 'ritual' of sorts, where i would have my tea at 5, a hot drink at 6, would read for an hour 6:30-7:30, would then write down as many of the thoughts rushing through my head in my diary for an hour or so, and then jump in a hot bath with lavender bath oils ( to aid relaxation) for 45 mins/1 hour. Finally, i'd get ready for bed and have a herbal tea - camomille is excellent (and i cant spell, sorry).   If i couldnt get to sleep within about 20 mins, i'd get up and write down again whatever thoughts i had, describing them and my feelings towards them as best i could (though sometimes this is a struggle as i can't always hold on to them, so i focus on the most prominent thoughts/worries) I'd leave the book in the bathroom cabinet or in some other room to where im sleeping, and then try go to sleep again.   Sometimes this takes quite a few times, and on bad nights im up and down through the night, but it really does help me to relax a bit, even if im not getting much sleep. Hope this helps and im not just repeating everything that others have said.   Hope you manage to get some sleep soon! Love Jai   x Sounds like pretty good advice to me. Yes, I do have lots of stress and problems in my family, which makes me stay up.  Maybe I'll try what you suggested? Question with all this tea? I love tea, but the only tea I find is tea that has large amounts of caffeine in it?  My dad actually suggested I drink ice green tea in the morning only bc it has caffeine, then by 6 pm or so I'll be tired? -- Posted by JustJai at 2:13 am on Aug. 11, 2008 Do you have a health store near you? i'm not sure where abouts you're from, sorry, but i know in england we have Holland & Barratts, which has a wide range of different herbal teas... I have peppermint through the day as it is a natural way to boost energy and revitalise, without the harm that caffeine can do to our systems (i know all too well the effects - former caffeine addict).   I'm not too keen on green tea, as it has a really strong taste, but if that does it for you then great..just remember to prepare it like a normal tea - take the teabag out before you drink it!! I use camomile on a night (after 6), peppermint through the day, and if im feeling run down i also like lemon juice and a spoon of honey in hot boiled water. I know its hard to steer away from caffeine, and i struggled a fair bit with it, but if we can't sleep, then caffeine is not so good for us, because of the immediate rush we get from it, and then as with sugar, we crash...and its never when we want to, ie later on in the day so we can sleep.   Hope this helps and i dont come across as giving a lecture (i always panic about this... i took a while to even build up to replying here in the first place as i feared the reply i would get was 'err..yeah... ok. fuck off now Jai' ... paranoia much?! lol)   -- Posted by x3Andreax3 at 2:33 am on Aug. 11, 2008 Quote: from JustJai at 2:13 am on Aug. 11, 2008 Do you have a health store near you? i'm not sure where abouts you're from, sorry, but i know in england we have Holland & Barratts, which has a wide range of different herbal teas... I have peppermint through the day as it is a natural way to boost energy and revitalise, without the harm that caffeine can do to our systems (i know all too well the effects - former caffeine addict). I'm not too keen on green tea, as it has a really strong taste, but if that does it for you then great..just remember to prepare it like a normal tea - take the teabag out before you drink it!! I use camomile on a night (after 6), peppermint through the day, and if im feeling run down i also like lemon juice and a spoon of honey in hot boiled water.     I know its hard to steer away from caffeine, and i struggled a fair bit with it, but if we can't sleep, then caffeine is not so good for us, because of the immediate rush we get from it, and then as with sugar, we crash...and its never when we want to, ie later on in the day so we can sleep. Hope this helps and i dont come across as giving a lecture (i always panic about this... i took a while to even build up to replying here in the first place as i feared the reply i would get was 'err..yeah... ok. fuck off now Jai' ... paranoia much?!   lol) Yeah I do have a health store. England has a lot of tea bc the people there love it. Americans rarely like a good cup of hot tea. I do though! That peppermint kind sounds pretty good, as well as camomile. Well, i went to a Chinese restaurant, and there was this really good tea. IDK what it was?  Very good burst of energy and kept me relaxed, then I went to sleep. I don't really care if you give me a lecture, it's more advice than just 2 sentences. Gosh, I wish I could move to England. Seems way better there then the U.S these days.