Sleep too much or not enough?

[storky]

I seem to either sleep for days (I will wake up and right away back to sleep) or suffer from insomnia (which is horrible). I have always suffered from depression, and mostly always slept a lot. How about others out there? How do you fight sleeping all the time (even coffee doesn't help).

[NewieKay]

i myself have yet to find myself sleeping alot.... when i was around fourteen i started developing insomnia i guess... i never saw anyone about it... i just dealt with the inability of not being able to sleep... weather staring at the roof for hours with only my thoughts... channel surfing... going out of my mind because lame infomercials...haha... and now most times when i have a hard time sleeping... i've gottin to the point where i'm enjoying the hours of darkness alone a night... or do little things... recently i've picked up guitar... not being able to sleep helps there...haha... practicing 4 or 5 hours a night...

[fw2010]

I have found that I don't sleep very well at night, so I take sometimes long naps in the afternoon. I don't have a job at this time, so I can get away with this.
I take various meds to help me sleep too. Ambien, but I only take it once every 3 nights. I take a Benadryl allergy pill, and that helps me get to sleep.
The only way I can sleep naturally is to get myself really worn out, like run a full marathon, or try to run faster than I am able to for a long time.
Sometimes I sit up late at night doing stupid things on the computer. Surfing, playing silly games, etc.

A while back, I used to get up at 1:00am and go running. I would run for miles on dark streets. No one ever bothered me. It made me feel good, and when I got home, I took a warm bath and then went to sleep.

If I think of something, I'll post here.

[DepressedAussie]

Over the years all sense of normal sleep patterns has disappeared for me. I can function on very little sleep though it is miserable after a while and have often slept about 3 or 4 hours a night for weeks, but recently I have found myself sleeping a lot.
8 hours doesnt seem to cut it and I tend to want more like 10 or 12. I know the temptation to stay in bed is partially from my desire to avoid the world. I partially blame my therapist..she suggested that encouraging the brain to be more positive is hard when you are tired and since I was tired all the time I should try sleeping more, taking naps etc, so I did and now I am tired all the time and sleeping all the time rather than getting stuff done.
In general though my trouble is that I wake up several times a night and doze very lightly for several hours with vivid dreams and it doesnt feel like rest.
My plan to combat it, is a more rigid schedule and more physical exercise.
good luck all

[Calvin]

On weekdays I'll drag myself out of bed for work but by the afternoon I am so drowsy I am one erratic employee. It's harder to make myself get up on weekends when it can feel like there is no incentive to get up at all.

I drink far too much coffee, especially considering caffeine can exacerbate feelings of restlessness etc. and if you have low blood pressure like me it's bound to make you more not less sleepy to boot.

I usually get depressed over the winter months (I have only had one episode not related to the seasons and a whole decade has been and gone since then.. funnily enough that was when I last posted here)

As I understand is usual with us SAD types I tend to be the depressive of the sleep craving variety. I try not to overdo it though because I find once I exceed a certain number of hours of sleep I don't really feel any more rested when I do finally get up. If anything it makes feelings of unrest, being wired, antsy and aggressive worse. Not to forget that sinking feeling that is forever sneaking into the pit of my stomach.

During my first ever episode, donkey's years ago, I was the exact opposit. For months I'd be grateful if I could get two to three hours per night. A shrink knocked me out on neuroleptics and tada! I was fast asleep even during school lessons. I wouldn't recommend that though. I think the risk benefit ratio for off label use of anti psychotics purely as sleeping pills is not that favourable. ;-)

Strangely enough shortening the amount of time you sleep could be beneficial - as in going to bed a little later and getting up a little earlier. Also be wary of what you do just before you go to bed.. basically bore yourself to sleep ;-) repetetive tasks before bed can sneak into and carry on in your dreams and make you feel less rested in the morning (nobody wants to go to work when they've been at the photocopier all night in their dreams)

[Cia]

I couldn't help but sleep all the time when I was majorly depressed. That is one of the first things I have to look out for, then it is time to get my antidepressant dosage adjusted. But, big but here, when I get to feeling 'better', then insomnia kicks in. Weird, eh? So, when I get to feeling better, I have to take Rozerem, (sleeping pill) or I sleep maybe 3 hours a day. And, I can agree, it's horrible. My chest feels like it is going to implode when I get strung out due to lack of sleep. And I do mean STRUNG OUT! Ugh. Sounds like we all struggle with this to a varying degree

[Friendly]

you have some good ideas and advise. I think you have a good thought on actually shortening sleep hours. Sleeping too much definetly makes one sleepier, and shortening hour would actually be regulating hours, which I think is bound to help. I fall short here because I lack self discipline. I have best intentions, but when it is time to get up and I don/t HAVE to? Yeah, I won't.
I have had short periods of insomnia too(really awful), but when I get to sleep - thats it. It has to be at least somewhat related to my constant (varies a bit) depression. But is that all of it? I know that as an infant even I have always been a night person. I just wish I had more energy, more self discipline.


As I understand is usual with us SAD types I tend to be the depressive of the sleep craving variety. I try not to overdo it though because I find once I exceed a certain number of hours of sleep I don't really feel any more rested when I do finally get up. If anything it makes feelings of unrest, being wired, antsy and aggressive worse. Not to forget that sinking feeling that is forever sneaking into the pit of my stomach.

During my first ever episode, donkey's years ago, I was the exact opposit. For months I'd be grateful if I could get two to three hours per night. A shrink knocked me out on neuroleptics and tada! I was fast asleep even during school lessons. I wouldn't recommend that though. I think the risk benefit ratio for off label use of anti psychotics purely as sleeping pills is not that favourable. ;-)

Strangely enough shortening the amount of time you sleep could be beneficial - as in going to bed a little later and getting up a little earlier. Also be wary of what you do just before you go to bed.. basically bore yourself to sleep ;-) repetetive tasks before bed can sneak into and carry on in your dreams and make you feel less rested in the morning (nobody wants to go to work when they've been at the photocopier all night in their dreams)

[donutlover]

I have always been a person who can do without sleep, be awake for days even. But this last month i have slept and slept, i wake up only to life my head and think oh dear i need more sleep, it feels very debilitating. and then sometimes cos i have slept to much i find myself awake, but dying to be asleep. it darn well sucks.

[eeyore]

I Consider myself lucky as it is nearly always a case always sleep too much, if i am having a really bad day i just get into bed and sleep and sleep and sleep and sleep.... not much fun for my partner though she gets fed up of me always being in bed although she tries not to show it. As a matter of fact i am going for a nap now as i am not in work until 4.30 zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[saing]

I love sleeping, so it's never too much for me.
However, currently I am on sleeping pills due to
my crisis. Sometimes sleep better than others.
I'll worry about weaning off the sleeping pills when
my depression is under control.

[Creamy]

I sleep too much also. If I have the chance I sleep for 15 hours straight and I'm still tired when I wake up.