Feb
24
2010
I Keep A Close Eye On My Sleep Patterns
Author: siggyI keep a close eye on my sleep patterns. If I am sleeping regularly nine or ten hours and all of a sudden my sleep falls to seven hours a night my alarm is set off and I view my other behavior. I do enlist the help of my wife when I do this (and this can be hard to do). And sometimes my wife initiates this review.
Am I losing my temper more frequently? Have I become agitated (like I am crawling out of my skin)? What kind of music am I listening to? Is it music to rev myself up? How am I feeling when I listen to this music? Am I becoming more euphoric? Has there been a surge in self-confidence? Am I talking more?
There are other signs. One particular one I can’t ignore: Am I becoming more anxious in public–maybe even a little paranoid? All this self examination is set off by a change of sleep patterns. That is one sign I can’t ignore.
All this was taught to me by my doctor decades ago. I have some control. I will not go out of control. One of my meds will need to be increased and then some of these symptoms will subside. I will start sleeping better in a few days.
When I realize I am undergoing another episode I call my med nurse who consults my doctor and they discuss what to do and the nurse gets back to me. I am lucky: the community mental health center I go to is very well run and I can rely on them.
I have gone through these episodes dozens of times. I know now what to expect. I do not change my life abruptly when I am in this cycle although I recognize I might sleep a little less. I might make some adjustment like not going out in public as much if it is too difficult until this cycle ends. (They usually last four or five months.)
I know when this period is ended: My sleep patterns become more normal. I will start sleeping more every night regularly. And at that point I can go back to my normal dosage of the med I increased. My episode is done.