Bipolar Disorder and Hypomanic Insomnia

Bipolar disorder brings on a potential laundry list of symptoms that can wreak havoc on both the sufferer and the supporters as well. Keeping in mind that the symptoms seen by one that does not have bipolar may be seen as ‘regular issues we all have’, this simply is not the case and it must be understood that the challenges brought on by the disorder can truly be amplified to extreme levels.

One of the most common symptoms of bipolar disorder is insomnia, or the inability to relax enough to let the mind and body rest and sleep. In most cases, insomnia presents itself during the manic/hypomanic side of the bipolar spectrum due in part to the mind being unable to halt or slow down the thought process. If anxiety kicks in as well, the rest of the body may also prevent itself from relaxing and sleep is no where to be seen in the near future.

When my wife finds herself in the middle of a hypomanic episode, she succumbs to and accepts the condition that she is not going to get any rest until her mind and body is truly ready. Even if she does choose to take a sleep agent, her state of mind is strong enough to fight the effects and keep her wide awake and running around with no relief in sight.

During her insomnia bouts, I am also affected as I am disturbed by her lack of presence when it’s typically time for us to be sleeping. My eyes also tend to pop open as I will immediately become aware that she is up and wandering the house or tucked away in the middle of a poker tournament, all when she is to be getting her rest. As a mother of four children running the house and managing the kids while I’m at the office, it’s detrimental if she does let her exhaustion get the best of her…although rare, it does happen in cases where she has not slept in 3 or more days.

My own insomnia is resolved when I truly know and feel comfortable that she’s actually safe and is managing her insomnia safely and rationally. It is when her cycles and episodes push her into a state of anxiety and irrational thinking that puts us on alert for potential danger zones. When this occurs, I generally fore-go my own sleep schedule and will stay up with her as to offer her the security that she’s not alone and if needed and in the mood to do so, will just sit there for hours, listening and helping her through the issues as best I can.

In order to identify the potential underlying reason for the insomnia, we must keep a close eye on the situations that we know can trigger an episode or shift in cycles, or use such tools as deductive reasoning to possibly figure out “why” we are in the current phase. In our case, there were recent challenges that we both encountered that aided in a mini-episode, in turn triggering a cycle shift and introduced a series of thoughts and reactions that would not allow my wife to simply relax.

If our loved ones are experiencing such challenges, there are a number of potential reasons for the insomnia to watch out for including seasonal changes and triggers, new or altered medications, environmental stress and many more. Again, with the individuality factor mixed in with bipolar disorder, each person can experience a version of their symptoms differently than another, which is another reason why the supporters must be in constant connection with their loved one as to notice the atypical differences that can cause the insomnia and perhaps, make enough of a change to minimize or relieve the bout altogether.

Another potential gotcha to keep an eye on is that some over the counter (OTC) meds can have an opposite effect on some. My wife has an “emergency” bottle of Ambien when times do get tough, but we’ve noticed that in many cases, this will either intensify her thought process, or will prolong the period of insomnia.

With a passion to reach out and to help others, Rich opens up a direct view into the trials and tribulations that come with managing a bipolar relationship and how to use real-world techniques to aid in stability and support.

Rich Wallace

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