A regular sleep schedule is important in maintaining stability for those with bipolar disorder. EBeth, a member and volunteer of this site, shares some tips, “At the advice of my therapist, I have been trying to regulate my sleep. This has been a LOT harder than I thought, so I have done a bit of research. I am going to try some behavioral changes that I hope will resolve this problem.”
Difficulty: Hard
Time Required: Varied
Here's How:
- Enlist the help of others. EBeth writes, “I thought I could keep on track with this by posting every day, and I'm hoping that other people who would like to get support will join me.” See the link below for EBeth’s progress.
- Set an achievable goal. From EBeth, “My initial goal is to go to bed at 10:30, lights out and fall asleep by 11:00, and sleep until 6:30. I probably could use more sleep, but I understand that many people find it helpful to start with a restricted goal and work up from there.”
- Switch to walking and getting sunlight in the AM instead of PM (PM walking is good for folks that wake up too early, AM for folks that can't get to sleep).
- Switch to decaf after 3:00 (noon is even better).
- No alcohol after 9:30 PM (5:00 is even better).
- No naps after 3:00 PM (none at all is even better, but I'm starting with baby steps).
- Exercise around 5:00 PM on the days my schedule permits (six hours before bedtime).
- Keep a Sleep Diary. EBeth shares, “This kind of change is very challenging, so I thought I would start with just keeping the diary for a week, and then add new habits as I am able to stick with my program.” See the link below for an excellent diary.
