If you have bipolar disorder type I, you’re probably familiar with the emotional peaks and troughs that characterize this condition. “In bipolar disorder type I, a person is either very, very depressed or very high, in what is called a manic state,” says Ludmila, a psychiatrist and associate professor of psychiatry who specializes in bipolar disorder.・De Faria, M.D., says: the University of Florida told SELF.
According to Dr. De Faria, mania is pretty unmistakable. Manic episodes can also include psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, and can be so intense that they lead to hospitalization. A person experiencing a manic episode “talks very fast, doesn’t need to sleep, and he’s doing 500 things at the same time, which is very grandiose,” says Dr. De Faria.
She adds that the triggers that cause mania and depression in bipolar I patients are often more difficult to identify than the symptoms themselves. Certain triggers can be especially elusive because they are such a normal part of life. The trigger is sleep disorders. It is a period when you sleep less than usual or have poor sleep hygiene, which affects the quality of your rest.1
“It’s well-documented that just not getting enough sleep can trigger episodes even if there are no other problems,” Dr. de Faria says.1 For people with bipolar disorder type I, even a short interruption in sleep can be enough to trigger a manic episode. “Lack of sleep is generally not a good thing,” she says. “I like to say that sleep is a time when the brain resets, reorganizes, and files away the important information you encountered during the day. That could be a problem.”
Research supports an association between sleep disturbances and bipolar I episodes, more specifically mania. A 2019 study found an overall link between sleep problems, daytime sleepiness, and bipolar disorder.2and a 2017 study found that people with bipolar disorder type I (especially women) are more prone to sleep deprivation as a trigger for manic episodes.3
According to Dr. De Faria, problems with rest are very difficult to pinpoint as a trigger. This is because we are socially conditioned to think that it is normal to not sleep in certain situations. For example, if you are a student who is in the lead and is studying hard. – If you’re partying until the finals or on a great vacation in Mykonos, or if you’re staying up late and getting up early to show your manager you deserve a promotion at work.
Additionally, sleep deprivation can also be combined with other factors that can trigger a bipolar I episode, such as stressful life events or changes in medications. For example, behavior that appears to be overachieving, or even if you appear to maintain a strong work-life balance as someone looking to advance their career while raising children, can signal the onset of stage I bipolar disorder. There is a gender. “People think, ‘Well, look at her, she is.’ have everything She’s really successful, so why should I interfere? ” says Dr. De Faria. But full-blown manic symptoms that disrupt someone’s life (e.g., having extreme delusions or staying up all night) can require more intensive treatment and hospitalization for several months. It may not become apparent until later. Order people to recover.
