I believe I am most rested when I let myself sleep like a dog. Some days a dog will sleep all day, other days they dog nap here and there as opportunity presents. Most days they sleep somewhere between those extremes.

I get the connection between sleep and the bi-polar extremes, but I can't seem to fit myself into the standard 8 hour regimen. My just-a-patient measure of whether I am sleeping well is how easily I nod off when I need to and how rested I feel when I wake up.

For what it's worth. . .

That's interesting insight. Thank you!

Hi Mels...new name to me...so welcome! For me Sleep is Huge..,for a very long time when I was depressed I'd stay up all night playing computer games and then sleep from 3-4-5 am to 10-11-12 or whatever...I needed the day to be almost over...then I'd nap during the day. In my bp1, different times of sleep...or interrupted, naps are a definite yellow flag waving! I got so bad, so disgusted with myself because I knew what I was doing was not healthy for me mentally or physically...so I made a sleep plan and it is working..one of the helpers was 3mg of melatonin an hour before bed, along with a hot cup of tea, and reading a book, journaling...No Electronics At All for at least 1hr before bed. I kept a small pad of paper, my journal book /pen by my bed, so if I had the hamster wheel going I could write down on my pad what I needed to remember, or do "to get it out of my head", if I couldn't sleep for an hour, get up, No Electronics, sew, read, knit anything that was calming...I fake "yawned too"...then back to bed...I do have a clock, but it is up against my bed so I can't see the time going by...hope.

I'm like arfie ml. I sleep as the need and opportunity arise and it varies a bit but in my case I sleep a lot. I have not a lot of choice in the matter as I'll just doze off nearly anywhere!

And I think you need to monitor some more symptoms of mania than just sleep, but you are right its a very important one. You are fairly clear and composed in how you are writing, that can go out the window with mania. Check this list...

Common signs and symptoms of mania include:

Feeling unusually “high” and optimistic OR extremely irritable
Unrealistic, grandiose beliefs about one’s abilities or powers
Sleeping very little, but feeling extremely energetic
Talking so rapidly that others can’t keep up
Racing thoughts; jumping quickly from one idea to the next
Highly distractible, unable to concentrate
Impaired judgment and impulsiveness
Acting recklessly without thinking about the consequences
Delusions and hallucinations (in severe cases)

Yeah, there are a few warning signs but they aren't the regular red flags, so I'm not sure what's going on. I appreciate you all commenting, thank you so much!!

Hey, comments are free... it's the bad yolks that are extra! :-)

Haha! That's a good one!

Mania or Hypomania does not come with a specific schedule. If you're lacking sleep, talking alot, writing, watching TV all night, have extra energy, etc. Yes you can be beginning HypoMania. You need to keep an eye on all of these symptoms and if they get worse you need to see your Pdoc.