Hey is long as I am not missing work or something important I would much rather sleep. Lots of times my dreams are much happier than my reality.

Thank you everyone for your input. I am seriously considering everything you have to say.

acuriousfish, I too respect Dr Phelps work. I will take what you said to heart. Perhaps I will allow myself 2 hrs of napping time at the most on my most awful days instead of just one. I'll try that. As you say Dr Phelps implied, anymore than that would probably be sleep overload for me. I'll try it and see how it works out. The combo of trying to constructively work at my sanity (avoiding suicidal thinking) and allowing for extra rest as needed might be a better choice. Thanks.

Great big hug for you ink

I'll let myself get extra rest and sleep more.... however I don't stay in bed... I revert back to the baby steps ... Recognize that this is part of the illness and treat myself gently... If it goes on for more then a week or so I get to the doc... It usually comes down to a med tweak for me to level out

I hope you start to feel better soon...xo

I know there are days when I wished I could sleep the day away but I live with my parents and they would be worried so I muttle through the day trying to give my self credit for the little things I accomplish. I do take a one hour nap on bad days and have to admit I just look forward to night time meds bc I'm so relieved it's finally time for me to sleep and get some peace.

I sleep 10 hrs I night. And if I feel the need to nap it will be on the couch. I don't go back into my bedroom.

When it comes to BiPolar Depression and sleeping too much. The brain does not reset itself if you chose to sleep night and day. You won't wake up and not be "depressed" because your brain reset. Too much sleeping is just as bad as too little sleeping.

Sleeping night and day and isolating yourself, keeping yourself in a state where your not using any coping skills to break through the Depression; your just letting the Depression take over. Unless you force yourself to be active to do little things each day, baby steps, talk with friends, go out in the sun, take a walk, take a drive, etc. Your not doing anything to help yourself get out of the Depression. And the sooner you start counteracting the Depression, like as soon as you feel the Depression start to take hold, the less likely it will be that it becomes completely crushing.

Talking to your Pdoc, checking your meds, doing the things we know to do when 1 side of the BP gets worse. This is what should be done.....

@ #21 -- katlyn40

I respectfully disagree -- but still hold that whatever works for someone is what should be done by said someone!!

Speaking only for myself and based on my past experience, when I'm deeply depressed, sleep is the best thing for me.
When it comes down to unbearable depression, upping my sleep meds and sleeping really deeply and for a really long time DOES seem to 'reset' my brain and goes a long way towards helping my depression to lift!!

And I arrived at handling it this way by doing exactly what you suggest at the end of your post!!!

I took the matter up with my Pdoc, agreed upon how I would take my meds and then did what works best for me (which happens to be 'sleeping it off'!!!)

We should all do what's best for ourselves!!!

Sleep works best for me too, or at least calm and quiet in my room with no stress. forcing me to do stuff makes the depression worse. I talk to pdoc and most days he talks me downstairs to get my meds and some toast until with baby steps i am able to do the basics for myself again. as he says 'if you wash a cup, at least you have a clean cup if someone calls for a cup of tea and that is an achievement to be grateful for'. we can all only do what we are able to do at any given time without beating ourselves up. authoritarian crap gets nowhere with me.