bipolar control
It has been estimated that about one-fourth of the people with bipolar disorder also have sleep apnea. This sleep disorder is difficult and dangerous for anyone. For people with bipolar, sleep apnea is troublesome in even more ways.
People with bipolar usually have a problem with their biological clocks. There are certain neurons in everyone’s brains which control the rhythms of daily wakefulness and sleep. People with bipolar disorder have disturbances in these neurons that affect their ability to sleep during the night.
This affects the moods of people with bipolar disorder because they become sleep deprived. Because their bipolar disorder makes them more susceptible to mood changes, this sleep deprivation works on their moods to make them more agitated and manic.
Bipolar sleep apnea causes the same problems. People with both bipolar disorder and sleep apnea may wake up many times during the night. They may not even realize that they have awakened. They wake up just long enough to get a gasp of air and then they change positions and go back to sleep in some cases.
In other cases, the person with bipolar will abandon all hope of getting a good night’s sleep and get out of bed altogether. In either case, there is a sleep disturbance that leads to some degree of sleep deprivation.
When these people stay up too long during the night, they may take naps during the day. Sleeping during the day is not conducive to rejuvenation of the body and brain. The special neurons that govern the biological clock are thrown off, because melatonin is sent out during periods of darkness.
There has been some work done with people who have bipolar disorder to help with this light and dark situation. While light therapy is used for people with depression, darkness therapy may be used for people who are becoming manic. This is a system where all sleep is done in the dark. It seems to regulate their moods.
However, people with bipolar sleep apnea are at a disadvantage. They may be able to sleep at proper times. Yet, if they do not sleep through the night, their mood will tend to become more agitated unless they are able to get some sleep in the darkness. Even then, the sleep apnea keeps them from truly resting.
The problem is that at no time can they lay down without suffering the dangers of sleep apnea. The lack of oxygen to the brain and the tissues of the body will always be troublesome. Rising blood pressure results from an increase in adrenaline. Strokes and heart problems can follow. These are the problems that all people with sleep apnea face.
Bipolar patients who have sleep apnea also have to deal with their disorder. It has been shown that bipolar patients who are treated for sleep apnea tend to have fewer mood disturbances than they had before. When they do have problems with their moods, they are less severe.
Bipolar sleep apnea is certainly a difficult problem for those who face it. It robs them of sleep which is vital to their ability to regulate their moods. However, their disorder may improve greatly with treatment.
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