h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yeah, so do I, Ellen! I used to find it hard to stay awake in church, also, back when I still went to church, even though my sleep cycles were more 'normal'

I used to have trouble staying awake in church, too, but that's just because I found mass to be boring.

I really do hope your sleep cycles will become more "normal", and you can start sleeping nights and being awake during the day if that's what you want. Several years ago, I switched jobs from the graveyard shift to a nine-to-five, and it took me almost two years to get adjusted. It's amazing how hard it can be to get your sleep cycles to co-operate.

Even to shift it just a few hours would be good. I get up at 5pm now, and banks and many businesses are closed then. If I could get up even at 2pm, that would be an improvement. I know I'm never going to be one of these people that bound out of bed at 7am, but maybe by noon? I've read in at least two sources that many bipolar people have reversed days and nights.

You lot will be amused to hear that my therapist thinks h2g2 is partly to blame for my staying up so late. Being on the internet keeps me awake and interested, my mind ticking in high gear, well into the night. My therapist says if I would turn off the computer and do housework at night, I would go to sleep sooner. LOL, well, there is no way I will test her theory, cause I like hooting too much.

JEllen

Good luck, I am a night owl, I stay up later and later and then almost reverse my days. I wouldn't mind but then Moonglum is home for the weekend and I have to change back again. Not that I can do too much at night, we do share one room, and he needs to sleep for work.

So much for 24hr society!

My therapist blames h2g2 for my staying up too late too. You almost quoted her exactly in what your therapist said about it.

Hi folks! Just my own two cents: internet use *has* in the past been involved in a worsening of my mental health. Just prior to my suicide attempt in 2001, I used to spend very long periods on the 'net taking me to 4 o' clock the morning, or five, or six, or seven ... not later than seven, though, because after seven the morning the phone rates are expensive again. The rates are cheap from seven at evening till seven the next morning. I took 'advantage' of this by staying online from seven till as late as possible, up till seven the next morning. As the night deepened I became more excited and felt as if my mind was more 'lucid' but it wasn't.

I wouldn't give 'net use the sole blame for what happened. There was a lot of non-net-related stuff as well. My father was held up by gunmen in his office a few days before the attempt, and there was the WTC Plane bombing, both of which were *major* factors influencing my mental state at that point. But internet use was indeed involved. I do know that after several days of prolonged nightly internet use, I was tending to be more delusional than before. But this is not just because of internet use *per se*, but also because of the nature of the stuff I seeked out on the 'net. I read lots of stuff about wars, violence, conspiracies, and so forth. Actually, I still do ... but not as much as before.

These days I rigorously limit my 'net time anyways. I'm usually only online on Sundays, and even then, midnight is the cutoff time.

Hi JEllen, just popping in to let you know where I've been - in hospital with pneumonia (came on sudden.} I won't be online too regularly for awhile yet but I'm back out in the real world (as opposed to tethered to an IV in a hospital bed!)

*Here am I at 4.17 my time, no, of course hootoo doesn't encourage us to reverse/alter/totally erkkk up "normal sleep patterns"!!!!*

Jazz, so sorry to hear you've had the dreaded New Moan Ayer. I seem to remember you've had this before? Last year? I have been this route too, Seems if you are susceptible it just keeps happening, a nasty cold progresses & that's that.

At least we are lucky in that antibiotics & stuff sort it out, it certainly isn't the death sentence it was in my parents day. But definitely no fun! So get well soon, i am sure you know the score, rest, lots of liquids etc.

Hey, while you are resting, think of this, it will bring your appetite back!I have spent the last few days making a variety of curries in preparation for my birthday bash. So far i have managed:

Chick pea & cauliflower (excellent)
Thai type mixed veg (Ok, not authentic but interesting)
general mixed veg (as per usual,always goes down well)
Mushroom & pea (left out the potatoes, it's better, not so mushy!)
Spinach & potato (a new one, very nice indeed)

I reckon the secret is FRESH coriander, i found somewhere to buy it & froze some it works fine.

I need to make some dhall's next. Any suggestions?

JEllen, i will read through the 89 post backlog later, meanwhile, hope the Abilify is doing the job for you!

zdt
!

Jazz, I'm sorry to hear you've been ill with pnemonia! Hope you get better quickly.

Hi Terri, yes, the Abilify seems to be working pretty well. The initial buzz I was getting while taking it has worn off, and I am sleeping rather too much, but it is keeping me from being manic well enough.