Springtime Mania - 3 Ways to Prevent It

From the creator

As we move from winter to spring into summer, we get longer days and more exposure to sunlight. As such, you may notice your mood ramping up. But it’s not how much light you're exposed to, it’s the rapid change in light that makes the biggest difference in triggering mania or hypomania. People with bipolar disorder can be very sensitive to changes in your circadian rhythm or your body clock. And some people are more sensitive than others. The light is a very powerful trigger that affects your circadian rhythm. Your circadian rhythm not only controls when you sleep, but it also affects when you feel hungry and when your energy rises and falls. So, if you're body clock gets thrown off, you can feel hungry at odd hours and you can have energy at a time when you shouldn't be energetic such as in the middle of the night. That rate of change in sunlight varies by area of the country. In the United States, sunlight increases most rapidly in the Sunbelt, Northwest and Northern Midwest. So if you live in these areas, you should really pay close attention to changes in mood and activity level in March and April. What can you do about this? 3 Interventions 1. Recognize your signs that you may be becoming manic. Typical signs are things like having irregular sleep, pressured speech and lots of activity. 2. Keep a strict routine from about February through May if you’re in the Northern hemisphere. 3. Wear your blue light blocking glasses 1-2 hours before bedtime. References Bauer M,

Published 2020-03-25 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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