Did you ever....

I am the sort of person that can go for long stretches without sleeping and then sleep for 12 hours to catch up. In between naps can do the job. I went for a long time with two two hour naps a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. Even now I often go 48 to 60 hours without sleeping for more than an hour or so. I don't seem to have normal responses to several things. I don't always sleep much and I can fast for up to 14 days without ever being hungry.

I have always suspected that I turned to this to balance my brain chemistry. I fought depression for a long time before they developed medications that fixed the problem of a chemical imbalance. Lack of sleep or severe nutritional deprivation makes changes in your chemistry. So will pain which is why so many young people will become cutters and "decorate" their arms with scars from self-inflicted cuts. Pain response is an endorphin release. If you do this too much it is addictive...Adrenalin junkies come in all sorts. I did some cutting. I;m not sure if it was the relief that the endorphins offered me or if it was the fact that it drove my Mother crazy which most attracted me to it.

I am one of the lucky ones. I truly walked through the valley of death and survived. I mourn for every brother and sister that loses their battle and goes into the arms of suicide. That is a real pandemic that is ignored mostly.
Having an adult son who has Major Depression Disorder, I know that sleep can be odd for those with this disorder. It can be a rough and lonely road for people, so I'm glad to hear you were able to find a way to overcome it. My son turned to alcohol for awhile, but has been clean and sober for 12 years, and medication free as well.
Good coping skills and tools help, and a supportive family, which it sounds like you now have, Dan.

This is a good time to remind people once again...if you are battling situational depression or any kind of depression during this pandemic, please, please reach out and talk to someone. I have phone numbers available for help lines for anyone who needs them. We're here for you.
 
I was very fortunate. Alcohol made me deathly ill if I drank more than two drinks. Most drugs either did nothing to me or were unpleasant with one exception. I smoked a truckload of pot but even that lost its shine. I died of an intentional overdose of sleeping pills when I was 17. The strangest thing happened. That is another story that I will not inflict on y'all at this time, I found peace in the strangest place.
 
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