Have you ever almost gone psychotic from lack of sleep?

Matty332 · Post by **Matty332** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 4:44 pm

G'day,

I have a question, has anyone almost gone psychotic from lack of sleep from a sleep disorder before CPAP?

Please relate your stories.

kteague · Post by **kteague** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 6:00 pm

While psychotic is a stronger word than I would use for my experiences, I can say I was psychologically affected by my sleep deprivation. I am generally an even-keel personality, but near the end of my worst period I was emotionally fragile, crying a lot, easily agitated, and overly reactive to challenges. Went on a tirade against my boss in the presence of another employee. Stayed away from the grandkids a few times because I wasn't sure I would maintain control in my agitated state of mind. Things I would normally have blown off as inconsequential became issues. I guess there's a reason sleep deprivation has been used as a form of torture.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16335330
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22305407

ohwhatanight · Post by **ohwhatanight** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 7:06 pm

Well, maybe just a little.

I was in a situation a few years ago where I was being coerced to sign some papers when I hadn't slept in 3 days but I knew it would not be a good idea to commit to anything in writing in my condition. I refused and I know I acted like a total lunatic at the time. I didn't make much sense at all other than just repeatedly saying "You can't make me sign anything if I haven't slept in days!!" In the end, I am glad I still had enough presence of mind to know I wasn't in my right mind at the time - it would have been really a bad decision to have agreed to sign.

Canyondreams · Post by **Canyondreams** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 9:36 pm

Yes I can relate. Have been barely able to work and am slow and clumsy. It is probably criminal to be driving. Actually much worse while trying to conquer the cpap Severe fatigue and increasing depression. Well does my whine-fest make you feel you are not alone ? Surely we will overcome and feel great soon.

FizzyWater · Post by **FizzyWater** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 4:13 am

I knew a woman who was bipolar and when she was in her "manic" swing, she couldn't sleep for days. She told me if it went too long, she'd actually have hallucinations.

For myself, lack of sleep has increased my migraines and made me grumpy (or even more grumpy, depending on who you ask), but I haven't crossed into the psychotic yet.

portiemom · Post by **portiemom** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 4:18 pm

Well, maybe not in the clinical sense, but being sleep deprived all my life until very recently I have experienced a myriad of awful emotions, clumsy, drifty and in a general fog will have an adverse effect on how you navigate the world. For the first 7 years on cpap I remained "out of this world" and NOT in a good way. Thanks to folks here the fog is lifiting!

robysue · Post by **robysue** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 10:49 pm

I never really felt sleep deprived before starting CPAP---unless I pulled an all nighter getting semester grades in.

kteague wrote:While psychotic is a stronger word than I would use for my experiences, I can say I was psychologically affected by my sleep deprivation. I am generally an even-keel personality, but near the end of my worst period I was emotionally fragile, crying a lot, easily agitated, and overly reactive to challenges.
...
Things I would normally have blown off as inconsequential became issues. I guess there's a reason sleep deprivation has been used as a form of torture.

This describes what happened to me AFTER I started CPAP. For the first 3 months I was a walking basket case. Or a time bomb waiting to explode. And definitely emotionally fragile with lots of crying and easily angered.

I still have days where I feel much more emotionally fragile that I was before starting this therapy. Fortunately, those days are getting rarer and rarer.

MaxDarkside · Post by **MaxDarkside** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 10:53 pm

"Psychotic", no, but I did get lost in a store 1 aisle over from my family, and I didn't know what a parking lot was once, due to sleep apnea / crap-quality sleep. Does that count?

kteague · Post by **kteague** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 10:56 pm

robysue wrote:I never really felt sleep deprived before starting CPAP---unless I pulled an all nighter getting semester grades in.

kteague wrote:While psychotic is a stronger word than I would use for my experiences, I can say I was psychologically affected by my sleep deprivation. I am generally an even-keel personality, but near the end of my worst period I was emotionally fragile, crying a lot, easily agitated, and overly reactive to challenges.
...
Things I would normally have blown off as inconsequential became issues. I guess there's a reason sleep deprivation has been used as a form of torture.
This describes what happened to me AFTER I started CPAP. For the first 3 months I was a walking basket case. Or a time bomb waiting to explode. And definitely emotionally fragile with lots of crying and easily angered.

I still have days where I feel much more emotionally fragile that I was before starting this therapy. Fortunately, those days are getting rarer and rarer.

Glad you mentioned that. My first several months on cpap I was still declining both mentally and physically, but I know it was due to ineffective treatment and a stronger manifestation of my limb movements.

robysue · Post by **robysue** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 11:02 pm

kteague wrote:
robysue wrote:I never really felt sleep deprived before starting CPAP---unless I pulled an all nighter getting semester grades in.

kteague wrote:While psychotic is a stronger word than I would use for my experiences, I can say I was psychologically affected by my sleep deprivation. I am generally an even-keel personality, but near the end of my worst period I was emotionally fragile, crying a lot, easily agitated, and overly reactive to challenges.
...
Things I would normally have blown off as inconsequential became issues. I guess there's a reason sleep deprivation has been used as a form of torture.
This describes what happened to me AFTER I started CPAP. For the first 3 months I was a walking basket case. Or a time bomb waiting to explode. And definitely emotionally fragile with lots of crying and easily angered.

I still have days where I feel much more emotionally fragile that I was before starting this therapy. Fortunately, those days are getting rarer and rarer.
Glad you mentioned that. My first several months on cpap I was still declining both mentally and physically, but I know it was due to ineffective treatment and a stronger manifestation of my limb movements.

Alas, I can't blame mine on ineffective treatment: Right from the start my AHI was usually less than 2 and often less than 1. And no significant leaks according to ResScan. But I still experienced a terrible and sudden decrease in daytime functioning due to extreme problems with sleep continuity brought on by my highly sensitive self being overwhelmed by the sensory overload coming from the PAP machine.

newyorknative · Post by **newyorknative** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 1:44 pm

Back in 2003, I was withrawing from Ativan (Lorazepam). I slept about 1.5 hours a night for about 2 weeks. I would not say I was psychotic, BUT...I felt somewhat of a disassociation with reality, kind of like being in a dream world. I had very poor judgment. I would sit at my computer to do work and I was like in slow motion. I could not get a handle on what I was supposed to be doing. Fortunately, during that time I was not the least bit tired at all. Ativan is a benzodiazepine. For SOME people (like me), not all people, getting off of it is the worst nightmare a human being can go thru. I would imagine withdrawing from Heroine would be a walk in the park.

SleepingUgly · Post by **SleepingUgly** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 6:57 pm

FizzyWater wrote:I knew a woman who was bipolar and when she was in her "manic" swing, she couldn't sleep for days. She told me if it went too long, she'd actually have hallucinations.

h

Yeah, but that's not necessarily from the lack of sleep.

hades161 · Post by **hades161** » Tue Mar 13, 2012 3:32 am

Psychotic? no.

Irrationally easy to upset ? yes. Hyper Irritability? You betcha, when I wasn't treating my severe OSA I was really not nice to people. Severely depressed? completely. When I wasn't flying off the handle at people or so depressed I didn't even want to wake up ever again, I was Apathetic to the point of being numb. Sounds wierd I guess, but still to this day I experience regular bouts of Apathy but rarely do I feel like I hate everyone around me like I use too.

But have I had hallucinations, or the urge to tie up some virgin to some train tracks while wearing a Black Hat & Cape with a waxed stash/goatee? nope.

Muhahahaha

The Slow Kid · Post by **The Slow Kid** » Tue Mar 13, 2012 4:14 am

not quite psychotic, but close.

Before being diagnosed with SA I spent years feeling crappy and short tempered. Sometimes I'd get furious for no reason at all. Now every thing is a LOT easier to deal with as long as I get enough sleep. Even if I don't get as much sleep as I'd like to, the quality is so much better that I can easily handle problems with a clear head.

RationalEntropy · Post by **RationalEntropy** » Tue Mar 13, 2012 9:54 am

Before treatment there was a trend toward anger, depression, what would appear to be bouts of mania, brain fog, etc. I did not perform mental tasks quite as clearly as before. For the most part I would just say that general "sharpness" and mood were severely affected.

For a time there the doctors thought I had bipolar disorder. My affect has leveled, and now much of the fog has lifted.

Have you ever almost gone psychotic from lack of sleep?

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