Hi Jim,
Thanks for your message and it's nice to connect with you on here. Sorry you also struggle with excess sleep...it's a very frustrating problem. I have a family member with sleep apnea whose sleep (and daytime fatigue) improved with a CPAP machine; do you use one?
I actually went for a sleep study recently, as I may have something called "Idiopathic Hypersomnia" (in addition to depression), but it will take a while for results.
I've definitely felt that the excess sleep worsens my depression. It's hard to have a good quality of life when sleep dominates it 🙁

I too have set multiple alarms (and even placed them far away); but usually what happens is that I hit snooze on all of them, and even if I get up to silence an alarm I immediately go back to sleep afterwards. I often don't even remember waking up to turn off the alarms...it's like I am in a daze.
A doctor in the past suggested using a light box (used for SAD but also may be helpful for non-seasonal depression) in the mornings; I tried this the past and it helped only slightly. I may try it again as I have nothing to lose. It was also suggested to get my Vitamin D levels checked out. I live in Toronto, Canada, and lately the days have been very overcast...though my excess sleep issues still occur on sunny days. A psychiatrist once put me on Modafinil (a wakefulness-promoting agent), which helped a little, but I couldn't tolerate it due to the headache side effect. Sorry I don't have any better ideas; excess sleep is a tough nut to crack, so it seems, unfortunately.

Thanks for encouraging me to get help. I really hope your sleep issues get better, and hope to stay in touch.
Best,
Bren

@bren1985

Hi, Brenda. I actually woke up 5 minutes before the alarm went off this morning at 9:30! I was pleased. I used a CPAP machine for 15+ years, and recently switched to a BIPAP. I never sleep without it, even for naps.

Thursday is my therapy day. I look forward to it all week. Sometimes, it feels like 20 days between Thursdays. Until March of this year, I hadn't been able to see a therapist for 18 months, and by the end of 2016, I was in bad shape, very depressed and having suicidal thoughts.

The forecast here is for snow this weekend. I need to finish up some outside jobs before we get significant snow or temps in the teens. I washed the car yesterday, but it took so long to wash it that I didn't have time to wax. Next week, I hear that it's supposed to warm up a bit, so maybe I'll give it another quick wash, and wax it before winter.

I have days when I can make myself get out of the recliner and do a few things. I feel better about myself when I do that. On the other days, I feel worthless, and get even more depressed, so I know that I really want and need to get moving.

I have idiopathic peripheral neuropathy, so walking or standing very much causes a fair amount of pain in my feet. The only way to stop the pain is to lie down on my back on the bed. Having my feet up in the recliner doesn't help. I'm tall, so I have an ottoman in front of the recliner, so my feet don't just hang off the end. It helps a little, but bed is best. The danger of being on the bed is that I might doze off for a couple of hours. So much for getting up with the alarm.

Time to turn off the screen and do all my bedtime routine. Maybe I'll be able to get up again tomorrow morning, if not before the alarm rings, when it does, without pushing snooze. Maybe you'll be able to start a new habit of rising earlier, too. I'll let you know how I do.

Jim

Hi Jim,
Thanks for your message. How are you doing lately?
I was sorry to read that the end of 2016 was so awful for you (I can relate), but I am glad that you are getting regular therapy every Thursday. I hope to enter therapy again as soon as possible, but need to wait 6 weeks for an opening to come up; it's quite frustrating.

Most of my days it's incredibly hard to get going; I do spend a lot of time inactive, and it does make the depression worse and that makes it even harder to get going (quite the catch-22). I feel like my body is made of lead 🙁 I find I have to set up very humble goals - just getting out to the backyard, on some days (that actually will be goal today since I'm having a really hard time). I'd like to replenish our bird feeders. I might also take the dog for a walk. They're small goals, but at least they get me out of the house.

How have your sleep issues been? Mine are still bothering me, but I hope they will get better once the depression starts lifting perhaps.

Take care,
Brenda

@bren1985 - I've been getting a little frustrated with myself because except for doctor appointments and church, I spend a lot of my life in the recliner. This morning, I saw my pcp, and later today I'll load some wheel rims into the trunk and deliver them to someone who bought them through an online local sale site. I bought them for my pickup, but they were too small, as were the tires I bought on Craigslist. Taking a loss on both.

I've been sleeping less lately, mostly because I have to get up for appointments, meetings and church. Down from 11 hours to around 9. I've always felt best with 9 hours.

I've been taking Wellbutrin for 13 years, and it has helped stabilize me. I've added a few things along the way, but they haven't made any improvement.

Getting the peripheral neuropathy pain under control, to some extent, at least, has helped my depression. The two are surely related.

I'm still fiddling with the nasal pillows, getting them so they're not too tight or too loose. I wear a chin strap headgear, as well, so I sometimes fight with getting them to work together.

I know that winter makes it harder to get outside. But even puttering in the garage can help me. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I vacuum the house, and even more so when I can push myself to clean the bathrooms. The little things do make a difference.

Plans for Thanksgiving? We're going to be with our 8 month old granddaughter and her parents in California, so I've been looking forward to that.

Jim

@jimhd Jim, I agree on all. Being in pain really does wear on you, particularly when a person has been dealing with it for as long as you have.
Anything that can give you a sense of accomplishment can help, including cleaing the bathrooms.

Enjoy Thanksgiving. How far are you from your CA relatives? Unfortunately our son who lives in Southern CA will not be home for Thanksgiving but he is coming for Christmas, and for my daughter’s wedding reception in December, so I am happy with that. I think our thanksgiving will be pretty quiet. My daughter and her fiancé will be going to his sister’s in Ma for the day at my suggestion since we will be busy getting prepared for the ceremony here on Saturday.
JK

@contentandwell - it's about a 13 hour drive to our daughter's, which means 2 days. I don't do 13 hour drives anymore. Her husband is stationed at the Alameda Coast Guard Station. They're coming here for Christmas. We're certainly looking forward to seeing them.

Jim