Sleep

Psychiatrists have repeatedly told me to get 8 hours minimum sleep daily. So several years ago I underwent a sleep study. This involved an overnight stay in a major Melbourne hospital with several wires stuck on my chest and head.

The result was medium sleep apnea. This meant that I stopped breathing every few minutes while asleep.

I recall vividly my father falling to sleep in his lounge chair. Every now and then he'd stop breathing for about 15 seconds then gasp for air. He passed at a young 64yo and apnea can lower your lifespan a lot!

So doctor directed a cpap machine to force regular breathing to avoid oxygen starvation. You get used to it over time. A suggestion- if you go camping buy the 12v/240v model. These machine cost around the $1000 mark.

With mental illness we have to eliminate all factors that have a poor effect on our well being like a bad diet and lack of exercise. Ensuring good sound sleep is as important.

Sweet dreams WK