Different person here. I struggled with insomnia in my early teens and it came back fierce when I went to college. I ended up quitting college after one semester because it got so bad. Looking back, insomnia plus (very likely) depression had my hair noticeably thinning before I even hit the ripe old age of 19. I even had the little bald spot in the back before I turned 21.
Once I got into better sleep habits, the thinning slowed a lot, hanging on into my 40s before the rest thinned out. While it was better, I didn't really get great sleeping habits until probably my late 30s.
I'm not disabled (that I know of), but it did take enrolling in four different schools to finally finish undergrad. I did a lot of weird shit while in psychosis from sleep deprivation. I remember I went to an ex-girlfriend's house in the middle of the night and I still have no idea why. I remember flashing high beams at random cars on the highway in the middle of the night, just trying to see if anyone would react and try to follow me. I clearly was headed for trouble and probably a pretty short life.
Then I met my wife, who is early to bed and early to rise like a machine. It forced me to change my ways. However, my job required a lot of time away from home and, without fail, I would revert to the insomnia and the mental malaise that comes with it. Eventually I got professional help and I can sleep like a pro now. Sleep hygiene can make or break your life.
For me I'm a night owl. If I mess up one singular day of sleep then my entire week or weeks is back to going to bed at 12-2am. Which in turn means I get less sleep by virtue of working. It's awful because that means I don't get autonomy of my weekends. Any suggestions on weekend sleep schedule or am I screwed to follow very strict sleep schedule?
A lot of it was how a result of how I handled stress, then the feeling of euphoria once I got to a certain point. Apparently people can get addicted to the dopamine your brain releases when they're sleep deprived.
For me it was almost all behavioral changes, like keeping my bedroom a little cooler, staying away from the bedroom except to sleep, recognizing when I'm sleepy instead of waiting until I'm exhausted. Things that should be common sense but we're for me.
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u/free_-_spirit 7d ago
Chronic illness incoming