Sleep problems?!

Sleep problems?

Hello. I'm writing to see if anyone knows much about a sleep problem my boyfriend has. Lately he has been staying up for 3-4 days at a time. He has ADD (but he is almost 25, don't you grow out of it a little bit?) and is able to keep himself occupied through the nights so he doesn't sleep. The problem is that he is afraid to sleep because most times, he won't wake up in the morning. Even when I have set multiple alarm clocks and called on his phone, he doesn't wake up to the noise. So because of this habit which preceeded the staying awake for days at a time, he is afraid to fall asleep at night and thus keeps himself occupied. He was recently diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Is the sleep problem a symptom for the psychiatrist to deal with, or a sleep specialist? It's really ruining our relationship so we both want him to get some help ASAP! It's also affecting his job, which he is about to fired from!

1 week ago
Thanks to the first two for answers...to the second person, I asked him if he was on drugs--he said no. THe only reason I believe him is because he was sleeping through alarms prior to staying up for days...he began staying up because he is afraid of not waking up and missing work, or so he says. Any suggestions of how to pursue finding a solution?

Being able to go without sleep for 3 to 4 days at a time actually sounds more like a symptom of bipolar disorder -- the "mania" side of the disorder, that is. I know of quite a few folks with bipolar disorder, and when they're in that part of it, they can go for surprisingly long stretches of time with only a little sleep, or sometimes NO sleep. Sometimes their desire for sex is also higher during these times. Is your boyfriend's? (I'm not trying to be nosy; just giving you something to think about).

During the "depression" side of bipoloar, the opposite is usually true -- people spend too much time sleeping, and/or often feel like they need more sleep. Their mood is generally dampened during these periods as well, and they generally don't have the desire for sex and sometimes don't even feel like eating!

For the record, I myself do not have bipolar disorder, so I'm not speaking from experience. I'm only sharing my observations of others, and/or what I've heard about others. I do, however, have ADHD and anxiety, but I have NEVER experienced what your boyfriend has. I've never been able to skip a night of sleep -- my body needs it and loves it too much! :) Plus my brain starts falling apart pretty quickly, usually within just 1 or 2 days, if I don't sleep enough hours at night. Ugh.

Anyhoo, good luck to your boyfriend. It sounds like his problem is unhealthily disruptive to his life, so I hope he can find some resolution soon! :) I'd advise him to get a complete work-up from his regular medical doctor, and also talk to his psychiatrist, in case he has a psychiatric disorder like bipolar. While I'm at it, may I give a plug to chiropractic and acupuncture? My anxiety and ADHD improved after I became a regular patient of chiropractic medicine. Now I've added acupuncture to the mix, and am seeing even MORE improvements, especially in the quality of how I sleep at night. It's certainly worth a try! :)