Psychiatric diagnosis vs. life

[Guest guest]

I find it interesting that in order to qualify for a psychiatric diagnosis, it

has to interfere with daily life; so if you have the same symptoms but get along

quite well you should not be diagnosed. Wouldn't that interfere with studies to

find solutions to psychiatric problems?

I was reading up on bi-polar disorder out of curiosity and because I have

peroids where I function much better on low sleep (like 5 hours a night) - feel

brimming with creativity and energy and am very productive in terms of finishing

projects, getting new ideas (that are fruitful), and such. And I have a monthly

cycle that gives me about a week where I want to withdraw and not do much and

sleep closer to 8 hours a night.

For one thing, it's got me curious on how much sleep a person *really* needs.

I've read 8-9 hours a night for optimal health. Is that just because of our

unhealthy lifestyles? Is there a bi-polar rhythm that is normal in people

(women, especially I think because of the monthly cycle of hormones that affect

mood and behavior)? Why is it that many of the great thinkers slept very

little? Were they healthy or abnormal??

I saw a DVD in the library about an artist who was studying (on himself) the

effects of sleep deprivation on creativity - he seems to think (based on the

back of the cover) that less sleep creates better creativity.

Why is it that yesterday, when I had only slept 3 hours due to a mild but

annoying cough, I was more energetic all day, in a better mood than days

earlier, got more done, and didn't feel tired?

Has anybody documented how much the natural people (i.e. " natives " ) slept?