PTSD and Sleep

I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t take much to disrupt my sleep pattern these days. Before my trauma happened, I had minor difficulties sleeping. Those difficulties consisted of being afraid of the dark and begging my parents to leave a light on so I wouldn’t be afraid. Nowadays, sleep is one of the many things left unconquered in my healing journey.

If I showed you the list of my priorities, sleep would be number one, because sleep is required to recharge your body, keep you healthy and keep your mind clear. It allows you to feel rested and ready to take on any challenge that comes your way. With PTSD, getting that rest is a big challenge. It is very common for trauma survivors to have difficulty trying to sleep. Here are some things I found to try and combat those troubles:

The National Sleep Foundation talks about how trauma can impact a person’s sleep patterns:

• “Flashbacks and troubled thoughts can make falling asleep difficult.”
• “The victim may feel the need to maintain a high level of vigilance, which can make sleep difficult.”
• “For those who experience violent situations, nighttime and darkness can, in and of themselves, bring about added anxiety and restlessness.”
• “Many survivors use alcohol or other drugs to numb the emotional and physical pain following trauma. These substances can not only impact the healing process, they can also exacerbate sleep problems.” (https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/trauma-and-sleep)

I wanted to find ways to solve this problem instead of simply acknowledging the fact that survivors of trauma have problems sleeping. So, I took to Google and found some great tips on Healthline.com. Below are some of my favorite ways to make sleeping well possible again! See the rest on their website as they are all great and healthy choices!

• “Increase bright light exposure during the day”
• “Reduce blue light exposure in the evening”
• “Try to sleep and wake at consistent times”
• “Don’t drink alcohol”
• “Optimize bedroom environment”
• “Get a comfortable bed, mattress and pillow” (also find a laundry detergent you like the smell of, because I have had an occasion or two where the smell of detergent on my bedding kept me awake because I hated it so much!).

The main point of all this is that sleep can make or break a person. It can help you heal if you have the rest you need, and it can be destructive if you’re missing out. It arms you with the strength you need to fight back against triggers, anxiety, depression and dealing with troubling situations.

My senior year of high school, I slept on our couch from around Christmas time all the way to that following September when I left for college because of my horrible nightmares and stress that came from being in my room was too overwhelming and unbearable. In fact my mom asked me the other day how I was doing because I fell asleep on the couch and then slept there again a second night. I told her I was doing okay, but she told me it reminded her of my senior year. I realized that back then, that was the first time my parents ever saw the toll that PTSD was taking on me. That had to be really hard on them, and I would never wish that on any parent, to see their child struggling as much as I was/am, and not really able to help them.

If you know someone who has trouble sleeping, or someone who has survived a traumatic event, please share this information with them because sleep is everything! I can’t stress that enough! Check out the National Sleep Foundation website: sleep foundation.org. And if you need to, please rule out the possibility of a sleep disorder like Insomnia, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Paralysis etc… Get help! There is nothing wrong with trying to improve your quality of life!