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Is it unusual? ptsd interaction with amount sleep needed and reliance

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Roslie22

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Hi all,

something has really been bugging me recently.
I've been having a real issue with my PTSD lately.
Concurrently, I've been on the go a lot, and haven't been sleeping that great ( different hours , times etc)
After being quite sleep deprived from ptsd related stress and having the flu, for the first time probaly since i was 3, I slept 15 hours from one afternoon to the next afternoon.(I had a Melatonin supplement might have contributed).
Then I woke up feeling like the PTSD/depressive tendency which was really hunting me down, almost disapearred - as if I was biologically reset somehow. I was positive, happy, list goes on.

It stayed like this till some days later,when I only slept 5 hours again. Already past midday I was doing my errands wishing I was dead, bickering to myself, all negative etc.

It really shocked me at such a stark difference. It really looks as if sleep seems to be even more important for me *and others with PTSD?* than the avg. person, and a lack of seems to seriously alter my mental health (biologically?) more than the general population?
even just after a day or so?

Something that also popped up was the time (last year), when a psychologist asked me last year how much sleep would be ideal for me. I said 9 hours, 9 1/2 ideally, and she told me that's unusual and too much.

So my questions are, based on your personal experiences or some knowledge *studies etc*

Does PTSD make some people need more hours of sleep per day? *If so why/how?*.

Do you find/is it known that even just 1 day of sleeping *e.g 5 hours* less can turn our mental health upside down *PTSD worsens*?

Would you consider 9 - 9 1/2 hours sleep for a young female adult too much? Apart from the psychologist's comment, I've had quite a few other young adults saying they would 'dream!' of having that many hours...

*the last question does seem like one I should ask a doctor, and I will when possible. But I am curious for others opinions/experiences here, possibly other young female adults*

Look forward to hearing from you all,

Roslie22
 
Would you consider 9 - 9 1/2 hours sleep for a young female adult too much?

It's not too much for me and was always not too much for me. Each person's need for sleep is completely individual. I feel great on about 9 to 10 hours of sleep. Anything less or more and I feel sluggish, drugged, and cranky.

I sleep my normal hours even when I'm having nightmares.
 
I can't remember the last time I slept more than 6 or so hours but I know that even when I get more than that with nightmares/pain etc then I am prone to feeling the same symptoms as I did when I get 6 or less oddly it's just exacerbated when I get less. Sleeping well is a foreign concept to me. I don't think 9 hours is too much at all. Seems like you'd get some much needed rest
 
When my symptoms flair, my psychiatrist wants me to get twelve hours of sleep. Nine to ten normally...
I never even considered that regarding our nervous system. You're right, also recently me thinking we need more hours of sleep because our quality (amount of deep sleep) could be disrupted...
its very interesting that he recommended 12 hours of sleep...
she definitely was not a trauma specialist, she was fresh from studying and she ended up throwing her hands up in the air and sent me to a psychiatrist, who quickly diagnosed me with PTSD and forwarded me to someone who was more experienced than the first psych.
 
I also need 9 hours per night - anything less means I'm running a deficit, which will every...

I agree with this, this is usually me during a PTSD episode
but at the moment the PTSD flare up (left over trauma processing) has subsided so im not suffering as much as when i originally posted this!
 
It's not too much for me and was always not too much for me. Each person's need for sleep is complet...
Thanks for your response, I think i might ignore what that psychologist said. not everyone is the exact average and i think recently i saw a infograph about sleep saying that up to 9 1/2-10 is okay anyway for my age.
 
Hi all,

something has really been bugging me recently.
I've been having a real issue with my PTSD lat...
I have always needed more sleep than most people. I need somewhere between 9-10 hours to feel totally rested. I also sleep better when I'm alone in the house. I feel safer.
 
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