C-ptsd And Nightmares

[GingerAli]

I have C-PTSD, but I know a common symptom is nightmares. It may sound weird, but I think I have them, but don't remember them. I feel like I can sleep through everything and as long as I want. (Not all the time but frequently) one of my main ways of coping or dissociating is sleep. I sleep to escape the world. And I can usually sleep a long time. But I'm always tired. I'm beginning to suspect that I do have nightmares but never remember them. There have been stories of me screaming in my sleep when I was at a summer camp on multiple occasions, and I often fear I will do the same other places. I also often wake up in the night and take off a sweatshirt, etc, but have no recollection of it in the morning. So I'm beginning to wonder if I do have nightmares and just don't remember them? I often don't remember any dreams at all in the morning. Anyone have thoughts on this?

 

[macca]

Hi there! I get bad nightmares, they seem to increase when I'm not doing so well. A few weeks ago they were really bad, and I remembered them all too well. Then I started sleeping through, or so I thought, waking up just as exhausted as ever. My husband told me that I'd still been having them, but not waking up, and he was worried about scaring me further if he touched me. Screaming in your sleep seems like a sign though! I wonder with me sometimes if I've had nightmares I don't remember because I wake up scared with my heart racing, but don't remember anything. I have no idea what to suggest for this though. For ones you do remember there's something I came across on the web called Imagery Rehearsal Therapy for PTSD nightmares, that I thought sounded good, that I was going to ask my T about, but they eased off (or I don't remember them now, one of the two). I've also heard that you can train yourself to remember your dreams, but geez, that doesn't sound like a good idea for PTSD sufferers!

 

[BeatenMan]

I have often wondered this same thing. I dont ever remember my dreams when I wake up but when I do wake up im absolutely exhausted and blankets are usually kicked all over the place. I live alone so dont have anyone to tell me what I do when sleeping except my dog and that poor guy has no idea whats normal after living with my craziness :wacky:.

 

[Annie B]

I can so relate!

I used to have a horrible nightmare every night starting when I was about 3 and didn't stop until I was 22, literally the night after I got married (weird huh?). Since I've been married, I still have them but not very often at all. Even into college I would wake up crying on the really bad ones (at least once a week)or cry in my sleep, but the others weren't as bad and I could sleep through them. Now I have one on occasion when I just wake up in the night with my heart racing. If I tell my husband about it the fear goes away. I think putting words to the images helps me realize how ridiculous and stupid the dream actually is and I can laugh about it. Since it has been a while since I've had a nightmare (a few weeks I think) but I still wake up tired I often wonder if I have them but I just don't remember. But if I don't remember having a nightmare why borrow trouble by worrying whether I had one or not?

I suggest recording the dreams you remember for two reasons. First, once you are able to describe in words what you experienced in the nightmare it is possible you can recognize the nonsense, the illogical stuff. They might sound really stupid when you say them out loud and maybe even make you laugh. Hopefully, right? Second, you may record something pretty disturbing and even see a pattern. By doing this I discovered that all of my worst childhood nightmares involved hiding, being watched and seeing danger through a window and having to go outside and face it to save someone. Really freaky stuff. I used to even have the same dreams over and over. Once I recognized the common theme it didn't go away, but I felt a little less anxious at night and like I had a bit more understanding of why my brain would go there. I began to sleep better. Then one day those kinds of dreams just stopped.

The nightmares I have now are different, not as disturbing but are still bothersome. I usually get them when I've been really anxious but they're not that bad anymore. I am just always tired, and like you, I want to just sleep. I wake up and discover that I've removed socks, sweatshirts and don't remember. I think I just get hot though. :)

 

[CVC]

If people report you are screaming in the night, and you don't remember anything the next day, then I'd say this is good evidence that you're having nightmares and then not remembering them. As for myself, I know I only remember a fraction of my nightmares (based on my sleeping companion's reports). I told my therapist about all this, and she seemed to think it was quite normal (well, "PTSD normal") to have nightmares you don't remember.

Are you worried about this because you feel like you aren't getting restful sleep, because you feel tired all the time?

 

[GingerAli]

Yes CVC, I am always exhausted despite getting plenty of sleep. I. Know some of this will improve once things get better in therapy, (which I'm in) but it just bothers me that I'm clearly having nightmares and never remember them. I really just want to stop being tired all the time. :(

 

[CVC]

I hear you. I've been there myself--it's no fun. Although it certainly makes sense to me that nightmares could be responsible for you feeling tired, I wonder if there are other possibilities worth considering too. I'm thinking maybe tiredness, or wanting to sleep, could be related to depression, or to escapist tendencies. The self-work you are doing should be helpful for addressing any of these areas. Good for you for being proactive. Let us know how the process goes, and whether you find anything that works! I think a lot of us on this forum struggle with similar issues.