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

[lizbeth27]

Hi all,

something has really been bugging me recently.
I've been having a real issue with my PTSD lat...

Well, I know that I have a similar experience, and I'm pretty sure there are lots of studies confirming that lack of sleep makes mental health problems a lot worse. I know some people can function pretty well or a while, despite sleep deprivation - I can't.

I know that even if I have 7 hours instead of 9 I am in a really dark place from waking. More than anything else, my hypervigilance is off the scale and I'm driven to binge on terrible food. I do really well on 10 hours sleep. 8 is fine, but anyting less and I can't do anything. Don't think it was always this bad though.

 

[ShadowWolf]

I've always felt like I needed more sleep than average. Also, my symptoms will be bad sometimes, and then I'll take a nap and just feel worlds better. Sleep is really important!

 

[EveHarrington]

I think the new psychologist was a bit off in her assessment of how much sleep a person needs.

We are damaged and living with a disorder. It stands to reason that our bodies may need more rest/repair/restore time.

 

[katz]

One thing that I have to share is that there is a reason that "I" need so much sleep. (Maybe there are other reasons also-but this one really caught my attention because of how it applied to me)

I read about how, as an abused child, one thing that I learned growing up is that I always needed to be "ready to run". In other words, my adrenalin was always turned on full blast. Having this turned on constantly is one of the things that makes me so tired. I'm sure that I mentioned this before, but it has always stood out for me. I slept much deeper and was much more rested when I slept at my grandparents house. This was because I could turn off the "faucet" for the night to sleep and rest peacefully.

(I miss them terribly and have not - to this day - found another place to rest completely and feel this way) :(

 

[PiggyBack]

I'm with you guys. I used to describe my monster sleep schedule and being completely unable to sleep without some fairly heavy drugs. Nightmares, night sweats, shaking in the morning so bad, that I had difficulty with balance.

Then, I found an antiseizure med. I slept 15 hours a day and entire weekends for several months. My symptoms have evaporated. PTSD thoughts that were so elusive that tortured me just below my conscious thought were suddenly ripe for the picking.

My world has become pleasant despite major stressors like loosing a job and my girlfriend trying to commit suicide.

I wonder how many fellow travelers suffer from the same?

 

[EveHarrington]

I'm with you guys. I used to describe my monster sleep schedule and being completely unable to slee...

Which anti seizure med are you taking?

 

[PiggyBack]

Which anti seizure med are you taking?

lamotrigine - I started at 25mg and I've been making a great recovery. I've tried 50mg and 25mg/day, and both times, it didn't work out.

The only time my PTSD comes back right now is when I'm drinking alcohol. I think it is the effect on my sleep, but thankfully, I've lost any desire to drink.

Previously, when I was having bad migraines, neurologists tried some anti-seizure meds, but they all failed miserably. I remember taking a 600mg pill suitable for a horse and it was really bad news as I was hallucinating for several hours. I asked for something a fraction of the size, maybe 50mg, but they didn't make them. Somehow, she talked me into an extended release version, so instead of several hours, I had a full 24 hours of hell. In the midst of that episode, I flushed all my meds down the toilet and I didn't go back. I preferred the migraines.

Fortunately, I forgot about my aversion to anti-seizure meds, but I do remember the doc saying that it was a good sign when you react to the medications and it was just a matter of finding one that would work for me.

At least, this one comes in a small size probably due to the serious side effects on higher doses. People end up in the ER thinking that they are having a heart attack. Or bad indigestion which I also get if I take it after a heavy meal.


Word of caution, this med

 

[Elmez]

Was just talking about this with my psychologist today. I was concerned about the increased amount of sleeping i was having. She was of the opinion that it was part of the healing process. Our systems running on overdrive for years need time to healing and for some of us finally sleeping is part of healing.

 

[mumstheword]

Was just talking about this with my psychologist today. I was concerned about the increased amount of sle...

This definitely resonated with me. I hardly got much sleep for lots of years and now I go through periods of constant, extreme tiredness and 9-10 sounds so good to me!
My life at the moment is still too stressful and I'd love to go back to early nights because when I was able to do this, I did feel so much better.