Late Night Flashbacks

[licht]

I've read the threads on sleep here and most seem to deal with issues falling to sleep. I don't struggle with that as much, but still sleep only about 2 hours a night because of flashbacks and nightmares that not only wake me up but keep me so scared that I cannot get back to sleep.

I have found that after I talk about these flashbacks with someone I am exhausted and usually am able to take a restful nap. Unfortunately I often don't know what is haunting me the most until I wake up screaming.

It's making it harder to deal with the things that happened during the day because I'm always so very scared. I was briefly prescribed a medicine that knocked me out but made me feel trapped in my nightmares, not quite able to wake up but not fully asleep. It was horrible. I'm not eager to go down that road again.

Does anyone have any similar experience or advice on how to handle these types of things?

 

[anthony]

Hi licht... I am a little confused with your meaning of flashbacks and sleeping... because flashbacks are not when you sleep, only when you are awake. Nightmares are when you sleep. Sorry, just a little confused.

 

[cherryblossom]

I have similar issues with sleep, and frequently wake up with nightmares, surrounding my trauma. Once awake, I have continuous intrusive thoughts and flashback that keep me from falling back to sleep. I also fear further nightmares, which seem worse than the flashbacks, which again stops me going to sleep.

I do take sleeping tablets once or twice a week, which help me to get a full nights sleep, to help me to function. However, if I take them for several nights in a row, the following few nights without tablets are even worse. I don't really know why, I think it might be something to do with sleeping tablets reducing the amount of REM (dream) sleep, so my brain has to catch up on that type of sleep when I'm off the pills.

Getting to sleep has been an issue for me, so I leave it as late as possible, so that I'm really really exhausted before I go to bed. When I'm totally wiped out I usually go to sleep quite quickly, but will be wide awake 2-3 hours later due to nightmares. That is slighly better than tossing and turning for hours when I first go to bed. That works ok when I'm not working, because I don't have to stick to any time schedule, but if I have to be up early for work, going to bed at 2am or later is not a good plan.

Surviving on so little sleep is a real problem for me. I think I could almost put up with all the other symptoms, if only I slept ok at night. There is no easy solution, except to keep working through the trauma, until it's not so scary anymore. Then (in theory) the nightmares and flashbacks will be both less frequent and less distressing. I'm nowhere near this (yet!).

Anyway, you're not alone, and I'll be watching this thread for others thoughts and suggestions.

 

[Keenbean]

Hi! I'm also having real problems getting to sleep at the moment due to flashbacks which start when I try to wind down and get into bed. At the moment my flashbacks aren't too bad during the day time, I think because I am just so busy at the moment. But the minute I stop and have a breather or get into bed then they hit me like a sledgehammer.

I have been trying to come up with ways to fight them off with my therapist, but this is problematic because even if I manage or even when I calm down again and settle back down to try to sleep they just come back. Most nights at the moment I am just having to let them happen and eventually I become so exhausted by them that I do get to sleep. But it takes a long time. I take the maximum dose of seroquel (antipsychotic) for my bipolar all at night time (750mg) and even that doesn't do the job- my psychiatrist can't believe I take such a high dose and still can't sleep. I guess that shows how powerful flashbacks can be. And even when I do sleep I wake up every hour or 2 so am pretty knackered all the time right now.

So whilst I can sympathize with you I don't have a solution as yet. When my therapist returns from her summer break next week we have planned to tackle them- probably through drawing/painting- to try to beat them into submission again. It has worked before though I feel very anxious at the thought of having to go through all that again....

Hope your sleep starts to improve soon, KB

 

[shiraz]

Hi Licht, i have flashbacks when asleep too ... I experience them as a type of body memory and they are filled with fear and panic and an immense confusion. I have to physically get up out of bed and do something like get a glass of water and walk around the house, perhaps get onto the forum and read. If I do not do this, the flashback will hold onto me and I will stay in that place of overwhelming confusion where my body is responding in fear and I am stuck in that crazy half awake - half asleep state.

At times I can't break out of it and then I follow steps for managing flashbacks (I have posted these on my profile).

it is important for me to return to bed as soon as possible. I don't want to get into the habit of staying up through the night. I must train myself to accept the flashback and move on quickly.

I hope things get better for you.

 

[SunnyBrookFarm]

I have alot of trouble with nightmares. Always have, but recently it has gotten worse. I occasionally will take a light sleeping aid - but only after I have gone several nights with little sleep. By that point, I don't dream to be honest (maybe because I am so exhausted?)

When I wake up from a nightmare - I get out of bed and go do something totally mind-numbing until I think I can fall back asleep. If I stay in bed, it only makes how I'm feeling worse and it begins to make my mind associate my bed with the nightmares (not a good thing at all).

I'm sorry I can't be more helpful, but from what I understand this should lessen over time as you deal with your trauma(s) more.

 

[Anonymoose]

When I wake up from nightmares and flashbacks in the middle of the night, I usually surf the net from my cell. It distracts me and that helps a little. Nothing really makes it go away except time, and it always returns.

 

[Pam]

Prior to medication, my C had nightmares that haunted him during the day, which made flashbacks all the worse. When he finally got around to getting help, he was put on a daily drug (I don't know the name, but he takes 6 different drugs daily) before bedtime that does not quell the nightmares but he can't remember them when he wakes up. The drug also keeps him asleep even when he is thrashing around. When he is at home he sleeps in his chair, but about once a week finds himself on the floor come morning with the chair tipped over backwards.

When we first slept together in the same bed his thrashing woke me up. I thought we were having an earthquake. I have been in one and this felt exactly like that. The bed was shaking so hard that I had to hold onto the sheets. Then I realized it was C having a nightmare. It scared the holly beejays :eek: out of me. I didn't tell him about it or ask about them till a couple years later. By then I had learned how to deal with them through experimentation. Of course I learned never to wake him up:crazy:. I also learned not to hold, pat or touch him anywhere :poke:on his arms, shoulders, or head. I had to duck a fist once doing that:stupid:. What I have found that works is to gently lay my hand on his hip bone area along his side. A very gentle touch with a bit of pressure calms him down (am I touching his center of gravity:think:?) without waking him up.

What I find interesting about that is that this kind of touch can also calm a person with autism. They even make body pressure bands that you can wear that gives all around pressure. The pressure around the torso (some prefer chest, some prefer hip) seems to help. You can also buy weighted blankets. Anyway, it might work, it might not.