Night Terrors

[Becca2904]

I have awful night terrors but I never know what they are about. I'm not aware that I'm dreaming of my trauma. I wake up very very scared, sweating, breathing fast and the other night there was blood on my pillow (bit tongue/cheek maybe?). I don't know if its related but I've always been a sleepwalker and sleeptalker.

I hate going to sleep because I have my worst thoughts just before I go to sleep. Yet I don't have trouble getting to sleep and I can sleep for hours and hours but I wake up feeling like I've barely slept at all. I'm sick of people telling me I look so tired when I'm sleeping plenty every night and often in the day too!

I wish I knew what went on while I was "asleep"!

I need to know other people with PTSD experience this!

Thanks guys xxx

 

[mamachick]

I use to have more nightmares than I am currently, so that is good. However, I work in my sleep. I dream I am doing all the things on my lists that I cant get to in the waking time. The lists are unrealistic for my health and ability. Once I figured out the best type of mortgage to take out during my sleep. I think I have a fear of going to sleep which I suspect stems from childhood. Because of that, I have to exhaust myself with meds. Once asleep, I can sleep for 12-18 hours but still wake up tired.

I do have times that I awake in terror, shaking and sweating, but quickly realizing it is a dream I go right back to sleep. I prefer sleep to waking hours. I love sleep and wish I could sleep forever.

Sorry I cant completely relate but know that just about anything is normal for ptsd.

 

[maddog]

Sleep disturbance is a classic symptom of PTSD, along with a whole range of other disorders as well, and as Brat says, pretty much anything is normal. As someone who experiences terrible nightmares and night terrors and an almost pathological fear of nighttimes and sleep, I relate deeply to your struggles and to your distress.

There are an infinite number of sleep hygiene and other strategies and approaches that you can experiment with to try to find something that will help, even a little. Obviously these include all manner of medications, pre-sleep routines, relaxation and self soothing strategies, routines and behaviours to deal with not being able to sleep or for grounding when waking from a night terror, etc. There are some great discussion threads on sleep and nightmares in this sub-forum, so I would encourage you to brouse around and read up on some of them.

Obviously, fundamental to the issue of improved sleep are the trauma processing and other therapeutic strategies designed to work on the heart of the problem. I'm not sure what therapeutic intervention you might have, but obviously an important consideration if you do have a therapist would be to discuss the nature and impact of the night terrors with him/her and to explore some possible coping strategies customised to your particular situation.

Wishing you all the best with this, and feel free to come back with specific questions. Sleep is such an integral part of life and living, when you're denied of it, life can be almost intolerable, so I deeply empathise with your struggles.

Maddog