hypervigilance tips?

[Towhee]

Hi all,

Does anyone have advice about how to deal with hypervigilance?  It's exhausting in its own right, with the added joy of making sleep so much more difficult.  I've learned techniques to deal with all the other CPTSD symptoms but not this one even though in may ways it's the toughest for me.  Summer, especially the month of July, is a tough time for me.  Even when my emotions are stable, my physiological responses go haywire in response to the slightest stimulation that would just roll off at other times of year.  Working out or getting immersed in a good story works temporarily, but I was wondering if other things have helped any of you?  CBT techniques work for me for other issues but not this one, I suppose because it's rooted in something much more primal.

[NarcKiddo]

I don't really have much advice as I still struggle with this. Exercise has helped me a lot - I can work off quite a lot of my fight response in the gym. You're already doing that and say it works temporarily, but I would suggest maybe trying some other things in case they work better. Not sure what your work outs usually consist of. I do boxing and weight lifting which helps my anger, and if I am feeling generally stressed a long, repetitive, low intensity session on the treadmill can help me zone out. But it's mainly the higher intensity things that have given me the most long-term benefit.

You mention sleep being a problem. One thing that has helped me a surprising amount is a white noise machine during the night. I bought a cheap one from Amazon and settled on a noise that sounds like a train chugging along.There are lots of different options; waves and music and rain etc.  My Gran's house was my happy place as a child and I would often visit by train so I can drift off to sleep imagining I am on the train to her house. But my mind does seem to zone in to the repetitive noise and I am much less likely to wake startled by other noises or be annoyed by my husband's snoring.

[Towhee]

Thank you so much for your reply NK.  I also lift weights and it helps a lot.  There's a meditative quality to it: The movements are simple and repetitive but require the full focus of both mind and body working together for a single task.  Tae Bo workouts are available for free on YouTube and I do those too.  I just logged back on to add that sound helps.  I have a white noise app on my phone and that helps, since sound has a strong impact on my, both positively and negatively.  But when my hypervigilance gets bad, the sounds don't help.  What a lovely memory to hold onto with the train to your Gran's home.  My own grandmother offered the only love and safety I knew and I'm so infinitely grateful for her.  This was super helpful, thanks so much!

[pisces4eva]

I cannot say enough about Michael Sealey's videos on Youtube.  They involve hypnosis. Through his supportive talk downs, I lost my fear of insomnia. I had pretty bad insomnia after my kids were born. I've learned the skill of relaxing to his voice.  Sometimes in the middle of the day, sometimes in the middle of the night, curled around a pillow.  Hope that helps. It doesn't calm hypervigilance but it did create for me the relaxation I needed to be able to sleep. Now I can go into safety mode with 30 minutes, my headphones, and his voice.  I especially like the "Calm" videos.