Sleep as a topic

[Rainagain]

Wondered if sleep disturbances merited a section of its own regardless of child or adult onset.

Its meant to be one of the major effects of cptsd so putting all the posts together might make sense.

I've just discovered that the reason I seem to have damaged my shoulder (rotor cuff I think) is that I apparently sleep with my left arm held over my head and face, a bit like holding an invisible shield.

I wouldn't have the strength to hold that position for hours if awake, but asleep seems to give extra stamina, until the shoulder gets torn...... Not good.

[Cookido]

I think sleep is a very interessting topic, and I think it's worthy of its own section, personally.

Doesn't sound too comfortable to sleep with your arm like that. Maybe you are shielding yourself? It's difficult when we do things without being aware of it, and not able to be aware, like in sleep. How did you find out about your sleeping position, if you don't mind me asking? You don't have to answer.

Lately I've been sleep-talking more, rarely sleep-walking. My partner has noticed. I'm always curious to what I say in my sleep, also worried I say something "bad". Strange feeling, like another person takes control during the night.

[Rainagain]

I find out about my erratic behaviour from my partner.

She has explained about the left arm being held across my face, it probably is as a shield as my dominant arm is my right. Making my left my shield arm.

She also took a daytime video of me in a dissociated lost time state, really handy to show my psych, especially as I had no idea I went into these episodes, and when I snap out of them I just carry on as if nothing has happened.

I also get told about the nightmares, shouting out, etc.

I usually sleep apart from her as my night time self is pretty raucous.

I was unable to use my shoulder for about a week before I realised the damage probably happened at night, I spent a lot of time trying to think when I had injured it but failed.

I read earlier today that PTSD brings dreams of particular trauma but cptsd can give more general nightmares, sounds about right for me.

Without her input I have to gauge what sort of night I have had by how rough I feel in the morning.

I'm on a waiting list for eeg and/or sleep study but I think its the cptsd and not a tumour or anything organic.

The sleep disturbance probably gives me daytime low mood, which would explain why the meds didn't do much to help.

I think sleep issues might be really important in cptsd - for me it is quite harmful to potential recovery.

I wonder how much of my trouble is simply rem sleep deficiency. I think most of my symptoms are sleep related.

Having someone to report on the weirdness is very helpful, I wonder what I used to do when I lived alone.

[songbirdrosa]

I agree, I think a sleep topic would be really useful. Given that it seems to be such a common problem.

My personal experience is that I can't sleep unless I have a reasonably heavy blanket covering my feet, shoulders, and ears. It's extremely rare that I'll be able to under any other circumstances. And lately I've become functionally nocturnal, staying awake until the sun comes up and then sleeping until mid-afternoon.

[Rainagain]

The nocturnal thing is familiar to me too, but lately I have been staying up late as usual but then waking at dawn and starting to wake up during the night, not from nightmares but just to check its not dawn yet.

No idea why I've started waking so early.

[ah]

I agree too, sleep (or sleeplessness) and sleep hygiene seem like such a big topic.

I've stayed up at night since I was a kid, and stuck as a lifelong habit. I've tried changing it and never succeeded. I'm not sure why the habit is so strong, my guess is there's more than one reason. I've learned it's there to protect me, that it's a weird type of self care and to stop trying to fight it. But it's not healthy, I try to be as tired as humanly possible before I try to chance going to bed.

Fear of nightmares and night terrors has a lot to do with it (the first are logical, with a story to them, with abusers doing their thing. The second type is more primal, just crazy senseless intense anxiety?), and fear of fearing them too.
Plus fear of being alone in silence, and fear of those dreaded 3-4 am forced wake up calls when my body is very stressed and anxious. My guess is the early waking is related to really high levels of stress, the body sleeps as little as necessary to survive and then wakes up because of stress.

Now if only the daytime could be liked slightly more than the nights, that would be an improvement. 

Rainagain,
I wonder: did you ever see a sleep specialist or have any tests done to rule out narcolepsy?
As though cptsd alone and all of its sleep related problems weren't bad enough. But what you describe got me wondering.

[Rainagain]

Thanks for the interest Ah,

My psych was thinking about narcolepsy or fugue states which is why he has put me up for some specialist examination.

Its all happening since the incidents which caused cptsd so I think its all part of that.

I think its more to do with realising how profound cptsd can be, not sure my psych needs to find other problems as well.

Seeing him again soon so will mention the shield arm thing, have to own up to coming off his venlafaxine since our last meeting as well so not looking forward to it at all.

[Kizzie]

Much as I would love to start another Child board (sub-forum), the board is just getting too big.  Disturbed sleep is such a common issue though I have stickied this thread so that it always shows at the top.

[Rainagain]

How about combining the child/adult onset boards where possible?

The adult section is little used and the symptoms of both are so very similar.

Just add the causes section of adult to the childhood section and merge the other bits into one?

Might give room for important bits like sleep disruption?