Sleeping problems are very common for people with C-PTSD. There are quite a number of different problems that we can have and honestly, I can not identify all of them since I have not been aware of all of them. So I will stick to those that I have been experiencing myself or that I am still experiencing.

My sleeping problems begin with insomnia. I have periods of time that I hardly sleep at all. This is caused by heightened adrenaline in my body. When I am finally able to sleep I am often still very alert which causes me to sleep extremely light and I wake up between 4 to 8 times a night sometimes. This results in me not getting the sleep I need and extreme exhaustion obviously which affects my overall vulnerability.

Sleep para;ysis is another one on my list. It comes and goes I’m assuming it’s connected to my stress level. I am not as much in panic anymore when it happens and I have my anxiety under control rather fast usually too now.

I used to have sweat nights, I don’t know how to call them else but I recently learned that I’m not the only one with C=PTSD experiencing those. Now I don’t have those anymore for a while already which I am grateful for. I would wake up from a dream or nightmare or something else and finding myself and my sheets wet from sweating. It is been a long time since I have had one of those. Not complaining.

Of course, the Nightmares or Night terrors as they vary in fear level both are existing terms. When woken up by nightmares (Night terrors are a lot less frequent now) I am able to control my anxiety, fear, and disturbance a lot better and often I’m able to go back to sleep after a little while. Aside from those, there are dreams that tell me things that often disturb me. And last but not least te random waking up knowing by a feeling that doesn’t seem to come from me. I don’t like to go into detail about these though.

Apart from all the issues, I do enjoy the nights.. the silence.. the peace of mind that I get when being the only one awake. Not feeling others and not having to be on my guard might be the causes of this peaceful feeling. I love my silent nights.