How PTSD affects sleep

Sleep and PTSD symptoms

Prevalence

Tips for better sleep

Contacting a doctor

Summary

People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may experience a range of symptoms, including nightmares and difficulty sleeping. Researchers have also identified a link between PTSD and certain sleep disorders.

PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that can develop after a person experiences or witnesses a traumatic event.

This article describes how PTSD can affect sleep, how sleep issues can, in turn, affect PTSD symptoms, and when to seek help. How can PTSD affect sleep? martin-dm/Getty Images According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), people with PTSD may experience difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep and may have overall sleep quality issues. Factors that can affect sleep quality in PTSD include: sleep avoidance due to a fear of reliving past trauma through complex dreams and nightmares heightened levels of arousal, which may cause someone to startle easily in response to loud noises or sudden movements nighttime restlessness due to sleep talking or increased limb movements during sleep leaving the television or radio on during the night to help drown out uncomfortable or distressing silence Researchers have also identified a link between PTSD and sleep disorders . According to a 2021 article , sleep disorders that are common among individuals with PTSD include: insomnia nightmares periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) dream enactment sleep paralysis , often with hallucinations obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) Can sleep issues affect PTSD symptoms? A 2021 article notes that sleep plays an important role in the thinking processes involved in processing traumatic experiences, such as memory consolidation and emotion regulation . Sleep disturbances can disrupt these processes, contributing to PTSD.The review adds that sleep disturbances occurring before or shortly after trauma can increase a person’s risk of developing PTSD. It also states that sleep quality issues during therapy for PTSD can reduce the effectiveness of the therapy.As the DVA explains, sleep disturbances can also cause symptoms similar to those of PTSD. As a result, sleep disturbances can worsen […]

What to know about PTSD and sleep