Night Terrors

[AtlasJones]

I have C-PTSD. I think I am damaging myself in my dreams. I wake with bruises that look like fingerprints, all unanswered. I talk in my sleep constantly waking my non-abusive boyfriend. I have tried melatonin and herbal teas, but still wake at 3, many times with unaccounted bruises...have you had this? This in itself is driving me crazy, but I know I am not!

[Forgod41]

I've not used this before- but I wanted to share that I relate, i have experienced that- you may try valerian root- start with 1, work up to 3 before bed- it should relax your mind & body- but be sure to get ok from your Dr if you are taking anything else. I have to say the lorazepam .5 (1/2 to up to 2 pills at night) does really help with my bad flashbacks- I bet it would help you. The only downside with it is it's very addictive, so if you have any addiction issues, avoid it, & if you do take it, do like I do & don't take it a few nights a wk- to keep the body from adjusting to it. Yrs, those nights I rarely sleep good, but then again sometimes I do- & it keeps able to use the meds as I truly need them- for now- hope that helps? Oh, & I've recently discovered ASMR- type that in on YouTube & look for The WaterWhispers. A gal named Isle foes these peaceful videos that help put the mind in a neutral, peaceful place for sleep

[AtlasJones in reply to Forgod41]

Thank you so much for your reply. I need to call my herbalist as I think my sleepy time tea has valerian root in it but not sure. That could be a good addition. I had a really bad experience while travelling for work...just one of many of traumas I have experienced. I was in D.C. at a beautiful hotel across from the White House. A man that was part of my conference lied to the front desk and said he was my husband to get a key. They gave it to him! The room had one of those old school chains which I had locked but he still tried to push his way in. After that, as I travelled about 70% of the time and did not have a service dog that now accompanies me almost everywhere. I could not sleep unless I had the T.V. on, so I did not sleep in silence because every little noise would stir me.

In my house 5 years ago I would only sleep in my master bedroom when my boyfriend spent the night. My current boyfriend use to work nights, and I would only sleep on the couch so I had two exits, as my fear of being upstairs an intruder could trap me. This is why sleeping is hard and even worse what happens when I actually can. I do have an addictive personality, so stayed away from sleeping pills, just melatonin. I will YouTube ASMR, as I know music has helped, but I refuse to sleep with headphones, as I fear not hearing something bad (i.e. an intruder, fire, tornado....you name it!). Many times most sleep is lucid, that way I feel safe.

But, I do appreciate your insight. I have only been in "good" therapy for 11 months and have seen some improvement and my service dog helps a lot. He won't work forever, as I want him to be able to retire and just be a dog with me when I recover! Thanks again.

Mizpah,

Jenn

[Forgod41 in reply to AtlasJones]

Oh if you are blessed with an herbalist, go see him/her again & try to be as specific as possible with them that anxiety/triggers are keeping you up. I know there are other herbs that could help, I can just never remember their names. I have found anything by Traditional Medicinals tea very good (you can buy at any grocery store- pricey, but high quality. Don't always taste nice though...) They have a tea combo that includes catnip & lavendar- both seem to help. peace to you.

[AtlasJones]

Thank you. I have a very low platelets count due to a spleen condition, that hopefully will someday be cured, but just have Medicaid now. Anyway, I researched the internet for natural remedies and found a man that was on his death bed due to low platelets. You want to have from 120-150 or more he had ten. My counts have been as low as 19. He took a tea made of Papaya leaves and after 3 days his increased to 145! So, I was a woman on a mission, as you begin to have spontaneous bruising without touching a thing and a small head injury could easily kill you. It took forever to find an herbal store carrying papaya tea! They offer a free herbalist where you discuss all symptoms. I plan to go to see him this week. They are called Herbs and Arts in Denver. I am sure you could call them and get the same service. I will let you know how it goes!

Mizpah,

Jenn

[Lionyx2006 in reply to AtlasJones]

Do you take Vitamin B12? You say low platelets and that tells me you might be deficient.

There's a great medication, not herbal sorry, for nightmares. It's called Prazosin. Here's an article on its usefulness with nightmares and sleep disturbances.

medscape.com/viewarticle/76...

The only reason I stopped using it was my heart rate is already too low. Prazosin decreases your blood pressure and heart rate. I got success though on a very low dose, 1 mg, which is the lowest dose available.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/184...

Here's another article about it.

Vitamin B12 also helps with nightmares. I take mega doses of it, right now 15,000 mcgs. Many people take much more than that, anywhere from 20,000 to 60,000 mcgs.