Posted by babybear on January 18, 2006, at 17:38:48
In reply to Re: Is my need for sleep normal or a problem? » babybear, posted by sleepygirl on January 17, 2006, at 17:43:26
Sleepygirl,
Thank you so much for sharing some of your story, and for the good wishes. Can I ask some additional questions (you can always tell me to buzz off).
Do you find that you have to almost 'bank' the sleep? Like if you don't get enough for a couple of days that you have to sleep extra to make up for it? Or that if you have an extra-anxious day that you require additional sleep time because of it?
In reviewing my own situation, it does seem that I use the sleep as an escape or a regeneration or something like that after having a stressful time. My t has said that I tend to disassociate as a coping mechanism, and I guess maybe sleep is a form of disassociation.
I wish I could sleep at night, but I seem to be my most 'alert' at night, probably because of my past trauma history, so I tend to lay awake half the night and then finally get exhausted enough to sleep when the sun comes up.
I liked being on the Seroquel from the prospective of regulating the sleeping time, but the nightmares were just too much for me to take. Well, and too much for my husband to take too, since I'd often be "defending myself" during them, which resulted in punching and kicking him on quite a number of occasions. Poor guy. I probably gave him some permanent sleep phobias of his own. ;-)
I sometimes take Ambien when I can't get to sleep at night and know that my sleep-bank is overdrawn, but I don't want to take it very often, so I really limit it. It seems so odd to need sleep so badly, and then not be able to sleep at night, but that's how it is.
Thanks again for sharing, it has really meant the world to me.
poster:babybear
thread:599851
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/health/20051214/msgs/600402.html