PTSD & Insomnia

“PTSD kills my sleep”

“Ever since my car accident, the thought of doing almost anything mortifies me. Forget driving, I can barely ride in an elevator at this point. PTSD has made my life very small.”

Alice J. New Canaan, CT.

PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It’s usually caused by the involvement in or exposure to a traumatic event. In a normal situation, the brain will switch the body from “survival mode” to a state of restoration, but PTSD leaves the survivor in a constant state of fight-or-flight.

PTSD can happen in the aftermath of any traumatic experience. It’s no surprise that  7 out of 10 psychologically abused women develop PTSD. Veterans who return from war with PTSD suffer from the same disorder to the same severity as many victims abused in their own homes. One of the ways we have of reducing PTSD is by encouraging the patient to learn bilateral stimulation among other forms of trauma relief. In Rewired for Sleep, I review the case of Jeffrey, back from Afghanistan, and how he has learned to rewire his brain from PTSD.