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Nightmares, Sleepwalking, Disturbed Sleep, Eating at night - can't find a way to stop!

Posted , 5 users are following.

lily94574
lily94574

I'm at my wits end. 

I'm 40, and all my life had disturbed sleep.  I have a very traumatic childhood and depression for years.  

But here's the paradox - I am now finally at a place in life where I am happy and have low anxiety.  But the sleep disturbances are worse than ever and nothing helps. 

There is one common pattern, I wake up and am still in some dream like state - I think that I'm a little girl who's been left alone in the house and am dreading my parents coming home/can't find them.   This stage happens not long after falling asleep as my husband is still out working and I'm alone in bed. 

I've tried counselling, exercise, alcohol, weed.   

I just don't understand why my brain seems to be keeping me in a traumatic state when I genuinely am finally happy with my life. 

When I'm walking around the house half-awake, I find myself eating food which helps an initial return to sleep.  It's making me gain weight and my teeth are crumbling.  

Please help, I feel I have nowhere else to turn after the counselling session belittled me and told me 'it's only bad dreams, it can't hurt you'. 

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • borderriever
    borderriever lily94574

    Posted

    Hello

    Do you feel you are reliving your childhood. ? Sometimes we remember the past in various forms

    Have you come to terms regarding past memories You have had CBT and that did not work were all your concerns not put to bed for the last time ?

    My childhood through to adulthood was not a very nice place to be in and it took years to understand my situation and move on

    The trauma from my childhood was brought up everytime I visited my family up to my late/early fifties until a death and walking outside of my family circle and starting again. Even my Wife suffered the same with my family and when we moved on and disapeared life just  seemed to start again.

    If you have not come to terms with what happened in the past you have not given yourself time to grieve that period of your Life

    • lily94574
      lily94574 borderriever

      Posted

      thanks for your reply. 

      I can never really come to terms with what happened.  i don't know how to let go.  i don't understand how some people can.  but i don't cling on to the past either.   

      but i am happy now, i have a wonderful family of my own and friends who love me unconditionally.   and it's all i've ever wanted. 

      what i especially don't understand is why the night disturbances are getting progressively worse, particularly since the birth of my second child.

    • borderriever
      borderriever lily94574

      Posted

      Possibly the birth of a second child has brought about past memories of what your life was like as a young person, I know in my case memories seemed to have returned of being a child and associated problems from that period. Like a Life Review. I am in my sixties and some of my memories are very cutting. So age in some people may cause of this type of review.

      You seem to be happy with your family and friends, although your early life concerns are not associated with what happened when younger.

      In my case I managed to get over the upset and now, like you have a very peaceful retiremnt away from all my past. So it may be past memories brought about by the birth. That is my thoughts, your GP and possible CPN may give you a different reason why, I am no Doctor, so you will need to listen to their reasons and diagnosis

      B.

  • ihavenonickname
    ihavenonickname lily94574

    Posted

    Hi Lily,

    I have an open mind. .BUT alcohol and weed are never the answer.

    When we experience a traumatic event at let us say, age 5, our memory system remembers the emotions of the trauma while we sleep as though we are still 5 even though when we awaken we can speak of the event as a 40 year old who expresses the perspective of a 40 year old.

    When we sleep we enter a state of unconscious which is not to say our brain stops thinking.

    Perhaps you will consider writing a letter to your very young self, that part of you that is triggered by falling asleep in an empty bed all by yourself. What does that very young Lily need to hear...include what you would say to wee Lily to comfort her, to sooth her, to help her fall back to sleep peaceably.

    Set a copy of Dear Lily on the bedside table. Put another copy of Dear Lily at the place you go to eat.

    I sleep with my Yorkie who snuggles into my back. I sleep much sounder with Ziggy than I sleep on those nights he gets aggravated with me and sleeps in his own bed.

    Dreams are a safe way for our brains to sort out our deep emotional thoughts.

    Wee Lily has been left home alone by her parents...Wee Lily is dreading her parents' return...Wee Lily can not find her parents...

    hugs for wee Lily

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