Nightmare Effects

One of the hallmark symptoms of PTSD is nightmares. Anyone who remembers having nightmares knows they can disrupt sleep. For PTSD patients, they can happen frequently and worsen already-paralyzing anxiety.

I haven’t had many nightmares related to 9-11 that I remember. The one I do remember involved fire.

Last night I had a nightmare unrelated to 9-11 but equally affective. I woke up in the middle of the night with difficulty falling back asleep, and then again in the morning with a feeling of dysthymia but worse. I could not motivate myself to get ready for work. I felt traumatized by the dream, which involved a loved one betraying and casting blame on me. Instead of getting up for my 30-mile commute, I stayed in bed another couple hours and then worked from home.

It doesn’t seem normal to feel so affected by a bad dream. Or is it? For years I woke up in the middle of the night after bad dreams, but had learned to quickly forget them and go back to sleep. Is my reaction now normal?

Comments are appreciated.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.