Someone suffering from sleep paralysis may be awake and alert but unable to move their arms or legs. Sleep paralysis occurs either while falling asleep or waking up. It may make those who suffer from it fearful they will be labeled as insane if they report it. This strange sleep-related symptom is terrifying. These physical manifestations of their internalized trauma can become a danger to themselves or to anyone around them. For veterans, these dreams may also be nightmares or flashbacks of traumatic events their memories are still processing. Small studies of RBD in veterans suggest more than half of those with PTSD may experience RBD. The result? The dreamer begins to act out their dreams. When someone experiences RBD, the paralysis of muscle movement in the body does not take place. However, all other muscle groups during REM maintain a (temporary) mode of paralysis. It continues to work to support breathing. During REM sleep, the brain shuts down all muscle function in the body except for the diaphragm. This is commonly known as the “dream” stage of sleep, though dreaming can occur during other stages as well. Two forms of parasomnias that often occur in veterans with PTSD include REM behavior disorder (RBD) and sleep paralysis.Īs we sleep, we eventually reach a state of rapid-eye-movement, or REM, sleep. Parasomnias constitute sleep disorders in which the central nervous system activates during sleep, often around arousals or transitions between sleep stages. However, medications have evolved to help keep these sensations at bay. The best method for immediate relief is a warm shower or mild exercise or massage. The legs could become “jumpy,” itchy, or have an otherwise unpleasant feeling to them. With RLS, one’s legs develop uncomfortable sensations and an urgent need to move at or near bedtime. For veterans, RLS is often diagnosed as a neurological dysfunction under the larger spectrum of PTSD. In some cases, the condition is so severe as to be deemed a contributor to disability, for which the VA compensates. Click here to learn more.Ĭases of restless leg syndrome (RLS) have been reported among veterans. They could also be the result of substance abuse. Instead, they are related to neurological or physical damage suffered during service. Many cases are not related to obesity, poor health, or aging. When deployment-related insomnia not treated immediately and proactively, it can become a major risk factor for the development of PTSD, depression, and suicide.Īll forms of sleep apnea can be problematic for veterans. Those who complete their service must then re-adjust to home life. Immediately, they are forced into irregular sleep-wake schedules. New troops are fearful of combat exposure and injury. Deployment-related insomnia is a form of sleeplessness that’s distinct among military personnel. Insomnia is typically viewed as a symptom, rather than as a full-fledged sleep disorder. Acute insomnia is temporary but disruptive. Chronic insomnia occurs with regularity over long periods of time (three months or more) and adds to sleep debt. Over 90 percent of active-duty personnel with PTSD suffer from insomnia that is considered “clinically significant.” By comparison, those without PTSD suffering from insomnia only constitute 28 percent. Also, nightmares are actually vivid dreams with frightening content, whereas night terrors occur between stages of sleep during periods of arousal. The difference between a nightmare and a night terror is twofold: Nightmare content is generally remembered the next day, whereas a person who suffers a night terror will seem awake and inconsolable during an episode, but have no memory of it the next day. These anxious moments in the middle of the night are terrifying, not only for those going through them, but for their bed partners, roommates, or families. Sometimes, veterans can also experience something known as night terrors. These often come to them in sleep as flashbacks of traumatic experiences from their service work abroad. This means they are facing recurrent nightmarish dreams. More than half of them report a significant nightmare problem several times a week. Nightmares are considered a diagnostic marker of PTSD in combat veterans. We Honor Veterans at Sleep MS with direct collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer comprehensive sleep medicine services to our vets.ĭepending on each veteran’s needs, patients may benefit from the expertise of the following: Yet they may tuck the trauma away deep down inside, never saying a word about their wartime experiences to family or friends. They may have seen combat and even witnessed comrades die in battle. Military service members often come home with special issues that remain unresolved for decades.
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