Worsening of hypervigilance with sleep depivation

[Gritches]

I'd say "fatigue", but that has other implications, so I'll just ask:

For those with PTSD especially (most of us? all of us?), do you find that your hypervigilance gets...more pronounced the more tired you get?

I ask because I absolutely have to get at least 5 hours of sleep per night. If I stay up all night or just take a nap instead, I'm hypervigilant and paranoid about everything by early the next morning.

By that, I mean I'm specifically attributing malicious properties to almost-certainly benign phenomena. I'm connecting dots that aren't there. I was hurt in a very elaborate, intricate, deliberate, disillusioning, shocking, and violating way, so I'm doing things like jumping at every creak the house makes; checking my network list for wireless networks that don't belong that might be being used by a malicious individual in another elaborate plot to do me unspecified harm; checking my phone's battery/data use for anomalies; stuff like that.

Thing is, I know cognitively that there's nothing to be worried about. That if I had slept enough, none of this would be registering how it is. That anyone with enough skill+determination+resources to harm me wouldn't be so easy to detect. That I'd probably never even see my death or worse coming in any case.

That's why I think it's a product of hypervigilance, which involves sensory information before the information is thoroughly processed, rather than paranoia/delusions which would require me to actually believe I was in imminent danger, or mere anxiety where I would likewise be certain of imminent doom rather than merely acknowledging it as a contingency with an unknown and unknowable probability of actually occurring.

I'm just wondering if anyone else experiences more profound hypervigilance with sleep deprivation, or if anyone knows why my brain is doing this, or how to stop it (that's my one-armed man), or if anyone else experiences things like hypervigilance/persecutory delusions/paranoia in relation to PTSD, or has anything at all to say on the topic. Seriously, this is the problem I've spent the most time trying to solve, I need leads.

That got long and rambley. Thanks for reading all that. Any and all words appreciated

 

[Flammie91]

I'd say "fatigue", but that has other implications, so I'll just ask:

For those with PTSD especially (most of us? all of us?), do you find that your hypervigilance gets...more pronounced the more tired you get?

I ask because I absolutely have to get at least 5 hours of sleep per night. If I stay up all night or just take a nap instead, I'm hypervigilant and paranoid about everything by early the next morning.

By that, I mean I'm specifically attributing malicious properties to almost-certainly benign phenomena. I'm connecting dots that aren't there. I was hurt in a very elaborate, intricate, deliberate, disillusioning, shocking, and violating way, so I'm doing things like jumping at every creak the house makes; checking my network list for wireless networks that don't belong that might be being used by a malicious individual in another elaborate plot to do me unspecified harm; checking my phone's battery/data use for anomalies; stuff like that.

Thing is, I know cognitively that there's nothing to be worried about. That if I had slept enough, none of this would be registering how it is. That anyone with enough skill+determination+resources to harm me wouldn't be so easy to detect. That I'd probably never even see my death or worse coming in any case.

That's why I think it's a product of hypervigilance, which involves sensory information before the information is thoroughly processed, rather than paranoia/delusions which would require me to actually believe I was in imminent danger, or mere anxiety where I would likewise be certain of imminent doom rather than merely acknowledging it as a contingency with an unknown and unknowable probability of actually occurring.

I'm just wondering if anyone else experiences more profound hypervigilance with sleep deprivation, or if anyone knows why my brain is doing this, or how to stop it (that's my one-armed man), or if anyone else experiences things like hypervigilance/persecutory delusions/paranoia in relation to PTSD, or has anything at all to say on the topic. Seriously, this is the problem I've spent the most time trying to solve, I need leads.

That got long and rambley. Thanks for reading all that. Any and all words appreciated

I've had troubles with paranoia for most of my life which worsened with additional negative experiences with individuals that I was close to. I'm not sure if mine gets worse when I'm tired but it definitely gets worse when I consume a lot of caffeine, thats why I stopped drinking coffee. I have found in the past that my hypervigilance has made people around me weary of me, thus creating additional problems, If I worry excessively it will just create even more drama, which will lead me to being more hypervigilant, and it will all just snowball from there, so I just try to supress it. I still cover my tracks, cause in this life its necessary, I'm just trying not to let it emotionally drain me or consume me

 

[Bolletje]

Mild sleep deprivation makes me
startle very easily. More severe sleep deprivation makes me hallucinate.

 

[LucyPurrs]

Hypervigilance is one of the criteria for the PTSD diagnosis. Hypervigilance is a survival mechanism so when you're defenses are down (as in sleep deprivation) it would seem logical for your hypervigilance to increase as a way of self protection ( I think). Hope this makes sense.

 

[Judge]

I can only say that these days I've never been more attentive to my own sleep deprivation. Far more willing to take naps if necessary than ever before. Otherwise it's simply a game in which I am certain to lose. I just can't seem to "shrug off" any real loss of sleep like I once could.

That I must somehow find a way to make up for any sleep lost, no matter what the circumstances. But then also I must concede it may well be an aspect of the aging process. Any thoughts from older members?

 

[Tom]

Sleep is a mess for me. But I suggest seeing a doctor about it. It may lead to a medication but sometimes that is ok compared to the alternative.

I had increase of anxiety/paranoia as I got older and a med worked to minimalize that for me. No more imagining digging tunnel defenses around the house.

 

[Gritches]

Hypervigilance is one of the criteria for the PTSD diagnosis. Hypervigilance is a survival mechanism so when you're defenses are down (as in sleep deprivation) it would seem logical for your hypervigilance to increase as a way of self protection ( I think). Hope this makes sense.

@LucyPurrs That makes so much sense!!!!!! My insecurities bouncing off heightened hypervigilance making me more anxious further increasing hypervigilance as a survival mechanism which makes me more sensitive to the stimuli that trigger me making me even more hypervigilant which makes me even more sensitive to such stimuli and so on and so on and so on!

I have a hypothesis that's held true so far that all mental distress is the result of a vicious cycle that runs in an infinite loop and builds to a point of critical mass such as a panic attack. I've been thinking about this for so long trying to find the vicious cycle in this one, and you just gave it to me I was looking at it all wrong!

I know exactly what to do about that now. See, now that I'm aware of that cycle, I can throw in a loop counter in the form of an illogical belief to interrupt the ruthlessly logical vicious cycle. Holy crap, thank you so much, you just solved in a paragraph the Rubix Cube I've been stuck on for 5 years

God I'm weird, but I don't even care, I'm an extremely happy camper now. Imma make a sandwich, take a nap, then I'm baking you a pie. What flavor would you like?

And thanks to everyone, you all get a slice of pie too. Pie for everyone! It's a good day!

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

When normal...

I can take a task patiently..

When tired...

Suddenly there is an urgency.... everything has to be done at once..

Tasks fly into my head..... this has to be done now....now,now..

It's trying to recognise when this is happening..

But, if in doubt always try sleep, for those that can..

 

[Chance]

When normal...

I can take a task patiently..

When tired...

Suddenly there is an urgency.... everything has to be done at once..

Tasks fly into my head..... this has to be done now....now,now..

It's trying to recognise when this is happening..

But, if in doubt always try sleep, for those that can..

I hate that feeling so bad... Its like I just poisoned myself and everything around me just from freaking out about nothing mostly... Yuck!

 

[onlything]

I am a suspicious person but with less sleep it turns into paranoia, growth in anxiety/panic attacks, at times also more flashbacks and aggressiveness(flight vs. fight response). Also, everything is brighter, louder, more overhelming. Not recommended.

 

[Bolletje]

I remember an occurence where I had had a few nights of very little sleep in a row. I was watching TV with my boyfriend and a phone rang. I was sure that it had been my boyfriend's phone. The more he denied it, the more suspicious I got. He then showed me his call history which showed no calls, and I only got more upset because I thought he had quickly deleted the call because he was hiding something. I had a hysterical crying fit because I felt like either I was going crazy, or my boyfriend was gaslighting me something fierce. It wasn't until the phone on the tv show rang again that I figured out what had happened.

This freaked me out most because I'm not that jealous of a person, let alone suspicious of my boyfriend cheating on me. I felt horrible and crazy for treating my boyfriend like that.

 

[OkRad]

Gritches, I feel for you. Sleeplessness makes EVERYTHING worse. Sensory issues, food trouble, people issues, red lights, cash register noises, taking a shower........

WHen it kicks up, it has a life of its own. The less you sleep, the brain (being the MONSTER it is), refuses to get tired. NOOO! It goes on extreme hyper mode.

You don't even want to know the insomnia troubles I have had. What helps is camping inside (i.e. cut off ALL electric, etc), and GOd only knows..........

 

[LucyPurrs]

@LucyPurrs That makes so much sense!!!!!! My insecurities bouncing off heightened hypervigilance making me more anxious further increasing hypervigilance as a survival mechanism which makes me more sensitive to the stimuli that trigger me making me even more hypervigilant which makes me even more sensitive to such stimuli and so on and so on and so on!

I have a hypothesis that's held true so far that all mental distress is the result of a vicious cycle that runs in an infinite loop and builds to a point of critical mass such as a panic attack. I've been thinking about this for so long trying to find the vicious cycle in this one, and you just gave it to me I was looking at it all wrong!

I know exactly what to do about that now. See, now that I'm aware of that cycle, I can throw in a loop counter in the form of an illogical belief to interrupt the ruthlessly logical vicious cycle. Holy crap, thank you so much, you just solved in a paragraph the Rubix Cube I've been stuck on for 5 years

God I'm weird, but I don't even care, I'm an extremely happy camper now. Imma make a sandwich, take a nap, then I'm baking you a pie. What flavor would you like?

And thanks to everyone, you all get a slice of pie too. Pie for everyone! It's a good day!

XD! So glad it was helpful! Have a great nap and eat that pie for me!

 

[Streetwise]

eat supply your energy output !lie flat gives your body the message im safe to rest !dont ! force yourself to think im not sleeping !do something sedating -massage ,lavender
try!!!! (but dont panic yourself) to do what you normally do .be in a dark slightly cool place .
if youve tried cbd oil and didnt react use that it detoxifies the body.