Can breathwork and meditation improve sleep in PTSD?

Question

Hi doctor,

As a 34-year-old individual living with post-traumatic stress disorder, my sleeping patterns have been poor throughout the years. I have never liked being dependent on drugs to solve anything, and therefore, have sought other means of calming my mind prior to sleeping.

There have been cases where several individuals claim to have slept better through the power of breathwork and meditation. There have been times when I find myself unable to shut down my mind even when I am too tired.

Do daily meditations and breathing exercises help to deal with sleeplessness resulting from PTSD?

Thank you for your help.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Thanks for the question, and I am sorry to hear how difficult this has been for you.

The use of relaxation methods such as meditation and deep breathing can be used to ease stress and induce relaxation, hence making it easier to sleep. Nevertheless, alone, they are not sufficient to manage chronic insomnia, especially for cases that are linked to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

There are two interventions which stand out as the most proven in addressing insomnia: good sleep hygiene and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). As sleep hygiene forms an important part of CBT-I, it makes a good starting point. There is credible information available on-line regarding sleep hygiene practices like having a regular sleeping routine, restricting screen exposure before bed, etc.

It is also essential to know that insomnia can have various presentations. You may find it hard to fall asleep, have frequent awakenings at night, wake up early in the morning, have poor quality sleep, or have nightmares. Knowing about your sleep problems and the number of hours that you spend sleeping will assist in selecting the most suitable treatment. Writing down a sleep diary can greatly facilitate the process.

As you may already know, there is evidence that sleep disorders are a major symptom of PTSD. It means that you need to pay special attention to the disease itself. There are effective treatments for PTSD such as Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).

In the case that your sleep disorders have proven to be chronic or are having an impact on your life, then you will benefit from talking about these treatments with a trained mental health care provider.

I hope that I was able to answer your question.

Do not hesitate to contact me again for more queries or discussion on your symptoms.

Best of luck with your treatment.