How to Cure Insomnia After Child Abuse

People who suffered child abuse often struggle with insomnia as adults. Because abused children were awakened repeatedly from sleep to be violated in their beds, abused children often grow into adults who feel unsafe when they try to fall asleep at night. As a result, most survivors of child abuse struggle with insomnia that is not cured by the usual advice of avoiding caffeine near bedtime. Instead, the adult survivor of child abuse must focus on making herself feel safe in her bedroom in order to overcome insomnia. Until she feels safe, she will continue to have trouble with falling asleep initially, as well as with bolting awake in the middle of the night and taking hours to fall back to sleep again. Here is how you can cure insomnia after child abuse.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• CD of relaxing music
• CD player
• Matches
• Vanilla-scented candle
• White noise machine
• Yoga mat
• Patience

1. Light a vanilla-scented candle in your bedroom at least 30 minutes before bedtime. The scent of vanilla reduces the startle reflex and reduces stress and anxiety.
2. Practice yoga and meditation every night before going to bed. The deep breathing involved in yoga calms both the body and the mind. Meditation further calms the mind. By doing both right before going to bed, your anxiety level will be significantly lower, making it much easier to fall asleep.
3. Lock your bedroom door. Many abuse survivors have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep because the traumatized inner child fears being harmed again during the night. By locking your bedroom door, you are reassuring your traumatized inner child that you are safe.
4. Use a white noise machine. You can use an air purifier or a humidifier for this purpose. Adult survivors of child abuse often startle easily, so any noise in the house causes the person to jerk awake. White noise drowns out harmless sounds, such as the house settling, that would otherwise trigger your startle reflex.
5. Tell yourself repeatedly that you are safe and in an adult body. Think about how you are living in your own house, which is secure and safe.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider changing your sleeping arrangements. Some adult survivors of child abuse cannot fall asleep with another person in the bedroom because each sound or movement triggers the startle reflex. Try sleeping alone and see if it makes a difference.
• Consider getting a dog and letting him sleep in your bedroom. Some abuse survivors are better able to let down their guard when a dog is keeping watch.
• Finding a qualified therapist with experience in counseling people with your abuse history is an important part of healing from child abuse. Learning to feel safe is part of therapy. As you feel safer, you will struggle less with insomnia.
• Blow out the candle before you get into bed.