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Abigail Shanks

Mr. White

English 12

October 7, 2016

Symptoms of Insomnia and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

When writing a fictitious novel, the most important part is to have well developed

characters to keep readers engaged. If the novel has a message it is also vital that the author

researches anything necessary to portray their ideas appropriately. For this specific novel writing

endeavor, the theme relies on accurately portraying conditions of PTSD victims and insomniacs.

To develop such a character, the author must research many components of PTSD and insomnia.

Firstly, how they can be related and found in one individual, since they are present

simultaneously in the character. They will also need to determine how the disorders may affect

functionality of an individual. Going past cognitive symptoms, there must be research conducted

discerning the perception of reality in a person with insomnia or PTSD. Since disorders tend to

alter a persons state of mind, the researcher must look for examples of how these disorders may

also change or shape someones personality. Finally, since both these disorders can be seen as

related to anxiety, the author will need to investigate how these anxious tendencies may become

paranoia. Once these symptoms are dissected thoroughly, only then can the researcher be sure to

write the proper experiences to show their audience.

PTSD and insomnia are two unrelated disorders that can be caused by a multitude of

different reasons. Often times an individual will have one without the other, however they can

both occur in one person at the same time and may even be related. Any psyciatric or
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neurological disorder can be a cause for insomnia, including PTSD itself or other symptoms of

PTSD, such as depression and anxiety (umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/insomnia).

One reason that PTSD can lead to insomnia is from the common symptom of hyperarousal, also

known as hypervigilance (Eisenberg). This symptom causes an individual to be constantly alert

and on the lookout for danger, which can disrupt sleeping patterns, leading to insomnia

(www.med.upenn.edu/ctsa/ptsd_symptoms.html ). Another common symptom of PTSD is

experiencing nightmares (Sweaney), these can be flashback nightmares or even generalized fears

being played out in dreams that relate to the trauma experienced; this broader nightmare

symptom is often most common in young children with PTSD

(www.med.upenn.edu/ctsa/ptsd_symptoms.html). When nightmares such as these occur,

individuals with the disorder may become terrified of sleeping for fear of having them, inevitably

self inducing insomnia (Sweaney). Having recurrent nightmares can also disrupt sleeping

patterns by being frequently woken up during a nightmare, this then turns into a form of sleep

anxiety where a person fears that they may not be able to fall asleep at all or maintain sleep. In a

show of sadistic irony on the part of mother nature, one of the symptoms of insomnia is actually

having nightmares. This will fuel an individuals anxiety toward sleep and perpetuate an endless

cycle of nerves and unrest (umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/insomnia ).

One of the first things to go when a person develops PTSD or insomnia is their basic,

everyday functionality. Cognitive processes begin to slow down and, when sleep deprivation is

present, the brain cant continue to strain the temporal lobe without rest (this area usually

processes functions such as creativity and speech), instead using the parietal lobe to complete

these tasks. By using a part of the brain it should not, a persons accuracy as well as speed is
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hindered. The effects of sleep loss on learning can be so severe that an individual will not

improve on a task past a certain point until they have a restful sleep (S.L.). Not only does

insomnia cause memory and learning difficulties, but PTSD as well can negatively impact this

part of life. In fact, there is evidence that someone who has experienced a traumatic event and

when recollecting the event appears to have disturbed autobiographical memory regarding it, the

chances are increased that they will develop PTSD; this predictor is an early sign of the

functioning difficulties common to PTSD (Freeman., et al.). When tested, a group of Vietnam

veterans with PTSD had a difficult time completing memory tasks, learning verbally, paying

attention for extended periods, and recall exercises. This was compared to non-PTSD veterans

who had much easier times completing the tests. It has also been determined that developing

PTSD can even cause an individuals IQ to lower (Eisenberg). Since the character in this novel

has experienced ongoing abuse, it is relevant to consider that in adolescents who have been

maltreated, and are put at risk of developing mental illnesses such as PTSD, they performed at a

lower level in school as their non-maltreated counterparts (Lansford., et al.). Whether from

chronic insomnia or experiencing a traumatic event, the brain cant process at its normal rate,

impacting learning, memory, concentration and basic functioning.

Another symptom that is common to both insomnia and PTSD is having incorrect

perceptions of reality. One most obvious version of this is hallucinating. Hallucinations are

coincidentally present in both PTSD victims and insomniacs, being among one of the most

common symptoms related to sleep deprivation (Peters). Due to the brains lesser state of

functioning, it will begin to create only images that seem necessary to process surroundings,

rather than relying on what is actually there. Eventually, these hallucinated images can become
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unrealistic enough to lead an individual to believe they may be insane (S.L.). It is actually

common for insomniacs to interpret that they are insane due to some of the severe symptoms.

(Peters). Among PTSD symptoms is misinterpretation of the world around them, not only

visually, but also in detecting passage of time (Eisenberg). It is even common for individuals to

experience auditory hallucinations such as a constant ringing sound or even voices that are not

there (www.med.upenn.edu/ctsa/ptsd_symptoms.html). Just as disturbed autobiological memory

can predict later PTSD symptoms, those who report having dissociative symptoms during a

traumatic event are more likely to develop PTSD (Eisenberg). These dissociative symptoms can

include a person feeling as though the world or that they themselves are not real. Sometimes

described as an out of body experience, the victims perceive an event directed toward them as

though they are observing it happening to someone else, it simply is not real to the individual.

Presumably, the brain causes this to happen as a coping mechanism to desensitize the person

from trauma (Lanius., et al.). No matter the cause, hallucinations and dissociation can take a toll

on the mental state of an individual experiencing them, leading to thoughts of insanity and in

severe cases even suicidal tendencies (Schultz., et al.).

With constant stress on the mind, symptoms of mood and personality changes can occur.

Such changes arent only associated with insomnia or PTSD, but rather myriad mental disorders.

The cause of these symptoms in someone with insomnia is simply fatigue. The more fatigued an

individual becomes the more irritable they will seem and the less they can process and react to

those around them, resulting in an apparent mood of apathy or even aggression

(umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/insomnia). As far as PTSD is concerned, common

mood changes include: shame, aggression, compulsion or even self destructive behaviors. These
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altered mental states can manifest themselves in dysfuntions of a persons romantic, sexual or

work related life (www.med.upenn.edu/ctsa/ptsd_symptoms.html). Going back to the study of

maltreated adolescents it is apparent that they had levels of aggression, anxiety/depression,

dissociation, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, social problems, thought problems and

social withdrawal that were on average more than three quarters of an SD higher than those of

their nonmaltreated counterparts(Lansford., et al). This leads into the statistic that individuals

with dissociation, mood changes, and other symptoms of PTSD or insomnia tend to be socially

withdrawn and feel isolated. There is a positive correlation between more social support and

increased functionality as well as faster recovery of those with PTSD. Based on a sample of

women who survived childhood sexual abuse, the perception of having someone to listen to their

problems and the ability to positively compare themselves to others would increase their chance

of not showing PTSD symptoms. Sadly, its suspected that if nobody reaches out to a victim

soon, PTSD symptoms will become severe enough to drive away any new sources of social

support (Eisenberg). When someones life becomes tethered to a disorder, the stresses of

constantly experiencing symptoms from that disorder can change the mood and even innate

personality of the individual, often times bringing them to a state of isolation that will viciously

drive their symptoms into worse condition.

Paranoia is the ultimate manifestation of hypervigilance that can occur from either PTSD

or insomnia. The severity of the sleep disorder insomnia can be poignantly seen in evidence that

sleep deprivation can cause symptoms nearly identical to mental illnesses such as acute paranoid

schizophrenia (Peters). In fact, along with anxiety, worry, negative thoughts and sensitivity, lack

of sleep increases chances of paranoia in individuals with PTSD (Freeman., et al.). And PTSD in
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itself can actually be classified as a severe anxiety disorder due to its symptoms of hyperarousal,

and one of the key symptoms to any anxiety disorder is an increased fear response; this behavior

is heavily linked to paranoia (Etkin., et al.). In cases of PTSD caused by assault the likelihood of

paranoia toward other people increases. The reason for this and other PTSD related paranoias is

that during the assault an individual's brain may process the trauma poorly and after the trauma

has ended the persons brain is still grasping for control over the situation. To gain that control

the individual becomes paranoid, exhibiting avoidance behavior that is irrational, but by acting

on this paranoia they eliminate the possibility of discovering what theyre avoiding is actual safe

(Freeman., et al.) It is also common for paranoia to increase over time. After successfully

avoiding one version of their trigger, for example avoiding driving on highways after seeing a

car crash, an individual may take it a step further and in this case, avoid driving altogether

(PTSD Symptoms). Not only can hypervigilance cause a person to practice avoidance, but can

also lead to them reacting irrationally to certain stimuli due to being unable to identify safety

indications in their surrounding and an increased level of prediction error (Eisenberg). Prediction

error is the difference between an individual's predicted outcome of a situation and what will

actually occur (Schultz., et al.). Paranoia, similarly to many symptoms of insomnia and PTSD,

causes a self perpetuating cycle of reacting inappropriately to stimuli and misinterpreting the safe

outcome as contributed to by their caution, encouraging the same paranoid behavior again.

After thoroughly analyzing insomnia and PTSD the ideal novel can be created to spread a

worthwhile message of these disorders. Through understanding the relationship of as well as

cognitive, dissociative, temperament and paranoid effects of PTSD and insomnia, the author will

find a correct balance within symptoms necessary to develop a realistic character.