Following road trauma – whether you were directly involved in it, lost someone you cared about or witnessed a crash – your ability to enjoy a good night’s sleep may be affected.
You might find that you lie awake for long periods, unable to fall asleep, wake up a lot during the night or have nightmares and distressing dreams. It’s common for distressing memories, feelings and thoughts to surface at night when you are trying to sleep.
You might be troubled by images of the crash, anxiety, anger, guilt, physical pain or worries about how you’re going to cope. You may also start to develop unhelpful habits such as staying up late and avoiding going to bed, or drinking alcohol to relax.
So how can you develop a healthier relationship with sleep post-crash?
What is sleep hygiene?
Research has shown it’s good to learn and practice certain sleep habits, also called ‘sleep hygiene’.
Although it can take time and seem hard at first, practicing good sleep hygiene prevents longer term problems that can happen when we try to use other means to sleep, such as alcohol or prescription medications.
You may also need to work through trauma-related symptoms such as nightmares with a mental health professional, like our counsellors at Road Trauma Support WA.
Simple sleep hygiene tips
- Avoid alcohol as it causes you to sleep less deeply and to wake more frequently.
- Avoid smoking an hour or two before bed as it stimulates your nervous system.
- Allow yourself time to unwind with a relaxing pre-bed routine – like a cup of caffeine-free tea, a good book, or a bath.
- Switch off TVs, computers and stop scrolling on your phone at least 30 minutes before your bedtime. If not, your mind may be over stimulated and not ready for sleep.
- Do some gentle stretches and/or breathing exercises before bed. For a simple exercise, place your hands just below your chest, practice breathing slowly into the diaphragm and really tune into the breath moving slowly into and out of your body.
- Write down any thoughts that are crowding your mind or make a to-do list for the next day. This way you can focus your attention on your present bedtime rituals, not on what’s ahead of you tomorrow.
- Try to go to bed when you feel tired and aim for the same time each night to reset your body clock.
- Avoid checking the time if you can’t sleep. It helps if you can refocus on relaxing even if you aren’t asleep, rather than thinking unhelpfully about how much sleep you’re not getting.
Don’t force yourself to stay up watching TV or doing more work, as you may find that your sleep/ wake cycle shifts, and it then takes you longer to fall asleep.
As you start to recover from trauma, your sleep should improve. Lack of sleep may reduce your concentration and physical coordination, which could impair your driving ability. If you’re worried about your sleep or experience ongoing problems, please take the time to see your doctor and/or speak to one of our counsellors.
About Road Trauma Support WA
Road Trauma Support WA is a state-wide service assisting anyone affected by road trauma, regardless of when the incident occurred or what level of involvement (direct or indirect) the person had. FREE counselling sessions are available. No referral is required.
We provide:
We are committed to being respectful of cultural and family values and providing our service in a safe, non-judgmental environment.