Why People with Complex PTSD Often Sleep a Lot (And Why That’s Not Laziness)

Why People with Complex PTSD Often Sleep a Lot (And Why That’s Not Laziness)

You might have heard it or said it yourself.

"I’m just tired all the time."
"Even after 10 hours, I still wake up exhausted."
"Sometimes I feel like all I do is sleep—and I still can't catch up."

For many people living with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), this is more than occasional burnout. It’s a pattern. A fog. A cycle that doesn’t seem to make sense from the outside, but makes perfect sense once you understand what CPTSD does to the body and brain.

So, why do people with CPTSD sleep a lot? And why is it not laziness, weakness, or avoidance?

Let’s break it down.

1. The Body Is Always Bracing for Impact

When you live through repeated trauma, especially in childhood or over a prolonged period, your nervous system adapts to survive. Hypervigilance, muscle tension, and an always-on stress response become your “normal”.

Even at rest, your body doesn’t fully trust that it’s safe. That takes energy. A lot of it.

Think of your body like a phone running dozens of apps in the background. Even when the screen is off, the battery’s still draining. Sleep becomes one of the only ways your body can try to reboot.

2. Emotional Exhaustion Is Physical, Too

Living with CPTSD means carrying emotional weight that others can’t always see. It means filtering every decision, relationship, and interaction through a lens of past pain. It’s not just “overthinking”; it’s survival.

That constant mental and emotional processing takes a physical toll. Your brain is working overtime, often without resolution. No wonder your body craves long stretches of sleep: it’s trying to recover from a workload no one else sees.

3. Sleep Is an Escape—And Sometimes a Safe Place

For some, sleep is the only time they aren’t actively reliving trauma. When waking life is filled with triggers, anxiety, or emotional flashbacks, sleep can become a sanctuary, even if it’s imperfect.

Is it avoidance? Sometimes. But sometimes avoidance is also what survival looks like when the world feels unsafe. The body doesn’t always distinguish between danger now and danger remembered. If sleep is the only moment of peace, of course, the body gravitates toward it.

4. Dysregulation Plays Havoc with Sleep Cycles

CPTSD disrupts the nervous system. Cortisol and adrenaline are often elevated, and circadian rhythms can become distorted. This creates patterns of insomnia and oversleeping.

You might struggle to fall asleep for hours, only to crash for 10 or 12 hours when your body finally gives in. Or you might nap compulsively, not because you’re lazy, but because your system is stuck in freeze mode, trying to recover after prolonged hyperarousal.

5. It’s Not Just Sleep—It’s Survival

To those living with CPTSD, sleep isn’t just about rest. It’s about repair.

It’s your body trying to detox from stress hormones.
It’s your brain processing traumatic memory fragments.
It’s your nervous system finally collapsing after days of high alert.

You’re not lazy. You’re not weak. You’re not unmotivated. You’re healing, and healing takes energy.

What Can Help?

If this is you, know that you're not broken. But also know that you deserve more than survival sleep.

Here are a few gentle steps to support your system:

  • Regulate your nervous system during the day through grounding, movement, and breath.
  • Practice sleep hygiene without shame. Darkness, cool temperatures, and gentle routines help.
  • Seek trauma-informed support—whether through therapy, somatic practices, or community.
  • Acknowledge that your fatigue is real and valid. Self-compassion is not a luxury. It’s medicine.

Final Thoughts

If you’re sleeping “too much”, try asking not “What’s wrong with me?” but “What has my body been carrying that I haven’t been allowed to put down?”

Your body knows how to survive. Now it’s learning how to rest. And that is nothing short of courageous.

With love, Caron 💜

 

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