After Edmond returned from Iraq, he had trouble sleeping. He worked late night shifts to keep busy and stay awake. In group sessions at VA, he discovered he was not alone; that other Veterans have gone through experiences similar to his. Hear how his sleep improved after opening up about his challenges.
View Video TranscriptEdmond:
I didn't sleep. I just stayed always up. I found jobs that were third shift and then I'd find a job where I occupy myself in the daytime, so I just didn't sleep. I think there was a period of summer, somewhere right around there where I probably slept two hours every day for like 90 days for an entire summer.
Initially, I called the VA and I was looking, I kind of just sat in those, they have these groups there and they have group session where everyone sits around and they talk about their emotions and feelings and what’s going on with them. But then I started going in and I started hearing the guys talk and I could relate to a lot of it. I was sitting there and, “Okay, I understand that. Can’t sleep. I understand that. Nightmares. I understand that. Being up all night, findings all kinds of things to do. Having to always be involved or thinking of something. So that way your mind doesn’t wander.” And I could identify with a lot of what the guys were saying, “Okay, well maybe this might be something that might be beneficial.” I talked to the Psychiatrist down there and then she recommended me to the Outpatient Psychiatry Department down there. And that’s where I’ve been going. The biggest improvement overall is now I go to sleep. Before, I just fell asleep wherever I fell asleep ‘cause it was so hard to get, I couldn’t just get up and go in the bed and go to sleep and expect to fall asleep. Now I can; which, it sounds small to somebody else, but to be able to know that you’re going to go to bed in your room and go to sleep is a big deal. It definitely straightens out a lot of things of that kind of restarts you for the next day. It just feels better knowing that you’re going to go to sleep.
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