Are the nights terrifying? Do you have issues falling asleep? Or does your partner wake you up in the middle of the night just because they “had a thought”?
Beware! Sleep deprivation can sometimes be the weapon your partner is using to emotionally abuse you.
Common Tactics of Sleep Depriving
Any health professional agrees that sound sleep is the key to having a sound mind and a sound body. Knowing this, an abusive partner may be intentionally sleep depriving you to make you feel disoriented, emotionally unstable, and psychologically confused, at all times.
Why would someone do that?
Because sleep deprivation – as a form of abuse – leaves no mark. The abuser may make many excuses for waking you regularly, saying things such as, “you were snoring too loudly” or “I was just joking” or “we cannot go to sleep angry”.
But …
Their intentions are far more serious and brutally evil. Simply put, sleep deprivation is (passive) domestic violence of the worst kind!
If you’re being intentionally sleep deprived, here are some tactics your partner may be employing:
- He/she may wake you up a few hours after you fell asleep and try to reinitiate an argument after which it would become nearly impossible for you to fall asleep.
- They may regularly allege you were “snoring too loudly” and “disturbing” them, when they’re actually the one preventing R.E.M. from being achieved, consistently.
- Won’t allow you to take a nap even when they know you badly need it. They may start playing loud music, vacuuming, wake you up for some insignificant reason, or give you the silent treatment after you’re awake, as a punishment for attempting to strengthen through rest.
- If they don’t live with you, or are out of town, they may ask you to stay on video calls late at night, text and call frequently with reply time limits and steal your sleep from a distance.
- As you get ready for bed, they will suddenly start a fight, keeping the lights on and physically attack you.
- The abuser may be an intimate partner, parent, friend or sibling(s) – all with the same approach.
In any scenario, if sleep-deprivation is happening to you, by someone in your life, this will most certainly contribute to a deterioration of your emotional, mental and physical health. Get help from a counselor immediately!
Virtual Counseling’s licensed mental health therapists can help.