hi josie,i am so so sorry you are suffering...sleep disturbances,insomnia,nightmares are so common with PTSD and a lack of rest makes it even harder to cope with everything you have to try and cope with..
i suffer from severe insomnia,and when i do sleep,it is broken and i have disturbing dreams...my pyschiatrist/therapist has a theory that i just may have too much adrenelin surging through me and it is not allowing me to sleep..
i can certainly relate to having upsetting looping thoughts in the middle of the night...
many people say that having a very relaxing bedtime routine helps them..anything you can do before bed to self soothe..if you can get into a pattern of a relaxing routine,you may very well be able to stop the cycle of insomnia...
it's been about an hour since you posted this so i do hope you are sleeping peacefully...again,i'm sorry you are going through this......take good care.

When I first came here to DS PTSD I mentioned my insomnia problems and somebody here mentioned over the counter melatonin. It's a hormone, not a tranquilizer, so it's not addictive and it doesn't have the side effects Ambien and other sleep meds had on me. It helped me. I don't know if you've already tried it, but I thought I'd pass the word on in case you hadn't since I didn't hear about it until somebody here told me about it. Much support to you. Sleep is essential to cope with this PTSD for sure.

Big hug for you Josie.... How much Xanax are you taking?... It may be your body asking for more so I would be careful about taking benzo's too much... What is your caffeine intake like?... I would try and cut out caffeine it can really make a big difference... As well I would avoid any stimulation close to bedtime... Maybe take a warm bath... some hot milk... calming things... Big hug sweetie...I struggle with this to and it's frustrating....xo

I keep a store of restful activities to get me through sleepless nights. Writing, sewing, art and musical instruments are my personal faves. It doesn't take the place of sleep, but it allows me physical rest which keeps my mind from getting lost in the intrusive thoughts which are typical of my own insomnia.

Gentle support while find what works for you, Josie. Insomnia sucks. . . Literally. . .

Thank you all for the advice. I haven't tried melatonin, I'll have to talk to my mom about that. I've tried different things like coloring and writing on my blog and such. Then eventually I just get bored. I'm also not able to take a bath yet(even though that sound amazing) I'm a recent amputee and I haven't been okayed to submerge my leg in water yet.

Insomnia is just a tougie in my world, josie. As I do my yaddah blahs to get through it, it seems to go smoother if I just let it be hard. #!#!grumble grumble#!#!

But on a side note. . . I don't suffer much insomnia any more. I ain't confident enough to declare myself, CURED, but I almost feel confident enough to think the therapy tools have done their job. I often find myself missing all those extra hours in my day. Sometimes I find myself getting up in the middle of the night, or even just not going to bed, just to experience the quiet intensity of, "The bewitching hours." Hm-m-m-m. . . Does the weird never end? Fix one weirding and another weirding grows in its place.

I have awful insomnia. I usually don't sleep more than 6 hrs on a good night. Bad nights are less than 2hrs sleep. I've tried a lot of medications but the Ned that works best for me is the muscle relaxer Flexaril.
Sometimes I am able to fall asleep if I listen to music. The odd thing though is it has to be heavy rock to put me to sleep.

I am sorry to hear you cannot sleep and you are going through so much. Like you, I take benadryl 50mg and Klonopin .25 (the other xanax). I hate to add more medications to your list and very cautious of even saying this, but if it continues and nothing else works you may ask about a very low dose of seroquel for sleep only. In my case, especially just after having a very hard time trying new medications and then coming off of most of them I would rather find something natural to help, as you mentioned coloring and Arfie has mentioned a few great options. There are a lot of really great relaxation videos you can watch on youtube that might help. Even some light stretching to relax. I hope you were able to find some rest. I think the melatonin and caffeine are great suggestions too. Melatonin is all natural.

Might be time to ask your Dr. for a perscription. I know, I hated the idea too. But there are a number of safe, non-addictive options out there. Sleep deprivation is in the recipe for more stress and emotional problems. I took mirtazapine for 2 days and got some of the best sleep I've had in years. No nightmares...a rarity for me. Now I take it as needed, usually 2-3 times a month. Just enough to keep the stress manageable. My Dr. monitors my use closely as he promised me he wouldn't let me become dependent on it. I have an awesome Dr. so I trust him. Give it some consideration.