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Rest Reclaimed

The CPTSD-UARS Connection: Why Fixing Your Airway Isn't Always Enough

I had the surgeries. Tonsillectomy. Double jaw surgery. £25,000+ spent.

My airway doubled in size. Sleep study metrics improved. AHI dropped.

I should have felt better. I didn't.

Months of confusion: What's wrong with me? Why didn't this fix me?

Then I learned about nervous system dysregulation. About trauma stored in the body. And everything clicked.

My airway was fixed. My nervous system was still stuck in survival mode.

The Missing Piece

Here's what no one told me: Years of UARS didn't just fragment my sleep—it traumatized my nervous system.

Every night, dozens of times per hour, my brain sent "WAKE UP OR DIE" signals. Cortisol and adrenaline flooded my system while I slept. My body learned:

  • Sleep = danger
  • Lying down = threat
  • Rest = when bad things happen

Even if I don't consciously remember the episodes, my body remembers.

Add in childhood CPTSD, and my nervous system was ALREADY dysregulated. UARS made it exponentially worse.

The loop: UARS triggers nervous system → Nervous system stays activated → Activation prevents deep sleep → UARS symptoms persist.

Mechanical fixes (CPAP, surgery) address the airway. They don't address the traumatized nervous system.

When I Finally Understood

Months after DJS, I was exhausted despite perfect CPAP data. My surgeon was thrilled with my results. But I felt terrible.

I started Somatic Experiencing therapy. My therapist explained: "Your airway is bigger, but your body still thinks sleep is dangerous. We need to retrain your nervous system to detect safety."

That's when it clicked. Surgery fixed the mechanical problem. But years of trauma had taught my body that horizontal = threat.

Signs This Might Be You

If you check 5+ of these, nervous system dysregulation might be your bigger barrier:

  • "Wired but tired" (exhausted but can't rest)
  • Panic when lying down despite exhaustion
  • CPAP data looks great but you feel terrible
  • Surgery "worked" but symptoms didn't improve much
  • Anxiety spikes for "no reason"
  • Hypervigilance (always scanning for danger)
  • Can't fall asleep despite exhaustion
  • Feel disconnected from your body

This was me. All of it.

What Actually Helps

I'm not cured. But I'm having 4-5 good days per week now instead of 1-2. Here's what's making a difference:

Somatic Experiencing therapy: Working with body sensations, releasing stuck survival energy. Not talk therapy—actual body work.

Internal Family Systems: Dialoguing with the "part" of me that won't let me sleep deeply. Turns out it's been protecting me. It just needs to know things are different now.

Daily practices:

  • Body scanning (10 minutes, noticing sensations)
  • 4-4-6 breathing (simple vagal toning)
  • Grounding when panic hits (5-4-3-2-1 technique)

Timeline reality: This is YEARS of work, not months. Progress isn't linear. Some weeks I feel worse (releasing trauma is hard). But the trajectory is upward.

The Hard Truth

I need another surgery (FME for my narrow nasal aperture). But I can't afford it yet.

For months, I beat myself up: "If I just had FME, I'd be fine."

Then I realized: Even if I got FME tomorrow, if my nervous system is still stuck in trauma, I'd probably still struggle.

So I'm prioritizing nervous system healing now, while I save for surgery.

The surprising part? It's helping more than I expected. Won't replace the need for FME. But it's making life survivable.

What I Wish I'd Known

Before my surgeries, I wish someone had told me:

  • Physical recovery is 3-6 months
  • Nervous system recovery is 12-24+ months
  • Both matter. Both take time.
  • "Success" on paper doesn't always mean feeling better
  • You might need trauma therapy as much as you need treatment

If your airway is fixed but you still feel terrible, you're not broken. Your nervous system just needs a different kind of healing.

It's not quick. It's not easy. But it's possible.

I'm in it with you.

Looking for more? I share nervous system practices, honest recovery updates, and UARS education on Instagram @restreclaimed and my email list.

Note: I'm not a doctor. This is my personal experience. Consult healthcare providers for your situation.