The inability to sleep is one of the most commonly reported long term problems for victims of sexual assault, especially for those who were attacked at night or in their residence. They may find that they can't relax enough to fall asleep, fearing another attack, or they may be able to fall asleep but wake often, never entering the R.E.M. stage so vital for sleep to be productive, restful and healing.

Often these fears may occur simultaneously with a type of agoraphobia (fear of open spaces) and a sudden sense of what's called facial vision. Facial vision is a term often used by those with blindness and it refers to the ability to sense that people or objects are nearby even though they cannot be seen or heard. Often victims will sleep with covers completely over their heads. Observers may think that this is an attempt to hide or disappear, but it has been suggested that this is really an attempt to self-protect the vulnerable areas of the face, neck and upper chest and to negate the hyper feelings of vulnerability brought on in conjunction with facial vision - in other words - the receivers in your body are in overdrive - desperately trying to detect and alert you to danger. If something is covering or protecting the "receiver" of the signal, in this case the face, then it helps to mute the hyperactivity, much like putting your hand over a microphone to stop it from producing a feedback squeel.

In vampire folklore, vampires sleep in coffins not in an attempt to be dead, but because the coffin itself is a protective device, like a personal cocoon designed to keep the light out. The fact that it's a coffin only adds the additional benefit that most people wouldn't want to open it to encounter who or what is in there. In a similar way, some victims have reported success sleeping in a sleeping bag. Not only does this combat the agoraphibic feelings, but may provide enough of a protective casing to allow for some level of relaxation and thus better sleep. Sleeping against a body pillow, either by itself or in conjunction with a sleeping bag allows you to have a protective feeling across the front of the body and can tuck nicely under the neck or the bottom of the face for even greater feelings of protection. As with any coping mechanism, short term use of exaggerated tactics such as sleeping bags can help - but can also become a crutch over the long term.

For longer term better sleep, some people have found that a rock fountain, fish tank or other similar "white noise" can help alleviate some of the constant need to listen in the night.

The fact that sleep problems, nightmares and insomnia are some of the most chronic problems experienced by survivors of sexual assault cannot be underestimated. Sleep provides not only rest and healing to the body, but to the mind as well - allowing for processing, confrontation, problem-solving, and projection in the dreaming process. Chronic deprivation of sleep can lead to a myriad of health problems, not the least of which is depression. It's no coincidence that survivors have a suicide rate eight times that of non-victims!