The Most Effective Free Skill You're Not Using for BPD | Sleep and BPD

For many people with Borderline Personality Disorder, night isn’t peaceful.

It’s when the abandonment dreams start.
When shame replays.
When the nervous system refuses to power down.

Sleep isn’t just rest, it’s emotional regulation, impulse control, and survival.

In this episode, we talk about sleep and BPD, from vivid nightmares and insomnia to the emotional hangover that lingers the next day, and how to be better at sleep.

🌱 Have questions, stories, or something you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at [e-mail] and let’s keep the conversation going.

🎧 Looking for meditations made for emotional regulation, BPD, and more? Check out Empowered Heroes Meditations on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify.

If you’d like more support in your journey toward BPD recovery, Steff offers 1:1 sessions using evidence-based tools from DBT, Schema Therapy, and Mindfulness to help you heal. Email for a free 30-Minute Consultation:

📩 [e-mail] or check out the website: www.bpdsupport.org

📚 Referenced Research Includes:

George, K. C., Kebejian, L., Ruth, L. J., Miller, C. W., & Himelhoch, S. (2016). Meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of prazosin versus placebo for the treatment of nightmares and sleep disturbances in adults with posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 17(4), 494-510. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2016.1141150

Gieselmann, A., Ait Aoudia, M., Carr, M., Germain, A., Gorzka, R., Holzinger, B., ... & Pietrowsky, R. (2019). Aetiology and treatment of nightmare disorder: State of the art and future perspectives. Journal of sleep research, 28(4), e12820. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12820

Selby, E. A. (2013). Chronic sleep disturbances and borderline personality disorder symptoms. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 81(5), 941.

van Trigt, S., van der Zweerde, T., van Someren, E. J., van Straten, A., & van Marle, H. J. (2025). A theoretical perspective on the role of sleep in borderline personality disorder: From causative factor to treatment target. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 81, 102089. 10.1016/j.smrv.2025.102089 https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033201

Walker, M. (2017). Why we sleep: Unlocking the power of sleep and dreams. Simon and Schuster.

Winsper, C., Lereya, S. T., Marwaha, S., Thompson, A., Eyden, J., & Singh, S. P. (2016). The aetiological and psychopathological validity of borderline personality disorder in youth: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical psychology review, 44, 13-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2015.12.001