Nightmares as an adult. Anybody find something that helps?

Options
MSeel1984
MSeel1984 Posts: 2,297 Member
in Chit-Chat
As a kid growing up I had night terrors. My parents would try to wake me up but couldn't...and I do recall having vivid nightmares growing up as well (can remember what they were about to this day...I do realize that those dreams were likely not my night terrors, as you're not supposed to be able to remember night terrors at all).

Here's the problem, I, to this day, continue to have vivid and horrifying bad dreams...almost nightly. I'd say minimum of 5/7 days/week. It is to the point where I do not sleep well...and almost don't feel like I've slept at all when my alarm goes off because it feels as though I've been awake the whole time I was dreaming.

Anybody else have this problem of nightmares and did you find a way to lessen them or make them stop? I am not looking to medicate...but maybe find a way to relax before I sleep or something that might help me.

Thanks in advance.
«134

Replies

  • Dub_D
    Dub_D Posts: 1,760 Member
    Options
    Embrace them? I don't know..I have nightmares every single night. I enjoy them.
  • MSeel1984
    MSeel1984 Posts: 2,297 Member
    Options
    Embrace them? I don't know..I have nightmares every single night. I enjoy them.

    Really?

    it's such a horrible feeling...the one last night was so vivid I could actually smell what was going on...I've never enjoyed them :(
  • Dub_D
    Dub_D Posts: 1,760 Member
    Options
    Embrace them? I don't know..I have nightmares every single night. I enjoy them.

    Really?

    it's such a horrible feeling...the one last night was so vivid I could actually smell what was going on...I've never enjoyed them :(

    I hated them as a kid, but they are kinda cool now. Once in a while I will have a really gruesome sad one which I do not enjoy, like a family member dying or something, but other than that I enjoy them. It's like a mini movie while I sleep!
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    Options
    What's your usual routine before bed? Alcohol induces nightmares in my girlfriend, so I wonder if there's a common trigger (not suggesting alcohol necessarily).
  • med2017
    med2017 Posts: 192 Member
    Options
    i dont know if this will help but molasses calms your nerves down before you go to sleep. brew some tea and drink it so you can just ease into the sleep. i use it religiously since i have problems with stress and anxiety and falling asleep.r
  • Boppinbird
    Boppinbird Posts: 76
    Options
    I have lots of bad dreams. Not as many as you, but I have them and some are repetitive. I bought some moon stones. Don't know how you feel about crystals and such.

    But I bought the a selection of tumble stones and moon stones are very friendly and help to prevent bad dreams.

    You have to recharge them now and again, but either using positive thoughts whilst holding them under running water, bury them in soil or place on a window sill whilst there's a full moon. Oh and you can use those smelly sticks as well.

    When I've recharged my moon stones I definitely get better sleep. I don't know if they really do work or if it's mind over matter but I'm happy so long as the bad dreams don't appear too often.
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
    Options
    My son has night terrors. Both of my younger brothers had them too.

    My son only gets them when he's sick. He had a massive sinus infection that was only found when he had a head CT scan. I don't wanna get you fearful, but do you feel stuffy? It might just be my kid, but it's worth looking into!
  • snowgrrl83
    snowgrrl83 Posts: 242 Member
    Options
    Could it be stress-related or anxiety-related? I know that most of my dreams are related to my current life situation. For example, I'm currently pregnant and I dreamt the other night that I had trouble breast-feeding and that my newborn would starve to death.

    Without going on anti-anxiety meds, you could seek some therapy for anxiety, if you think this might be the cause of the nightmares. Some people are naturally anxious and this might have been the case for you since you've been a child.

    ?! I don't know, I'm throwing ideas out there! Hope it helps!
  • 2muchsauce
    2muchsauce Posts: 1,078
    Options
    Embrace them? I don't know..I have nightmares every single night. I enjoy them.

    Exactly! Go with it! It's like watching a scary movie as a kid...........if you just root for the bad guy it's like your winning:) lol
  • morgansmom02
    morgansmom02 Posts: 1,139 Member
    Options
    If you find a way to get rid of them, let me know. I have the same nightmare every night that I only have a few minutes to live. I wake up and I am either standing in my room screaming or somewhere random in the house. I can't embrace these dreams! They leave me so freaked out
  • MdmAcolyte
    MdmAcolyte Posts: 382 Member
    Options
    Posted twice somehow... My bad!
  • MdmAcolyte
    MdmAcolyte Posts: 382 Member
    Options
    Green olives. I cannot explain why, but I saw an episode of Ghost Hunters with Jason talking about how he was having nightmares and night terrors, and some lady told him that green olives would make it stop. I was having the same problem and sure enough, it works. Cannot for the life of me figure out, but its worked on me, and my kids. Placebo effect? Maybe. Does it work? Definitely. 5 or 6 before bed time. Hope this helps.
  • Ljay30
    Ljay30 Posts: 31 Member
    Options
    Lavender sprayed ove pillow and no dairy after 8 pm :-)
  • seed_of_wonder
    seed_of_wonder Posts: 202 Member
    Options
    i have the same problem and i would love a good dream for a change!
    last night i woke up at 3am unable to fall back asleep until around 5 for fear of falling back in the same dream... which i did anyways!
    i would love to know what helps
  • Yana150
    Yana150 Posts: 226
    Options
    Lavender sprayed ove pillow and no dairy after 8 pm :-)

    I was just going to suggest lavender, too. Sprayed on the pillow, or burned in an oil burner in your bedroom just before sleeping. (Don't burn while sleeping.) I sleep so soundly when I do this that I can't even remember my dreams when I wake. Some don't like the smell of lavender alone so mixing with a little vanilla will have the same calming effect.
  • Banjolin
    Banjolin Posts: 1
    Options
    I think it depends on the cause of your nightmares. I've been having a lot of stress and anxiety-related dreams lately, and I think the only way to get rid of those is to deal with the anxiety, rather than push it to the back of your mind, forcing your brain to deal with it in your sleep. I've found that a relaxing bedtime routine can help- drink some chamomile tea, do deep breathing exercises, read a boring book until you get tired, etc. But I don't know if your reason for having nightmares is the same as mine.
  • likemeinvisible
    likemeinvisible Posts: 309
    Options
    I used to have them if I would eat something before bedtime, I'd get pain in my stomach but in the dream it would translate to being punched in the gut. Now I make it a rule not to eat anything that's hard to digest before bedtime and haven't had a nightmare in years. I didn't feel any pain in my stomach unless I was asleep so it took me a long time to make the connection.

    edit to add: I see people suggested embracing them. When I learned some karate and jiujitsu I started fighting back in my dream, but I would still suffer pain and made it last longer. Better to find the cause and make it go away.

    edit2: with children I know that when a child is deprived of sleep, or if he falls asleep with a light shining on his eyes or a noisy environment then he's likely to have it .
  • sksummers61
    sksummers61 Posts: 11 Member
    Options
    Eating anything with sugar tends to make me have very vivid dreams, not typically nightmares although sometimes unsettling.

    I would take a good look at your before bed diet.
  • Seriousmom3
    Seriousmom3 Posts: 164
    Options
    8foGT.gif

    Why? Why would you do that...now I'm gonna have nightmares.
  • biscuitwelsh
    biscuitwelsh Posts: 86 Member
    Options
    You might consider trying some self-hypnotic tapes as you drop off to sleep.
    Some theta wave music systems have shown promise in allowing folks to experience "lucid dreams"-- google theta wave music and you'll see a ton of material

Categories