Nightmares

Mamabear031917 · January 30

Can not sleep keep waking up every hour on the hour from night mares some recurring some new. Any tips or tricks to help have a better nights sleep

AdahPotatah2024 · January 30

I'll take Benedryl, but it's rare. Wouldn't make a habit of it, though.

If it's chronic you might have to work on psyche, maybe listening to positive affirmations on youtube or reading calm, comforting books?

NotGvnUp_EJ · January 30

Bible reading, even if just 10 verses or so I find to be helpful right before bed. Also watch what you eat right before bed. Eating too heavy or eating certain foods can cause strange dreams.

nolongergordo · February 3

EVERY hour?

I mean you might want to arrange an appointment with a doctor who deals with psychology.

They'll be able to ask questions and get more information from you that will inform them far more than anyone in a comments section would be able to.

mkcruan · February 4

I agree with going to the doctor for a sleep study. If you are not big on taking medicines they may offer you, I would suggest drinking Slippery Elm Bark in some tea couple hours before bed. It doesn't have flaor and helps with sleep. I add it to vanilla chai tea. I can't sleep if I'm hungry and the fiber content satisfies hunger and makes you full.

Also, I listen to guided meditations with over-ear headphones (it does bother me when sleeping) in bed and those knock me out! I'll sleep for hours. Hope that helps 💗

gothchiq · February 9

Along with talking to your doctor to see if anything is happening physically like hormone disturbances, I would recommend sleep meditations or relaxing ASMR sessions that are free on YouTube. The most relaxing meditators I know of are Michael Sealey, The Honest Guys, Jason Stephenson, and Joe Treacy. For ASMR rather than talkdowns, ASMR Zeitgeist and Coromo Sara are really good at their craft.

springlering62 · February 27

Check your food diary and see if you see a trend.

Ever since a teenager, if I have popcorn after dinner, I have violent, bloody axe murder-y dreams. How crazy is that?

Fortunately I put two and two together decades ago and don’t do that. I eat a lot more popcorn these days as a healthy snack choice, and every once in a while I’ll experiment with some after dinner. Yep, scary dreams.

I’m also noticing lately, if I’m trying to slam in some calories before bed time, trying to catch up- particularly carbs - I have exhausting dreams involving a lot of running, climbing etc. I wake up as tired as if I were actually doing it.

Can you detect a trend? Maybe use the “notes “ section to record particularly bad nights and then go back and see if they shared a common trait?

Sounds doofy, but years ago, we had a dog having terrible seizures and were going to have to put him down. As a last resort, vet suggested keeping a diary of when he had them. That’s when we realized they were at 1:05, 4:05, always five minutes past the hour, in the same location. 💡💡💡

Turns out it was a clock that sang a digital song on the hour that was triggering his seizures. That’s when I learned the value of referring back to journals or data. Works for people too.

Corina1143 · February 27

Do you take melatonin? Or other supplements to sleep?
Melatonin and its precursors may cause "melatonin storm" if too much is taken or if taken with certain other drugs or supplements.
Too much may be as little as 3 mg for some people, or less in combinations.

springlering62 · February 28

Corina1143 wrote: »

Do you take melatonin? Or other supplements to sleep?
Melatonin and its precursors may cause "melatonin storm" if too much is taken or if taken with certain other drugs or supplements.
Too much may be as little as 3 mg for some people, or less in combinations.

Melatonin knocks me on my butt for exactly four hours. Then it’s like someone set a 3 am wake up call. Every. Single. Time. But those first four hours are delicious. And tantalizing. Sigh.

tomcustombuilder · March 16

When you remember dreams and nightmares that is usually when your sleep is not deep. No alcohol, no caffeine after 12 noon and even earlier the more you drink.

Pleurodelinae27 · March 27

Fear is a darkroom where negatives develop.

© Usman Asif

KatieHall77 · April 17

Have you had recentish trauma or stressful events in your life? I know that when I begin a new job, I have terrible nightmares for months.

Your brain might be interpreting scary life events as you sleep.
The one really horrible time I had a trauma experience I had nightmares about it for years.
If you do, or even if you don’t have any explanation, try seeing a therapist to get to the bottom of whatever fears or emotions your brain is trying to process.

TorontoDiane · April 18

I know how this feels. Its complex and there may be a million reasons for your nightmares. Pls seek out help and self care and calming things you can do to reduce stress and fear

SafariGalNYC · April 18

OP hasn’t logged in since February. FYI

One of the ways users can find out if they are responding directly to an active member is to click on original posters screen name and it will give last used date.

exstromn · May 11

Too much stress is a trigger for my bad dreams which are often accompanied by sleepwalking. Convinced there are snakes, spiders, and mice on or near me jolts me up out of bed and to the switch on the wall for the overhead light. I am usually in a panic, talking or yelling, while I rip off all the covers searching for what isn't ever there. My husband has gotten used to it over the years, but I disturb his sleep often if I'm having family or work stress that I can't seem to manage. Even with nighttime Tylenol "knocking me out" I still have them, only I don't know it unless my husband tells me the next day. He's tried waking me but has suffered my superhuman strength trying to get away, thinking he's not him. Lately I've been trying CBD nighttime gummy bears which also help with my interrupted sleep from hot flashes. Yeah, that's happening too. Good luck and I hope you get some rest soon!

MargaretYakoda · May 11

exstromn wrote: »

Too much stress is a trigger for my bad dreams which are often accompanied by sleepwalking.

OP hasn’t logged back in for months.

Nevertheless I think this is an interesting discussion, worth sharing our experiences in.

Myself?
I have always snored. Literally ever since I could remember.

And I had nightmares. Which got significantly worse with some unpleasant life experiences.

Also - and not unrelated - I was chronically tired. I just thought that’s how I was.
It was better when my thyroid meds were well balanced. But I was never an energetic person.

As weight piled on it did not improve any of this.

Turns out the snoring was due to sleep apnea. Severe sleep apnea.
I was breathing about half the time when I was sleeping.
There were times I would completely stop breathing for 45 seconds, then gasp, then stop breathing again.

That’s not safe. To put it mildly.

Sleep apnea is associated with a lot of health problems. Including weight gain, cardiovascular problems, and many other things. Because it leaves a person chronically sleep deprived, which increases stress hormones.

Basically, if you’re snoring, or are experiencing other sleep disturbances?
Ask your doctor if a sleep study might be helpful for you.

Nightmares

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