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Original poster

Horrendous nightmares!

22 replies

BlondeDogLady · 30/12/2021 17:24

I have horrendous nightmares every single night. And I mean truly horrific stuff. I often wake up with my heart racing and I can feel the adrenaline rushing. Sometimes I get up way earlier than I need to, because I don't want to drift back to sleep and slip back in to another dreadful dream. Has anyone else had this and found a solution?

OP posts:
DroopyClematis · 30/12/2021 17:34

Me too.
Last night was dreadful.. too scared to go back to sleep but could barely keep my eyes open.

I've suffered with vivid nightmares for as long as I can remember.
Particularly troublesome as a child and wouldn't sleep on my own til I was about 8 or 9.

I'm sorry but I have no advice other than alcohol/spicy food do not help.

Watching with interest.

Original poster
BlondeDogLady · 30/12/2021 17:57

@DroopyClematis I'm sorry you are also suffering. I am unsure if it's stress related? I used to have sleep paralysis which is so much more terrifying - but this stopped about 5 years ago. Apparently this is brought on by stress, but if you had asked me at the time whether I was stressed I would have said no. But looking back, I was going through a divorce and trying to sell a house - so maybe I was stressed underneath it all.

I'm so fed up of the bedroom not being my peaceful place. My dreams are so vivid and so terrifying, usually based around me and loved ones being pursued by something or someone who wants to kill us. It's just relentless. Why can't I dream that I'm on a beach with a cocktail????

OP posts:
SometimesRavenSometimesParrot · 30/12/2021 18:02

Can you learn to lucid dream, so you can take control of your nightmares?

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Sleep
ChristmasWithBellsOn · 30/12/2021 18:08

I find that my dreams are an accurate litmus test for my over all happiness and anxiety levels.

When I've been at my most anxious I've had terrible dreams night after night (you know the ones that are so awful it's actually distressing to know you can think those thoughts?).

When I've been happier and healthier, my dreams also improve.

It might be worth considering what else is going on in your life and whether the dreams could be a symptom, rather than the cause of stress.

abc123xy · 30/12/2021 18:12

Hi.
Do you take any medication? I have had terrible nightmares as side effects from a number of medicines, I even queried some vitamins I was taking.

DroopyClematis · 30/12/2021 18:16

Yes, anxiety doesn't help , I know .
However, I took early retirement last year and love my time now . Yet still the nightmares persist.

My nightmares have recurring themes eg last night was about people intruding in my garden. This is a theme of the last few years.

Would love to meet/pay to see a professional who could decipher these dreams.

I hate having to wake my husband up. He's so kind and tolerant and never complains but it's getting so bad these days.

Grrr...

thefourgp · 30/12/2021 18:17

I feel for you OP. It’s horrible. This happens to me when I’m really stressed and anxious. I often have nightmares about men breaking into my house. I’d tackle whatever’s stressing you during the day. Meditation and listening to calm music before sleep also help.

Flowers12345 · 30/12/2021 18:18

I was also going to ask if you are taking any medication. I have always suffered with some level of nightmares/sleep walking, however during 6 months of taking propananol for migraines it became horrendous, I was up 2/3 a night screaming and walking the rest of the house up. Simlar to yourself in that someone was trying to kill either me or my son. It took a while to make the link to the medication, but now I have stopped taking it I only get the occasional nightmare again.

Flustered4 · 30/12/2021 18:21

I get horrific dreams too, so watching with interest. It can really colour your day can't it? Sad

DroopyClematis · 30/12/2021 18:23

@Flustered4

I get horrific dreams too, so watching with interest. It can really colour your day can't it? Sad
Absolutely! You end up dreading going to bed as you know what's ahead of you.

Do you feel like that OP?

Maflingo · 30/12/2021 18:26

Mine are a bit more sporadic, but one of my triggers is overheating in bed - not sure if that’s a common trigger or not, I’ve not met anyone else with the same? Could be if I’ve got pyjamas on/left the heating on maybe.

Jacaranda75 · 30/12/2021 18:26

OP, do you sleep on your back?

When I was a child, I had terrible nightmares every night. Mum took me to a psychiatrist they were that bad. I had them for years and they dominated my life. I can still remember some of them and the utter fear that accompanied them.

After years of this, Mum took on a temp receptionist at work. She mentioned about my nightmares and the temp asked if I slept on my back. That night, Mum suggested I sleep on my side. The nightmares stopped. Completely. I rarely have them now and if I do, I wake up to find I'm on my back.

Lund · 30/12/2021 18:27

I usually have awful nightmares when I am too hot in bed - if it is cold when you go to bed you might want to wrap up really warm and snuggly but I find its better to feel a little cooler. Not guaranteed to not have a nightmare but definitely helps!

Original poster
BlondeDogLady · 30/12/2021 18:27

I'm not on any meds, however, I do have wine most nights. I'm now in a perpetual cycle, where I want to stop the wine, but if I do that I will have nightmares all night, whereas at least I get a few hours kip if I've had wine. Ridiculous, I know!

I have no idea how to lucid dream, although sometimes when I'm in the dream I tell myself it's not real and urge myself to wake up, often screaming my DH name, but of course, in reality no noise is coming out!

My Mum died in front of me last year, this is making me think about death a lot, however, I had these nightmares before that even happened!

OP posts:
Original poster
BlondeDogLady · 30/12/2021 18:28

Yes, I dread falling asleep.

OP posts:
Original poster
BlondeDogLady · 30/12/2021 18:41

After years of this, Mum took on a temp receptionist at work. She mentioned about my nightmares and the temp asked if I slept on my back. That night, Mum suggested I sleep on my side. The nightmares stopped. Completely. I rarely have them now and if I do, I wake up to find I'm on my back

This is interesting. I sleep on my side mainly.

Re the overheating, I have a fan on in the bedroom and no heating, so I don't think it's that.

OP posts:
Jacaranda75 · 30/12/2021 18:46

OP, have you tried Melatonin? You might sleep better. Your GP can prescribe it.

SometimesRavenSometimesParrot · 30/12/2021 21:12

@BlondeDogLady

I'm not on any meds, however, I do have wine most nights. I'm now in a perpetual cycle, where I want to stop the wine, but if I do that I will have nightmares all night, whereas at least I get a few hours kip if I've had wine. Ridiculous, I know!

I have no idea how to lucid dream, although sometimes when I'm in the dream I tell myself it's not real and urge myself to wake up, often screaming my DH name, but of course, in reality no noise is coming out!

My Mum died in front of me last year, this is making me think about death a lot, however, I had these nightmares before that even happened!

Lucid dreaming is a way of activating your consciousness in your dream so you can control it. It’s a bit woo but some people seem to be able to really do it. I can usually take control of my consciousness by noticing something that proves it’s a dream and I can stop the dream but I’ve never gone further than that and I don’t dream very much to practice. Do you have any kind of fitness tracker? You only dream in REM sleep so if you can reduce the amount of this sleep you have the nightmares should reduce too.
EscapeTheCastle · 30/12/2021 21:43

Have a look on You Tube for the subject lucid dreaming. If you can learn the technique you may be able to break the pattern of your recurring nightmares.
It worked for me when I was having annoying troubled dreams night after night.

You learn how to realise mid dream that it is actually just a dream and infact under your control.

Rexthesnail · 30/12/2021 22:07

@sometimesravensometimesparrot I can lucid dream, but it doesn't work on my nightmares.

I have nightmares and sleep paralysis. I've tried everything, and I'm in therapy. The only thing I do find is that I don't have nightmares in the daytime, so I try to have a nap in the day to catch some peaceful hours

HidingFromDD · 30/12/2021 22:19

I think you need counselling to work through things in your life. The fact you said you didn’t think you were stressed whilst going through divorce and house moves suggests to me that you are v v good at blocking it and therefore it comes out in your dreams. Lucid dreaming may help with the nightmares but you probably need to address how you deal with stress in your life as it sounds like this is the ‘method’ your body has found (speaking as a stress dreamer…)

Atla · 30/12/2021 22:35

I used to have terrible nightmares as a child and young adult - still occasionally in times of stress.

I did manage to teach myself to lucid dream - recognise elements of the dream that are familiar and changing the story. I really sympathise - I've also had sleep paralysis (only once) and I'll NEVER forget it, it was completely terrifying.

Definitely think of how you are processing stress/anxiety as well. Yoga and meditation helped me a lot.

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