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Original poster

Why the fuck is this happening to me??

133 replies

scarydreams · 15/05/2023 01:36

Has anyone ever been through a phase of having awful nightmares? How can I stop it happening?

basically I’ve never had a problem with nightmares before but now I get them every night. It’s always the same type of dream where I’m in my room looking at myself sleeping. Sometimes I’ll stay in my room but other times I’ll walk about my house but there’s a really menacing thing there and it makes the most awful laugh and I get a horrible dread feeling because I know it’s watching me and coming for me, then I run back to my room and go to bed and I end up waking up. It’s exactly like the movie insidious except obviously I’m not actually watching myself sleep, I’m just dreaming that I’m doing that, and I’m dreaming about the menacing presence but when I wake up it’s still bloody terrifying even though i know it’s just a dream. When I wake up I can hear the laugh ringing in my ears for ages afterwards, it’s horrendous

this has started out of the blue and I don’t understand why or how to stop it. Yesterday after it happened my heart was beating over 175bpm when I woke up because I was so terrified and my bed and pjs were absolutely drenched in sweat. I’m scared to go to sleep now because I know it’s going to happen.

please tell me someone has some advice on how I can stop this? I’m fucking petrified to fall asleep now because I know it will happen.

OP posts:
ForTheSakeOfThePenguin · 15/05/2023 08:14

Sleep paralysis, is a sleep disturbance, although terrifying I can assure you you will eventually stop having them. I get them when I get extended periods of relentless stress.

k1233 · 15/05/2023 08:15

You might be overheating. There's a link between being too hot and nightmares. I find staying cool really reduces the number and intensity of nightmares.

TableTime99 · 15/05/2023 08:28

Are you completely asleep when this happens, or do you feel like you're semi awake and can't move? If the latter, I'd also say sleep paralysis. Weirdly it runs in our family. I get it really badly when I'm very sleep deprived to the point that I'm awake, but paralysed and feel like I'm surrounded by shadows. Your fear of going to sleep might be causing you to become even more sleep deprived and making it worse. Do you do shift work by any chance?

TableTime99 · 15/05/2023 08:30

Blossombathing · 15/05/2023 08:12

I would have some the therapy, this is unprocessed stuff coming up in your dreams.

Doesn't need to be that deep. I only say that as therapy would have been a massive waste of money for me as it was caused by shift work and sleep deprivation. If there's some unprocessed stuff or the OP is suffering with anxiety/ptsd/depression etc then yes, definitely but I wouldn't just fling my money at therapy.

Dibbydoos · 15/05/2023 08:33

In the short term, could you try the Harry Potter trick of turning the scary into a joke? The laugh could become aur escaping a balloon as it flies around tge room for example.

i appreciate it will take practice, but I've found it does work in turning scary issues into more manageable matters.

Good luck xxx

NowItsSpring · 15/05/2023 08:33

OnlyYourSharpestMinds · 15/05/2023 06:51

How old are you? I only ask because nightmares, for me, was definitely one of the symptoms of peri menopause. I used to have horrendous nightmares and wake up with my heart absolutely racing. I was even sent for an ECG to rule out any problems. Now I'm on HRT, no more extreme nightmares and no more racing heart at night. Might be worth considering?

I had a very similar experience.

minipie · 15/05/2023 08:37

Absolutely sounds like sleep paralysis. The “out of body” and the menacing figure are well known elements of sleep paralysis. I had it years back during a very stressful work period.

The worst thing is feeling like you are trapped in it and can’t wake up. Apparently wriggling your toes and fingers can help.

Original poster
scarydreams · 15/05/2023 08:42

Thanks for all the advice, I’ve got lots of things to try out :)

just to answer some questions- it’s not sleep paralysis, I’ve had that in the past and this isn’t it. It’s like a dream and it’s not where I’m stuck in my body and I can hear the laughing/see the menacing presence, it’s definitely more of a nightmare than sleep paralysis.

it’s bizarre because whenever I have the dream where I’m watching myself sleep, it’s always very specific and exactly how I went to sleep the night before. So for example last night I went to sleep with pjs with pal trees on them and I had spot cream on my face- I could see and recognise both of them when I was dreaming I was watching myself sleep. And I could see my phone screen on the floor lit up and I dreamt that I walked over and read the first message on the screen and it was exactly like it was in real life. I got that message after I had already fallen asleep and I don’t remember reading it already so I must have waken up and read it without realising, and then had the scary dream and that’s how I knew what it said.

im not peri menopausal and I’m not pregnant either, I’m only 24.

I haven’t started any new medications- I use my steroid inhaler before bed but that’s not a new change I’ve been using that for a long time x

OP posts:
Original poster
scarydreams · 15/05/2023 08:45

TableTime99 · 15/05/2023 08:28

Are you completely asleep when this happens, or do you feel like you're semi awake and can't move? If the latter, I'd also say sleep paralysis. Weirdly it runs in our family. I get it really badly when I'm very sleep deprived to the point that I'm awake, but paralysed and feel like I'm surrounded by shadows. Your fear of going to sleep might be causing you to become even more sleep deprived and making it worse. Do you do shift work by any chance?

I’m completely asleep, I’ve had sleep paralysis before so I know what that’s like but this isn’t it. I’m completely asleep and it’s a nightmare, but I’m not at all paralysed. It’s just a nightmare of me watching myself sleeping and sometimes walking about the house x

OP posts:
AngelaChasesBestLife · 15/05/2023 08:49

I find if I've not drunk enough during the day I have usually have nightmares. There definitely seems to be a link for me with being well hydrated.

HangerLaneGyratorySystem · 15/05/2023 08:55

Didn’t you post about this last year OP?

WelshCakes1 · 15/05/2023 08:56

Just throwing another one out there on the off chance.... this happened to me when I quit smoking/ went on NRT.

YourFault · 15/05/2023 09:32

Like that’s going to help? OP needs to talk to someone genuine..

Thehonestybox · 15/05/2023 09:40

I had really similar nightmares to yours for a while.

For me it was anxiety and stress I had been ignoring because I was unemployed at the time and didn't believe I could have anything to be stressed about

YukoandHiro · 15/05/2023 09:45

I have frightening dreams a bit like this, as well as sleep paralysis involving a spider, when I'm very sleep deprived. Have you had enough sleep lately?

SaveMeFromMyBoobs · 15/05/2023 09:46

Check your bed time routine. I need to watch some trashy TV or comedy etc before bed if I've watched anything else or I get horrific nightmares.

Trinity65 · 15/05/2023 09:47

scarydreams · 15/05/2023 01:36

Has anyone ever been through a phase of having awful nightmares? How can I stop it happening?

basically I’ve never had a problem with nightmares before but now I get them every night. It’s always the same type of dream where I’m in my room looking at myself sleeping. Sometimes I’ll stay in my room but other times I’ll walk about my house but there’s a really menacing thing there and it makes the most awful laugh and I get a horrible dread feeling because I know it’s watching me and coming for me, then I run back to my room and go to bed and I end up waking up. It’s exactly like the movie insidious except obviously I’m not actually watching myself sleep, I’m just dreaming that I’m doing that, and I’m dreaming about the menacing presence but when I wake up it’s still bloody terrifying even though i know it’s just a dream. When I wake up I can hear the laugh ringing in my ears for ages afterwards, it’s horrendous

this has started out of the blue and I don’t understand why or how to stop it. Yesterday after it happened my heart was beating over 175bpm when I woke up because I was so terrified and my bed and pjs were absolutely drenched in sweat. I’m scared to go to sleep now because I know it’s going to happen.

please tell me someone has some advice on how I can stop this? I’m fucking petrified to fall asleep now because I know it will happen.

I hear you OP

Mine is not so much a nightmare but I am not sure

I am looking for this particular house.

I find the house and am inside. Its a large house with many hallways and I am seeking the centre of the house, for some reason, and a room in that centre.
I find the room and something is with Me but I cannot find it, Ever..
In reality I do not know of said House at all.

Trinity65 · 15/05/2023 09:48

Oh and in my case its a large Victorian house with all the accompanying Victorian "clutter" and huge plants.. Its v odd.

Mischance · 15/05/2023 09:50

I get this with some things that I eat - particularly spices, and definitely cardamom. Might be worth cutting out spices for a bit and seeing if this helps. Are you on any medication? - I was on a statin that gave me appalling nightmares.

Wnikat · 15/05/2023 09:51

Try taking magnesium supplements

DixonD · 15/05/2023 09:52

Mine are always hormone related - particularly in the week before my period I have disturbing dreams. I also had them when I was pregnant and on the IVF drugs. Could this be a factor in your case?

MatildaTheCat · 15/05/2023 09:52

Although you feel it’s not sleep paralysis it does sound like a version of it. I’ve had both and now I ‘just’ have the nightmares but there are absolute similarities.

Mine started after a period of intense stress. It was so terrifying I did get therapy and it began to improve after I had EMDR. However I do still get the dreams quite frequently- ironically it’s always when I haven’t drunk any alcohol. I’m actually now accepting of the fact that I have nightmares quite often and the intensity has reduced though I still do get the pounding heart etc. I have to stay awake for quite a while afterwards to stop it starting again.

Think about your triggers and feelings about the dreams. I hope you get some peaceful sleep soon.

caringcarer · 15/05/2023 09:56

PrestonHood121 · 15/05/2023 03:56

Are you on any new medication? I had the most intense, nightmarish dreams for quite a while after starting a prescription, even though it wasnt a listed side effect. Stopped eventually but it was crazy there for a bit

I had the same. When I stopped the meds the lucid dreams and nightmares went.

Ktime · 15/05/2023 10:00

I get nightmares in times of high stress.

Last night I dreamt that giant hornets (the size of birds) were in my house, just strewn across the living room floor and garden.

I

Ferferksake · 15/05/2023 10:02

I had this happen a long while ago and was taught a trick that I've used ever since whenever I've had a nightmare.

Re-write the nightmare while you're awake, but make it into a good ending. When the menacing face appears, have a friend/relative/dog jump out at them from the wardrobe or somewhere and overpower them. You can kill them or unmask them as the kid that used to bully you at school or your controlling boss, whatever, then get them dragged off by police. All very Scooby Doo.

Once you have your way out of the situation planned out, next time the nightmare comes your brain will carry on with the good ending that you remembered.

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