Can't Sleep For Fear Of Nightmares

[cherrysweets89]

This is the 4th night in a row I've been up til I literally drop, then wake with a nightmare, I'm nearing exhaustion and losing motivation to get things done around the house, my appetite is much smaller than usual and I've smoked and obscene number of cigs, if I wasn't afraid to sleep it would solve a lot, but with the frequency of my nightmares increasing I don't see how that is possible. Is there such a thing as medication that stops you dreaming?

 

[joeylittle]

Some meds knock you out well enough that you won't generally remember your dreams.

Are you in therapy of any kind? Or have you learnt any skills to help with sleep?

Something that has worked for me is really visualizing a "safe place" as I'm lying there before I go to sleep. I have to really focus on it - but I tend to have a more "blank" sleep that way.

Pretty much anything circling round your head will show up in dreams. So doing what you can to get focused on different things - instead of worrying about the nightmares - should also help.

 

[Whirlwind]

A few things that help me.....I plan my day around trying to sleep.....I do something to busy myself during the day like spend some time on a hobby or for sure I go for a good walk just to get out of the house. Eat decent dinner and try and change my evening dynamic when the creepies start setting in, I watch a comedy or read something pleasant. For bed, hopefully I am tired (walk) and I will take some 5-HTP (herbal but relaxing fyi for me it seems to block dreams a bit despite people reporting otherwise, look into it for yourself)

When I go to bed, clean sheets, and I use aromatherapy and possibly listen to some light music that I like, all soothing non-triggering stuff.

I don't fight the worry about the dreams but try to think of something I enjoy and give it a go.

when it gets really bad or days are passing and I just can't shake it... I have found I literally need to sleep somewhere else, another room and in severe cases I stay at a friends for a day or two...even an inexpensive hotel....or I go camping.

For some reason maybe the distraction but that always seems to break a cycle for me and give me some relief.

Good luck to you!

 

[Friday]

A lot of meds either stomp on dreams, or give vivid dreams, as a side effect to their actual intent. Chat up your doctor.

When I'm in a good place, I'm exercising so much during the day that I fall into black.

When I'm in a bad place? Eh. Everything is bad, including sleep. Best I can manage is 36 up, 12 down. I'll still have nightmares but after being up for 36 hours I'm too damn tired to care. I can generally do that for about a month with no ill effect. After 2-3 months my mental state starts slipping, and after 6 I'm able to label (I forget the term, ah, chronic sleep dep something or other).

 

[Ghostybear73]

There are a couple of blood pressure medications used for their side effect to stop nightmares. One is Prazosin and the other is Catapress. They are prescribed by your psychiatrist and/or recommended by your therapist. Hope this helps!

 

[user27357]

depressants. Doesn't that suck?

Kind of like getting out of a commitment by injuring yourself on purpose. Everything I have tried has worked until my resistance goes up and the dose goes up and the resistance goes up and pretty soon I can't get a result from the drug without being oatmeal headed all day too. Thats a nightmare in the daytime for me and I give up for awhile.

I try to do everything I can to make it possible to just roll over and go back to sleep. All the days work is done and out of mind, there is a glass of water there and a wet rag and maybe a power bar and some tissues and cough drops and anything else I might not want to get out of bed for. My best shot at getting back to sleep is within the first 2 or 3 minutes if I can get my adrenaline back down and not feel a need to get out of bed, Once that happens, I am done for the night most likely.

I will sleep, thats going to happen. just like my fingernails will grow. Patience and it will happen.

 

[tired of the fight]

@cherrysweets89,

I have been through exactly the same thing. Have you tried music? I started playing Tibetan Bowl music or Tibetan nature and it does help. I use pandora and lay my phone on the night stand, not to loud though, just enough to hear it. I know what you are going through is just awful, over time mine has faded. Most nights I to am afraid to go to sleep because of the dreams, I tell myself, it ok, I'm safe , nothing bad is going to happen. It is hard to push that fear away. Try the music and not be so hard on yourself. You can only do what you can do. I hope this didn't seem jumbled to you. I hope that it gets better soon.


Nightmares are tough, I relate 100%. Maybe watch a feel good movie, that may help as well.

 

[Whirlwind]

Another thought/trick......the sound of breathing has come to freak me out and so I try to put myself in a safe mental/physical cocoon of sorts and part of that is earplugs. I like music too but sometimes shutting the world out and going into a different space helps me. I do this several times a week.

Good luck!

 

[Hydrotroop91]

I've been taking some meds to help clam my mind and wake up without any nightmares. I still am not getting good enough sleep to the point I am struggling to get out of bed and still fairly tired. But it is an improvement from constant nightmares and being even more tired.

 

[No name]

@cherrysweets89,

I have been through exactly the same thing. Have you tr...

There's a particular Tibetan bowl video that knocks me out..gave me a strange assed dream though. But in between dreams and sleep I woke up to the most peaceful experience ever, could even feel the vibrations of the bowls along my back. The fact that I barely slept last night probably helped though.