Dream Life?

[fallingofftheadge]

My dreams are very vivid and real. They always are bad dreams. It's like my other life and it frustrates me because my boyfriend tries to help me but just can't because of all of the pain that happens in my night life and in the mornings it takes me a long time to realize it wasn't real. I almost look like a zombie because I still feel like I'm in the dream. The dream runs through my head all day. I will be fine one minute and the next I'll be somewhere that I was in the dream and start remembering it. I sometimes relive my past experiences in my dreams. It is very scary and tonight I do not want to sleep. I am physically scared. I feel like I am over exaggerating and I go to sleep and wake up and realize that I'm not. It's scary but then I just think the same thing the next night and I'm getting tired of the nightmares. I also have trouble remembering what is real and what is in my dream.

Need help.

 

[Red Feather]

There is medication you can take for this. I am on Amitryptilin and I have been told this makes me sleep better. It is also against the anxiety. Do you have a doctor that can help you with this?

 

[Southern Belle]

I've had similar experieces and was prescribed medication to help me sleep, a mood-stabilizing medication and an anti-depressant. It took a few months of taking the medicine, but the bed dreams are down to only 2-3 each week now and the dissociative time afterwards (and at other times) is quite less. :)

 

[Taven Carlsen]

I haven't dreamt since The Crazy Times, I even have to drug myself to get a little sleep. I hate to say it but from what everyone describes of PTSD + nightmares I think I have the better end of it. Not dreaming is obviously unhealthy, but still. I wake up and I'm immediately awake. Hypervigilant and so on, but I'm definitely here and not there.

Back then, actually, my mother would have dreams like what you describe and she (nightmares) was worse than I (not sleeping) was.

 

[unvrsplysfvrts]

I think my sleeping problems are neck and neck with the anxiety as far as the two worst parts of PTSD for me. I don't sleep often and when I do it isn't much and I always have nightmares. When I wake up, my body is still tired. So I just lay there awake trying to rest. Only my mind goes a million miles an hour.

I've read in various places that even horrid nightmares still count as restful REM sleep, but I don't think that's true. Do you guys know anything about this?