I feel a little bit like a kindergartner admitting that I have constant nightmares, but it's true! Help me out here.
I know that having an occasional bad dream is totally normal, right? Maybe once a month? Well, I searched it on the Internet, and there is no way in HECK that the frequency with which I am experiencing unpleasant dreams is normal. How often am I having bad dreams? Almost every night. How long has this been going on? Longer than I care to remember. Months.
I did a mental recall of the ones that have plagued me lately to see if there were recurring factors - you know, anything similar that might tell me what's causing these bad dreams. I mean, if I can determine what's giving me the dreams, then I can get rid of that trigger, right?? It seems to me that my dreams are all over the place...ranging from people getting hacked up with chain saws (don't ask WHY I'm dreaming about that...I've never even seen an R-rated movie for crying out loud!!), to people turning into bears and trying to eat me, to some other incredibly disturbing things that I won't go into detail about. I have no idea where these things are coming from.
I've tried reading my scriptures before going to sleep, praying for good dreams, etc... Does anyone else have any ideas on how to stop these crazy things?! I wake up feeling not only completely disturbed, but also drained and groggy :(
Send me your bedtime rituals that give you happy and sweet dreams :) I'm down to try just about anything at this point...
It might be hereditary! I have dreams every single night, too! Do you keep a dream journal? Don't be afraid to write down even the most morbid, terrifying details. Mine have become much more pleasant since I've been recording them.
ReplyDeleteSeriously? Weird. Are all your dreams bad/scary??
ReplyDeleteI've read that those dreams can come from hormone changes. I would get scary/obscene/disturbing/vivid dreams especially when pms-ing, and now with the pumped up preggie hormones I've had an influx of nightmares every night.
ReplyDeleteYour dreams seem like you have things chasing you all the time, and I have tons of those, too. I've read that it can be playing out notions of feeling out of control of parts of your life. I think that's silly to say, cuz everyone feels out of control of certain things ALL the time, but maybe the dreams manifest it sometimes.
I've also read (as you can see I don't know anything, I just read stuff) that keeping a dream journal can help you control them to some extent, as wisely noted by Brooke.
Or you could be crazy. :)
I don't keep a dream journal. I opt for the denial method, and don't let myself dwell on what I just dreamt, and you forget them quite soon that way.
Can't say one person is like another, but I just had an experience where I was having trouble sleeping and nightmares galore. Just thought it was due to stress and staying up late. Then I realized, it was because there was negativity in my life that needed dealing with. In this case, a boy. Wasn’t easy, but deep down I knew he wasn’t right, and once I eliminated him from a romantic relationship, the bad dreams ceased. Our brains keep running while we sleep and thoughts we’ve been suppressing or denying can come up then. Just a thought. Maybe there’s something you know you have to deal with, but don’t want to.
ReplyDeleteJust a stalker here. Not a stalker in a scary nightmare sort of way tho. Never had bad dreams my whole life until about two years ago. Had a series of six months of overwhelming nightmares about my twin girls dying in various ways. Did everything you did, got a blessing, talked about it to my husband and friends. Finaly, I stopped reading a great series of books about a detective and they eventually went away. Who knows what starts/stops these things but I know they can be so awful. Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteI had the same problem too. It's scary and exhausting! What Brooke and Anonymous#1 and #2 said were good suggestions. If you are watching TV before bed STOP! The brain is stimulated not calmed down so it keeps working over time when you are trying to catch zzz's and that's when it comes up with crazy stuff. My solution was relieving stress in my life. If the dreams continue trying talking to a counselor: there are other methods out there but talking to a professional and getting advice is better than you projecting "it could be this, it could be that" and not getting anywhere. I hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your ideas, help & encouragement, friends :)
ReplyDelete