Night terrors

[Lonewolf]

I'm having really bad night terrors and night sweats at the moment! It's a vicious circle, I have these awful nightmares and wake up screaming and crying, but I feel so warn out I need more sleep, the more I sleep, the more its happening! The thing that worries me the most is that I can remember everything that I dream about and it takes me ages to stop thinking about them, I don't know why, I just feel that if I could sort them out in my head, maybe the night terrors would go away for a while!! It's not working right now though!!
I also am a bit freaked out because i am regularly suffering from 'de ja vue' (forgive me if its spelled wrong, i hope you know what i mean though?) Its a strange and scary thing to be continuously thinking that things have already happened and feeling like you are losing the plot!! mg:

 

[forgetmenot]

Re: Night terrors!!

Night terrors are awful i am sorry you are having them as well
i do not remember mine but uh they scare everyone in house when it happens
just a way of letting anxiety out of us i think the build up stresses come out that way hugs to you

 

[Retired]

Re: Night terrors!!

Lonewolf,

It sounds like you had a difficult time dealing with the nightmares. You can take some conslation in knowing that dreams, as terrifying as they may seem at times, are only dreams and not reality. Dreams should not define our lives, and with therapy the issues that might trigger the dreams can be addressed.

 

[PrincessX]

Re: Night terrors!!

Yes, address the main issues in therapy, sometimes dreams are helpful in pointing-out your traumas and problems. You should work on them.
I do not dream often. But when I was going to therapy I had a very vivid dream that clearly revealed important issues that I could not talk about in therapy, but were behind all my feelings at this time. The therapist "caught" almost all of it and it almost scared me, as at the time I told it, I figured out myself the interpretation, the meaning of it.
It was not something that I wanted to admit or say aloud, but it helped to realize what the issue was and how distressed I was feeling about it. This ultimately made me more aware of my actions and decisions later when I had a chance to actually do something to overcome it. It was an interesting thing to happen. At the time I felt I could not continue theapy, as this dream distressed me by revealing things faster than I could swallow. Looking back, it was interesting and revealing experience.

 

[GDPR]

Re: Night terrors!!

Lonewolf,sorry you've been having nightmares.I hate when that happens to me,I hate waking up with all that fear,shaking and covered in sweat.

What are you dong when you wake up from them?Are you staying in bed?If so,maybe try getting up for a bit,go into another room,watch a little TV or something,and then go back to bed.Sometimes that helps me.

Also,sometimes it helps if I think about how I would like to change the nightmare,how I wish it would turn out,and then when I do go back to sleep the dreams aren't so bad.Sometimes it even causes lucid dreams,and in the nightmares I am aware that it's just a dream,and I am able to calm myself down by telling myself I am just dreaming(I know that probably sounds a little bizarre,but it does work and does help sometimes).

---------- Post Merged at 12:14 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 12:09 PM ----------

If you do a Google search you will find lots of info on lucid dreaming.There's 'how-to' sites....

 

[MHealthJo]

Re: Night terrors!!

I am so sorry Lonewolf and all those who go through these things.

Thanks to the rest of you sharing things.

I have read quite a bit about lucid dreaming or the possibility of impacting dreams or feeling more conscious/ in control in them. I haven't had luck that way, but I only tried a couple of times out of interest. Those who can get some effect though, that could be an excellent thing. I wonder if it has been studied in connection with trying to reduce this problem that people go through.

One thing I will add Lonewolf: Through sheer lucky/random googling, I found out that my current medication, Pristiq, can affect REM (dream) sleep and has a very short half life. By changing to taking it before bed instead of when I get up, I've been able to have more of it in my system during sleep, and to greatly reduce/ eliminate these very long, exhausting, 'stressful dreams' I used to have all the time. (Not exactly nightmares, just very stressful, exhausting, and long; sometimes a bit of a sweaty awakening.) It has definitely made very noticeable changes to my wacky chronic fatigue syndrome/ CFIDS / M.E. unrefreshing sleep filled with stressful exhausting dreams. I take 100mg at night.

This is just a random thing I discovered which wasn't suggested or known by a doctor, but which I just stumbled on. I have no idea if this sort of application of this drug is being researched or anything, but I'm sure glad I stumbled upon it, so just thought I'd mention it in case it could impact night terror / nightmare sufferers.

Hope that it lets up a bit for you soon...

 

[H011yHawkJ311yBean]

Wow... I am really sorry to hear you are having night terrors!!

I have heard two things that you can do, and it seems to be a proven thing...

A) make sure you are not overheating at night. Sometimes when your body temperature is too hot from room temperature or from being sick, you can suffer from night terrors.

B) wake yourself before you have the night terrors. That is, if you seem to wake up around 1:30 am, set your alarm or have someone wake you at 1 am and then get up to the washroom, have a drink, walk slowly and calmly around the house until 1:45 am and then go back to sleep... Try to keep lights low or off if you can, so your body is not signaled to awaken. Also try not to talk with someone or engage in anything that takes a lot of concentration. Avoid TV and other brightly lit monitors on computers or tablets. Do something soothing and relaxing.

C) if you remember the dream when you wake up, write it down. And then like LIT mentioned, you can change the end of the dream consciously. It's a form of meditation. You are still somewhat conscious but you imagine the end of the dream ending in a positive fashion.

D) When you read about the dream details that you jotted down, try to go over them at a specified time during the day that you set aside for yourself. I have done this. I haven't had terrors, mind you, just nightmares and racing thoughts. It's quite amazing that the very next night I was not bothered by these bad dreams after I had written down (in a journal) what had happened. I wrote down how it made me feel. It was mostly about when I was a child or youth. In the present, during the day, I sort of analyzed my dream or thoughts and broke them down and then meditated on them. My therapist was correct: if you deal with the issues during the day, they will be less likely to bother you at night. On the other hand, if you are dealing with PTSD or medication that may be temporarily causing the night terrors, then it might be a good idea to check with your psychiatrist/physician for alternative medication.

E) During the day, try some kind of exercise or other activity that relaxes you.

F) Talk about it with someone. If you have a therapist, for sure, that would be handy. You can also ask your physician for advice. It may also help if ask others who have night terrors what they do to lessen the impact or frequency...


I apologize if this is already posted on our forum somewhere:


WEB MD: Sleep Disorders - Controlling Night Terrors
Sleep Disorders: Controlling Night Terrors
Night Terrors in Children: Causes, Symptoms, Treatments
Adult Nightmares: Causes and Treatments

Night Terrors Resource Center
Night Terrors Resource Center


Night Terrors by Rebecca Turner is a lucid dreamer and the founder of this website. Find out how she started lucid dreaming as a teen in 1997.
Night Terrors | Sleep Terrors

 

[Lonewolf]

I had the fright of my life this morning when my phone rang!! It was the housing officer! Apparently I woke up a neighbour in the early hours of the morning yesterday and some other day last week! Now what do I do?? I'm petrified to go to sleep tonight! The last thing I want to do is lose my home, I just don't know how to cope with this problem! I know I had a particularly bad night last night, I get that!! I'm so stressed out about it, need some help! I have tried a few of the suggestions some of you have explained on the forum, maybe it takes more time, but I don't want to get into more trouble in the mean time!
I think that the reason its bad at the moment is that I am trying to deal with some of my rubbish on a different website and it's taking its toll on me!! I feel so screwed up about life!! I'm struggling to refrain from ODing.Somehow, in my head I think that maybe if I completely knocked myself out, I wouldn't have any nightmares at all and that would give the neighbours a break from it and ultimately, me too!!
As im going through all this I am often thinking of doing myself in, to be honest!! For some unknown reason, I keep thinking about 'Adam' again!! I also have had several moments when I break down and there is a painful yearning to be with him again, wherever he is!! Don't ask me why I am pre-occupied with that one, Im not entirely sure?
Im sorry if im being annoying!! I feel safer to talk on here and I don't feel intimidated or scared of anyone so badly!! (Am still very nervous of some of you) mg:

 

[H011yHawkJ311yBean]

Yes, sometimes it takes time, especially if you have lots of different issues.

Have you been to a doctor or psychiatrist to find out if you either need to be on meds or maybe need to change the meds you are already on? Whatever you do, don't go making decisions or go cold turkey on any of those types of drugs. And of course, don't overdose, either!! If you feel you are about to cause yourself harm call your helpline or 911...

In the meantime, if you are disturbing others in the neighbourhood, the only thing I can think of is to try a temporary residence... If that would make things worse, can they not do something? Is there an option to sign yourself in to a mental health unit for temporary assistance? My understanding is if you check yourself in, you can check yourself out if they are certain you are not going to harm yourself or others. Could they not offer some immediate assistance with your terrors?

I mean, if you are contacted by the housing office again, would you feel comfortable explaining to them that you have some health issues (no need to go into detail) and that you are doing your best to act on them and in the meantime, as you are limited on what you can do, would it be so bad for neighbour(s) to turn on a fan for white noise and wear earplugs until you resolve the issues?? What else are you supposed to do?

Not sure who Adam is. Your time will be your time. If Adam was a decent person I am sure he'd want you to go on living.

Do you make sure your room is cool and that you are not overheated, and also that you are waking up before your terrors? Or are you even aware of when you have the terrors? You would do yourself a huge favour to have a friend or relative, or social worker, or someone be at your house and keep time of when you have these terrors. At very least, you could set up audio device/video that would record approximately when you go off...

What have you done, who have you contacted, and what are you prepared to do to help yourself in this situation?

 

[Retired]

I have tried a few of the suggestions some of you have explained on the forum

What have you tried so far that has not worked for you. Maybe we can come up with other suggestions.

It was the housing officer! Apparently I woke up a neighbour in the early hours of the morning yesterday and some other day last week!

Exactly what was their complaint? Was it that you were screaming from your nightmares? Everybody has a nightmare from time to time, and sometimes we scream when were frightened by them. I can't see how that would be grounds for losing your home.

I would just tell the housing officer the truth...that you have been having nightmares and that you hope they won't persist...but it's part of being human.

Have you tried some of the techniques described in this Forum post?

I'm a big fan and user of diaphragmatic breathing (deep breathing) that helps me when I become stressed or anxious. It helps me settle down, regulates my breathing and relaxes my body. When we become stressed, our muscles tighten and breathing becomes shallow and irregular. Deep breathing gets more oxygen into our lungs, and into the bloodstream thereby relaxing the body.

In addition to the attachments in the post I referred to, I've attached another to this post for you on diaphragmatic breathing that I like as well as another article on how breathing affects feelings that you might find informative.

Hope this helps, Lonewolf. Don't give up. You made remarkable progress since you've joined us here, and in time, with persistence and the courage you have displayed, you should come out of this.

 

[MHealthJo]

I would also say, Lonewolf, tell the housing officer that you have a doctor who knows your situation and can advocate for you... I wonder, too, whether there is a body in your country for advocacy and protection of rights of those with mental health issues,or those who have been through things you've been through? I don't know if this would be a charity or a government body.

The housing system may have a separate section for this purpose, too...?

I'm so sorry you go through this. I hope that if there is any possibility of housing problems because of this, that you will definitely call on someone who can help you look after your rights and/or mediate things between you and neighbours...

Hugs LW...

 

[GDPR]

I had the fright of my life this morning when my phone rang!! It was the housing officer! Apparently I woke up a neighbour in the early hours of the morning yesterday and some other day last week!

Did the housing officer call because he/she was concerned or to complain?Did you explain what's going on with you?