Nightmares

[AnaVictoriaXO]

Hey guys.

Ive been having multiple nightmares every single night for the past few months. Im wondering if anyone else here experiences this and if anything has worked for you to stop them. Its getting to the point where I honestly dread going to sleep and wake up terrified and stressed out every morning.

It happens every time I quit smoking marijuana. I actually rarely dreamed at all when I was using it daily but now that Ive quit, its started up again. I dont have the option to start again either or I would just to stop these nightmares.

Anyway, any advice would be greatly appreciated. Im willing to try anything to stop this.

So have any of you dealt with multiple nightly nightmares and stopped them successfully? Thanks!

 

[inkydoo]

I've never had ongoing nightmares for more than two to three nights, and I'm not sure I have advice on how to stop it. But, I will point out that starting or stopping certain drugs (legal and otherwise), especially those that have psychoactive effects, can have pretty strong impacts on dreaming. For me it's usually been that my dreams are more vivid and memorable, and when I wake from them it takes longer to distinguish between the dream reality and "real" reality. For me these effects go away after a week or so and my dreaming settles down into some stable state.

Maybe play some relaxing music, or music that would normally lift your mood, when you go to sleep or even while you sleep?

 

[BustyCass]

I too suffer from chronic nightmares, since I was about six years old I've had night terrors on a nightly basis that leave me petrified and fearing falling asleep.
My nightmares are pretty bad even when I am not on any medications but they are made much worse by certain prescriptions that I take.
Are you on any medications? Lot's of anti-depressants as well as anti-anxiety prescription drugs cause nightmares.

I would suggest doing something relaxing before bedtime, a warm bath, yoga, or mediation might be helpful. You may also want to think about hypnotherapy, I am going to try this out myself for the same problem....I will keep you updated on whether or not it helps with the bad dreams!

 

[nadiaspring]

I'm sorry to hear your dealing with this, it's so stressful.

I found putting an amethyst crystal under my pillow has helped keep my nightmares to a minimum, call me crazy but I totally believe in the healing power of different stones and crystals. Feel free to pm me if you want more info.

 

[Paulie Walnuts]

It sounds as if the pot was suppressing whatever problems in your brain was causing the nightmares.

Some people suffer from "night terrors" that have nothing to do with personal trauma while awake, it's a chemical problem in the brain just like depression or mania.

If pot kills the nightmares... have a few hits before you go to sleep. It's a harmless drug that does far more good than harm.

Keep it simple... doctors and drug companies over complicate cures.

 

[Paulie Walnuts]

Oh you dont have the option to use it... I missed that part.

Perhaps something as simple as a light tranquilzer will do the same, like benydril or phenobarbital.

 

[bob]

do you keep a dream journal?.....i hear your concerns about sleeping in that first post, and don't pretend i know anything about your situation.

i just put myself in your shoes....for me, i'd want a record of where my brain was going in those nightmares...and i know that for me it's frustrating to have significant dreams (of any kind), and have them slip away over time

 

[RoxieRed]

I notice I always have worse nightmares whenever I get hot when I am sleeping. Maybe try keeping yourself cooler if possible. I also think the benadryl or something similar should really help. I take melatonin to help me sleep and for a while I had more vivid dreams (but they weren't nightmares). Now I just sleep soundly and wake up feeling much better and my dreams are back to normal.

I forgot to add!!!! I sometimes try sleeping in a different room in the house whenever I get into a bad sleeping pattern of any kind. It gives your brain a break from the stress of thinking whatever has been troubling you will trouble you again because it gets you out of your routine. Try a noise machine if you haven't already. And I am sure you know this, but don't sleep in front of the tv because that will affect your dreams.

 

[Paulie Walnuts]

The only time I have nightmares is when I'm in pain.

Maybe, while you're asleep you're actually in some sort of discomfort or pain...
Keeping it simple, try a couple of tylenol or ibuprophen before bed.

Ya never know, your problem could be Occam's razor.

 

[mynameisbob84]

I used to have recurring nightmares when I was a kid. I still remember them vividly and... they were fucking odd. I don't know what prompted them and I don't know why they stopped but there used to be one where I'd be on an escalator, going down, and at the bottom there'd be this green water. I couldn't swim at the time and the thought of winding up in the water scared the poop out of me. I'd always wake up before I hit the water. Even in my dreams, I wasn't smart enough to turn around and walk up the escalator.
The other one was the weird one though. In the other one I'd be messing around at home, near the sink in the kitchen. The sink would always be full of soapy water and out of nowhere, Captain fucking Birdseye (I shit you not) would pop up from the sink and pull me in there (it was deceptively deep in there, it was like the Tardis of sinks). I'd always wake up as he pulled me into the soapy water.
(I guess I didn't like water?).
:?

 

[AnaVictoriaXO]

Thank you for all the responses guys!

I am definitely going to try to take some benedryl before bed. ill also try a hot bath or some other type of relaxation. I mean, I haven't been going to sleep stressed out or anything but Im willing to try anything.

I dont keep a dream journal but I do notice a lot of my nightmares are me ether being chased by someone who wants to hurt me or I am on an edge of a tall building, cliff or something similar. I have a fear of heights so it definitely scares me. I looked up the meaning of these types of dreams but it doesnt seem to fit anything in my life. They seem to suggest I am ether avoiding or running from something in my life but I honestly can not think of anything that I would be running from. Im not a huge believer in dream interpretations but at this point I am really open to anything.

@Roxie, I do sleep hot but I am in Arizona so its hard to avoid lol. I do run up my AC bill quite a bit, I think Ill try to keep it even cooler and see if that helps!

As for being on any meds, I dont take any at all so thats not the problem.

Def let us know how the hypnotherapy goes cass, Id be interested to hear if it helps at all!

@bob my dreams are WEIRD too. I try to chalk it up to a crazy imagination :lol: I mean some of them are just bizarre and I think you all would think I was crazy if I actually explained them lol!

 

[JoleneBrody]

I've suffered from Chronic sleep paralysis that is sometimes coupled with night terrors my entire life. Sometimes they leave me crying in my driveway at 5am, and are so vivid I'm checking the news for any catastrophic events. They always get MUCH worse when I'm stressed. I take a light sedative, like advil PM when they start happening and that usually keeps them at bay so I can get some rest.
I really do not enjoy the way marijuana makes me feel but I'm seriously considering getting a medical card strictly for before bed. I hate feeling dependent on sleep aids. If I slept through being high I suppose it wouldn't bother me.

Do you mind if I ask why you can't use marijuana anymore? It's so much more healthy both mentally and physically than most sleep aids.

 

[AnaVictoriaXO]

I've suffered from Chronic sleep paralysis that is sometimes coupled with night terrors my entire life. Sometimes they leave me crying in my driveway at 5am, and are so vivid I'm checking the news for any catastrophic events. They always get MUCH worse when I'm stressed. I take a light sedative, like advil PM when they start happening and that usually keeps them at bay so I can get some rest.
I really do not enjoy the way marijuana makes me feel but I'm seriously considering getting a medical card strictly for before bed. I hate feeling dependent on sleep aids. If I slept through being high I suppose it wouldn't bother me.

Do you mind if I ask why you can't use marijuana anymore? It's so much more healthy both mentally and physically than most sleep aids.

Gosh that is horrible Jolene! I cant imagine it ever getting that bad

I moved to Arizona and dont know anywhere to get it. And Im not really the type to buy form someone random, nor do I even know anyone random to get it from! It sucks because I am happy I quit due to not wanting to feel like I need it everyday but its at the point where I am definitely in need of it just to keep these nightmares at bay.

 

[bob]

I used to have recurring nightmares when I was a kid. I still remember them vividly and... they were fucking odd. I don't know what prompted them and I don't know why they stopped but there used to be one where I'd be on an escalator, going down, and at the bottom there'd be this green water. I couldn't swim at the time and the thought of winding up in the water scared the poop out of me. I'd always wake up before I hit the water. Even in my dreams, I wasn't smart enough to turn around and walk up the escalator.
The other one was the weird one though. In the other one I'd be messing around at home, near the sink in the kitchen. The sink would always be full of soapy water and out of nowhere, Captain fucking Birdseye (I shit you not) would pop up from the sink and pull me in there (it was deceptively deep in there, it was like the Tardis of sinks). I'd always wake up as he pulled me into the soapy water.
(I guess I didn't like water?).
:?

heh...we had the same dream about water....but mine was about a cliff, with fishes waiting below me :lol:
after a having a half a dozen or so progressively scary ones (closer and closer to the water) over a year or so, i finally hit the water, and felt like i was fish....it was anticlimatic :snooty:

(or you didn't eat your veggies :naughty: )

 

[Rose]

I've started having seriously messed up and deranged dreams since I started gestating the spawn so I know it feels awful to constantly have nightmares every night. It blows. I hope you find something that works for you. If not, send all your bad dreams to me since I can't take anything to make mine go away. :lol: I'll be the nightmare catcher. I just need a cape.

 

[LadyLuna]

Whenever I start a run of freaky/scary dreams, I start sleeping in the other room. I don't know if it's the change in location, or the change in company (in the bedroom, I'm sleeping in the same bed as my partner), but it certainly helps about half the time.

The other half the time, I fuck it up by eating/drinking something sweet before bed. DON'T DO. It's been proven that sweets give nightmares when eaten within 2 hours of bedtime.

I had night terrors for a few months. Turned out, I was stressed about something. I confronted the stress, and got rid of it, and the night terrors stopped. (For those of you who don't know, night terrors are when a person acts out in their sleep, screaming or some such. Anyone in the room will know, but not the person themself. They usually are not accompanied by nightmares, but mine were.) My terrors got so bad I woke up one day and discovered that I had toppled the shelves I kept next to the bed at the time.

 

[Red7227]

I had night terrors for a few months. Turned out, I was stressed about something. I confronted the stress, and got rid of it, and the night terrors stopped. (For those of you who don't know, night terrors are when a person acts out in their sleep, screaming or some such. Anyone in the room will know, but not the person themself. They usually are not accompanied by nightmares, but mine were.) My terrors got so bad I woke up one day and discovered that I had toppled the shelves I kept next to the bed at the time.

That is what i found as well. Sorting through your problems when you're awake and not thinking about them as you go to sleep made all the difference for me. I hope its also that simple for you.

 

[Shaun__]

I never remember my dreams anymore, except for maybe a slight feeling or presence. I miss them, even the nightmares. I used to remember them though, and whenever I was under extreme stress they would turn unpleasant for me. Fearing your sleep may be helping fuel your nightmares in a self reinforcing cycle.

 

[southsamurai]

wow! im not the only night terror person around here after all! ive had them since i was about 5 or so myself. theres brain chemistry involved in it and there are meds that treat them, but are usually worse than the nightmares themselves for me.

i did the whole pot thing for a while to cope with them, just made them worse for me after a while, then when i quit got reeallllly bad..... 5 or 6 a night . caffeine and other stimulants make em worse for sure.

on the help side chamomile helps a little, but not much. theres other soothing herbs too.. kava kava isnt too bad, but its hit or miss. valerian is the best in my experience. but im currently using ativan so no valerian for me lol, got the medical equivalent. it works better really anyway. most of the benzos will knock the night terrors down to a manageable level, but theyre addictive as hell so arent for long term use.

and of course theres the talking cure. traditional therapy can manage how often they come and how you react to them when they happen. it also makes gaining control of yourself after you wake much faster and easier.

 

[AllisonWilder]

I have crazy nightmares at least three times a week and have been having them for almost 8 years. I don't have anything to add or any suggestions, but I hope you get it resolved. Sleep issues are the worst since being sleep-deprived can really ruin your day.

 

[Anonymous]

The other night I had a dream that I was in my old apartment in New York, and there was a freaking alligator in the room. AN ALLIGATOR!!! WTF?! It was such a relief to wake up and realize it was just a dream. :lol:

I've been having quite a few dreams lately where I'm back in New York in my old apartment.

 

[AnaVictoriaXO]

wow! im not the only night terror person around here after all! ive had them since i was about 5 or so myself. theres brain chemistry involved in it and there are meds that treat them, but are usually worse than the nightmares themselves for me.

i did the whole pot thing for a while to cope with them, just made them worse for me after a while, then when i quit got reeallllly bad..... 5 or 6 a night . caffeine and other stimulants make em worse for sure.

on the help side chamomile helps a little, but not much. theres other soothing herbs too.. kava kava isnt too bad, but its hit or miss. valerian is the best in my experience. but im currently using ativan so no valerian for me lol, got the medical equivalent. it works better really anyway. most of the benzos will knock the night terrors down to a manageable level, but theyre addictive as hell so arent for long term use.

and of course theres the talking cure. traditional therapy can manage how often they come and how you react to them when they happen. it also makes gaining control of yourself after you wake much faster and easier.

:shock: Caffeine can cause nightmares?!!! Shit. I drink at least one pot a day and due to working so much and so late I always have coffee in the evening as well and am still drinking it right before bed sometimes. I did some research and it says it not only causes nightmares but bizarre ones at that. Im going to try and stop having any at all by the afternoon and see if this helps. Im really hoping the cause is this simple.

 

[southsamurai]

:shock: Caffeine can cause nightmares?!!! Shit. I drink at least one pot a day and due to working so much and so late I always have coffee in the evening as well and am still drinking it right before bed sometimes. I did some research and it says it not only causes nightmares but bizarre ones at that. Im going to try and stop having any at all by the afternoon and see if this helps. Im really hoping the cause is this simple.

for me if i drink any more than 1 cup a day, and any later than noonish, i go from regular night terrors, where im thrashing and screaming in my sleep and waking up after with a full blown panic attack, all the way to the kind where im punching and breaking stuff in my sleep... im a hard man to sleep with in the same bed lol.... ive been dumped for it quite a few times

 

[AnaVictoriaXO]

:shock: Caffeine can cause nightmares?!!! Shit. I drink at least one pot a day and due to working so much and so late I always have coffee in the evening as well and am still drinking it right before bed sometimes. I did some research and it says it not only causes nightmares but bizarre ones at that. Im going to try and stop having any at all by the afternoon and see if this helps. Im really hoping the cause is this simple.

for me if i drink any more than 1 cup a day, and any later than noonish, i go from regular night terrors, where im thrashing and screaming in my sleep and waking up after with a full blown panic attack, all the way to the kind where im punching and breaking stuff in my sleep... im a hard man to sleep with in the same bed lol.... ive been dumped for it quite a few times

Damn, this is making me wonder if I should quit coffee altogether -_- Putting it all together, Im realizing my frequent nightmares started not only after every time Ive stopped smoking pot, but also when I started drinking coffee as heavily as I do. I had no idea it could affect you like that! Im so glad you pointed that out, thank you!

 

[RedHerby]

I know someone who have managed to turn nightmares into lucid dreams

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_drea ... nightmares

she is very happy about it, she did it on her own, brags about how much cheaper google is then a therapist ...

I don't know what exactly she did, but google points to below pages

http://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com/ ... mares.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Control-Your-Dreams
http://www.wikihow.com/Lucid-Dream

 

[LadyLuna]

For most people, coffee is out of their system by two hours after they drink it.
Same with just about anything you eat or drink. Two hours.

 

[AnaVictoriaXO]

@Hank Im going to try this. I actually woke myself up last night during a nightmare. I realized I was dreaming and screamed it to try and wake myself up! It lasted a very short time but it worked. Im gonna try and see if I can control them. Thank you!

@Luna thank you girl, I was wondering that! I kind of need the caffeine but wasn't sure how long it stayed in the system.

 

[Red7227]

I've been having quite a few dreams lately where I'm back in New York in my old apartment.

That is pretty normal. My dreams are always about Uni 15 years ago or school 40 years ago. I'm always dropping out of classes and failing subjects in my dreams, which is really bloody annoying, because i never did in real life, though the workload was horrendous. I can usually fly in my dreams.

 

[AnaVictoriaXO]

@thebrownfox I had a few dreams where there was a huge snake in my house lol, Im talking like abnormally huge! I think I would prefer that over an alligator though :?


Do any of you ever dream about the same places, over and over, that don't actually exist? In quite a few of my dreams I live in a house that Ive never been to. Its quite detailed too and is always in the same neighborhood with the same neighbor houses and same layout/look inside.

 

[Jupiter551]

It sounds as if the pot was suppressing whatever problems in your brain was causing the nightmares.

That's not necessarily true anyway - lots of psychoactive chemicals can cause nightmares in a withdrawal phase; as Cass posted earlier everything from anti-depressants to quitting smoking. Even starting e-cigarettes some people can experience vivid dreams and/or nightmares.

I suspect it's your brain adjusting to the lack of something in the pot (presumably THC). If that's the case I would think it will settle down after a couple of weeks, apologies if I missed it but how long have you put up with them?

Also regarding the coffee - are you drinking it for energy or because you enjoy it? If it's the latter try switching to decaf after say 2pm or something.