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Tips & Tricks to Stop Nightmares.

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Okay, I know at least two other people on Lush that have nightmares. I don't mean your standard bad dreams, wake up feeling bad stuff. I mean the kind where it's so real that you want to, or will die in the middle of it, and wake up sweating, crying, gasping for air, etc.

Do you have any tips on how to deal with them, or how to prevent them? I've tried deep breathing and trying to empty my mind, a few relaxation exercises, and trying to control my dreaming through the use of a dream diary and psychological processes. I don't always know when I'm in a dream, although I do s ometimes and can either ride it out or wake myself up. I don't always know when I will have them, but I can recognise the triggers. I don't always know what they will contain either, although I can draw parallels with others. I tried writing down my worries before sleep too, and mentally throwing them away. I think maybe some of us just have phases of them and have to wait until they stop again?

So what I'm hoping for is a place where people can share their tips and tricks, if any, on how they cope with bad dreams/nightmares (yes I went to counselling and got a whole other set of things to worry about, but let's not go there).

Even if what you have to offer might be things I've tried before, or others have, it's still worth sharing. Miracles don't happen overnight, as much as we might wish they did!

Thank you in advance.
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I get really fucked up on drugs and alcohol.
Im not sure this will help but here's my experience...

when my son was very little he used to have night terrors...like a waking nightmare. they were always about the same thing, our dog, was eating him. this went on for months and months. he could really describe the next day the dogs mouth and being inside it...down to being able to smell his breath.

sometimes he felt like he knew it was a dream and other times not...it was a little hard to decipher since he was only 6. he was always paralyzed with fear and woke screaming as he was swallowed.

until one night. the way he described it he was in the dream...in the dogs mouth and this time instead of being scared he told the dog he was a good dog, that it was ok he was eating my son and patted the inside of its mouth. he allowed himself to be swallowed, not feeling fear. lo and behold there was "a party in his stomach momma!" (hehee) and the dream ended as a good dream and he never had it again.

it just felt to me like once he gave into the dream or the fear or the act of being consumed or whatever...once he accepted whatever it was, the dream was gone forever.
littlemissbitch ~ professional face ripper offer, at your service..
i have nightmares. they are the result of a single event. they've gotten better, but it's mostly a case of time and distance and slowly resolving that event. sadly, recent events have re-triggered them. here's my tips for what works for me, though.

i practice tai chi. before bedtime i do a series of exercises, akin to mediation, that settle my mind into a positive place.
i try not to sleep alone. not possible for all of us, but having the reassurance of someone you trust close by seems to help.
i keep a dream journal. everything goes into it. the good, the bad, the ugly. sometimes i think that writing it down helps me sort it all out a bit and deal with it.

i know how debilitating it can be. it's not just something to be dismissed as 'a few bad dreams'. it messes with your sleep patterns which can cause depression, can lower your resistance to getting sick, can leave you wrung out, and can interfere with relationships - it's really not fun to wake up crying out while having a one night stand and having to explain it to your lover.

not sure if that helps, but at least you know you're not alone.

and Felix, i've done that, but it's really not something you can keep up night after night, and all it does is supress bad dreams, they just hang out til you have a sober night and take revenge. smile

You can’t truly call yourself peaceful unless you are capable of violence. If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful. You’re harmless.

Quote by sprite


and Felix, i've done that, but it's really not something you can keep up night after night


Light weight.
Quote by Magical_felix


Light weight.


you really want to challenge me when i have home court advantage? ha! bring it, gilipollas. umm... sorry about the derail smile

You can’t truly call yourself peaceful unless you are capable of violence. If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful. You’re harmless.

Insomnia!! It has yet to fail me ^_^
Quote by sprite

umm... sorry about the derail smile


I ain't even bovverred. If I don't laugh, I'll cry, and I'm tired of snot.









Hey, wait! Maybe if I never cry, the Bogeyman will stop visiting my dreams! Bonus!






Littlemissbitch, your son is braver than me. I really don't think I could go through the subjects of my dream like he was able to.

One_winged_angel, I get insomnia too. I get both dreams and insomnia in different phases. One often leads to the other, or causes the other. I am able to go longer periods now where I'm not so bothered by them, but when I have them... it's proper rubbish.
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Teddybears! Have a teddybear in your bed and make sure it's a mean arse one that will protect you from the Mares that ride you during the night. After all, the Norwegian word for "Nightmare" translates to "Mare-ride", so if you have an awesome teddybear to chase away the Mare you'll be all good biggrin

Quote by elitfromnorth
Teddybears! Have a teddybear in your bed and make sure it's a mean arse one that will protect you from the Mares that ride you during the night. After all, the Norwegian word for "Nightmare" translates to "Mare-ride", so if you have an awesome teddybear to chase away the Mare you'll be all good biggrin



I need a new teddy. Preferably life-sized and a gorgeous lad who loves cuddling. *sigh* Or a cookie. Maybe a gingerbread teddy bear.
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Quote by Shylass


I need a new teddy. Preferably life-sized and a gorgeous lad who loves cuddling. *sigh* Or a cookie. Maybe a gingerbread teddy bear.


I know an edible bed partner sounds like a good idea, but after the ants get a whiff of him, you won't have to worry bout nightmares cuz you'll never get to sleep.
Quote by one_winged_angel


I know an edible bed partner sounds like a good idea, but after the ants get a whiff of him, you won't have to worry bout nightmares cuz you'll never get to sleep.


I don't have to worry about ants - cookies never last that long around me.
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Why do I have no problem at all picturing daisy with a massively large gingerbread man. I'm having another drink.
Quote by elitfromnorth
Why do I have no problem at all picturing daisy with a massively large gingerbread man. I'm having another drink.


Is it that disturbing?
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Quote by Shylass


Is it that disturbing?


I know if anyone saw me in bed with a giant edible man, they'd never be able to look a cookie in the eye again
Try sleeping pills. I've never had nightmares on sleeping pills. It puts you into a pretty deep sleep.

I have had nightmares after drinking though, so not sure I'd recommend that.
Quote by one_winged_angel


I know if anyone saw me in bed with a giant edible man, they'd never be able to look a cookie in the eye again


Is that cos they'd nom their little heads off first?
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Quote by Dancing_Doll
Try sleeping pills. I've never had nightmares on sleeping pills. It puts you into a pretty deep sleep.

I have had nightmares after drinking though, so not sure I'd recommend that.



I have some for when my insomnia is bad. But my mum freaks out when I've had one, as she says it changes my personality, and I can't cope with how she reacts. I only use them when I've not slept for three nights in a row, as I hallucinate after that.

Maybe I just have to wait for the phase to pass.
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Aside from just not sleeping, the only other thing that works for me, is falling asleep watching tv or something. If I'm already lost in that fantasy world, I wind up dreaming of something related to what I was watching, or I don't dream at all.
Quote by Shylass


I have some for when my insomnia is bad. But my mum freaks out when I've had one, as she says it changes my personality, and I can't cope with how she reacts. I only use them when I've not slept for three nights in a row, as I hallucinate after that.

Maybe I just have to wait for the phase to pass.


Yeah, same here. I have bouts of insomnia as well. I actually just nibble on the pill (like eat a 1/4 or a 1/2 of one) so it's a ridiculously low dose but just gives me that smooth slide into sleep without the groggy next morning effects. Or crush it up and sprinkle just a tiny bit of it into a scoop of peanut butter to mask the awful taste.
One_winged_angel, I was writing a story before I slept last night. Big mistake, and I won't be doing that again! I often look at funny pictures and cute kittens (yes, I am that sad!) before I sleep, or read one of my silly books.



Quote by Dancing_Doll


Yeah, same here. I have bouts of insomnia as well. I actually just nibble on the pill (like eat a 1/4 or a 1/2 of one) so it's a ridiculously low dose but just gives me that smooth slide into sleep without the groggy next morning effects. Or crush it up and sprinkle just a tiny bit of it into a scoop of peanut butter to mask the awful taste.


Now I DO like that idea! Thank you! Mine are pretty strong, so I will experiment with that.
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I'm not just saying this because we are here at Lush. Try masturbating before going to sleep. I've been subject to some pretty bad nightmares at times, and find pre sleep orgasms turn the dreams to that of a sexual nature instead.

Some medications may also be to blame. I have found after nearly 20 years on thyroid medication, that when my dosage needs adjusting the first symptom is really weird dreams, and many other medications can affect your dreams.
An Oreo cookie, a glass of milk, and a sexy story here on lush. Guaranteed!
Quote by suezq
I'm not just saying this because we are here at Lush. Try masturbating before going to sleep.


That might already be a habit of mine to help me relax...
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Quote by Magical_felix
I get really fucked up on drugs and alcohol.


That's how I've handled it in the past.

But really, you don't have to get totally fucked up; just a painkiller or two will dull the mental knife for sleep. Or, granted, it can intensify them if it doesn't agree with you. There's one that totally freaked me out.. I didn't take that one anymore after that. But otherwise, Ambien always knocked me cold.
My mother suffered from nightmares for years. Mainly, a recurring one.

She cured it by seeing a psychologist. He got to the root cause of the issue (messy first marriage, she had visions of him standing over her bed, robed in black), and used hypnotherapy to cure it.

I get nightmares occasionally, but they usually delete their accounts before they become recurring.

I'd do some research, this doesn't tell much, but may help: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/nightmares-in-adults?page=2

I wouldn't be reliant on drugs of any kind to help, they mask the problem rather than solve the underlying reason behind them.

It took awhile for me to figure out cause of bad dreams / nightmares...what i call "cold spots". Even in the summer, I MUST HAVE my shoulders covered with a light sheet...and most of the time that could also mean arms. The same thing is true with my legs at least 80% of the time. I believe the nightmares...the jerking / violent kicking kind...are a part of the body's fight/flight response. This is a thought provoking question with some interesting answers.

Rick
Quote by nicola


I get nightmares occasionally, but they usually delete their accounts before they become recurring.



Proper made me laugh, that one!

Thank you very much for your replies, everybody. Thanks to those who PMd me (you know who you are). It's good to share, it seems I'm not so alone after all.
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After allowing my last AFF membership to expire, 100% of the nightmares ceased.
The same GQP demanding we move on from January 6th, 2021 is still doing audits of the November 3rd, 2020 election.
Quote by WellMadeMale
After allowing my last AFF membership to expire, 100% of the nightmares ceased.


Shut up... You know you miss meeting actual real bar lushes on AFF rather than these Internet lushies...


And back to the drugs and alcohol for treating nightmares. I guess with me they happen in phases. Like I'll have a bad dream. Not a nightmare but a dream that fucks my thinking up. If I think about it too much I'll dream it again and again. So if you do drugs that shut you down a bit, like alcohol or weed. Then you might be able to get your state of mind out of that rut and quickly get some peace at night or at least be able to sleep without waking. Of course drugs are different for everyone.

Like the other night I was kinda bummed, I knew I'd have annoying dreams so I got really high... Like the ghost of Jerry Garcia was like "dude, you've had enough".. That night I dreamt I was at this huge ass pot luck with all kinds of food, including Chinese... And candy. I woke up and had an awesome breakfast, said some stupid shit here and went to work. I could have dreamt stupid shit again, skipped breakfast and been annoyed all morning. But no, I took a bag to the dome instead.