Nightmares...

[Mishaela]

Just curious, how do you guys usually deal with bad dreams? Don't really mean little random/odd/weird dreams, more like recurring ones that seem to be based on real life happenings...

 

[Genkaku]

Just curious, how do you guys usually deal with bad dreams? Don't really mean little random/odd/weird dreams, more like recurring ones that seem to be based on real life happenings...

Shake it off and leave it alone.

Dreams are nothing more than your mind playing out a scenario and throwing in memories to make it more abstract.

All you have to say is "Its just a dream"

 

[Mishaela]

Shake it off and leave it alone.

Dreams are nothing more than your mind playing out a scenario and throwing in memories to make it more abstract.

All you have to say is "Its just a dream"

I've been trying to forget it but I've had similar nightmares four times the past two weeks, it's starting to ruin my sleeping schedule quite badly. I'm wondering if laying off caffeine or doing something relaxing before sleeping will help stop it but I honestly don't know, really unused to having (or at least consistently remembering) bad dreams, it's making me a bit more of a scatterbrain than usual.

 

[Genkaku]

I've been trying to forget it but I've had similar nightmares four times the past two weeks, it's starting to ruin my sleeping schedule quite badly. I'm wondering if laying off caffeine or doing something relaxing before sleeping will help stop it but I honestly don't know, really unused to having (or at least consistently remembering) bad dreams, it's making me a bit more of a scatterbrain than usual.

I had a nightmare hit me like 6 times in 14 days. Same one every time. After a while your mind thinks of something else to put in there.

It'll eventually pass, but you need to let it run its course.

(It was a doozie too)

 

[Tristam Green]

Some of them, I let pass.

The others, I remember forever.

I try to write them all down for posterity's sake.

 

[Mishaela]

I had a nightmare hit me like 6 times in 14 days. Same one every time. After a while your mind thinks of something else to put in there.

It'll eventually pass, but you need to let it run its course.

(It was a doozie too)

Yeah...I hafto admit the dream I've been having has me nothing short of tears every time I have it. Not sure if I can just shrug it off though, because of what it was and such...the dream isn't exactly fake, rather, it seems more like I keep remembering something that happened.

Really wish I'd realized how good I had it in the past...I hung out with friends and family a lot but looking back, it doesn't feel like enough. I really was a brat...just wish there'd been a better way to make me see things clearer.

 

[alanon]

Caffeine doesn't help, but some light exercise not only helps you body rest, but can help clear your mind and reduce stress, which may be the underlying cause of your nightmares. I like to just throw on my Zune and go for a walk at night.

 

[JerkFace]

This could also be caused because you are still thinking about it while you are falling asleep. You could try putting on some music in the background to distract yourself. Maybe then you will dream about Pinball wizards.

 

[Rips]

I'm able to take control in my dreams and realize that I'm asleep and I decide to stay asleep. It's weird, but I like those "hide and run" nightmares as if your in a video game or something. It's scary as shit, but it's oddly fun.

For reoccurring nightmares... when it's all in the same night, get up for 15 minutes and shake it off. Walk around your home or take a bite to eat. If you lie in bed, your going to be half asleep and fall in and out of your nightmare which I hate.

 

[Morwen]

I have this problem a lot, actually. My sister and I have discussed it down to the point where she believes I start having a panic attack while I'm sleeping (I'm very prone to multiples throughout the week, yay anxiety disorders).

A lot of the time nightmares are things you haven't yet figured out. I'm sure you know that already Mish but I'm putting it out in the open for those that may not. Try relating what's going on in the dream by doing as Tristam mentioned, writing it all down. When its down on paper its far easier to pick it apart bit by bit.

Don't go into dividing the dream experience with preset assumptions. Even the slightest thing can mean something important or represent a situation far bigger than what it is in the dreamscape. If you know anyone that can do dream interpretation try asking them for some advice.

You said before it seemed as if you were reliving something from your past, maybe your subconcious is relating that to something you're going through now, or know someone going through something similar. Maybe your subconcious is telling you to help someone, should that be the case.

What ever it may be, I hope you can soon return to a peaceful rest in the very near future.

 

[Halifirien]

When I have nightmares -- they're rare, and I seldom remember my dreams -- I usually have to get up awhile, turn on all the lights, and distract myself with some television or music. I used to have recurring nightmares in high school, but they eventually stopped.

One thing we have to ask... does your area have a history of child murder?

 

[Kohra]

I have terrible insomnia and oftentimes my nightmares can have such a bad effect i end up with that sleep paralysis thing. You know where you think someone is in the room with you but you can't move or make a sound. When that happens, getting up for 15 mins to try and shake it off doesn't always help. My problem is that i usually go to bed thinking about the things that are upsetting me and i can't turn my mind away from it.

A friend of mine recently got me turned onto Binaural Beats. Basically what they are are sounds frequencies that force your brain into certain wave patterns that induce varying things such as well-being, concentration or sleep. you can go here: healingbeats.com to download some free ones. that's where i got my "deep sleep" one. When i'm having problems going to sleep, i just listen to that and focus on the sounds. I'm able to empty my head and think about nothing as i fall asleep. you can look them up on wiki too, they give you a pretty good explaination as to how they work.

hope this helps,
Kohra

 

[Lukas]

As a fellow insomniac, I can relate. Dreams are manifestations of subconscious dialogue which surface when our minds are least inhibited (ie. when we sleep). They're a very natural way for our brain to process information or experiences which we cannot or do not want to deal with consciously. Sometimes they are fairly straightforward, but most times they are abstract representations which seem completely random. They are seldom random, especially recurring ones.

The best way to deal with them is to find the source - are you stressed? have you been through recent trauma? is there something which has been occupying your mind more often than usual while you are awake? They don't really just "disappear" unless whatever it is that is causing them does too. Normally we deal with the issue without identifying it or realising, so the dreams stop. You can wait for that to happen but if they're really interfering with your sleep, you should try a more proactive approach.

 

[Omniyoji]

Most of the time dreams don't really mean anything. Either it is random stored memory being recalled or creativity being put to use. Sometimes dreams are connected to the last action or thing you thought about before sleep. Some people try to connect certain entities with some sort of outline that might happen (talkin about those dream books... What does it mean if I dreamed about black fish OR my brother getting married).

Personally I think this quote depicts what I conceive about dreams...

"In the absence of information the human brain carries on working and processing information even if there is no information to process and after a while it starts to create that information itself."

One of my personal favs ^^

I know sometimes they can really scare the shit out of you, but they're always going to be there and you're just going to have to deal with them :/ Unless you're having some type of issue and the nightmares are a result of that...

 

[Sneakypants]

Exercise and sex. I sleep like roadkill. Even after scary movies, lol.

 

[Ranpha]

Caffeine does not help going to sleep. Lay off of that stuff.

As mentioned in another post, start doing a light exercise routine before heading to bed. Nothing strenuous and at your own pace with some relaxing music.

 

[Zyndara]

Exercise and sex.

This actually eases a lot of life's tensions. lol

My advice is to, like Trist said, write them down - when they happen, what happened in them. I used to have recurring tornado dreams. BAD ones. Almost the same dream every time. I haven't had one in a long time. But one thing I read is that dreams like that can be a reflection or expression of major change in your life. Makes sense. Dream interpretation could all be hocus pocus, but for me, it was pretty accurate. Keeping a log might be able to help you pinpoint what's going on in your subconscious that's causing you to have such bad dreams. Then you might be able to ease whatever's troubling you.

 

[Tristam Green]

I like to just throw on my Zune

[gentle-natured picking]That would actually induce nightmares, I think![/gentle-natured picking]

I sleep like roadkill.

I wonder how roadkill feels about that, as a Galka :O



kidding aside, there isn't much I do to reduce the amount of nightmares I can have. I don't sleep with anything that can glow (luminously) beside my bed anymore; once I fell asleep with this glowing rope-thingy toy coiled up beside my bed, and I had a nightmare that I was attacked by a snake in the mall, and I died from its poison.

The worst for me are the ones where I can vividly remember every detail, save one. Usually, the detail I cannot remember is the most important one.

 

[Arctyrael]

Some of them, I let pass.

The others, I remember forever.

I try to write them all down for posterity's sake.

So far, only one is memorable enough for that. No need to write it down.

 

[Urat]

If one would compare your brain to a computer, one could compare sleep to defragging your hard drive, process it all and sort it, archive the important stuff, and delete the unused temp files.

Your dreams are all this info of the day, and leftover stuff from previous incomplete runs, in high speed.

Say you drank orange juice, ate breakfast, took your dog out, and such. While defragging, your brain skims over all his info 10x faster than you normally think, so when it gets "scanned" or recalled, and turned into a remake, to you it gets all smooshed together in one big chunk of data, imagine when you copy a big list, and watching the copy bar shoo through all the files as it sorts them, that's what your dreams are.

But say something has been on your mind all day. That means there is a LOT of that chunk of data all over your brain, so it is gonna play a major role in your dream. IE that girl who sits 2 seats away from you in bio...

Sometimes unresolved data, like something troubling you a lot, your brain will skim over, but not archive and leave it for next time to be worked on more. These are nightmares. Like if your best friend died. That's a LOT of stuff for both your consciousness and subconsciousness to together work on. So the result is a seemingly never ending replay of this same little video in your head as your brain tries to analyze it, over and over and over...

The result is a recurring nightmare. Until both your consciousness and subconsciousness come to terms with this info.

It can take 2-3 days, or years, but it boils down to you facing it and seriously comprehending all f this, coming to terms with it if you will.