Lifelong nightmares?

I've had nightmares for as long as I can remember (2 years old). They are often extremely violent and deal with death (I don't watch horror films or anything scary). I remember them all. I wake up drenched in sweat (my sheets, too), my joints hurt from tensing, I'm exhausted from having them and feel like I haven't slept at all. I've had upwards of 5 in one night -- I've had to call out from work the next day because it's made me feel like I was hit by a truck. Lately, even, I've bruised myself in my sleep from my body stiffening. I sometimes have flashbacks during the day to nightmares I've had years ago. I saw a sleep specialist who insisted it was not a sleep disorder but just anxiety-based. I'm not sure I agree with his diagnosis.

Lifelong nightmares?
I got terrible nightmares from taking Seroquel for schizophrenia. I dreamed wild dogs ate my friends and I could actually smell their dead bodies, what was left of them. That's just one example. I can relate to your problem. I was afraid to go to sleep, even during the day.





My psychiatrist prescribed Imipramine 50 mg just for nightmares. After a few weeks my nightmares were gone. Now I only get them about twice a year, which is normal instead of every night.





Perhaps you could ask your doctor if this medication would help you and maybe you would need a higher dose. I didn't have any side effects, but you could ask your pharmacist for a printout of the possible side effects, so you would be aware of what to watch for. Good luck!
Reply:If you don't agree with the diagnosis, have you thought of getting a second opinion?





Apparently our unconscious thoughts, feelings and sometimes fears can come out when we sleep. Some people who were abused in childhood have nightmares and it can take years for them to understand that the nightmares are linked to something they didn't remember. (Just an example, not saying you were!)





Maybe if you see a counsellor you might be able to work out if there is an underlying cause to the nightmares, or maybe even try hypnosis? That way you'd be in a dream-like state and the doctor may be able to spot any patterns and get to the root cause.





Good luck!
Reply:night mares reflects your internal feelings like fear,sadness,anger if this is the case you need to relax do yoga or even go to a schrinck and if you are christian praying before sleep and going to church is really the cure
Reply:Ask another doctor (a psychiatrist), not a bunch of 14-years-old geeks!
Reply:You should talk to a doctor who studies sleep disorders. Maybe that doc can tell you what might be causing the nightmares and what you can do to prevent them.
Reply:Sounds like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). There is a medication called Trazadone to help get rid of those nighmares. It helped me.
Reply:There are two main types of therapy that could help:





1.Hypnosis. An experienced hypnotherapist can help you not only deal with your phobia but also with your bad dreams. He or she should be able to help you re-programme your dreams so that they have different and less horrific story lines. For a therapist near you email the National Council for Hypnotherapy: nch@bowolds.u-net.com.





2.Behavioural and Cognitive/Behavioural therapists are also good at dealing with phobias. You can email their organisation, the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (info@ babcp.org.uk), for details of a therapist in your area.








You will most probably have to pay for such treatment privately, but treatment of phobias is not a lengthy process and you should see very good results almost immediately.
Reply:Just change the way you sleep. dreams are more likely if you sleep on your back flat. during this the flow is breath is mostly in both nostrils. this causes thoughts to be accessed from deep memory, where fear and doubt are stored.





try to sleep on the left side if you are a girl or right side if you are a boy.





this will generate the necessary environment in the mental level to get good nights sleep.





Just before you go to sleep remember to wash your face and especially the inside of your nostrils with cool water.





always get up from the bed with your side in which the flow of breath is flowing.





Good night sleep.


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