How often do you have nightmares?

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Posted by Miss Julia on Dec-19-2008 17:45:

How often do you have nightmares?

I just want to know....

Posted by Dj Blurr on Dec-19-2008 18:09:

Wow what a trip... I saw the polls and looks like were all in the same boat.

Must be something in the water...

Anyone ever have a night terror?

You havin nightmares Julia?

Posted by rizo on Dec-19-2008 18:25:

i dont really have nightmares, depressing dreams that wake me up once in awhile but not really nightmares.

whats a trip is the tv series Life on Mars (BBC America) -- don't watch the US remake! it doesnt do it justice....

Posted by TSG on Dec-19-2008 18:51:

I wouldn't call mine nightmares cuz it's when I'm barely going to sleep. It's kinda like being caught in the middle... I'm not fully asleep nor am I fully awake, yet I can see everything as it is in my room and I can see a very small part of the dream (more like a black hole). I used to have them every week or when going to bed after a heavy meal.
I've always feared falling but more so, falling into water, like from a bridge or a cliff. The other night I lost my balance and fell into the water. I was frightened as I was going down and kinda thought to myself, "Oh well, here it goes, kiss your @ss good-bye!" I hit the water but it didn't feel wet or hard & I also thought I wasn't going to be able to breathe. I began to relax so I could float up and then I noticed I was able to breathe. I was able to take hold of the situation and came out alright.
I know that dream meant something and it has to do with what is going on right now with my mom & family.

Posted by djjoshuaallen on Dec-19-2008 19:43:

whenever I have a nightmare, or a dream for that matter, I am able to figure out that im dreaming in my dream. So then i just start to fuck around with my dreams and its not that scary at all. Is anybody else able to figure out your dreaming during your dream, and then start to control it or just fuck around in your dream?

Posted by KarenLuvs2Party on Dec-19-2008 20:26:

I had a horrible dream last night.

Both of my brothers tried to kill me. I pretended to play dead but then they still came back and found that I was alive.

They didn't want to shoot me but wanted me to eat this horrible thing so I could die a slow death.

BAH

I'm returning their xmas presents I got for them today.

Posted by Nerologic on Dec-19-2008 20:44:

I don't have dreams that often. It seems like the older i got the less i recalled my dreams.

Once thing i do notice is, when i drink or and a few beers the night before i sleep i tend to dream that night. So if i want to dream i guess i need to have some drinks, because for the most part i never have dreams.

quote:
Originally posted by djjoshuaallen
Is anybody else able to figure out your dreaming during your dream, and then start to control it or just fuck around in your dream?

My buddy does that shit too, there's no way i can figure it out. I never realize its a dream. Maybe if i had dreams more often i would figure it out...

quote:
Originally posted by KarenLuvs2Party
I had a horrible dream last night.

Both of my brothers tried to kill me. I pretended to play dead but then they still came back and found that I was alive.

They didn't want to shoot me but wanted me to eat this horrible thing so I could die a slow death.

BAH

I'm returning their xmas presents I got for them today.

I LOL'd

Posted by DJ RANN on Dec-19-2008 22:02:

quote:
Originally posted by djjoshuaallen
whenever I have a nightmare, or a dream for that matter, I am able to figure out that im dreaming in my dream. So then i just start to fuck around with my dreams and its not that scary at all. Is anybody else able to figure out your dreaming during your dream, and then start to control it or just fuck around in your dream?

I do this sometimes too. It's not like total control because there's still a random and totally unknown element, but I can influence it and often wake up and resume the same dream.

Years ago, a friend went to africa and had to take anti-malaria drugs when he got back (not because he had malaria, just as a precaution). When he started the drugs, for the next six weeks he had the worst nightmares he's ever had, and was considering restraints becuase he kept moving, fighting and even getting up while aspleep.

One particularly bad nightmare he told me about was that he spent all night getting killed in different ways (pushed off a cliff, shot, stabbed, strangled, poisened - you name it), only to come back alive and get killed again.

Note to self: Get anti malaria jabs if I ever go to Africa......

Posted by mar46017 on Dec-19-2008 22:30:

I've noticed that when I take Vicodin I have bad dreams.

Posted by Miss Julia on Dec-19-2008 23:07:

I know you guys will think I'm crazy, but I have to share what's been going on with me....

I have intense, disturbing, visual, vivid dreams/nightmares practically every night. I even have nightmares when I lay down to take short naps. In my nightmares, I can see colors, remember faces, conversations, names, numbers, details, textures... I can hear sounds, music, peoples voices, and sometimes even smell. I'll wake up a couple times a night (depending on how bad the nightmare was), and sometimes my heart is pounding out of fear, and I'm sweating. Sometimes when I wake up from a nightmare, I'll be thinking, "Holy shit, did that just happen"???? And I'll want to go online to google it or check my email to see if what I just dreamed happened or if it was just my imagination. I also have sleep paralysis maybe once or twice a year (I haven't had that in a little over a year though... and I hope I don't have to go through it ever again).

Here is some background info about me...

1. I've been having vivid dreams since I can remember, but I don't remember having them every night like I do now.
2. I had a concussion when i was 12 years old, in a coma for a couple days (maybe this causes nightmares?)
3. My first intense sleep paralysis experience was when I was around 20 years old. I remember having it a couple times before that, but not as intense as this one.
4. My nightmares have become unbearable within the last 2 years.
5. When I finally get out of bed in the morning, I feel like I didn't get a good nights rest, and sometimes the dream is so disturbing, that I'll be in an upset mood in the morning.
6. I'm always tired through out the day, and always want to sleep early.

I told all this to my doctor recently, so he had me take an MRI brain scan. He said my results looked a little "different", so he got an opinion from a 2nd doctor. The 2nd doctor said he noticed some brain shrinkage (aka early signs of Schizophrenia and Alzheimer's). The 3rd doctor said my brain is ok, and there is nothing to worry about. So in conclusion, my doctor said my brain is "ok". Well, I guess I'll trust my doctors opinion. (I did some research, and brain shrinkage starts showing when you're about 60 years old, and can be caused by drinking alcohol or being a vegetarian. I'm only 27, I don't drink alcohol often, and I'm not a vegetarian).

So then, my doctor had me take a sleep study at the hospital (this was a few weeks ago). Basically, they check your heart rate, breathing patterns, and they video tape you while you're sleeping. The nurse called me a couple weeks saying I have a little sleep apnea, but in general, my results came out "normal". I asked her there MUST be something my doctor can do... perhaps another sleep study that specializes in brain activity when you're asleep? She said she would ask the doctor and call me back, but she hasn't followed up with me since. (go figures... the medical insurance system these days)

I can't imagine having more stress in my life than the average person... so I don't think nightmares are directly related to stress. I don't know why I have nightmares. I just bought a Tempurpedic pillow top for my mattress, and a humidifier for my bedroom, hoping these two things would help, but I've still been having nightmares.

I'm not on any medication. I don't usually eat food late. I don't drink. I work out moderately a few hours before sleep. I usually relax before sleeping... either by watching TV or reading a book or magazine. What can be the cause for my intense nightmares? What can I do to stop them? I wish my brain would just shut off at night.

Posted by Dj Blurr on Dec-19-2008 23:32:

Everyone I think gets sleep paralysis every once in a while. A friend of mine had it, I've had it a few times, where you see and hear demonic stuff and see things, horrific stuff, etc... They say its night terrors, I checked it out too and some people go to case studies and sleep centers to check themself out. Whenever I get a night terror I know I been staying up either too late or pushing my body past its limits.

There is a site I checked out a while back about night terrors, and looks as if there are alot of people that have em from time to time too.

http://www.nightterrors.org/

Crazy that your having nightmares practically every night tho.

Here's another thing that you might wanna take a look at. Its about Sleep Epilepsy.

http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/sleep.html

Sleep Apnea is not funny. Did you disclose your party schedule with your Doc? Sometimes being out late will take a toll on your body, and will cause different reactions to your system if you dont allow it to heal properly. Also could be some type of side effect to some chemical in a drug, or pill...

The pillow will help tho, some of them are made so that it allows you to breathe right.

Posted by Electrophile on Dec-20-2008 05:28:

quote:
Originally posted by djjoshuaallen
whenever I have a nightmare, or a dream for that matter, I am able to figure out that im dreaming in my dream. So then i just start to fuck around with my dreams and its not that scary at all. Is anybody else able to figure out your dreaming during your dream, and then start to control it or just fuck around in your dream?

I never have nightmares either. I am almost always self aware in my dreams too. It is like living my fantasy life, any woman I want, any place I want to be, driving what I want etc etc. I can wake myself up if I want to by just yelling WAKE UP in my dream.

I can also process data in my head while I sleep, for example, I will put on an episode of "The Universe" and fall asleep half way in. I then wake up the next morning knowing how far it is to the Andromeda galaxy and how that distance is found using Hubble's law. I first discovered my ability to do this a few years ago when I fell asleep during a documentary on Nikola Tesla and was able to produce facts and trivia on about Tesla without ever studying his life. Now I do this almost every night and my scientific knowledge has grown exponentially.

Anyone else able to do this while they sleep?

Posted by Nerologic on Dec-20-2008 06:05:

Regarding nightmares in my experience...

I don't think i can classify them as nightmares or maybe i can? The dreams i have are usually intense. I am usually getting chased or shot at or running from something, but magically like a TV episode at the end i some how come out on top and never dead or injured or in jail in my dream.

Like i mentioned before, i mainly have them when i drink. I don't have to get wasted, just 2 beers will be enough for me to have a dream that night. I have occasionally had dreams when i haven't had a drink the night before.

What i have noticed on my dreams is that the story always has something to do with something i saw, i am going to do, or went through. I have had dreams about movies the night after i saw the movie. I have had dreams of things i was going to do the next day, the night before. Somehow or another my dreams relate to events around me. I think i have had dreams relating to past dreams that i have had.

So if i kinda relate that to your ordeal, maybe you have been watching too many horror movies? Maybe something is going on around you "in life" that's haunting you in your dreams? Maybe your past dreams are forming your current and future dreams? Maybe you are falling asleep "afraid" knowing/thinking that you are going to get a bad dream? Maybe...?

Try going to sleep on a positive note, turn on the TV and fall asleep to some kind of poppy/happy TV show instead of Art Bell. You dont want to fall asleep on a negative note, because you are already cursing your self. You want to sleep on a positive note, and "forget" about the dream you had the night before.

Are your nightmares also bad like when you have a few drinks and then pass out?

quote:
Originally posted by Electrophile
Anyone else able to do this while they sleep?

I used to do that for school, i haven't recently but i did do that and i noticed the more i did it the more i kind of got better at it. But then i had to put college on hold and work full time so i kinda left that behind....

Posted by R!CH on Dec-20-2008 06:34:

let me preface by saying i rarely ever have nightmares and am not an expert on this, but i don't think your nightmares are a result of your lifestyle or habits. i think there is a subconscious issue at hand that needs resolution. have you sought to interpret meaning from your nightmares? are they the same every time or are they distinctive? is there a recurring theme? are you an observer in them or do you have control? usually the nightmare contains clues as to its source in your life. you might not have much stress in your day to day life, but a nightmare is often about something traumatic or unresolved in your personal/interpersonal life. it might be something you've repressed or blown off long ago coming back to seek closure. it could have lain dormant for a time and been triggered by a recent stressor in your life. are you generally a superstitious or fearful person? and when you had a concussion, how severe was the brain swelling and where was it? if the swelling damaged your amygdala/frontal limbic system, there could be a connection...

Posted by TSG on Dec-20-2008 06:39:

Posted by shuni on Dec-20-2008 10:47:

quote:
Originally posted by KarenLuvs2Party
I pretended to play dead but then they still came back and found that I was alive.

jajajajajajja

Posted by Direct on Dec-20-2008 16:27:

I never have nightmares. All my dreams are filled with cotton candy and unicorn ass.

Posted by Lomeli on Dec-20-2008 18:12:

Is there a pattern to your nightmares, Julia? Or are they always different scenarios with the same level of fear?

-edit-
Rich nailed it.

Posted by Lomeli on Dec-20-2008 18:16:

The only times I WON'T remember my dreams is if I had smoked weed right before going to bed.

When I do remember my dreams, most of the time they are lucid, meaning I can control them. I can either "stand back" and witness the dream as the events unfold right in front of me, knowing that I'm only dreaming, or I can actually take part in the dream and manipulate it however I want. I've been able to do this since I was about 7-8 years old, so I'm pretty good at it.

Posted by djjoshuaallen on Dec-20-2008 23:53:

quote:
Originally posted by Electrophile
I never have nightmares either. I am almost always self aware in my dreams too. It is like living my fantasy life, any woman I want, any place I want to be, driving what I want etc etc. I can wake myself up if I want to by just yelling WAKE UP in my dream.

I can also process data in my head while I sleep, for example, I will put on an episode of "The Universe" and fall asleep half way in. I then wake up the next morning knowing how far it is to the Andromeda galaxy and how that distance is found using Hubble's law. I first discovered my ability to do this a few years ago when I fell asleep during a documentary on Nikola Tesla and was able to produce facts and trivia on about Tesla without ever studying his life. Now I do this almost every night and my scientific knowledge has grown exponentially.

Anyone else able to do this while they sleep?

do you want a nomination for the pulitzer prize or something?

Posted by mar46017 on Dec-21-2008 00:10:

quote:
Originally posted by Miss Julia

I'm not on any medication.

There's your problem. Try Xanax for your anxiety. It'll make you not give a f*** about anything and it'll also help you sleep throughout the night. (might have a problem getting up though)

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor. You should consult with your help care professional before taking any type of substance.

Posted by stefanoc on Dec-21-2008 00:21:

quote:
Originally posted by Miss Julia
I know you guys will think I'm crazy, but I have to share what's been going on with me....

I have intense, disturbing, visual, vivid dreams/nightmares practically every night. I even have nightmares when I lay down to take short naps. In my nightmares, I can see colors, remember faces, conversations, names, numbers, details, textures... I can hear sounds, music, peoples voices, and sometimes even smell. I'll wake up a couple times a night (depending on how bad the nightmare was), and sometimes my heart is pounding out of fear, and I'm sweating. Sometimes when I wake up from a nightmare, I'll be thinking, "Holy shit, did that just happen"???? And I'll want to go online to google it or check my email to see if what I just dreamed happened or if it was just my imagination. I also have sleep paralysis maybe once or twice a year (I haven't had that in a little over a year though... and I hope I don't have to go through it ever again).

Here is some background info about me...

1. I've been having vivid dreams since I can remember, but I don't remember having them every night like I do now.
2. I had a concussion when i was 12 years old, in a coma for a couple days (maybe this causes nightmares?)
3. My first intense sleep paralysis experience was when I was around 20 years old. I remember having it a couple times before that, but not as intense as this one.
4. My nightmares have become unbearable within the last 2 years.
5. When I finally get out of bed in the morning, I feel like I didn't get a good nights rest, and sometimes the dream is so disturbing, that I'll be in an upset mood in the morning.
6. I'm always tired through out the day, and always want to sleep early.

I told all this to my doctor recently, so he had me take an MRI brain scan. He said my results looked a little "different", so he got an opinion from a 2nd doctor. The 2nd doctor said he noticed some brain shrinkage (aka early signs of Schizophrenia and Alzheimer's). The 3rd doctor said my brain is ok, and there is nothing to worry about. So in conclusion, my doctor said my brain is "ok". Well, I guess I'll trust my doctors opinion. (I did some research, and brain shrinkage starts showing when you're about 60 years old, and can be caused by drinking alcohol or being a vegetarian. I'm only 27, I don't drink alcohol often, and I'm not a vegetarian).

So then, my doctor had me take a sleep study at the hospital (this was a few weeks ago). Basically, they check your heart rate, breathing patterns, and they video tape you while you're sleeping. The nurse called me a couple weeks saying I have a little sleep apnea, but in general, my results came out "normal". I asked her there MUST be something my doctor can do... perhaps another sleep study that specializes in brain activity when you're asleep? She said she would ask the doctor and call me back, but she hasn't followed up with me since. (go figures... the medical insurance system these days)

I can't imagine having more stress in my life than the average person... so I don't think nightmares are directly related to stress. I don't know why I have nightmares. I just bought a Tempurpedic pillow top for my mattress, and a humidifier for my bedroom, hoping these two things would help, but I've still been having nightmares.

I'm not on any medication. I don't usually eat food late. I don't drink. I work out moderately a few hours before sleep. I usually relax before sleeping... either by watching TV or reading a book or magazine. What can be the cause for my intense nightmares? What can I do to stop them? I wish my brain would just shut off at night.

i've died many times in my dreams and had many horrible dreams. when i die in my dreams i always ask myself "no way, this isn't possible. let me try to wake myself up" and i wake myself up just to make sure. when i wake up, my heart is pounding, sweating... but i cannot say i had them as excessively as you have. i am not a psychologists but first thing i wonder is if you are going through a challenging/tough times in your life now (aside from your nightmare problem).
another thing i suggest to you, although i am not too certain of, is to get yourself checked by universities. for example i know UC Irvine has great psychology program and a great research team. maybe going to them for help will be beneficial (i am not sure if they will be helpful but i don't know why they wouldn't help because they are always trying to learn and come up with new research). i know someone who graduated with psychology major from irvine a while back i can ask him if the school accepts "walk ins". pm me if interested.

Posted by allan77 on Dec-21-2008 00:27:

One word... Shrink

Posted by R!CH on Dec-21-2008 00:52:

i was curious about this and did some research on it. it sounds like you have what's called nightmare disorder. some successful treatments include meditation, yoga, counseling, psychotherapy, systematic desensitization, benzodiazapines (diazepam), and benadryl elixir (diphenhydramine). it's said that as you get older, the disorder responds better to treatment and subsides.

here's some links...

http://www.psychnet-uk.com/dsm_iv/n...re_disorder.htm
http://www.minddisorders.com/Kau-Nu...e-disorder.html
http://www.sleepeducation.com/Disorder.aspx?id=37
http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx48.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightmare_disorder

hope this helps!

Posted by 72hrpartyanimal on Dec-21-2008 02:00:

Julia. I think your stressed out.

seriously though.

It's tough times that we're in. And we're not kids anymore. the world is a tough place to live in. There's a lot of bullshit on our minds. I know I'm a tad bit stressed out. Feel bad that you can't take comfort in the most comforting thing for all of us (sleep).

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