Sleeping suggestions & Nightmares

[EmzOLV]

Okay, so for the past month I've noticed I'm beginning to lose more and more sleep. It started off with going to bed a bit later, getting up for 8am (I have work y'see). This was fine. What was a little reduction, say one or two hours?

Anyway, it seems to be getting progressively worse. It started with going to bed at midnight or 1am, then it went to about 2am about a fortnight ago, now I'm completely awake at 4am. I still have to get up at 8am, I still have work, but I'm losing sleep.

I was hoping maybe as there may be other insomniacs out there, that they may have some relevant and good ideas to help me sleep.

For the record, I don't eat past 8pm at the latest, I don't drink caffeinated products in the evening either (I've been reducing it because of this horrible nightmare I had about my teeth...) and I don't tend to do too much exciting things - I'll have an hour maybe reading, or chilling out after playing games or watching movies. That doesn't really work so I watch movies and sometimes I fall asleep but that's not working lately either. I haven't watched any horror film in over 2 months, and so on.

The second part to this is that when I finally do get to sleep, I've having the most bizarre nightmares. I have them every time I manage to snooze. The last one, last night, I was in this warehouse filled with cages with 6 other people. I was told I had to find these certain levers to get out of the warehouse, and to free the people I was with. I ran around like a maniac, and finally got out, turned around and noticed noone was following. Went back in and half of them have been decapitated, and the few that are left are cornered, so I run over suddenly with this razor wire in my hands and strangle the guy cornering them.

I wake up, I'm slightly freaked out. But then, this seems to be a recurring theme. Because the week before, I had a dream about being at a concern with my favourite band and then suddenly some guy has been beaten in the head with this baseball bat and I'm the only person who can provide first aid.

So, in two parts:

1) How on earth can I somehow get my body to start sleeping normally again, instead of feeling shattered on 3/4 hours of sleep? Any recommendation appreciated
2) What on earth is causing these nightmares?! Does anyone else get them so randomly?

Thanks in advance

 

[sms_117b]

Just go to bed and stay there, it's boring as hell, maybe put something on a quiet continuous loop that you can watch from bed so it gets boring.

As for the nightmares, I'm not sure, so can't offer up anything clever.

 

[Serenegoose]

I can only really sympathise, I'm afraid. My sleep pattern is so messed up that I woke up today at 1am, and most nights I have pretty bad nightmares. I don't have a solution for either, I'm sorry.

 

[RocksW]

Perhaps just go to bed at 10 every evening? It sucks if you're working all day though and have no time to relax... You could try drink some alchohol before bed maybe? Apart from that im not sure. perhaps you could see a doctor before it gets out of hand

 

[kouriichi]

It happens to the best of us. You wanna sleep, but you cant. And then it slowly devolves into you sleeping from 11am to 6 in the afternoon.

Try some sleeping pills. If you have a job you can easly afford them.

 

[Hosker]

Go to bed at what time you think is best everyday, don't even think about whether you're tired or not.

As for nightmares, I don't have a clue. They will probably go by themselves eventually.

 

[Rusty Bucket]

Get yourself some pills. Nothing that'll knock you out, just some of the ones you can buy over the counter. I use Kalms, they work pretty well.

For this sort of thing, you just really need a night or two to break the cycle.

 

[DJDarque]

2) What on earth is causing these nightmares?! Does anyone else get them so randomly?

Thanks in advance

When I was in my Psychology class, during the lectures on sleep, the professor mentioned that nightmares have been shown to be more prominent and occur more frequently when you're not getting a decent amount of REM sleep.

Don't know if it's true, but it made sense then and it makes sense now.

Maybe fixing the sleeping problem will help with the nightmares.

 

[EmzOLV]

Thanks guys - this does help, although it looks like I'm going to be stuck for a little while. Sleeping pills sound like they'd help, but I'll see how long I can physically last before giving in, as I'm not a huge fan of taking tablets.

When I was in my Psychology class, during the lectures on sleep, the professor mentioned that nightmares have been shown to be more prominent and occur more frequently when you're not getting a decent amount of REM sleep.

Don't know if it's true, but it made sense then and it makes sense now.

Maybe fixing the sleeping problem will help with the nightmares.

That sounds pretty reasonable - maybe if I manage to get to sleep I will stop having such bizarre nightmares!

I'll see how it goes tonight, I feel like I could very easily fall asleep at work, especially as this is temporary and so very mundane typing work.

I appreciate all the responses and help x

 

[BlackJack47]

Nightmares have a general source from your own well being. From your dream it sounds like you may be stressed or have some pent up anger from such vividly agressive dreams (totally natural) and the saving people sounds like you have a personal inadequecie that only you can see. Try and work out what that may be and the nightmares will stop...maybe your stressed about your sleep pattern and fear you cant do anything productive in your day.

 

[Davey Woo]

Read a book or something.

Also, try to do something before going to sleep that doesn't involve freaky/gory stuff. Whether that be films or games or books. That might help with the nightmares.

I often find that a lot of what I was doing before I went to bed works its way into my dreams.

 

[Lawnmooer]

When I struggle to get to sleep I generally drink a large quantity of caffiene and watch some non-stimulating TV until I crash.

I then can easily get to sleep during the crash after the caffeine, it can help to get to sleep for a short while, but it's better in the long run to not drink any at all.

Also nightmares can be caused by you having things on your mind such as worrying about your lack of sleep.

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

Excercise more during the day and avoid screens and other similar electrical products after six PM.
At least, that's what I keep being told. Doesn't mean shit. I still can never sleep.

My advice? Get some fucking sleeping pills.
The only reason I have not is because doctors ***** at me about how addictive they are.
I do not give a fuck how addictive they are, idiot doctors, I just want to fucking sleep.

 

[EmzOLV]

Nightmares have a general source from your own well being. From your dream it sounds like you may be stressed or have some pent up anger from such vividly agressive dreams (totally natural) and the saving people sounds like you have a personal inadequecie that only you can see. Try and work out what that may be and the nightmares will stop...maybe your stressed about your sleep pattern and fear you cant do anything productive in your day.

Interesting... could be! But I'm at a bit of a blank at the moment, nothing has really happened that's out of place, I'm aware of my insecurities which I've lived with for however long, and I just can't seem to pick it out the air. But it could be! Can't discount it will have a think!

Also, try to do something before going to sleep that doesn't involve freaky/gory stuff. Whether that be films or games or books. That might help with the nightmares.

Not watched or played anything horror related in months... I tried the reading front, went through a few books, learnt some new stuff, but still couldn't sleep or drift off.

My advice? Get some fucking sleeping pills.
The only reason I have not is because doctors ***** at me about how addictive they are.
I do not give a fuck how addictive they are, idiot doctors, I just want to fucking sleep.

HAHA! Well, I'm just not a fan of taking tablets. But it's a little more reassuring to see someone just as aggravated by lack of sleep!

 

[CCountZero]

How on earth can I somehow get my body to start sleeping normally again, instead of feeling shattered on 3/4 hours of sleep?

Sounds to me like some sleep hormones might work.

I regularly use Melatonin pills myself, due to a side-effect of Aspergers.

I've heard of people using it to combat jet lag and such as well.

Basicly, it makes you sleepy. It doesn't force you to sleep like a knock-out type sleeping pill, but if you just lie down, relax and clear your head, it does the trick.

It won't do a thing about your nightmares though.

I'd suggest you get a hold of your doctor though. Surely he'll be able to tell you more about Melatonin, and he'd probably have his own suggestions about how to handle it.

And in any case, Melatonin is a prescription drug in most of Europe, and as with all other drugs there's probably a list of things you can't combine it with, so to the Doctor I'd go

 

[EmzOLV]

Snip!

Hmmm are they really huge tablets though? I'm a massive wuss obviously.
I'll look into it. Quite a few people have mentioned visiting my doctor so it's something I will take into account. Cheers

 

[FallenJellyDoughnut]

I have insomnia but my mother won't let me take anything for it so sleep is a thing of the day for me.

 

[brunothepig]

Sleeping pills? I dunno, I'm the same but I can usually count on falling asleep after midnight. So no real harm, just tired for school.
As for the nightmares, I'm no help, because I enjoy having nightmares as much as normal dreams. They're like horror movies in your mind! And they can be fun if you're kinda lucid (where you can control your actions) You can make the good choices!
Though if you don't think they're fun they're probably rooted in some subconscious cause.

 

[Limie]

Do things that don't take a lot of brain power for an hour before sleeping. Video games are great but are a bit overstimulating just before going to sleep. Other that that just try going to sleep at 9/10pm, as said above. You may not get to sleep for a couple of hours but you're still getting more than usual. It gets easier the more you do it and the first few nights can be a pain. Try to make sure you keep to a routine. If it doesn't improve, gets worse or starts to really affect your work then see a doctor.

 

[Knusper]

I recommend two things:
1) Watch Fight Club - it kind of gives you a great way to get to sleep
2) But seriously, I found that when I go to my Explorer Scout Group on Thursday evenings and I get back at around 10, I sleep like a baby instantly, whereas on other nights, I do struggle to get to sleep before midnight. I put it down to the fact that I am fatigued when I get back owing to the fact that I have cadets before that and then Explorers is really shattering - I don't even get back home from school until after Explorers.

So my advice is after work, go on a hardcore run and do some circuits at least 3 days per week, and then leave an hour to rest before going to sleep.