Nightmares

[[Luna]]

Nightmares have always been something I struggle with but recently they have been a lot worse and now I'm scared t go to sleep. I seem to wake up more exhausted than when I went to bed.

Does anyone have any experience or tips with dealing with nightmares.
I'm kind of getting to the end of my rope with it.

[Rilic]

I have lights on all night.
Sometimes I play a movie I know well and enjoy on repeat, I can sort of fall asleep to it, and the sound keeps pulling my dreams to the movie, or it's just comforting.
I can't remember how you learn to do it, but it is possible to be aware that you're dreaming while you sleep, and so if something goes wrong, you can wake yourself up. I know it doesn't help much feeling tired, but it does help feeling okay to actually close your eyes. Lucid dreaming, i think it's called. You can have awareness and control what you dream of/where the dreams goes.

[Rilic]

Another things that I think would make some people feel very tired, but I'm okay with it, but that might be because I've used this for over a decade, set an alarm every 10, 15, 20, or 30 etc.. minutes. It'll keep waking you up. It's sounds annoying, but it stops you getting stuck in a bad dream where terrible things are happening.
It backfires a little if you're like me and take forever to fall back to sleep, but i'd rather that than be stuck in a nightmare and then not want to sleep again for the next week.

[Amaranth]

I also find keeping a light on and having the TV or a film on low in the background helps. When the nightmares were bad I found it much easier to sleep during the day than at night so I got an app on my phone that has different sounds on loop and played the daytime sounding ones (like birdsong and people talking) so I could try to pretend it was daytime at night.
I also used essential oils - I found a couple I liked the smell of and would use them during the day when I felt safe and fairly happy. Once i'd been doing that for a little while I put them on a tissue by my pillow so I associated the smell with feeling safe.

[Wonderland.]

Some really fab points have already been mentioned.

I find for me there are several important things that help.

- Making sure my bedroom feels a safe place to be.
For this I mean making it cosy and snuggly. Having soft toys in bed with you if that helps, I do. Making sure it's not too hot or too cold. Have a nightlight in there if it helps. Basically anything that helps make you feel more secure in there and makes you want to be in there at night.

- Being as relaxed as I can before bed.
Obviously this can be a really tough one at times. But we can try and do things to help with it. I have use pillow mist spray from avon that has chamomile &
lavender in. I find it relaxing and it actually helps lessen my bruxism (teeth grinding). My friend actually gave it to me to try and help me relax before sleep.
I also sometimes do a bedtime yoga routine that you can do in bed. There are lots of vids on youtube and the one I use is one on there. It's only about 15 minutes. But again is relaxing, and just helps me focus on something other than my anxiety about sleeping.

The other major thing that helped me was talking to my CC about my nightmares and beginning to understand them. Now I see them as an just and expression of my mind they have a lot less power over me. That doesn't mean to say they have gone away, as I still get them multiple times a week, they just don't have the same hold over me that they used to.

[Rilic]

I like asmr sometimes too, and the thing to note is there are a lot of sounds, and some may not work for you. It can take a while to find something that really relaxes you, but it can be worth it.
And binaural beats, too.

[Cpt_Stunning]

I have terrifying nightmares, like where I'm being flung around my bedroom, & I shout myself awake.

Nightmares can't harm us, I doubt whether anyone's ever died from a nightmare, but it is true that it can affect you the next day, ie. feeling exhausted.

& they are unpredictable

I'm not sure what to say, maybe just intense rational & positive thinking before going to sleep, shouting in your mind 'no nightmares tonight'

[Arienette]

My old clinical psychologist told me about behaviour change during sleep. I don't know the proper terms for it.

So when I wake up I had comfort materials like I have a throw on my bed that is my absolute most soothing texture. When I'd wake I'd self soothe by pulling it up to my face and scrunching it in my hands. She said with practice over time this would become an automatic response even during sleep and would hopefully stop them from waking me up or affecting me so much.

It has helped. I don't wake up as much from them now and often find my whole head wrapped in this blanket. It's also quite adult looking so it's not childish.

I do also have my big bear which is a big teddy that when I am having a rough time with sleep and in general I recruit him again until I'm slightly better. That also helps because he is a similarly soft texture that I really like.

I don't know what you'd have to google search to find out the science or actual techniques. I just tried what she said because we only had like 3 sessions left when we started that work so I had to just run with what she said in those last few sessions.

X

[Bellatrix]

I have less nightmares nowadays because i changed my sleeping environment and said, "This is my new bedroom where i am in control because it is mine".

I put a diffuser in that humidifiers the air and release it an a capital. I add oils to make it smell nice.

I changed the sheets and through the ones that reminded me of the nightmares out. I changed anything that reminded me of having nightmares.

When i went to bed i kept repeating 'i will not have bad dreams tonight's until i feel asleep.

Changing your environment to something new then claiming ownership of that space and what goes on there is empowering.

Don't know if that will be helpful for you

[Cpt_Stunning]

You have just made a very good point Bellatrix, the quality of air is important.