Nightmares waking me up

DoveAlexa

DoveAlexa

Chaz's Lovey Bunny
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MBTI
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In the past week, including tonight as I tried to go to sleep, I've had 3 nights where I've been woken up by a nightmare that was so scary I couldn't get back to sleep. I can't recall the last time in my life that this has happened, but if it did it'd have to have been my early to mid childhood.

I'll admit, I've been reading HP Lovecraft every night, but the stories are as tame as you'd expect from the 1920's, and I started reading them at least a month ago. I read them because their prose are so laborious it puts me to sleep, but doesn't scare me in the least. Hell half the time I read 3 pages and pass out. So while this might not be helping, it can't be the source.

The first time I was being attacked by Slenderman (well, stalked then grabbed and trying to be pulled towards him, but Chaz was on the other end pulling me back when I woke up). Second time it was classic aliens, like the big heads and big black eyes type, I don't remember much of it though. This time it was some silent-hill/resident evil type monster that even looked all polygon'd like in a 1998 made game. Short human-ish thing with huge clawed arms and all grey and ghoulish looking.

So what causes monster dreams, and why in the past week have I been having so many? Its making working hard since I'm not sleeping well (never did, but now its way worse) and I'm generally fearful and irritated like I have frayed nerves all day after. I really want this to stop but naturally, I need the source...

Any help would be appreciated... I might try sleeping again soon so I may or may not reply much this night.
 
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you can achieve lucidity (may require practice)

once aware of your dream state, you may face your monster

instead of running or carrying on with the normal dream script, make a conscious effort to face what ever is bothering you, and give it love

give the monster a gift

or simply stand up to it and stare it down

it might be frightening, but you know it's only a dream

so give that a shot
 
myself said:
you can achieve lucidity (may require practice)

once aware of your dream state, you may face your monster

instead of running or carrying on with the normal dream script, make a conscious effort to face what ever is bothering you, and give it love

give the monster a gift

or simply stand up to it and stare it down

it might be frightening, but you know it's only a dream

so give that a shot
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Decided not to post, sorry for the inconvenience.
 
DoveAlexa said:
I'll admit, I've been reading HP Lovecraft every night, but the stories are as tame as you'd expect from the 1920's, and I started reading them at least a month ago. I read them because their prose are so laborious it puts me to sleep, but doesn't scare me in the least. Hell half the time I read 3 pages and pass out. So while this might not be helping, it can't be the source.
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It can. When you read, you create neural connections. Dreams help us dump unnecessary neural connections. Even if you have a conscious filter that this stuff doesn't scare you while you're awake, in your dream state, you don't have this conscious filter up. And you suspend disbelief better while dreaming because you think it's all real. So while your unconscious is taking a (neural) dump, it can evoke feelings of horror.

Try reading benign children's books instead.

Although, learning how to take control of your horrifying dreams should be fun too.
 
Well i love scary dreams. Even properly scary crapping the bed nightmares.

I don't know what it is. I just love it. I often eat lots of cheese before bed so I'll dream

And what crystal said is right. It could well be the scary books that are doing it. Your dreams play out expectations that aren't realised during the day so reading something like that could definately give you nightmares
 
Poetic Justice said:
Well i love scary dreams. Even properly scary crapping the bed nightmares.

I don't know what it is. I just love it. I often eat lots of cheese before bed so I'll dream

And what crystal said is right. It could well be the scary books that are doing it. Your dreams play out expectations that aren't realised during the day so reading something like that could definately give you nightmares
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o_o wow okay, didn't know cheese at bedtime did that to people, thats a tidbit I'm glad I found XD

Yeah, I didn't read the scaries last night, and I slept okay. Going to read boring gaming texts to get to sleep now.
 
Almost all of my dreams would be what others would consider nightmares. I don't often have dreams where there are monsters involved, but every time a monster (either a beast or a person) enters my dream, I end up strangling it to death or slitting it's throat. Most often I end up backed in a corner by these things and have no choice by to defend myself. I've lost a few times and have been murdered in my own dreams...

I got to a point where I was able to go back to sleep after a dream such as this has woken me up. Usually I have to make an effort to open my eyes, take a second and ground myself, and then I have to change into a completely new sleeping position. Otherwise it's too easy for me to slip back into the dream.

Over the years I've had a stronger presence in my own dream and in particularly stressful ones have been able to control them somewhat. I can peripherally sense danger cropping up in dreams and am able to "foretell" what he danger is that my mind is conjuring up and then can change the setting or events to prevent it from happening.

If these nightmares are new to you it may take some time for you to take control of them. I don't know if there's much you can do while conscious to prevent these dreams... I've never really tried to prevent mine. I just go to sleep and kind of hope for the best.
 
Most of my dreams are nightmares too Sandra :P

I like having nightmares though, I am attracted to scary stuff, I had one the other night of some sort of biological jellyfish substance that someone was creating and slipping into the food supply and it would slowly consume people from the inside out and then act much like the "blob". Go around consuming more and more people, except every person it consumed it inherited their personalities and memories so it was also like a gigantic borg. It was hella scary but in some way, I wanted to give myself up to it and join the dead who were now all one inside of the thing.
 
sandra_b said:
Almost all of my dreams would be what others would consider nightmares. I don't often have dreams where there are monsters involved, but every time a monster (either a beast or a person) enters my dream, I end up strangling it to death or slitting it's throat. Most often I end up backed in a corner by these things and have no choice by to defend myself. I've lost a few times and have been murdered in my own dreams...

I got to a point where I was able to go back to sleep after a dream such as this has woken me up. Usually I have to make an effort to open my eyes, take a second and ground myself, and then I have to change into a completely new sleeping position. Otherwise it's too easy for me to slip back into the dream.

Over the years I've had a stronger presence in my own dream and in particularly stressful ones have been able to control them somewhat. I can peripherally sense danger cropping up in dreams and am able to "foretell" what he danger is that my mind is conjuring up and then can change the setting or events to prevent it from happening.

If these nightmares are new to you it may take some time for you to take control of them. I don't know if there's much you can do while conscious to prevent these dreams... I've never really tried to prevent mine. I just go to sleep and kind of hope for the best.
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Well, since this is a very new occurrence, I'm willing to bank they'll go away. I am often lucid in dreams but the difference it makes isn't much, I've still gone through a scary experience. Fighting the monster won't make me less scared.
 
Billy said:
Most of my dreams are nightmares too Sandra :P

I like having nightmares though, I am attracted to scary stuff, I had one the other night of some sort of biological jellyfish substance that someone was creating and slipping into the food supply and it would slowly consume people from the inside out and then act much like the "blob". Go around consuming more and more people, except every person it consumed it inherited their personalities and memories so it was also like a gigantic borg. It was hella scary but in some way, I wanted to give myself up to it and join the dead who were now all one inside of the thing.
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Note to self:
Bring garlic if ever meet billy
 
im a side sleeper for the most part, usually my left side. lately i blew up an air matress and put it on top of my other bed (dunno why, seemed like a good idea at the time). well its more comfortable to sleep on my right side on the air matress and i have actually been having nightmares since i've made the switch.

this also happened in my childhood though the direction was reversed, whenever i slept on my left side i actually had the same scary dream that woke me up (involving a witch) so if you've been sleeping in different positions this may have something to do with it too.
 
bagelriffic said:
im a side sleeper for the most part, usually my left side. lately i blew up an air matress and put it on top of my other bed (dunno why, seemed like a good idea at the time). well its more comfortable to sleep on my right side on the air matress and i have actually been having nightmares since i've made the switch.

this also happened in my childhood though the direction was reversed, whenever i slept on my left side i actually had the same scary dream that woke me up (involving a witch) so if you've been sleeping in different positions this may have something to do with it too.
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I toss around a lot before finally getting to sleep, so my sides I sleep on are unknown to me. Its likely evenly both.
 
bagelriffic said:
im a side sleeper for the most part, usually my left side. lately i blew up an air matress and put it on top of my other bed (dunno why, seemed like a good idea at the time). well its more comfortable to sleep on my right side on the air matress and i have actually been having nightmares since i've made the switch.

this also happened in my childhood though the direction was reversed, whenever i slept on my left side i actually had the same scary dream that woke me up (involving a witch) so if you've been sleeping in different positions this may have something to do with it too.
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Ooh this reminds me. I have MUCH more vivid dreams if i sleep on my back so this could definately be a factor.

I guess everyone is different though so you may have to experiment with different positions..... calm yourself. No rudeness intended ;)
 
Better yet, try to train yourself to make the dreams become lucid. If you can accomplish that, then you'll be able to repel anything in the dream (i.e. through giving yourself magic powers, weapons, etc).
 
I've been able to fly, I'm usually more interested in getting away once I'm lucid.
 
Hrm, there are two possibilities.

One, create your own safeguard.

Or two, play along. I, for example, adhere to that realities laws. If it's a zombie dream I run, chop, save innocents and lock doors. A madman or psychopath , I fight tooth and claw.

Often I amuse myself for only so long, then I become suicidal. I offer myself up to the horde with a smile, impale myself (once on a tree branch, horrible feeling) or jump from a height to end the dream fear.
 
Melkor said:
Hrm, there are two possibilities.

One, create your own safeguard.

Or two, play along. I, for example, adhere to that realities laws. If it's a zombie dream I run, chop, save innocents and lock doors. A madman or psychopath , I fight tooth and claw.

Often I amuse myself for only so long, then I become suicidal. I offer myself up to the horde with a smile, impale myself (once on a tree branch, horrible feeling) or jump from a height to end the dream fear.
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Jesus you're morbid.
 
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