I'd like to have one good night's sleep--Is there some way to avoid nightmares? Any good ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
130735
No one can avoid having nightmares as everyone has them occassionally.  Especially during times of stress.  \n\nNightmares are actually a very healthy way of detoxing your system of stress not dealt with during the daytime waking hours.\n\nYou can learn to view them differently and you can learn to control your dreams.  \n\nEach night, about a half hour before you close your eyes to sleep..map out what you want to dream about.  Tell yourself over and over that you are in control of your dreams and anything you want, you can have.  Sometimes it helps to have some paper and colored pencils and to just doodle out your dreams or a landscape or something.  If you don't like drawing, find some pictures in magazines and make yourself some dream boards.  Concentrate on a board before you go to sleep and then practice controlling the events in your dreams.\n\nYou practice by allowing yourself to create your dreamworld - before you actually fall asleep.  This is the time when you first close your eyes til you actually can't remember dozing off.  If you remember any of your nightmares, start with them and recreate the scenario only this time...you are in control of what happens.\n\nOnce you understand that a nightmare is just a way of releasing stress, and that you are in control of your sleeptime world...they aren't very scary.  You can get to a point of actually enjoying the chase, or of controlling the fall by being caught in a floating bubble...enjoy the landscape around you...whatever your nightmares consist of.  If you are having a nightmare about harm being done to you, change the face of the one causing harm to the face of a friend or loved one playing a joke on you.  You can do this, it's your dream.\n\nRelax as much as you can before laying down.  Drink a warm, creamy drink right before bedtime, like warm cocoa with extra milk.  Don't eat a few hours before bed.  Take the last hour or so before laying down for quiet time, read a bit or do your dream board, center yourself so that you are able to enjoy the world of your choice when you close your eyes.\n\nSleep well...
358483
I don't like to be the serious kind of bloke here, but anyway:\n\nBasicly we need to sleep to recover from our daily life. Simple isn't it? But it gets a little more complicated than that.\nSleeping also makes you remember things: try the following. Learn something by heart and get as little sleep as possible. You won't remember it ( or not competely ) Now do the same thing but have a good sleep. You should have remembered it this time.\n\nWhile you're asleep, you' re growing. Measure yourself in the evening and in the morning. There should be a difference.\n\nWhile you're asleep, you loose muscle, wich you rebuild during the day. \n\nSleep is often accompanied by dreaming. If we would never dream, we'd all die of a mental breakdown ( basicly commit suicide ) within 5 years. Dreaming helps us to deal with the psychological aspects of life. \n\nIf you're interested in more of this kind of "serious explaining" let me know, and I'll answer some more.\n\nP.
230148
Please call your doctor tomorrow and tell the person who answers the phone that prozac gives you nightmares.\n\nDO NOT JUST SUFFER THROUGH THIS.  Take action.  Please.
144957
Just set your alarm for 5 a.m. and then make sure to go to bed early :) (And don't drink caffeine before bed)
101393
sleep on your side...have pillows that makes you comfortable sleeping...don't eat when your about to go to sleep, say 30mins-1 hrs...stop smoking or lessen your smoking habit as well as drinking...
665812
from my experience with bad dreams it  has been evident that what a person  doesn't allow oneself to think about during the day plays out in ones mind at night. \n\nmy analysis of your nightmare:\n\nthe ventilating i have no analysis for. the the fact that being in the sun all day have made quite a number of people die for ventilating and being dehydrated. although i sincerely believe that you will not suffer such a gruesome fate. i would for all safe measure of course keep some from or hydrating liquid here the bed at all hours of the night. should you wake up and find yourself sweating beyond human control.\n\nso maybe the things your dreaming about are things you try not to think about when the sun is up. like maybe you brother groping you represents the way some other person has tired to man handle you before and you're just put the thought in the back corner of your mind. and it's finally starting to unwantingly come back to your attention.\n\nperhaps the big bug represents your stomach pain. and how it last so long (representing the size of the bug on the ceiling) and with soon go away (representing the bug disappearing).
325731
You really seem like a kind soul. These days people have become selfish and go-getter with no time to spare a thought for another person and here you are wishing for everyone's dream to come true! Great! Well, I like it best when i have dreams at night (which i have most of the nights). The nights without dreams are like so vacuous. I look forward to sleeping at night so that i can see a new dream. For me dream world has much more charm than the real one.
609973
I'm only 12 years away, is that close enough?\n\nTo thine own self be true.\n\nFollow your dreams until they become nightmares. At which time, you should wake up and face reality for as long as it takes until you can once again pursue your dreams.\n\nIntentionally cause no malicious harm.\n\nNever tell others how to live their own lives.\n\nThe importance of most things is inversely proportional to the availability of those things.\n\nDisappointment = result/expectation\n\nAnd, don't spit into the wind.
229223
Be grateful that you laugh in your sleep.  It is very healthy for you.  Some people cry or scream in their sleep.\nI'll bet you have a great sense of humor.
177730
have you been watching nightmare on elm street? seriously heres what to do buy some lavender oil from the health shop sprinkle it on your pillow drink some warm milk (if u like put a tiny drop of whisky in it) take a warm (not hot )bath then get someone u really trust to sit with you as you drift off whenever i get freaked i make my partner go downstairs and make friendly noises like walking around watching tv etc etc you will wake up what is happening to you is a form of panic attack all u can do is talk yourself through it believe me it scared me really bad but now i have trained myself to tune in to myself when i feel really bad its hard but you will get through this another good tip is find a radio phone in show and listen to that as you drift off or try talking books hope this helps thinking of you rachael X
154122
well I don't know what to tell you but I feel your pain, if I don't set an alarm I can sleep all day and the only way I wake up is if I have to use the bathroom, hey that gives me an idea, before you go to bed drink a ltr of water!  \nI could ask a doc about this though, probably can help you more then a bunch of morons on the net lol
413990
Your question is how come it is hard to go to sleep and stay asleep? You then state that you go to bed at 11pm. and have to wake up at 8am. I'm not quite sure what you are exactly asking?! If you mean You try to go to bed at 11pm, but you are still unable to fall asleep til' later. And you are waking up all night, so it is hard for you to stay awake after 8am. You may want to try what my Psychiatrist told me to do. That is Stay awake until you are real tired. Meaning; Stay out of the bed, do things around the house, read a book, or watch the television. When you get real tired force your self to stay up for about thirty more minutes then lye down to go to sleep. If you wake up in the middle of the night get out of the bed, don't look at the clock and walk around or watch the television until you are tired again. When it is time for you to get up get right up, don't lye in the bed for ten more minutes or so. Get Right Up! Make your bed and do not go to your room until it is time. Do not take any naps during the day. This doesn't mean that it will completely cure it, but it does work! You will find that every so often you will still have problem come back, but you just do the routine and you stick with it! You will never have a problem with gettong up on time though. I can tell you that!!
657271
Hey Crazy Frog,\n\nPerhaps the best way would be to go to your faith and ask God to protect you from such thoughts.  Whether or not you are a Christian, the Bible really provides you with some excellent solutions to problems. As you know, thinking about something before you sleep really influences the quality of sleep.  For example, if you were to watch a horror movie late at night, you wouldn't be able to sleep well.  The Bible says that in order to stay pure, (or keep our mind off somethings that we don't want to think about) we should fill our mind with something else, that is pure, righteous or something that is totally opposite from ghosts.  \n\nLet me illustrate this:\n\nIf I were to ask you to stop thinking about pink elephants, what would you think about? \n\nTherefore, the solution is not about STOP the thinking, but to think about something else.  Also, try to read a book that can give you comfort or try going to your parents, asking them for help.  Remember, fear is what everyone has.  Acknowledging the fear is courageous.  \n\nCheers,\n\nSmashingly smashing
107246
try reading while your in your bed it works for me every time,good luck and sweet dreams
292738
because your mind is very active during a nightmare, which isn't exactly restful.  when you're in a nightmare, your brain acts pretty much as if it were really happening, which means panic, chemicals going everywhere, your body systems acting up, etc.  not very good for sleep.
613712
I'm so glad you asked this question! I've always done this and I was always too afraid to mention it to anyone. Mine is like a whole different life but it's me. The life continues every night like I'm actually living it. I've had the same "movie" going and progressing for a few months now. When one life gets boring, I create a whole new scenario in my head of an ideal life and fantasize about that life until it gets boring(They usually last months at a time). I use this to fall asleep also. It's the only way I've found calm my mind enough to sleep. Thanks for easing my worries and I hope my and the other's answers help ease your worries. :^)
88609
I had regular nightmares until I was 27 - usually made worse when different areas of my life were causing me stress. \n\nTo stop having a nightmare during the night - try to wake up fully and jot down some things in a notebook you kep beside the bed. \n\nthe things you write don't have to be genius - just write whatever is on your mind. It could be something you need to do at work, an overdue bill or even a few words about what happened in your dream. \n\nJust writing down something can clear your head.\n\nBest of luck