[ALWIN]

Ok, can anybody explain why, when I have not had any trauma, and I do not know of any real problems that might be subconsciously bothering me, I keep getting bouts of insomnia?

I am not talking about when I'm in pain or can't sleep because i took too long a nap during the day, I am talking about insomnia because of bad dreams that wake me up and leave me wondering if i am a mad woman in my sleep.

It's 04.10hrs. I am awake because I had been shopping with my friend and the only way back to where the cars and buses were parked was to jump into a river, swim a bit, then climb out with the aid of waterside attendants, who lifted you to safety and congratulated you on your method of entry into the water (some did backwards flips, some dived in - my friend and I held our noses and jumped). The biggest problem, it seemed, from what i can remember, was not inhaling any fish. And you were eyeball to eyeball with them. and they were really ugly fish.

If you did not jump in soon enough, because what ever we were standing on was moving forwards like a conveyor belt, you could land in the far part of the river which gave you a long swim. Worse still, if you left it really, really too late you could end up jumping into some kind of sewage system.

So my friend and i were chatting so much waiting for our turn to jump, we left it too late and landed in the sewerage. To cut it short, and not give everybody else nightmares, there was mechanical stuff in there as well as crocodiles (which i have deep seated horror of) and we both got chewed up by a mixture of both whilst suffering horribly and covered in the old brown stuff.

Analyse that then!

Yours,

bewildered, perplexed and disconcerted of Lancashire. :worried:

Honestly - seems to me when you have no problems your blinking brain has to dream a few up just to keep you on your toes or something. It really isn't on, you know.

 

[Nutty]

Hi Alwin,

That's certainly not good when our sleep is so important for my health. I'm actually up now at 3:25 am cause I can't sleep either. If I dream, it is usally linked to something during the day which I would say, my mind is in overload. Your's don't appear to be those types of dreams.

Could it be a side effect of one or more of your medications? What are you taking?

Good luck and I hope this passes quickly for you. As mentioned, we need our sleep to stay healthy and heal.

Nutty

 

[RosemaryP]

Nightmares

occur when I am fevering or it is hot as. I do understand about broken sleep though I have shocking bouts of it too, though I have learned over the years, after two nights of bad sleep I take a sleeper on the third night and sometimes the 4th night.

 

[Sage Hen]

Hi Alwin,

I feel for you. Not being able to sleep. I have had insomnia lately, even taking ambien 10 mgs, along with all my other meds.

I agree, it could be a side effect of a med, or combination of meds, causing your nightmares.

It must be awful, waking up to them..I used to have them, about spiders hanging over my face. Your heart races..

Do you wake up screaming? Boy, that is really fun, huh?

Maybe, you could ask your, dr..about your nightmares, and see if he thinks they are related to your meds..or, you could google them. The combination, would be harder to figure out..I think.

I hope, you make up for lost sleep, today with a few naps.

My husband, is snoring away..in the other room. Tomorrow, he will be raring to go! I won't be ready, to climb out of bed till noon, and that is..if I can get to sleep soon..:wink2:

Love,
Sandy

 

[jb1]

Hi Sorry to hear you are having such bad dreams - I can truly sympathize with you - I have nights of awuful ones on a reel - just one after the other - wake up after each one scared to bits - eventually go off to sleep again only for another to take its place - these normally happen for 5 to weven nights in a row - followed by one or two good nights then back to the beginning again. It is horrible especially when the fear stays with you hours afterwards. I wonder do you sufer from fibromayalgia? My rheumy said that my nightmares are probably a sleep complication to do with fibro... and told me if they don't get any better that he will put me on a tiny dose of a special anti depressant... I don't know if any of this will help you - but its a thought - in the meantime wishing you pleasant dreams to replace the nasties

 

[Zoi]

Hey (((((((((Alwin)))))))))) :hugbetter:

I'm sorry to hear you're having nightmares.... They're truly no fun and not at all conducive to getting any rest....

Nightmares have been a problem for me twice so far. The first time was about 4-5 years ago; I'd go to sleep, have a feeling that someone was standing over the bed, see a hooded figure whose features were not visible at all standing next to me, or I'd see a very complicated dream to do with a beheaded body being found at my school that someone I trusted had brutally killed and I'd wake up screaming every single night. They were both reccuring dreams and if one night I didn't see one, I'd see the other... This went on for about 6-7 months (prior to any sort of lupus diagnosis or symptoms) and at the end I went to a psychiatrist, had psychotherapy for about a year and they stopped. It might be worth noting that I was suffering from migraine-like headaches too at the time, that I was later told might have been the first symptom (combined with the continuous nightmares) of either aps or lupus. Whether that's true or not is hard to know now.

The second bout of nightmares came after last September and they are continuing to this day. Their "scenario" varies greatly but the setting is always the same; I'm in hospital for one reason or another and there is no way out; doctors/nurses/murderers are chasing me for tests/procedures/meds and I'm frantically trying to escape, but I fail to find a way out and am trapped etc etc etc. A lot of the time I don't want to let myself fall asleep because of how much they terrify me. As scary as they might be at the time though, I'm convinced they're "situational" if that makes any sense; a kind of response to stress either past or present (and I don't really have much stress now, but have been under my fair share of stress these past couple of years). You said that it's almost as if "when you have no problems your blinking brain has to dream a few up just to keep you on your toes or something"; I think that sometimes when you do have problems you have to focus on them so much to be able to deal with them effectively and fast, that it's only after the problems are gone or solved that the stress and deep anxiety/insecurities etc they caused has a chance to appear... Not always of course, but I do think sometimes that's the case with nigthmares.

I did talk talk about the nightmares with my doc when they first started this time and he said he doesn't think nightmares can really be a part of the disease, but can definitely be a side-effect of certain meds. It does sound like you should discuss this with your doc as he'd be able to tell you more about the possibility of med side-effects and/or the nightmares having anything to do with the disease itself. Maybe also talking about them with a counsellor or psychotherapist would help break them down and understand them, especially if they're not letting you sleep??? :blush:

Sending loads and loads of of positive thoughts your way and keeping my fingers, toes and eyes crossed that you'll be deep in a sound, calm and nigthmare-free sleep before you know it... :fingers: :goodvibes::goodvibes::grouphug2::grhug:

:flowery:

Zoi

 

[LoopyLoo]

((((((Alwin))))))

I don't have any answers I'm afraid but just wanted to send you hugs. :hugbetter:

I've had some very realistic dreams and nightmares since I've been taking Tramadol and they stay with me the whole day. I don't recall you saying that you had started any new meds. If you don't resolve this soon honey it's just going to become the norm for you. Is there nothing underlying that could be stressing you at all?

I hope they stop soon and your eye is feeling better.

Lots'a'luv, :flower2:

Pam xxx

 

[karen.w.]

Hi Alwin

I'm sorry to hear about your sleeping difficulties :sad: I often have the same problem..I experience insomnia for no reason at all and as for nightmares I have them occasionally too (although I usually blame them on a fever or just being overheated)..also at least a couple of times a week I have bizarre dreams that don't make any sense at all I'm not sure what that says about me :hehe: I have always put it down to an overactive imagination

you have already been given good advice alwin so I just want to send you a hug :hug: & I hope you start to sleep better & have no more nightmares!
I do agree with zoi that it might be wise to talk to someone if they continue..as far as I'm aware nightmares can sometimes be things hidden in our subconscious trying to resurface..especially water which represents the emotions & if I remember correctly fish do too..I have a very good dreams interpretation book somewhere but I can't remember where

however alwin it could just be something more simple like your medication or something you may have seen on tv but forgotten about.

Good luck alwin,I wish you better sleep & sweet dreams
love karen x

 

[ALWIN]

Thank you as ever everybody.

I think I'll keep a little note in my diary and record when they happen. Will look at medication and what I am eating too.

I was very bloated when I woke up and had eaten like an absolute pig all day yesterday.

I think, apart from the possible medication link, I am too chicken to mention my dreams to my GP in case he thinks i'm going off my rocker too.

I only take Plaquenil, Aspirin, a beta blocker, the name of which i can never remember, cocodamol and Voltarol (only when I really need to or I have to take the stomach pills i am prescribed too).

Not taking voltarol or stomach things (Omeprazole??) at the moment. Only new stuff was the antibiotic ointment and chloramphenicol in eye.

I am beginning to think there is a food / quantity link.

Emotional link is interesting though, because whilst I do not have any real problems, I was very tired and emotional about sore eye - not being in control / able to see and all that. Perhaps it was a delayed reaction to my mini trauma?

The only other thing i can think of from last night is my husband has infected sinuses ... sorry if too much information, but am wondering if i turned to face his nose in the night ... he kind of smells infected in the nose area right now! Well - it makes sense to me, even if it doesn't explain other times it has happened. Mind you , he does some fine trumpers after the pub in the night ... will check to see if bad dreams coincide!

I am sure a sleep diary will help. Would be very convenient if could pin it on husband.

Sweet dreams to all other insomniacs and bad dream sufferers. Going to read a book about herbs before go to sleep tonight. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[LBH]

I have not remembered a dream in ages

I used to be able to remember my dreams and nightmares all the time. Then they suddenly stopped. Lack of sleeping. Had a sleep study test done and they told me that I was not even going into REM Sleep and only getting less than 1 hour of sleep a night. They placed me on a CPap machine and that seems to help sometimes but not all the time. Everything started after my back gave out of wack.
Funny how you mentioned this for after my surgery I actually have started sleeping more often and getting more sleep than I have had in a long time. Feels good to sleep and really is a thorn when you can't. And I had my first nightmare which was almost like yours and actually remembered what I dreamed. Weird how we dream and can remember things. Oh how I loved in my younger days having a good dream. I would not want to wake up from it!

 

[flutterbye]

What could go wrong with a book on herbs, um a lion called parsley, a dog called dill and sage the owl! I think you are around my age and so the herbs does bring back childhood tv memories, if not well then I guess I sound quite bonkers!

Weird dreams are horrible, insomnia is horrible, and when they are as vivid as yours they can be trully frightening. I have had spells of dreams like that, and I have never worked out what sets them off, I suspect medication, but also the brain being in some sort of overdrive mode, (oh my hub does amazing trumps after a pub night, and whilst they don't give me nightmares they certainly make me get out of bed and come downstairs) A sleep diary sounds like a good idea, just for you to see if there is a pattern, at least if there is I think you feel a bit more in control.

There is a theory that dreams are our way of working stuff out, and usually in a bizarre kind of way so the river the fish the sewage all represent things. Mostly my dreams these days are very direct and practical, so the other morning I woke up having dreamt exactly what the solution to a problem I was having with a compressor was, that's a usefull dream, and no faffing around working out what it means!

Hope that you get some decent sleep soon, it's tough because lack of decent sleep effects everything and can make ordinary things so much harder to cope with.

XX

 

[acard]

Hi Alwin, I have major sleep issues. I tend to have nightmares when stressed.
I also have weird dreams if I eat too close to going to bed. Medications-usually narcotics bring up some wild dreams. Keeping a journal is a good idea. Good luck an many ((((hugs))))


Hugs, Becca

 

[Clare.T]

Hello Alwin

I used to have horrific nightmares just before starting my period, so regularly that I would describe it 'always'. Real chain- saw massacre stuff.
The no escape type always represent stress, conflict, dilemmas for me even if I am not aware of the issues in my conscious thoughts. Somehow the brain is processing things deep down.

When I added the Mepacrine( Quinacrine) to the Plaquenil I had a series of very vivid but wondrously therapeutic dreams. The anti malarials, especially the Mepacrine, are CNS stimulants which is why they can be so good for fatigue and some people are more affected than others.
I have no idea about the cause of the premenstrual nightmares - something hormonal?- and come to think of it I have never read about anybody else experiencing this although the greed for carbohydrate and other PMS stuff is well documented.

I think they need to be thought about, 'processed' as they say, and writing them down is a good way of doing that as it is for other issues too.

Hugs
Clare

 

[ALWIN]

Hi again

It is very interesting in fact. I have never given dreams much thought.

I find it interesting that some people have mentioned having bad dreams when they are too hot. I hate being hot in bed and keep a bedroom window open all year round - unless the snow blows in.

It has been quite close at night for the last few nights.

I do wake up with bad dreams pre-menstrually - when i blame abdominal cramps for setting them off and waking me. But I also eat a lot premenstrually as well as when I feel poorly. A typical comfort eater.

So i had been comfort eating ... :smile:

Many of these could serve as a warning to make you wake up and do something to keep you safe - to cool down - to do something about the pain.

I wonder if we have a raised body temp pre-menstrually? Like pregnant women? I had some bizarre dreams when i was pregnant.

It is no wonder, I suppose, that if you had a few of these things going on at the same time, your body would warn you of potential danger and try to wake you up from your slumbers more urgently ... and a nightmare does wake you pretty urgently. Well mine do!

We are made up of a chemical soup, so there is no way of knowing, without repeated checks, what might affect us re the drugs. I made nettle soup. Nettles were once commonly used for a variety of ailments. Could it have reacted with my meds? Certain foods are know to - cheese and red wine with MAOIs, for example. And it's serious stuff too!

Sorry - stream of consciousness stuff as usual.

I have been choosing not to think about my step-father and my father-in-law - who are each either fighting cancer or awaiting results of possible cancer. So I suppose I had a lapse of insight when i said life was trouble-free.

We are building an extension ...

Hmmm - all very interesting. I am very curious to see what my diary produces. This is a particularly good ploy because i have found in the past, that if i prepare really well for 'potential bad thing management', the bad thing never arises in the first place.

That probably doesn't make sense. What I mean is, if i want to monitor my nightmares i probably won't get one.

Hmm - I had not thought about the herb link Flutterby, but i am the same generation (hence Zebedee).

Thing is - crocodiles / horror of = big teeth, I think.

So lion = big teeth.
Dog = big teeth.
Owl = nasty hooky talons.

Hmmmmm ... think i'll read the Ikea catalogue before bed tonight.


Sweet dreams all.

Wardrobe = lion, witch and ... = LION! = big teeth .... Oh beggar!

 

[Salopsally]

Aww shouldnt laugh I know Alwin but your posts did make me laugh.
I know its dead serious though when you cant sleep properly.
I live by a river and have had a sunami dream a few times. Its very scarey but I think maybe the meds dont help
Cant remember which med it was I was on but one of them said could give you weird dreams.
Usually you can trace it back to some worry or phobia.
I usually dream Im running a pub/hotel/restaurant (which I used to do) and everyone is arriving for food,drinks, rooms etc and nothing is ready.. all the glasses are dirty.. theres nothing in the fridge and the beds are all unmade. Im running around trying to cope and everything I do takes forever and I never actually get anything done. I wake up worn out as usual. Or is that the Fibromyalgia lol.
Havnt any practical advice Im sorry. Take care.
Sal x

 

[lazylegs]

When I first started Plaquenil my rheumy warned me that a small percentage of patients experienced vivid dreams. Mine have become a source of amusement around our house. Hubby says I could start a tv series with my wierd dreams.

Take care,
Lazylegs

 

[keebler]

Hi Alwin,

Do you talk in your sleep, or even shout? Do you swing your arms or kick?

I do that according to my husband. I scare the poor fellow to death when all of a sudden I shout,"get away from me." He has climbed off the ceiling several times now.:innocent:

He woke me up one time saying I just kicked him in the leg and why did I do that? It must of been a really hard kick his leg was really hurting.:innocent: I said I did, why wasn't my toe hurting then.:wink2: I was trying to get away from someone who was trying to hurt me.

I did go in and have a sleep study done a couple of weeks ago. Haven't heard the results yet.

I haven't change any meds to make me dream like that or eaten anything different.

We have thought about seperate beds but neither one of wants to give up our new sleep number bed.

I just wanted to let you know you are not alone in those awful dreams.

Hang in there.

:rose:
Lyn

 

[julsie]

Hi Alwin,

I have had cracking wierd dreams since starting citalopram,especially if I take it just before bed.I also have periods of insomnia for no apparent reason.Sometimes my husband has had to prod me because I have been whimpering(for goodness sake!) or shouting in my sleep.Anyway,do you think you are fretting about your horticultural business not doing too well and you and your friend/s ending up in do do?
I tried to remember my dream last night...just for you...and very boring it is too!
I was living in a house in front of an elizabethan house.Basically it snowed so hard that the weight pulled the house down behind us and we watched it crumble bit by bit.The owner was grateful because she wouldn't have to maintain it anymore.Fine ..except that the house had our boiler in it which would be our only source of heat during the winterWhen I thought about this today it kind of made sense because we are in rented and the owners aren't maintaining the property.It needs new windows.I have also been fretting about oil prices because our winter heating bill was so high
Next part of dream-I was helping a neighbour in her cafe as well as trying to look after my toddler and she was nagging me to speed up,the orders were backing up...maybe that was because I feel like I can't do everything at home?next thing I was taking the rubbish outside and a dog started chewing on my leg,infront of me a car's engine caught fire and I was trying to shake the dog off so I could put the fire out...what is that all about?
So,Alwin,if you are bonkers so am I:hehe:....I prefer to think it is the medication,
Julsie

 

[ALWIN]

Yes

There is certainly a lot of anxiety expressed during some of these dreams!

To be dreaming of running a hotel and eveything going wrong when you used to run one sounds to me like you have been seriously subconsciously scarred.

interestingly, the bit i missed out was that i was actually trying to save my friend's life towards the end - despite her being biten in half by the crocodile ... so she was actually very, very badly dead. None the less, eveybody on the river basnk was telling me to let go of her because i was drowning her! I just wanted to be sure it didn't get the rest of her.

my business partner is a young man. so i don't think there is a link there. if the 'business' (we are both part-time) landed in the do do it would not matter too much financially as both our spouses would prefer us to spend a lot more time on our own gardens! i think we both feel the same way too at the moment! It's hot sticky work right now. And we seem to be building dry stone walls all over the place.

I used to be a nurse and i was not at all cut out for it - found it extremely stressful - so a similar link to the hotel thing.

Interesting about the plaquenil. i must read the leaflet Lazylegs.

Lyn i do not beat up my husband in my sleep (though it's an interesting idea) but he has just told me i have always talked in my sleep and he 'knows everything'. Well now i know he's fibbing cos he'd be horrified! Apparently i just talk - quite coherently - but not about anything interesting. I think that must be when i'm having a boring dream - I do get those. i even think 'good grief, what a boring dream'.

Julsie - like sal your dreams seem to be about worrying about everything going wrong and having too much to do.

I prescribe a really selfish bout of doing no housework and spending 2 hours in the bathroom soaking, reading, snoozing and topping up the bath with warm water whilst waering snug ear plugs whilst clutching a large bucket of iced Baileys.

 

[LoopyLoo]

You most definately do have a lot going on in your mind lass!!!! Something else I noticed is that you are a bit of a night hawk like me and are on here late. Sometimes I do it to put off going to bed when I should be trying to follow a routine - is that something you've thought about?

Loving the idea of Bailey's - not had that in ages. I make homemade Baileys ice-cream.......:eat: