Hey folks! Does anyone have lucid or seriously vivid dreams? I've always been a dreamer but recently they are becoming more and more realistic and quite frightening at times. It doesn't seem to matter if it's a 5 minute nap or a full blown snoozefest there's always at least one bad dream.
Does anyone know of ways to help with this before it drives me nuts?!
Are you a light sleeper?
Just asking because outside noises and sensations on my skin can enter my dreams. For example, an alarm clock appeared in my dream when it started ringing and I dreamt I was in a cauldron when an ex-partner cuddled me as I slept. When these things happen in my dreams I remember to wake up because, I think, part of my brain realises something is happening to my physical body.
I would try dozing with a pillow on my feet or some noise playing in the background (rain sounds work for me).
I'm sorry you're experiencing this - it sounds horrible.
I was suffering from Night terrors at the end of last year.
I found a lot was down to what I was watching before bed ( Walking Dead, American Horror Story & the occasional true crime documentary). Also, the fact that I was under tons of stress had a huge impact! It massively affected my sleep pattern and my mental state in the day.
This all led to frightening and very vivid dreams that left me traumatised when I woke.
However, I started using meditation & sleep apps on my phone, it has helped massively. I have tested watching a few different things before bed and the dreams are not like that anymore. I exercise a lot now too, with some Yoga classes and that has helped reduce the stress.
I don't mean to pry but are you under much stress at the moment? Do you have a routine before bed or before napping, do you nap with the Tv or music on?
I have very vivid dreams, not always bad but always extremely vivid/cinematic, and that has greatly increased since I've been taking antidepressants. So I think it might have something to do with brain chemistry too?
I find if I think about it a little bit I can see where all the elements of my dream have come from (real life events, snippets of shows or games, recent thoughts, dredged up stuff from the past, etc) so I agree with Leanne that if you're watching or reading a bunch of stuff that could be "inspiring" unpleasant dreams you might want to try different entertainment for a while, and if your dreams are related to real life stressors I am sure de-stressing as Leanne suggested could benefit you too.