Triggering (SH): Harm encouraging nightmares

[silver-seraph]

I have always had nightmares and when I was very little I got night terrors even, but recently even if I'm just taking a quick nap I get horrible nightmares. It is too teh point where I can physically feel the pain of my ngihtmare when I wake up. like if in my nightmare something bites my side the pain will be there when I wake up in the exact same spots where the teeth would have penetrated the skin. Yes I have checked to make sure it wasn't just me sleeping oddly and pulling a muscle or sleeping on something that hurt my side. because I'm pretty sure you don't get something as painful and as what I get in such specific parts of my body. I once had a dream I was injected with boiling hot metal through my arm and when i awoke that exact spot as the needle going in was where my arm hurt and that part of my arm was only touching my skin (I sleep with my arms by my side like a statue for obvious reasons). Now they are messing with me mentally by setting up situation that would make me want to cut, instead of just fear and pain inducing circumstances. I don't even WANT to sleep or close me eyes its so bad. I am aware that this is probably connected to being Schizophrenic but could this be another disorder surfacing? Luckily though the sleep paralysis hasn't returned but I fear for when it does.

[KrazieLunaK]

i have experienced similar stuff like you
i would have nightmares and the pain i feel
from the nightmare itself would manifest it self
on my body, it has also happened while im
experiencing sleep paralysis... the first time it happened
i was scared out of my mind but now i know that the pain
isnt that real so i would wait it out till its gone.

but you should be careful with your sleep
i dont know what you do before you fall asleep but that
can affect your sleep...listen to some heavy metal music before
that could have triggered your nightmare (just an example)
i fell asleep after reading my text book and it it triggered one for me

i hope this helped to some extent

[silver-seraph]

I've done all sorts of things, from not eating anything with high sugar intake an hour before bed, even 2 hours. I've tried listening to calming music, I've tried incense, candles, sleeping tablets, even tea (I hate tea). None of it works, I've thought once before that it might be something I'm doing before bed, but wouldn't that cause it to be a nightmare of similar topic or theme? These are different nightmares every time. Thank you very much for replying by the way, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who has had this problem.

[fallingstargirl]

Hey,

Maybe you can ask your doctor if it's connected to being Schizophrenic. You can always just tell him/her about the sleep issues and not mention self harm if you don't want people to know about that. I don't know much about this, but there are sleeping disorders, and it could be something like that. Your doctor could also give you suggestions on how to sleep better and more soundly.

Hope you get this helped, it sounds like a terrifying and painful experience.

~Estelle

[Philomath]

Hi Conan,

I am sorry you are struggling with this. This experience sounds frightening.
I believe talking to your psychologist would be best. This sounds like it may be associated with PTSD in some way. Have you had any traumatic experiences in your past that you could be dreaming about?
This could also be associated with anything you watch/read about possible. For instance, if you play/watch/read a lot of violent movies, games or books, you may experience fear when you go to sleep. Try adjusting the content you view and see if this helps as well.
For some people, caffeine, sugar and other ingredients can influence how you feel/how your sleep is affected. Some people need to eliminate sugar and other additives from their diet completely to benefit and even if someone cuts back when they take in sugar to two or three hours before sleeping, the person can still be affected.
How much time did you try these techniques either in combination or individually? It can take our bodies a couple of weeks or more to adjust to changes either in timing we go to sleep, what we are eating and other things.
I suggest you try going to bed and waking up at around the same time for a month along with not drinking or eating anything sugary, greasy or caffeinated in anyway. I know that doing this really helps me sleep well. Also having a consistent routine at night helps too. I take about half an hour to forty-five minutes to get ready for bed so that I have time to organize things for the next day, relax and this helps my body know that it is almost time to sleep.
Definitely speak with your doctor for more suggestions particularly in relation to getting nightmares.
Take care and I hope I've helped in some way.
You can PM me if you would like more suggestions or to talk with someone not within the forums.

[anonymouswhale]

Hi there,

I agree with everything said above. Honestly, nightmares can be caused by sooo many different things.

In my own situation, I'll get nightmares EVERY TIME I wake up in the middle of the night and then fall back asleep. Are you noticing any patterns with your nightmares? Recurring themes, perhaps?

I think you should speak to a doctor. There's a surprising number of medical conditions that can play a part, and while I don't think this is necessarily the case, it'll give you peace of mind to at least rule that out.

[EndureEmo]

This would be so hard I hope they end soon sorry I can't help, I have lots of nightmares but nothing that I can feel the pain when I wake up, my nightmares make me do all nighter and put off sleep. Talk to a doctor about this they should refuer you to someone that can help.