Nightmares

[Smowball]

I've always been prone to them, but am having a lot lately. they are so detailed its quite incredible, I can recall every word, scenario etc. They are always very frightening but not in a monster/ghosty way. Always something happening to me or my children/family and I cant stop it. last nights was about flooding and my children were in the house opposite and I couldnt get to them but I could see the water getting higher and higer till it covered the house and they were screaming. Often wake up very upset. Any way of finding out what causes them, or things to avoid - they are quite exhausting!

[EvianBaby]

I would imagine the situation with your OH and his child are on your mind alot, as is the distance between you and your other children/grandchildren. Even if you don't think it's something that you think about much or is bothering, it almost always it. The flooding comes for obvious reasons.

Unless you can stop thinking altogther, then I'm not sure how you can stop them. (if you find a way, let me know)

[ummmm]

Stress...

I was having them recently and doing lots of talking in my sleep. I was constantly exhausted.

[Gavmacp]

I had a recurring nightmare as a child. Mine always involved deep black water and my brothers. I do not believe in dream analysis but water is supposed to represent emotions.

[ladybirder]

Are you on any medication?

[Smowball]

Am on thyroxine for underactive thyroid, which I take in the morning, and omeprazole,which I also take in the morning.

[murraymints]

my mum was on omeprazole for a hernia and reflux and complained of nightmares when she started .....

[ladybirder]

Ah. Perhaps it's a side effect. I have had to stop taking some medication because of the awful nightmares it gave me. Terrifying.

[Kiki-frog]

I think water is generally seen as representing the emotions, and flooding representing things being out of your control and feeling overwhelmed. Does that apply?

[Smowball]

Well yes I definitely cant control many of the things that are going on around me, though I would love to I am quite helpless in sorting them, so maybe its to do with that.

omeprazole - interesting. I take it for acid reflux.

[Gavmacp]

When I dream I can bring a certain amount of rational thought into my dream. So if you can talk to your children in your nightmare. Tell them that you are there and that you love them.

[Smowball]

gav - its interesting you say that because I am also a bad sleeper, so during this nightmare I was sort of waking up and then falling back into it so I was almost very aware of what was happening. Have got up and txt all my children lol.

[Gavmacp]

I think as a mother you do so much for your children that you believe you have to 'do' something but sometimes we just need to know that you are there.
One of my favourite memories of my student nursing was of a girl aged 13 coming in with appendicitis. They could not get hold of the parents (who I found out later I knew). I sat with her after my shift had finished and listened to her. She was your typical teenager but her biggest concern was how she had been treating her parents and that she had not told them that she loved them. All I did was listen and tell her that what she had done recently was normal and that her parents knew she loved them.
I basically did nothing no obs, no basic nursing nothing but listen.
Well as I say later I found out that I knew her parents and listening to the family talk about this incident you would of thought I was the best nurse in the world.

[Smowball]

Thats lovely gav. On the subject of kids look at the post ive just put in FAMILY re a txt ive just this sec had - no wonder I dont sleep!

[TOWIE]

Smowball - do you take the Omeprazole for acid reflux because of the Thyroxine ?

[Smowball]

umm, dont think so! have had the underactive thyroid for 6 years now, and then 3 years ago after horrendous "heatrburn" I had the old camera down the throat and they said I had a weak valve(prob wrong word) and that the acid kept coming back up and causing the terrble burning.

[jno]

Smowball, my suggestion to anyone having bad dreams is to take a layer of blanket off. Being too hot is the number one culprit in giving me bad dreams.

[Smowball]

Interesting jno because I was very hot last night.