Vivid dreams and screaming to wake up?
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Over the past few months I've been having very vivid dreams that I feel as if I'm always "alive" in them, experiencing every detail and event as if I were really there. This is probably why I don't feel rested at all when I wake up in the morning and am sleepy during the day. While that is kind of tolerable enough for me, I've also been waking in the middle of the night from these dreams, which often are nightmares or stressful situations, screaming so loud and uncontrollably. It's like I scream to escape the dreams. My screams have been so loud that my parents come rushing into my room to try and make me calm down, and it's been trouble for them since it wakes them up during the night too. I come to my senses and wake up for a while and go to sleep again a few minutes after. Does anyone have an idea what this might be, and if so, how I can prevent it from happening?
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michelle70460 Guest
Posted
Hi there. I would imagine this would be truly terrifying for you. Ihave had the odd nightmare here or there, but the question is, are you under any stress? say more than usual. Sometimes when people are under immense stress in their life it will sometimes manifest in your dreams. I'm certainly no expert on dreams but they do often indicate things that could be going on in your life. If that's the case then maybe getting to the bottom of what's going on in your life may help to ease them. I believe what you are suffering from does have a name & it's called night terrors. They are reasonably common. However, the downside is we cannot control our dreams but as i mentioned before, if you have stress or anxiety for some reason, getting this under control should help somewhat.
lily65668 Guest
Posted
Hi bobby, I know how upsetting vivid nightmares can be. I've had them all my life, in conjunction with another sleep disorder. The good news is that you eventually get used to them!
I suspect you might still be quite young. This is the time of life when vivid dreams usually start, if you're going to be subject to them. Mine started around 13-14 and have been with me ever since.
I'm just wondering whether you're subject to any particular stresses at the moment - e.g. exams at school, relationship problems. If you're the kind of person who's prone to vivid dreams, things like this will often make them worse.
The first thing is to stop worrying about this. If you're still young, the screaming will almost certainly stop soon. Also have a look at your life and see if you can identify and deal with might be causing stress or anxiety. You could try seeing a doctor, but I'd suggest waiting a bit to see if things calm down on their own. The problem with doctors is that they can be a bit too quick on the draw with the prescription pad. Antidepressants are the drug of choice for dealing with nightmares as they suppress REM sleep (the phase in the sleep cycle in which dreams occur). The problem with antidepressants is that they can cause all kinds of side-effects, and can be difficult to withdraw from. If you're going to seek treatment, I'd advise one of the "talking therapies" like CBT rather than medication. However, a very few people do end up having to take antidepressants for life if they feel they can't cope with their dreams.
Incidentally, vivid dreams aren't a symptom of depression. It just so happens that suppression of REM sleep is a spin-off of most antidepressants - more especially the older tricyclic group like amitriptyline and nortriptyline. However, don't order antidepressants of any kind off the internet. They should only ever be taken under medical supervision.
The bottom line is: don't worry too much about this, look at the stress factors in your life, and wait for a bit to see if it all calms down. If it's still going on after a few months, or if it's getting steadily worse, then it might be a good idea to see a doctor. It's possible that a doctor might send you to a specialist sleep clinic, though I think this is unlikely as from your description you don't seem to suffer from any other sleep disorders.