♫ Nightmares 101

“Nightmares are anxiety attacks while dreaming.”

I had a nightmare last night. A bad one. One that gave me tremors, chills, and anxiety. The kind that had me reaching for my phone and going through my list of contacts trying to think of who’d be awake at 3:42am to tell me all is well. My glass of water empty-and I was too terrified to make the short walk to the bathroom to fill it up to make it better. I hate nightmares.

I have a process when I get them though, my mental game, if you will, on how I overcome the attacks on dream-hood. I would assume my parents encouraged most of these habits, though the only one coming directly from them was:

Go get a drink of water, go back to bed, pray about it.

It always worked, except I remember being terrified that something was going to eat me in the kitchen. I was so scared once, I remember waking up in the middle of the night on top of the kitchen counter. I assume I was hiding from the floor monsters after attempting to gulp a glass of water.

Here I am, mid-twenties, still cowering from monsters.

My dream last night:

Somebody attacked the biggest part of my heart by stealing the two things in this world most precious to me. I remember, I was specifically walking out of a gas station after getting them their favorite chocolate milk, and having to watch them drive away with somebody else. I woke up shaking and paralyzed. One of the things I immediately do post-nightmare, is make my own ending. It always helps me come to a resolution, and move on. “Rewrite the movie” so to speak. Last night, no matter how I rewrote it, it didn’t end well. Luckily, I had allowed one of them to sleep with me, and woke up with her literally sleeping with her head on my shoulder and her fingers entwined in mine, which is the only reason I survived the night, I’m sure of it. I lost three hours of sleep though, even with the fact that we were completely protected…ammunition, guard dogs, cops next door and all. ;)

My biggest fear is losing my children-or them suffering in some form that I am unable to protect them from. Which explains the reason I had it, but not the timing. Last night I read a happy book before bed, ate a healthy meal, and got plenty of cuddle time. No movies or TV last night at all. So why the attack?

The random part about this dream that tells me that it wasn’t some prophetic message? Randall McDaniel, a recent Minnesota Vikings hall-o-famer was the guy that did it (in my dream of course). Obviously, that’s not true. Nor will it ever be. Knowing that it was completely false, I did some research today. I really hope that what I found, helps you overcome your night terrors and battles:

~When your children get them, hold them tight, and reassure them that it was just a dream. The younger we are, the harder it is to understand.
~Check your medications. If you’re nightmares have become more frequent, could it be relative to the medications you’re taking? It’s a pretty common side affect.
~Rewrite your nightmare (I AM doing something right! Until I read this article, I thought I was crazy!). You can create your own ending, tricking your mind to assume everything is ok.
~Talk about it!
~Most nightmares are stress related, or stem from a traumatic occurrence in the past, or one that you worry about regularly. Find a way to get over that event: dream less about it!
~Alcohol or Illness may be a factor. If you went to bed slightly medicated or intoxicated, it will probably have an effect on your dream cycle.

Dream Sweet!

Yours Truly,
Nomz

Sources for Dream Research found here:

http://www.themedguru.com/articles/nightmares_symptoms_cure_and_prevention-8614097.html
http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/16/158.cfm
http://children.webmd.com/guide/nightmar