Can Night Terrors Get Really Dangerous?

How can I get rid of constant night terrors that keep me from sleeping?

• Hi Iam in need of some.serious help and need some answers regaurding causes and treatment of night terrors and nightmares. I am for the most part ok in the daytime but when I go to sleep I always have a dream or night terror that makes me always wake up with that horrible feeling everyone has after a nightmares. The stuff I dream about most of the time isnt even bad. It seems like every dream is giving me a bad feeling and it seems to.come from my subconscious and this has been going on for over 2 months and Im not sure how much longer I could handle it. Ive tried every technique or exercise to help me deal with it but nothing is working for me. I am so in need of help. Please offer me any suggestions u May have. Thank u

• Answer:

  Gosh, I'm so sorry to hear that. >_< I often have stupidly involved dreams/nightmares. It can even take me ages after waking up to realise I was dreaming, or to shake the feeling of unease. Recently, I'd wake up with my heart racing & difficulty breathing. :/ I think that can be traced to meds & a cough though. There ARE things which can cause nightmares. When you say you've tried every technique, have you been able to see a sleep (disorders) specialist? Ask your doctor for a referral - they may be able to help. There's no magic bullet, but they can check some things. You may be able to get treatment for free through a public hospital (a waiting list is likely) Alternately, if you can afford to or have health insurance, it may be worth going to see a private specialist. Some things which can increase the likelihood of nightmares: *eating cheese (and snacking in general) before bed. I am a massive skeptic, so do not take such things on board easily, but have done lots of research. Actually, I usually have to snack before bed in order to sleep :( but I do avoid cheese! *overstimulation. (audiovisual or emotional) What you do in the hours before bed can apparently impact. Eg, if you played video games for hours before trying to sleep. *sleep apnea: difficulties breathing in your sleep that you may not even be aware of. (Cos you're asleep.) Other people or a sleep study may be the best source of info as to whether you may have this problem. People with SA can unknowingly hold their breath etc several times throughout the night. Apparently it's really freaky if you happen to be observing it, heh. *similarly, restless legs syndrome can disturb sleep architecture. Restless legs is pretty much what it says it is (related condition, PLMS, involves the arms). Again, it could be happening while you're asleep without you being aware of it. *external noise, again, can influence your dreams without you even knowing it. *underlying psychological anxieties etc. Personally speaking, I have noticed that these have often expressed themselves through dreams. If you're deeply worried about certain things, you might want to consider seeing a psychologist and having a chat to them about what's going on. *tips from magazines, online, word of mouth etc may not really address your underlying problem - consider professional assistance to locate and address the real cause *if it's been going on for 2 months, spend time thinking carefully about what changed, when the nightmares came on. Did you have a change in diet, location, job, relationship, etc etc? Any changes in personal habits and routines, no matter how small? *stuff you put in your body - some foods, like cheese; some medications, including sleep medications ironically; even some herbal supplements have side-effects, including ones to assist sleep; any psychoactive substances, for instance if you ever smoke weed, that could have an effect. I don't know if smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol could have an effect on nightmares, but as far as I"m aware these can definitely impact on your sleep, see also caffeine. Likewise, giving up one of these substances after regular use can also cause nightmares! >_< *some underlying medical conditions can cause sleep disturbances also. *dehydration If you're desperate and need serious help, seek a professional opinion. They can review your daily habits, food/medication/substance intake, psychological relation to sleep etc. They will probably ask you to keep a "sleep diary". This will include what time you went to bed, when you wake up, possibly the subject matter of the nightmare (but it may not matter), when you get up, and then what you ingested throughout the day. Then, they'll look at the overall pattern and possible causes. . They will also be full of stuff about "sleep hygiene" practices, which may or may not help you. I follow most of these with varying success. Some guidelines are common sense, such as having a dark, quiet bedroom. Others are less obvious, eg don't use computers or watch tv before bedtime - I never follow this tho!, They say never go to sleep with tv or radio on in the background, don't even have a tv in your bedroom or read in bed, don't use the bedroom for anything but sleeping and ~, don't go to bed until you're feeling really tired, etc etc. I don't know how many of these really relate to your problem but combining all recommendations under guidance may be worth a shot, they may be able to easily point out something you've overlooked. The good news is that even though 2 months of nightmares is unbearably long, it's a short period in the *overall* scheme of things, in other words you have an excellent chance of a complete turnaround.