Nightmares in adults

[Tap]

I have some level of nightmares or anxiety dreams every night. Any one found a way to reduce similar dreams? 
 

The only thing that helps is leaving a laptop playing shows I already know, so when I wake up, I can listen to it until I go back to sleep. 
 

Reading, music, podcasts or trying to meditate/lay quiet doesn’t help. Same result or worse.

The dreams are anxiety or caregiver pTSD related. 

Edited September 29, 2021 by Tap

[Terabith]

Prazosin.  It's a blood pressure med, but at much lower dosages than used for high blood pressure, it stops nightmares.  Sometimes there will be dreams with bad content, but it removes all the emotion or panic from them.  

It's awesome stuff.  Highly recommend.  

[Tap]

1 minute ago, Terabith said:

Prazosin.  It's a blood pressure med, but at much lower dosages than used for high blood pressure, it stops nightmares.  Sometimes there will be dreams with bad content, but it removes all the emotion or panic from them.  

It's awesome stuff.  Highly recommend.  

I know they use it in Veterans but do they also use it in non-violent causes of PTSD related nightmares ?

[Harriet Vane]

No advice. Just hugs for you. I hope you find a good solution.

[Terabith]

38 minutes ago, Tap said:

I know they use it in Veterans but do they also use it in non-violent causes of PTSD related nightmares ?

Yes.  

[Melissa in Australia]

Hugs

[Drama Llama]

. . . 

Edited October 26, 2021 by BaseballandHockey

[EmilyGF]

Being too hot can cause nightmares in both children and adults.

For me, stopping nightmares required opening my window, so the room didn't heat up at night, not wearing socks while sleeping, and wearing a nightgown with slits so that I could easily adjust my level of clothes without waking up.

(For my kids, once I realized this, I threw away all footed PJs. After that, two more kids and less than three nightmares in total.)

Emily

[SHP]

Rx medication was a huge help. My medications help me and due to my unique reactions to most medication I am hesitant to list them. I strongly encourage seeing a doctor if you pursue this. 

Non RX meds I take magnesium 90 minutes before bedtime meds. Potassium with bedtime meds (even with supplements I am low in both). 

Therapy. EMDR specifically. If the dream is a reoccurring nightmare or a reoccurring theme my therapist taught me to do a dream rewrite where I think about the dream and picture a different endingis. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. 

The two most effective solutions are also the hardest. Mine tend to be right before my current regular wake up time (8am). My husband gets up 4:30am-5am and when I get up and stay up the nightmares don't happen. If I wake up and then go back to bed they still happen. Pre trauma I was an early bird morning workout lover. 3:30am-4am was my natural wake up time range. Post trauma it has taken a lot to get to 8am as a regular wake up time. My doctor explained that like physical illness my body needs more rest to heal.

The single most efficient solution is the least feasible for most people. I left the place of the trauma. If this is an option, even for a few weeks  I suggest it. I do not mean a vacation. I mean literally living 100% of the time someplace else and getting back to normal life as much as your mental health will allow. Maybe rent a room from a friend? Take everything you need and live there, do not return to the other place under any circumstance. If you work, you commute from there. If you go for weekly nature hikes near your current home, hike near the new place.  It is hard to heal in a place toed to trauma or to the bodies trauma response.

[Teaching3bears]

In the book I was reading the children were competing to have the best nightmares so they ate foods that would excite them before going to bed.  So maybe eat only bland foods in the evening.