I've been having night terrors

[Gummibaerchen 18]

Off and on for almost the past two years now (since I moved to Germany), I've been having night terrors where I'll jolt out of my sleep, covered in sweat and occasionally, shrieking. The themes vary. Are night terrors due to stress, caffeine or something else? How can I stop them (without being sent off to a shrink)? I'm losing a lot of sleep because of these... :unsure:

[Asaba 21]

stress stress stress

go for a good massage, it might help.

ask for stress massage.

good luck

[Guest]

I've had these too. Night paralasis too, very scary. Cut back on the caffeine, red wine, anything changed in your life recently (stress is a factor, but not the only one). Any unresolved issues?

[DeS 1]

Is it at any particular time? like 3am?

 

Is your room well ventilated?

temp range from 17-19 at night should be the optimal. humidity around max 60% is best.

 

stress is usually the culprit, but not always.

[anichka 2]

Maybe try lucid dreaming (Google it or look on Amazon - you can find several books on the subject).

 

For me, it's always stress that causes it. Do you exercise on a regular basis? If not, that could help reduce your stress levels and sleep better overall.

[SJ1 2,052]

I had issues sleeping for months after our car accident, I would jolt awake 8-10 times a night, it was horrible. My home dr was able to give me a medication to help.

[Guest]

read up a little on Sleep Apnea, just in case, and see a doctor if you're worried!

 

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&cli...nea&spell=1

[Binaural 744]

Telling the police where you buried those schoolchildren you abducted might ease your mind.

[MrNosey 5,328]

I guess you know yourself what the problem is if you think about it. You're stressed about something in your life. Job, relationship,...?

[Lorelei 1,881]

 

For me, it's always stress that causes it. Do you exercise on a regular basis? If not, that could help reduce your stress levels and sleep better overall.

Same for me. I have very occasionally woken up in this way. But it hasn't happened recently, since I started taking more exercise, and I sleep a lot better now than before. You don't necessarily even have to go out of your way to exercise more. You could just decide to walk instead of taking the car or public transport.

[Janx Spirit 11,331]

A glass of red wine in the evening sometimes helps you sleep better.

[Chelle63 958]

Have you considered checking your thyroid...I had night sweats without the nightmares but it did wake me up at wee parts of the morning...after seeing a doctor a blood test and 2 little pills every morning it has gone away...just something to consider it could also be nothing just stress...

[Wizadora 423]

Is you're sleeping pattern regular? I had some night paralysis which I looked up as it was terrifying. Apparently, it's a lot more likely to happen if you're sleeping pattern is irregular, which looking back it was. I had a couple of episodes when I was travelling on business. Try getting to bed at the same time every night if possible?

[Carl46 195]

Gummibaerchen, do you have fears of living here in Germany? Have you had any bad/negative experiences with someone here in Germany or at home? Are you feeling guilty about something you did to yourself or someone else? How's your health? You don't need to answer these questions here on TT. It's just something for you to think about. Anyway, I hope you eventually get rid of the night terrors and can sleep peacefully.

[Guest]

 

Have you had any bad/negative experiences with someone here in Germany or at home?

I am sure they have... dont you?

[Gummibaerchen 18]

Stress-wise, I've only been having problems with freelance teaching. Sometimes it's great, other times it's horrible. I love teaching, though. I suppose the stress of learning German has affected me a bit, but I haven't had any dreams or nightmares which are even slightly related.

 

My sleeping habits are generally normal, except for on the weekend, when they sometimes get a little crazy.

 

I always wake up at different times and the number of times varies greatly. So far, I've had night terrors for the past 5 days, and last night, I woke up about 12-15 times... the latest was about 20 minutes before I had to get up and get ready for work. Before that, it was at 20-minute intervals between each time. Ugh.

[Joe 466]

Night sweats can be a symptom of all sorts of things, go see the Dr just to be safe

[Fribble 52]

If there's nothing physically wrong with you, have you tried decoding the images or events of the nightmares anyway? If it's been going on for such a long time, there's surely something bothering you, perhaps just not consciously, just begging for you to deal with it. If they're total nonsense, try to interpret them like really cheesy and symbolic poetry.

[BigEnglish 129]

Don't eat cheese before you go to bed...that's what my granny Orla used to say anyway.

[Melmarino 31]

Hi! I suffered from sleep issues during a two year assignment in Colorado and now I have them again in Germany. One thing I've done for this is to read lots of fiction, anything that gets my mind working on something other than myself before I go to sleep. I have had numerous scripts for sleeping. Please be careful what you are offered by any doctor, German, American or British. There are some very problematic drugs out there. I have been on a few that prevented me from walking down stairs for two hours after waking or from waking during an emergency. I'm a pharm-tech (one of the numerous things I've done). I can recommend Ambien CR but I'm not sure it is available in Germany. This is a last resort, though as it is actually addictive regardless of company's claims. The CR (controlled release) will keep you asleep. This will not stop the underlying causes at all. It will help you get a few good nights sleep to make some reasonable decisions about what is a health matter. If you see a doctor and need some answers about the drugs you are prescribed, I'll be happy to help if I can. Just send me a PM.