Warning: The content of this post might be troubling, especially to those with a sensitivity to nightmares or suicide.
I have nightmares that turn into meta-nightmares. I will be in a dream and something threatening is trying to get me. I notice that what is happening is unrealistic or nonsensical, so I tell myself I’m in a nightmare and try to wake myself up. I try yelling as loud as possible, shaking, slapping myself awake, and just telling myself over and over to wake up. I even dream that in my bed in my bedroom fighting through sleep paralysis while trying waking up, while the threat is coming to my bedroom. It’s terrifying. Many times, I wake up happy I was able to finally escape the nightmare, only to realize I’m actually still asleep and the nightmare resumes. It’s very exhausting and disappointing because I will go through many cycles per night (up to 10 times) of thinking I wake up only to be in the nightmare again. It’s like I learn to not be hopeful that it’s over.
On a few occasions where the threat was so severe that I rather die, I have killed myself in the dream, and that works but it is terrifying and I wake up as if it were really happening. I wake up breathing heavily, sweating, super confused, and scared to go back to sleep again. It’s like I’m checking if everything is real and having to come to terms that I just committed suicide in my dreams. This only happens when I know I am going to die in the nightmare and rather end it on my own terms. So while it works, it’s not really an option in nightmares where the threat isn’t certain death since they seem so real in the moment. I also don’t want to build a mental habit of committing suicide every time I’m scared for obvious reasons.
In general, the nightmares seem to come in episodes of a few months. They then go away seemingly out of nowhere, and I’m back to normal dreams. I’m currently in the beginning of a new episode, so I’m trying to prepare for the next few months. I don’t have the option to speak with a therapist. I’m looking for remedy that I can employ myself. It can be anything, but I really enjoy learning, so if there is a book or skill recommendation, I would highly appreciate it!
Any tips on how to wake up during nightmares or any other remedies?
You know you are in a nightmare, as in you become lucid? I would thank my nightmare for letting me know I am dreaming. Not try to wake up. Try to make friends with it, to defuse the terror. That knowledge that it’s a dream is valuable. Have done this several times myself, but my nightmares aren’t necessarily about terrifying situations, it’s more like the fear comes first then my mind sort of builds around it. So everyday things can be terrifying in nightmares but in regular dreams I could be in objectively terrifying situations and not care, and particularly in lucid dreams that is true.
Best of luck to you, may you have calm and restful sleep.
The thing is that in the dream I think that my real-awake body is in physical danger, so I need to wake up to protect myself from the real danger, but I can’t wake up. It’s like I’m paralyzed and can’t do anything to protect myself from the impending doom that feels very real in the dream. If it was just normal nightmares, I would generally be fine with them except for the poor sleep. These new ones are something else because they feel so real since they involve my real-awake body.
Yeah, I think you are on the right track with sleep apnea then. Which can be life threatening, so not shocking your mind might be alarmed. This might be a question for a doctor.