Why can't I stop dreaming?!

[Aruba417]

Here is some history: I'm 24, I have Anxiety/Panic disorder. I have been taking Effexor XR since April, and it seems to help with my symptoms. I also take Xanax as needed for panic attacks. This also helps. However, I have not been able to have one night's sleep without dreaming in 8 months! I told my psychiatrist, and she prescribed Ambian, which helped me fall asleep fast, but I still had dreams all night. Then she suggested taking the Xanax every night, starting with .5 mg. When that didn't work, she told me to try 2. Nothing helps. I dream all night long. Nightmares, stupid dreams, ex-boyfriend dreams, vacation dreams, high school dreams, etc. All freakin' night! I wake up in the morning feeling like my brain hasn't rested! It is getting really annoying. This happened to me a few years back when I was first diagnosed with Anxiety/Panic disorder. But it went away after about a month. This has been 8 months now!!! Does ANYONE out there know what is causing this and if there is some kind of medication out there that would help this?

I also have panic/anxiety disorder, for past 20 years. I don't know about meds that stop you from dreaming but there are a lot of meds for anxiety that will cause dreams. I am on trazadone at night and it causes to to have very significant dreams. But they are always good dreams so I love having them. Maybe check the symptoms on the meds you take and see if they are causing your dreams?  Vicki

[seanfreeman]

You have never really experienced this kinda problem. actually it's not just a dream. it's a series of dreams all night long for months. not a single night gets spent with full perfect deep sleep.

[grandbuddyf]

Wow it is crazy how many people are disturbed by this dreaming thing! After I lost my brother who suffered bad for 3 years at a young age of 50, I began to have very aggressive dreams. Hateful, mean and anything unlike myself. The doctor told me to be glad that I was able to let this all out even if it was in dreams. He said its better than having the anger bottle up inside of me. I have always been a dreamer, all kinds of wierd, crazy, make no sense dreams, mixed with family, friends, husband, strangers. The hateful anger dreams that I changed to after my brothers passsing lasted only for a little while. I was mad and upset about the way he had to die but as I prayed about my anger they seemed to change back. I am sorry for the nightmares people suffer but I think those of us who dream ALOT everynight ought to be glad we are NOT having nightmares. I believe myself that the state of mind you are in and your anxiety level has alot to do with dreaming. I am gonna try that musle relaxation site someone wrote about. Thanks to everyone who shared. God bless....grandbuddyf

[deyno]

I too am a lifelong dreamer. I don't take meds but have been diagnosed with PTSD. I was bit by a dog on the face when i was a year and a half old but have no memory of it. I have a huge fear of the dark, loud noises, and cannot sleep in silence. I have been told i have sleep apnea. Hell, i quit breathing when i'm awake too!!!! Maybe twice a year I get a good nights sleep. What to do?????

[foreverawake]

I am SO happy to have found this, because almost everyone I've told about this I have to CONVINCE it's not a bad thing. Everyone thinks it's so cool and interesting but it's NOT.

I remember being a little kid and having a night where my mom tucked me in, then came back after what felt like a few seconds to wake me up. I was so confused... I had never experienced sleeping without dreaming at all. To me, sleeping feels like a movie length of time or longer. The only other times I have slept without dreaming were one of the first times I smoked weed, and the very first time I took the tranquilizer I'm prescribed for hormone related anxiety (that I only take when I have PMS symptoms).

I have had really awful anxiety related to my hormones and PMS since I hit puberty. I have Polycystic Ovary Disease. I take birth control to regulate my hormones (they were way too high before) and that helped shorten the length of the anxiety, but I still take Lorazapem for about 4 days a month. The dreaming has been ever since I can remember though.

I don't have "scary" dreams in the horror movie sense (I don't really get scared by horror movies, thankfully!) but I have REALLY REALLY awful negative dreams about realistic things happening.

I also have lucid dreams very often. In most of these dreams I want to wake up, but I can't. Sometimes, despite it being lucid, I'm still not rational. For example, I had a dream that my little brother (who I am extremely close to) died and I felt EXTREME anxiety, depression, etc for what felt like a very long time. I realized I was dreaming... but then for some reason I thought that if I didn't wake myself up, everything in the dream would come true. I spent a long time running around, crying, clawing at the walls until my boyfriend woke me up for unrelated reasons (I never seem distressed in the real world).

I have also experienced sleep paralysis...

When I was a little kid, my dreams were so crazy that my mother thought I was making up stories.

I'm going to a sleep clinic over the holiday break but I'm not convinced it's going to do anything to help. I hope that someday someone finds a solution...

[sean30032]

This is really depressing to read all these comments. I feel like I will dream forever and never get a good nights sleep again. I have been diagnosed with schizophrenia and depression and I take Risperdal and Trazodone. I have a very hard time sleeping it seems my brain won't shut off. When I sleep I toss and turn from side to side. I also can not sleep during the day at all. When I wake up in the morning I wake up bright and early and can not go back to sleep until bedtime. There has got to be some research out there that can explain this. If anyone knows how to help please share.