Hey guys and gals,
I really wasn't sure where I should post this one, or even if this is really the right forum to be posting in at all. I'm hoping someone can help or has had a similar experience(s).
From time to time I have wierd and wonderful dreams, just as we all do. I went through a period of about 2 or 3 years where I would wake up and not even remember dreaming, which is totally fine. I might have the odd one here or there. I've always slept fairly well, although I'm easily woken, but I don't snore, have sporadic body movements, or talk in my sleep or such.
Until recently...
For about 3 or 4 weeks now I have had INTENSELY scary, frightening, and realistic nightmares. I will wake up shouting, crying, I've started talking in my sleep and not realizing it, and having sporadic body movements.
My dreams mostly have one thing in common....someone is trying to kill me. The only other type of dream I have at the moment is my g/f breaking up with me, which usually involves her going ballistic and hitting me repeatedly, these aren't as often tho.
In the past when I've had nightmares it's always been because I'm just to hot in bed and I wake up in a sweat. Now I'm just having nightmares all the time. It came to a head last night when I had the most realistic and frightening dream of my life. In short I was in my house, my ex-g/f (who had Pyschosis towards the end of our relationship) came in and knocked me over onto my bed trying to stab me with a large meat carving knife. What made this dream so bad was I was calling out for help the entire time, and was so close to actually dying in the dream, I could feel the knife digging into my chest, and it was slowly driving in, and I screamed out "I'm not ready to die yet". ...which is slightly odd because I've never feared death or thought that any point in my life dying i wouldn't feel ready.
I woke up and went outside for a smoke, drank some water, and just sat there. I really didn't want to go back to sleep. Anyway, my g/f told me I should get some sleep and I fell asleep only to have 2 or 3 more intense nightmares.
I feel bad because it's starting to bother my g/f some, as it would me if someone woke up me shouting/screaming/crying in the middle of the night.
Does anybody have any explanation for this incredible change in my sleeping routine? Any ideas on how to stop the nightmares? Or does anybody have any belief that dreams hold some purpose, like a message?
It's worrying me a little that everyone in my dreams is trying to kill me, and I'm wondering if there is an underlying psychological reason? or is it just bad luck?
Thanks for reading, hope you are able to shed some light...