I am afraid to sleep at night because I am scared of my dreams.
I never thought that anyone besides me would ever get what that means, but I recently told a friend that, and she understood it completely. Now I’m wondering to other people experience the same thing?
Again, I am afraid to sleep at night because I am scared of my dreams.
Honestly, I love sleep. I think sleep is a great thing, one of my favorite pastimes, however I’m not really good at it. I am not a good night-time sleeper. Now you would sleep would be something that is easy to do. You don’t have to learn how to do it. Babies are born with the innate ability to sleep. It is a natural body response. Sleep. You can’t go too long without sleeping, and if you try to stay awake past a certain amount of time, your eyes get heavy, you mind gets delusional, and your body begin to take your whole self into a forced shutdown.
So why is it so hard for me to sleep?
My dreams. My dreams make it difficult for my body to rest. At night my body and mind are ready to sleep. It wants to sleep, and my mind is begging for a shut down period after running in overdrive to an over extensive amount of time. However once 11:00 pm to midnight come along, my body starts to despise sleep. It fights with sleep, goes into panic mode. Not an anxiety driven panic mode, but an avoidance panic mode, ready to do anything else besides sleep.
My dreams are intense, they trigger intense emotion that have caused me to wake up in the heart of the middle of the night crying, anxious, worried, scared, and angry. My body responds to the dreams. My heart starts beating fast, if I am having an argument with someone I wake up angry with the biggest migraine because I am upset. Even though the emotion comes from the dream world, in the real world the effects are very much real.
I have intrusive, somewhat annoying dreams about ex-boyfriends. I am working on keeping the past in the past, but when the past pops up as a reoccurring item in my dreams it sends my mental state into a zone of chaos and confusion. This then takes a number of waking hours to recover from. I feel like I went from past to present real quick. I wake up with the thought of wanting to make a phone call or send a text, but I often find myself fighting to stay grounded, it is not a good idea. It was just a dream.
My dreams have caused to me worry about my family. The realness of when someone dies, or when someone gets hurt in the dream world makes it hard to separate that from reality. I wake up with real tears, with real shivers, with a real feeling of emptiness. I become afraid in real life. Once I know that everyone is ok, then and only then can I return to a state of calmness.
Am I crazy?
Probably just a little bit. Every once in a while, I have a very dark and frightening dream about being involved in a shooting massacre. I know this is going to sound very strange. But this dream is reoccurring, and I am not sure why. I am always at a public place, the place my be different each time. It may be a school, a mall, or just outdoors. There is a mass shooting, one shooter is involved, I watch other people get shot, then the gun is pointed towards me, I am afraid, I feel the fright through the dream. I never get shot. As many times as I have had this dream, the shooter never shoots me. My life is spared. Then I wake up. I wake up in shock. It feels so real but, I have never been in an experience like the dream, but the dram is vivid. The tears and rapid heart beat return, I can feel that intensely. That is real. I am alive. That is real. The dream was just that, a dream.
I am afraid to sleep at night because I am scared of my dreams. Does anyone else feel this way?
Positive thoughts, positive energy, positive experiences
Straight from NY to Paradise in a Day!!! 
I know this was made ages ago… but I was about 7 or 8 when it was made, unaware of the depression and extreme anxiety I would experience in my teen years. I am 14 years old and I also am very much scared to sleep, i’m actually writing this at 4am, trying to stop myself from returning to my vivid terrors which cause me to wake from my entire body trembling. I am scared I will get trapped in a dream one day as many of my nightmares are a game, die, you start again, escape, I get to wake up.In these dreams it is so real that I can feel whatever weapon a trusted one plunges into my body, it feels so real. In one of them I realised it was a dream, my character in my dream was screaming “It’s just a dream!” over and over again, yet nothing happened, I had to finish the game. Recently I have gone on fluoxetine which causes the odd recent dreams, but the games where I am trapped inside my own head, started much much before. I am scared. And I don’t know what to do… I am only 14.
Currently haven’t slept in almost 48 hours because my last dream was so bad, I’ve just been keeping myself super busy trying to avoid sleep. So glad to know I’m not alone!
I have been experiencing the same problem as you..can we able to solve it…
I relate. I used to be a wonderful sleeper, everybody in my family said how well i feel asleep.Not now. I get scared when I think that i’m the only person awake, and then my mind thinks “oh god, I had a nightmare will I have another tonight?” when I wake up from a dream or nightmare in the middle of the night i get scared that my mind will continue that dream, then I lay awake until my body cant take it anymore. I’m glad i’m not alone.
Yes, I just woke up from a terrible dream and decided to google it to see why these dreams keep occurring. Well my boyfriend just recently quit smoking cigarettes and I keep having dreams of him doing it every night whether he’s in the backround or just my main dream is about that. I also had a dream a couple of days ago he did drugs and I screamed and cried and was just scared and angry and I woke up with the same feeling as I felt in my dream… Also the other day I had a dream that he cheated on me and I walked in on it…I believe I am having these dreams because it’s what I’m truly scared of with him..
I ave1have no idea when this was posted im im the same space x
I’m 13 and I just had an anxiety attack because I had the feeling where I knew that I would have a terrible dream because I had a bad day and was already very emotional this happens to me often where I get anxiety to sleep. Luckily I have this amazing friend that calmed me down. The main thing that affects me is I not only have nightmares, but most of the time my dreams are my life if it were perfect and everything that i want and I feel secure and safe and then when I wake up it’s a terrible feeling because I am devastated. I don’t think the devastation emotion happens when I wake up but I do think that it happens as I am waking up, as the end of the dream. It’s like a taunt like here’s exactly what u want but u can’t have it. It makes me feel terrible and it makes my life really terrible after I have one of those dreams because I feel guilt and anxiety and fear like I did something wrong and what I want is Unachievable.
I have had this fear for years as well. And whats scary for me, is that I am very alert as I am about to fall asleep, ..I am aware of myself slipping into the unconscious world. I almost always dream about ex girlfriends, and the love that I had, then lost. It really hits hard with me for some reason. But as I dream, I see them. Somewhere, wherever, public place, party, etc , and I believe it is so real. I say what I would want to say in reality and I ALWAYS get the response or outcome from her, of what I fear she would do in reality. Then I will wake up, and feel as if it really happened.
I am also afraid to sleep at night because of my dreams . I’m afraid of how I’ll feel after I wake up from them, I’d rather not risk having any and just stay awake but I have to sleep. I get a lump in my throat and anxiety just trying to sleep.
I have dreams about my ex that are annoying .I have dreams where my friends try to kill me .I have dreams where people I love are hurt but when I try to save them they turn on me. I have dreams that I’m in really uncomfortable situations. I have dreams that just give me the weirdest feelings deep in my soul .
I am scared too, you’re not alone. I would cry myself to sleep because of a repeated dream. It’s devastating and I havent had a goodnight sleep in a while, I dont even know what to do anymore.
I feel the exact same way and I am only 12. My dreams are so scary that I wake up scared crying and shivering. If my parents or family get hurt in the dream I feel like it happens in real life.Now I am scared to sleep I haven’t slept in a few days I am exausted.I usually start getting scared and reluctant to sleep at around 11 or 12 then I can’t sleep at all.
I just woke up from a dream feeling afraid. I know it’s an irrational fear because I have nothing to be afraid of in “real life.” But I experience fear almost every night from my dreams, and this has been going on since I was a young child. I’ve seen therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists to no avail. My dreams usually involve me being hunted. I don’t like to sleep.
I know how you feel. I’ve had the same dream ever since I was 7. I wake up crying and shaking. I run outside to see my parents. Once I see them I can go back to sleep in peace. Before I go to bed, I can tell when I’m going to have the dream. When I close my eyes, a dark room forms and it feels like the room around me is closing in.
I have experienced this for years! I hate it. The worst part is even though they are now less frequent the content and the length of the dreams have changed. The violence is brutally casual and it feels as if the dream just goes on and on without end.Unlike most people I rarely wake up in the middle of the night. I am stuck in my dreams until morning. My latest one sent me into an episode of hysterics.
I too am afraid to sleep. I wake up in tears holding my chest cause my heart feels like it’s breaking. I have had repeated dreams of my two daughters getting hurt or dying. I feel maybe it comes from my constant worrying during the day but I feel my dreams causes me to worry even more. I find myself afraid to sleep fearing what I’ll dream of next time. My daughters are everything to me and my biggest fear is losing one of them. Could fearake you dream of such horrible things?
I completely understand! I am terrified
to sleep at nite because of my dreams. I had a very traumatic expexperience when I was a kid and it keeps playing over and over in my dreams. I actually wake up from the physical pain because my dreams are so vivid. I can’t really have a life. I can’t work. I usually do my sleeping during the day. Is this an actual disorder?
I get exactly what you’re talking about. except instead of a mass shooting it’s the apocalypse or heartbreak or both. a little different every time. I constantly wake up unable to differentiate reality and the dream. I have to talk to my boyfriend some times to make sure he never told me he hates me or that I never cheated and lost him or that nobody is chasing me, trying to assassinate me. the only thing they all have in common is that it goes down at my grandma’s house. she lives deep in the country and I find her house creepy. I try to describe to people what it’s like, crying in your sleep. To wake up with your eyes full of tears, like they’re drowning beneath your closed eyelids. It’s been two years since I’ve had a good dream that I don’t even remember any. I know how you feel.
I have experienced all of the above. The only thing that worked for me is reciting my prayers. I am a muslim and they are certain prayers in Islam to protect you in your sleep, angels are appointed to guard you when asleep. Just say a prayer and I am sure you will be fine.
Does this make me crazy? Im scared to sleep like really scared of my dreams. Sometimes I’d rather not sleep at all as long as I don’t dream. I wake up crying sometimes. Is this some kind of disorder? Is there anything I can do to fix this? I really really need help…!!
No this does not make you crazy. It could mean that there is a lot going on in your unconscious mind that you are not addressing in your reality. Possibly try paying closer attention to your emotional responses to events when you are awake. Are you holding back sadness or anger. Try to let your emotions out when you are awake and present, and hopefully that will stop them from playing out in your dreams.
I have the same issue im scared to sleep, I have dreams that im being chucked around my bedroom and it feels real I dread sleeping and I stay up for days at a time just not to sleep I didnt think there was anyone out there like me.. I can wake up when I do sleep an hour later screaming and crying and really not wanting to go back to sleep
Prayers worked for me, as a muslim I recite the 3 Khuls and Aytal Kursi. The prayers protect you from the whisperings, the ginn till dawn. Hope this helps
Thank you, I will try to pray more consistently because I believe they really do help also.
This is what’s going on to me too. I hate it. I really do and I’m doing my best to stop it and only you guys understand what I’m going thro
I wish I can do something about it. I’m just 16 and it’s Taking over me since ages
Oh my god!!! This is exactly how I feel. How do I get it to stop. I feel like I’m in a horror movie!! I can’t sleep. Cause i am so vulnerable to my dreams its effecting my waking life. I’m scared for my future!
Same. My situation is just like you. I’m afraid to sleep at night because of those stupid dreams. Actually I have a boy friend. and we are dating for about 2 months. in 2 months, everyday I always dreams about 1 dream, 2 person and 1 story. But it’s a sad and hurt dream. I don’t want to dream about it. but EVERYDAY when I sleep that dream just replay in 2 months. I’m totally agree with you 😦 I think no one can understand about what I have met and dream about. And now i just wanna share this with you because everythings that you feel is just perfect with my feeling. I don’t know what to do!. should i meet a doctor or do some yoga? Anyways, nice to meet and share my story with you ^___^
i too will totally agree with what *lifechangecounseling* said, however, i am sure you must have heard of Yoga and Meditation. They are not like a Dr.’s prescribed drug nor like a therapist’s fast counseling, hey do don’t work as fast as those two, but in the long run, Meditation and yoga is much more healthier and friendly to health than any either a Dr. prescribed med or psychiatrist’s therapy.
i hope you get better soon… and have a good night sleep real quick! 🙂
Oh sure I do Yoga sometimes, but it never helps me with sleep. Maybe I should do it before I go to bed, that may help my mind calm down. I am not good at meditation so I don’t do it often but I know that it can put me to sleep. I really need to just work on clearing my mind, don’t want to get addicted to sleeping pills or anything. Well I hope I find something that works soon! Thanks for reading and Thanks so much for the comment!
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Not me. But I would encourage you talk to a doctor or another therapist. This is serious stuff.