Wednesday, 1 January 2014

No where to turn

I have never felt so desperate in all my life.  On Boxing Day 2013 I started tremoring in my arm. It was so bad that I went to the emergency rooms, who ran a load of blood tests and then sent me for a brain MRI.  The results all came back normal. Is it crazy that in a way I almost hoped that they would find a tumour, or something, anything, that would explain these nightmares.  I have depression caused by the constant lack of sleep from these nightmares. My depression is never going to go away until these nightmares stop which is a very scarey thought to have.  Suicidal thoughts have even crossed my mind, but I honestly really DON'T want to die, I just want my life to change. I don't want to live a life in a cycle of depression, anxiety and nightmares.  I cannot explain to someone what it feels like to be gravely afraid of going to sleep at night, but at the same time being beyond exhausted.  My dreams are so vivid i feel as if all these dreams, I have seen these things in real life.  According to Wikipedia, the average adult has 2-3 nightmares a year.  That is a good night for me!!  I would do anything, pay anything, give anything to find the answer to this, and when I do (which I have to believe I will or I'll go insane) I will spread the word and help others.  I am tired of phoning my parents in tears saying I can't take it anymore, when I know that there is a nothing they can do about it.  When I read up on nightmare disorder, most material online says "relax" "yoga" "meditation".  I read this as "we can't help you".  I just want it to end now.  I want to go out there and live life to the absolute full, but that isn't going to happen whilst I am this tired, and on so much medication. 

What is Nightmare Disorder?

Taken from Wikipedia...

Nightmare disorder, also known as 'dream anxiety disorder', is a sleep disordercharacterized by frequent nightmares. The nightmares, which often portray the individual in a situation that jeopardizes their life or personal safety, usually occur during the second half of the sleeping process, called the REM stage. Though such nightmares occur within many people, those with nightmare disorder experience them with a greater frequency.

During the nightmare, the sleeper may groan and move slightly. The victim is often awakened by these threatening and frightening dreams and can often vividly remember their experience. Upon awakening, the sleeper is unusually alert and oriented within their surroundings, but may have an increased heart rate and symptoms of anxiety, like sweating. They may have trouble falling back to sleep for fear they will experience another nightmare.

A person experiencing nightmare disorder would have trouble going through everyday tasks; the anxiety and lack of sleep caused by the fearful dreams would hinder the individual from completing everyday jobs efficiently and correctly.