Question
Hello. About 2 years ago I met a guy who I fell in love with and he abused my trust by claiming that he did not want a relationship. 2 weeks later I discovered that he had lied and was seeing another woman. I still loved him and had nightmares about the new woman coming and taking away everything I had and this was a recurring nightmare. A while ago (last year) he attacked me and I was left with serious injury to my arm and I was prescribed anti depressants. I have since come off those tablets and had no problems until recently and I have nightmares about him and his girlfriend. They do not wake me up but when I do wake up I find that I have been crying continually through the night and my eyes hurt. Now I am afraid to go to sleep and because of that my daily routine is being affected. Is there anything I can do to stop these nightmares because I do not really want to have to be put back on the anti depressants?
Answer
If you stopped the antidepressants recently , what you are experiencing is a rebound effect and it usually takes 8 weeks or longer for your brain to go back to normal. However if you have been off the meds and having the nightmares, a therapist will probably help you thru it more. You have been through a trauma and its no wonder you are afraid to sleep, but with help these will lesson. You can try the tips below, however i strongly suggest you seek a therapist and ask them if they feel you should go back on to the antidepressants. here are the tips below.
Try these tips religiously for about 6-8 weeks but many have seen results
in as little as 2 weeks.lYou must go to bed and awaken the same time each day regardless
of how little or how much sleep you got the night before.
This starts to reset your sleep clock.
3 hours before bedtime stay away from
tea, coffee, caffeine, caramel colored soda like, coke,pepsi, ginger ale,
or root beer, chocolate and exercise .All these make for restless sleep.Do the following religiously for 4-6 weeks although some have seen changes in as little as 2 weeks.
Make sure room is quiet and dark. When you go to bed if you start to
twist and turn or if you wake up in the middle of the night and cant
go back to sleep, twist and turn for only 20 minutes, then get up, go
into a different room and read a book or magazine only! No computer!
When you start to doze immediately go back into the bedroom.This retrains
the brain into thinking that the bedroom is for restful sleep only. Do
this as many times as you awaken thru the night, it will lesson.
30 minutes before bedtime take a hot bath and immerse hands under the
water.Latest research states that the palms of the hand when immersed
in hot water send signals to the brain to relax. 15 minutes before bedtime\
drink a glass of warm milk. Milk when heated contains tryptophan, a natural
amino acid sleep inducer should do the trick. If this fails you should consider seeing a sleep center.
Your local hospital can refer you. Also go to sleepnet.com click on disorders insomnia
for more tips. Feel free to email again karel
