Insomnia Support Group

Have you tried keeping a journal? Maybe just getting some thoughts down on paper will help you and potentially clear your mind. I think physically writing is more beneficial than typing (like journals on here), but that's just me.

I have nightmares, as well. My nightmares were AWFUL when I was no Ambien. Are you on that? I have since went off of it. But now, I wake up very quickly, bolt up, and see things in my room. For instance, my robe will be a person and I will think someone is staring at me. Or my bookbag on the floor will be a creature of some sort... I probably sound like a crazy person!

Sounds to me like you're pretty traumatized over the death of your friend? If you saw it happen, it might be best if you sought out therapy or at the very least a self help group. Typically when insomnia comes on very suddenly like this, it's because the brain is trying to work through something that's giving it trouble.
I was sexually abused, and whenever I'm about to recover another memory, I start getting terrible insomnia. It can last for months.
The idea of keeping a journal is a good one. Keep a journal that no one else will ever look at, and don't be afraid to say whatever you want to, no matter how horrible you think it is. A journal is a safe place where no one can judge you.

I've always had issues sleeping...ever since I was a baby. But I developed insomnia when I was 6. Right after my grandma died...I would get haunted by all sorts of things...I'd get nightmares and all sorts of bad things.

By this time though...I was already used to not sleeping much...and to this day...I sometimes get these irrational fears of actually going to sleep. Infact, I didn't sleep at all lastnight...so I should probably do that tonight sometime. *hugs* I hope things work themselves out for you. Insomnia SUCKS!!

i have mild schitzophrenia so my nightmairs are v real to me, when i wake up its hard to tell if im still there or not, i keep a journal, it dose help but i would say fall asleep to music, it sort of pushes your dreems in that direction so dont gowith "IM NOT OK- MCR" or u probs will have a bad dream, and think of this your friend is now at peace so your minde should be x thats what i told myself when my dad died x i hope i could help u

I am a true believer that nightmares are all about emotion rather than any particular dream symbology, so to me it doesn't matter if its a shark or a toothbrush chasing you, its how you feel about the situation. I used to be plagued by nightmares when I was a kid, the way I got over them was partly growth, partly the fact that I realized that a dream doesn't affect or hurt my waking life in any form other than my behaviour as a result of experiencing the dream...

the thing with nightmares is, ironically if you could simply ignore them they wouldn't be a problem, but because thats not possible the dream situation brings you into a state of awareness/alertness, due to that you take in more detail/notice/sensory data about the situation itself, which makes you even more scared because you are being faced with a situation that you have now seen/noticed theres even more to be scared of... and you'll be in a position to more readily notice something like this again...

The dream can often perpetuates itself that way... since I cannot tell you how you feel, (nor do I believe anyone can, aside perhaps from guessing or at least attempting to empathise) it is you who has to learn to overcome this...

All I can do is try to keep you informed in a way that perhaps something I said may occur to you during the dream, hopefully a truth that eases the situation, that you remember all your doing is dreaming... (nightmares at least are by definition lucid dreams)...

With any luck, like me you may come out of this with the gift of lucid dreams of your own chosing, rather than being stuck in the horror of one you appear to have no control over...