Are Nightmares Abnormal?
Last night, my Mom suggested that I talk to my doctor about my nightmares. She said that my nightmares weren’t normal.
Oh, Please
Personally, I think nightmares and bad dreams are normal, whether you have depression or not. They’re normal for me, anyway. I have them about four nights a week — sometimes more, sometimes less. My first memory is a nightmare. Hell, I probably had them in the womb.
I think people have more bad dreams and nightmares than they either care to admit or remember. That’s one reason why people drink — in order to forget their dreams. I have an ability to remember my dreams and now, in my advanced years, have learned how to forget a dream really quickly (you just roll over or get up to go to the bathroom).
My dog also helps me forget my nightmares. She does something cute or suddenly farts and then I’m distracted enough to forget the nightmares. Since she also sleeps in the same bed with me, a fart from her is a major distraction.
W-O-M-A-N
Also, in case you couldn’t tell from my name, I’m a woman, which automatically makes me more prone to nightmares. Well, that’s the finding of one UK study back in September of 2008, anyway. This could be due to hormone changes, or having to put up with someone who snores all night. Our ancestors thought that women’s dreams could be significant tellings of the future because they tended to be creepier than men’s. (OK — that’s just a theory of mine).
So, if you suddenly get nightmares and haven’t had them in a long time, it could be that you’re just remembering your dreams better or sleeping better and producing more dreams than before. When in doubt, please talk to your doctor or therapist about bad dreams or nightmares.
February 5th, 2009 at 10:06 am
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