about

yo. i'm jade and i'm a sophomore in high school and i'm 15. i can really relate to alot of people and i absolutely love to go advice! i'm a very easy going person so don't be afraid to talk to me =]..but i'm not a doormat, i will tell you when something is bothering me. i am a very understand person and will always give people chances. so don't be afraid to just drop by and say hi or ask a question cause i will try my best to help! =]]]

advice

This is quite long, sorry.

Ever since I was young, I've had what I suppose are 'bad' dreams. I've never really considered them bad, beacuse I've had them all my life. They generally involve running to things and running from things that want to hurt me. Some of the more vivid dreams have included me being beaten up, shot and almost raped [none of which, despite the pain, I've woken from like you see in the movies]. Most of these I don't really recall and I do know that the vividness and frequency is directly related to stress. However I found out today that I still have these sorts of dreams at least once a week, even though as far as I'm concerned I haven't been. And apparently they must be the vivid sort, since apparently I talk and cry in my sleep.
I've been informed by my partner and a good freind of ours that this really isn't normal and that I need to see a shrink. Isn't it and do I?

But that's not all. Again, since I was very young [since I was a baby too, apparently] I've always had trouble getting to sleep. It takes me a good 3 hours to get to sleep, some times longer if I'm stressed. I've tried all the tricks in the book, but the only reliable thing that will be knock me out almost straight away is a glass of wine followed by a painkiller [yeah I know - you can lecture me about how non-existant my liver is later]. Even when I was at school and was reliably going to bed at 10 and waking at 8, this was still the case. Again, I thought this was normal considering it's been happening my whole life, but again I'm infomed it's very not normal. Is this true?

Two more things, possibly related. My eyes don't shut completly when I close them. This sounds really freaky I know, and I know that it's true when I'm awake beacuse I can see out of the slits, but I'm told it happens when I'm asleep as well. I'm highly sure that this isn't normal... but it may relate to this: I'm never really awake. I often feel really groggy during the day despite getting a 'good' night's sleep. Dark thinks that not only might this be related to the dreams, but also to the fact my eyes don't shut, but I don't know. I wouldn't say that I feel groggy all the time, but a large percentage of it. The few times I've woken up feeling really energetic and awake where when I did the last NaNoWriMo and went to sleep on a tonne of caffene and when I had wine and then took a painkiller. So, is that normal too?

So, for those that couldn't be bothered to read the thing:
How normal is it to:
Have a high frequency of very vivid bad dreams? [What sort of frequency is normal for those sorts of dreams anyway?]
Not be able to sleep several hours after turning out the lights to sleep? [Is this what insomnia is? I thought it was only if you couldn't sleep ever]
Not wake feeling rested and refreshed, despite how you thought you had a good night sleep?

I don't want advice on how to get to sleep, I just want to know if I'm some sort of freak who should see a doctor and a shrink like my partner is trying to get me to. Hell, any discusion would probably be useful....

I really don't think a shrink is necessary. And if you go to a doctor he will just give you medication..which I don't believe is necessary. I used to have those types of dreams for the longest time. I don't know if you are Catholic, but I am and what I did, one night I prayed to Mary and asked her to please help me to not be afraid anymore and to take the bad dreams away, and I said 10 Hail Marys. That night I slept very soundly and my bad dreams have gone away ever since..that was a couple of years ago.

Now about not being able to sleep after several hours after turning out the lights. I am the exact same way. I usually sleep with the tv on to keep my company while I sleep. But you have a partner so you could possibly ask him to stay up with you if he doesn't mind.

About waking not feeling rested and refreshed, I used to be the exact same way. I told my mom about this and she gave me vitamins because she thought that I was vitamin-defficent or something. After a few weeks of vitamins and sleeping for about 8 hours, I eventually started waking refreshed.

This is completely normal and don't let anybody tell you that you aren't normal. =]]] hope I helped!

[view]

(Rating: 3) No, I'm not religious in any way, and thought you meant it in the best way possible, that way of solving things seems a little backward and to be honest, offened me.
<<< Previous Advice Column
Next Advice Column >>>
eXTReMe Tracker