Any Advice

[_ajax18]

As most of you know I sleep very poorly, always have. I can do things to make it better or worse but the truth is my body just doesn't sleep as well as it should.

So I woke up at 1am with a nightmare about an English paper due for an AP class I hadn't attended all semester. I haven't taken AP English in over 20 years. Why do I keep having nightmares about it?

Then I started dreaming that somehow the LDS church had gotten me on the mission again. I really didn't have a terrible attitude about being there the first time, but reliving it in dreams was more than I could take. Yet no matter how hostile I got, I still found myself in a white shirt and tie, obsessed about rules. I even shouted in the nightmare, "What are you going to do, send me home?"

I still believe in God and try to live my life knowing I'll be judged for my actions good and bad. But I don't lean toward a particular denomination nor have an interest in converting the world to Mormonism.

Anyone else still have mission nightmares?

[_Fence Sitter]

I frequently dream about being back at BYU and not having a place to stay as well as not being able to remember what classes I should be attending.
I would not call it a nightmare, but it is a little disconcerting.

[_Res Ipsa]

As most of you know I sleep very poorly, always have. I can do things to make it better or worse but the truth is my body just doesn't sleep as well as it should.

So I woke up at 1am with a nightmare about an English paper due for an AP class I hadn't attended all semester. I haven't taken AP English in over 20 years. Why do I keep having nightmares about it?

Then I started dreaming that somehow the LDS church had gotten me on the mission again. I really didn't have a terrible attitude about being there the first time, but reliving it in dreams was more than I could take. Yet no matter how hostile I got, I still found myself in a white shirt and tie, obsessed about rules. I even shouted in the nightmare, "What are you going to do, send me home?"

I still believe in God and try to live my life knowing I'll be judged for my actions good and bad. But I don't lean toward a particular denomination nor have an interest in converting the world to Mormonism.

Anyone else still have mission nightmares?

I have dreams about having final exams in courses I’ve never attended every few weeks. I’ve had dreams of being back on a mission a few times. I think these are fairly common kinds of dreams.

I have sleep apnea, and know what it’s like to chronically get too little sleep. I’m in favor of doing whatever is necessary to get good sleep.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Do you take melatonin?

- Doc

[_Jersey Girl]

It sounds like you are dealing with underlying anxiety and it's expressing itself in your dream state by attaching back to other events that triggered anxiety in the past. We all deal with these things from time to time. Don't settle for poor sleep quality. It's hard to identify the causes of anxiety in our life. It could be situational or a side effect of medications, supplements or a condition we have. I'll leave it at that. Some practical solutions off the top of my head...

1. Practice good sleep hygiene.*

2. Exercise regularly earlier in the day and preferably outdoors--fresh air/sunlight.

3. Run through your diet. What do you eat and drink? How close to bedtime do you do either?

4. Practice meditation and mindfulness.

5. Limit your exposure to "screens". The sustained intellectual and sensory stimulation is too much for many of us.

6. Check any meds you take including supplements. Cam mentioned melatonin which produces nightmares in some folks. I would add to that valerian which I tried years ago when I was working and taking night classes, and instead of sleep, it produced racing thoughts and insomnia.

7. This is one of my favorite things in the world. I recommend this to anyone who is dealing with poor sleep quality. Was suggested to family members by a therapist who specialized in treatment of PTSD. Every family member (young and old) out here sleeps to these recordings. I used them for children's rest time when I worked full day sessions. I swear by them. Here's my favorite:

https://www.amazon.com/Sleepy-Ocean-Dr- ... eepy+ocean

There is no music in that recording. I also like Sleepy Thunderstorm and Sleepy Rain. I'm composing this post with Thunderstorm still on in the background from last night. ;-)

Sending you a pm.

[_ajax18]

Do you take melatonin?

- Doc

Yeah, among other things

[_Jersey Girl]

Do you take melatonin?

- Doc

Yeah, among other things

Pssst...look up the possible side effects. Cam is correct in bringing it up.

[_ajax18]

I’ve had dreams of being back on a mission a few times.

At least I don't have those recurring dreams of breaking the law of chastity anymore. I lived/slept through a lot of guilt during my life over that. I'm convinced that contributed some to my life long sleep problems.

[_Dr Exiled]

As most of you know I sleep very poorly, always have. I can do things to make it better or worse but the truth is my body just doesn't sleep as well as it should.

So I woke up at 1am with a nightmare about an English paper due for an AP class I hadn't attended all semester. I haven't taken AP English in over 20 years. Why do I keep having nightmares about it?

Then I started dreaming that somehow the LDS church had gotten me on the mission again. I really didn't have a terrible attitude about being there the first time, but reliving it in dreams was more than I could take. Yet no matter how hostile I got, I still found myself in a white shirt and tie, obsessed about rules. I even shouted in the nightmare, "What are you going to do, send me home?"

I still believe in God and try to live my life knowing I'll be judged for my actions good and bad. But I don't lean toward a particular denomination nor have an interest in converting the world to Mormonism.

Anyone else still have mission nightmares?

It's interesting you say that you still have dreams of missing assignments in college. I just had one the other day and I've been out for around 20 years. I think I have these dreams periodically because I am always trying to meet deadlines in my job. I also went through a period where kept dreaming that I was called on a mission again, but this time to germany. In my dream I was excited to be back on a mission and I soon found myself back going to church after being inactive for 10 years. I think my mission dreams were my subconscious telling me that I wanted to go back to church due to the guilt I was feeling at the time. I still believed but wanted to have fun, then, and the church always said "no" when "yes" seemed to be the better course. Now, after having realized how nonsensical Mormonism is and religion is in general, I have left for good without the guilt. I am also more responsible now as I chose to live by certain standards when I discovered Mormonism and religion are simply man-made constructions or relics from the past. I wonder if your dreams are your subconscious self fighting against family pressures to conform and come back to the Mormon nonsense?

[_Themis]

I have dreams about having final exams in courses I’ve never attended every few weeks.

I don't hardly have nightmares, but this is a somewhat a recurring dream I have, causing feelings of anxiety. Always feels good when I wake up and realize it was just a dream.