It takes me a long time to fall asleep; Id estimate about two hours. I often have nightmares, starting with being eaten by a monster, and I often wake up frightened and unable to breathe. I believe I started losing sleep after breaking up with a girlfriend of 8 years. Also, my fathers business went bankrupt and my mother has a chronic condition. I was under a lot of stress, and life lost meaning. After improving my life and developing a habit of running and exercise to release stress, my symptoms improved. However in the past couple months, I started losing sleep again and having nightmares without warning. How can I solve this issue?
Ive suffered from insomnia and nightmares for about 3 years
Youre noticing that as you lie down to go to sleep, there is quite a bit going on, which may be anxiety related. It sounds like the dreams and difficulty sleeping are reminiscent of previous experiences you had around the time of your break up, the difficulty with your fathers business, and your mothers health issues. These connections to past events may be important insights to continue exploring in addition to finding out more about what your dreams may be trying to tell you. There is no exact science to dreams, but many people find it fruitful to explore the content as it relates to significant themes in their lives. I think that exploring these issues further with a therapist could help you resolve whatever is causing you the stress, trouble sleeping, and frightening dreams.