bad nighmares, dread going to sleep some nights..

I was told that I occasionally have what appear to be a nightmare, thrashing about and shouting in my sleep but normally I never remember a thing. I recently did notice that I had scratched the paintwork behind my bed during the night and had Tuscan Green paint under my fingernails when I woke up. Why or how I have no idea, perhaps another nightmare.
As a young man I do remember a recurring nightmare and that was being in a flying lifeboat (old RNLI type) flying or rather falling through the air in an ever decreasing spiral. If I remember that would have been repeated very frequently between the age of around 9 to 14, never had it since, at least not that I remember. Funny old thing is the mind.

Are you afraid of water yourself? Can/do you swim? If not, perhaps learning might help. Maybe you have underlying fears and "making friends" with water, and enjoying it could help.

Or you could have what they used to call floating anxiety and it manifests itself in irrational fears about your grandchildren. If so, maybe your doctor could help.

Some medications might cause them?
Do you feel as if you are drowning/need rescuing ?

biker Are your bedclothes too hot or too heavy, or is your bedroom stuffy?? When mine are, I wake feeling claustrophobic. That could cause you to have nightmares of being trapped. and your sleeping mind could put people you feel responsible for into the situations you describe.

janeainsworth yes think cheese deff triggers them,! so stopped that a long time ago and don't like cheese very much so not a problem.
ffinnochio I think when I am! happy then I don't dream, but have had so many dramas usualy with DD (who has my only GS) that it is difficult to be stressfree when I go to bed, but I have started to have a picture in my mind and try to concentrate on that and hope that it may keep my nightmares away. the thing with the nightmares is that they could happen..they are every day horrible things that could! happen................so I shall go off in one of my imaginative scenes now and hope I get through the night in peace..goodnight all

Really sorry to hear that biker. Nightmares can be very disturbing, as well as the continuous lack of sleep. Plain miserable. Quite some years ago I experienced many. They eventually decreased as I felt happier, but still get them occasionally.
I haven't got any answers I'm afraid and hope you find a way to stop them soon.

That sounds awful Biker
Have you noticed whether any particular foods trigger the nightmares - cheese for example ?

Perhaps talking about them might make them go away? Horrible for you though.