What do you do when you are up at 4am, unable to return to sleep due to a nasty nightmare? Of course you can tell yourself "It was just a dream"...but somehow this provides little comfort in the chill shadowy darkness of early morning.

I have them alot to and I find it very hard to sleep at times.I usually end up staying awake but, this is not good advice at all...so I'm going to watch what answeres you get and maybe it will help me too...SAM

When I need to get to sleep but my brain is not going into nuetral (yes that does imply that it gets into gear sometimes ) I take melatonin tablets. They are natural so There is no sleeping pill grogginess when the alarm goes off. Never used it with less than 4 or 5 hours to go. Don't know how it would do if you have to get up in 2 or 3 more hours. Just check under the bed and hug your pillow.

When I wake up in the night and can't go back to sleep I pick up a book and read until my eyes are tired. A good one is THE RISE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. That book would put Caligula to sleep.

Catty

If you have a problem because of disturbing nightmares, etc, I would get up and heat some milk up (you can add some vanilla) or make a hot chocolate. These drinks are comfort foods that rest and relax an upset mind I find. Then, if you still have problems sleeping, as suggested earlier, perhaps a bit of reading?

I agree with the get out of bed suggestions. It seems that it takes me less time to get back to sleep than tossing and turning. Reading a good book or magazine is a good suggestion. I usually get something to drink and a small snack. I stay up about 45 minutes and am able to go back to sleep.

Well, if I woke up a 4 AM from a bad nightmare, I think I would get up, put on a pot of coffee, flick on the tube and watch some early AM news, then as soon as the sun started to rise, I'd go for a walk in my neighborhood.

I've actually done this while I was going through my divorce, and I was amazed at how different, peaceful and serene my usually crazy neighborhood is in the early morning. There's something about the sun rising that makes you happy to be alive and helps to put the bad dream behind you. Besides, the next night you'll be nice and tired from rising early the previous morning.

Put the bad thoughts out of your mind and think about the good things you're thankful for.

There is a way to handle nightmares positively, and it is to think positively about them. Consider that you may have been awakened for some important task. Is the window opened but should be closed, or is the window closed but should be opened? Is your cover supposed to be on or off? Do you need to get rid of a leg cramp? Is the refrigerator door closed and the stoved turned off? Are your cats safe? Did you remember to put what you need for work tomorrow near your pocketbook? Make the inventory check and the rounds. Be content. Return to sound sleep.