I Watch 'Em So You Don't Have To

NICE PEOPLE SHARE SOME OF THEIR SIT-UP-IN-BED GASPING AND/OR SCREAMING NIGHTMARES PART ONE

Thank You To All Who Wrote So Fast!

I decided on the Reddit site to post a request. Does Anyone Actually Have One Of Those Dreams Where You Sit Up Gasping Or Screaming? Mostly the reason is that I have vivid dreams, and often lucid dreams, but even though I remember all my dreams (usually), the only one that has ever frightened me had nothing to do with horror. 

I had dreamed that I was looking in my living room (impossible to do from my bedroom I might add) and saw children climbing through my window. I was yelling at them and trying to run towards them but couldn't (Sleep paralysis is a wonderful thing, right?), but nothing else scares me and I've NEVER woke in a sweat, much less gasping for air or screaming. 

I promised to print their stories as is and give them the credit. To my surprise, this is the response I've received in just the last 24 hours and I thank each and every one of them for their stories:

I had one of those dreams the other night, but it was stupid. I was in the shower and the water was hitting my face, but no matter which way I turned, the water was spraying right into my face, so I couldn't get away from it and I couldn't breathe, because the water would go in my mouth if I opened it or up my nose if I inhaled. I woke up gasping, having, apparently, been holding my breath while asleep. Or just not being able to breathe, since I was wheezing and needed to use my asthma inhaler.

Another time, sleeping in school, I had a dream that the neighborhood was flooded and I was swimming in it and I went under, but when I tried to come back up, the surface of the water wouldn't break and I was going to drown. When I woke up, I sat straight up suddenly while sucking in air and scared the shit out of my friend sitting next to me. He then claimed my dreams dripped LSD.

And The Mannequin Dream! That one is too long to type out. Short version: Dreamed I accidentally killed a woman in a store, but no one knew it was me that did it, got locked in the same store overnight. Weeks later, she tried to get revenge by possessing a mannequin. I woke up as she was grabbing my leg as I tried to get away. Sat up terrified to find my big ol' kitty lying on my legs and kneading me.

I could go on for awhile. This has happened to me a lot, as well as a lot of sleep paralysis dreams and other, very detailed, nightmares that woke me up feeling other weird effects and doing other weird things besides sitting up, gasping or screaming. Ugh. Probably the worst was a dream I had that my dog got hurt and was bleeding out in my arms in the driveway. I woke up crying and running from my bed, still feeling the blood all over me. I wasn't convinced the dream was done and everything was fine until I made it outside and was hugging my perfectly okay, if very confused beagle, but he was still appreciative of the love. - LivingDeadPunk

You, my friend, have a very active, imaginative mind and I'm sure that you could probably write a much better horror movie than most I've seen in the past few years.

I did once. Maybe, six years ago I had a zombie apocalypse-type dream. Details for a lot of it are vague, as is typical with dreams, but I recall being with some scientists who were working on a cure or vaccine, some sort of serum derived from the blood of the afflicted. The facility we were in was overrun, and it was down to a scientist and myself barricading ourselves into a tiny soundproof room (like a library study room). 

As the afflicted started breaking the door down, the scientist turned to me and said, "I'm sorry," and tried to shoot himself, but he was torn to shreds through the gap before he could. As they continued to widen the gap to enter the room, I grabbed the gun, put it in my mouth, and pulled the trigger. There was an incredibly loud bang and everything went black momentarily, and I awoke sitting up and gasping, just like in the movies. - SaraFist

Now if I shot myself in my dream THAT might just do it - yikes!

Remember this guy?

Yes. In my dream a massive spider was coming towards me and I sat up gasping. I must have woke up with such a jolt that my eyes/brain didn't quite adjust as quickly as my body for a couple of seconds so I could still see the spider in the room. I jumped out of bed screaming and ran to the light switch. Freaked my other half out!

Also, whenever I watch a Nightmare I always have a scary Freddy dream. - Deadite_bride

Perhaps this dreamer should stay away from movies like Big Ass Spider! and Arachnophobia... and me. Heh, heh. No but really - I'd be keeping a can of Raid near my bed...

I have nightmares all the time and this happened to me pretty regularly for a long time. It's been a while and I'm pretty sure it was at least partly sleep apnea responsible for the wake up taking a deep breath part. - thegreatbrah

Night terrors doesn't have to be limited to the very young. And sleep apnea is more common than people think (my hubby has it, for instance). Mix the two together and you've got a nasty recipe for some horrific nightmares...

Back years ago, when I was still living with my dad, I had one. In it I was lying down in my room watching TV and all of a sudden, a black splotch started to grow out of one of the top corners in the room and the way it moved, I would describe it as black static. 

It started growing and getting bigger and then another splotch appeared and started growing in the other corner. I was lying there watching as they both grew in size and start devouring the whole room until only my bed and me were left. Then it started overtaking the bed, moving from the foot towards the head. 

Once it reached my chest I realized it was billions of baby spiders that were crawling and trying to get to my face. That's when I shot straight up and screamed and realized it was just a dream. Cold sweats and everything, man. Haven't had a nightmare like that again and pray I never do. F*** spiders. - ISavesDays

THAT would have made one hell of a Twilight Zone episode - or Tales From The Darkside... in either case, freaking scary!

Only once! A few months back I was in a really bad car accident. About a week or so into my recovery I had a nightmare in which my friends (who were in the car with me) had died in the accident and came to my bedroom to blame me. 

Their appearances showed the injuries that killed them, so it was disturbing. At the end of the dream they simply started screaming, causing me to scream, and I woke up screaming and booted upright within seconds. As upsetting as that is, both my friends and I are fine now, in reality. :) - Wilibine

You think doctors would warn their patients about this particular side effect of painkillers such as morphine and other painkillers. One study showed that those given medication had significant side effects. In the first 12 weeks, out of 47 patients, 42% of them experienced dreams or hallucinations. Those given medication over an extended period of time showed that out of 57 patients, 49% of them experienced dreams or hallucinations. Glad to see a happy ending to such a frightening experience though...

I use a CPAP for my apnea so I do this at least twice a week. It's funny because if I'm choking in real life I start choking in my dreams too. Pretty freaky but I got used to it. - gborder79

Oof, that doesn't sound like something anyone should have to get used to. Funny that a lot of these have to do with either apnea, pain medication, or both. Interesting. I wonder if the same might apply to lucid dreaming...

I have several times. I believe them mostly due to side effects of drugs like vicodin or other pain meds from when I broke my arm. I would have very vivid scary dreams and wake up drenched in sweat out of breath and frightened. 

Sorry, I love this picture...

Also I have found that if I sleep on my back I am way more likely to have nightmares. But the kind where you feel like you're pinned down and can't yell or talk or anything. 

Sometimes I sleep like that on purpose just for the dreams. They are intense and sometimes I wake up violently. I have also witnessed a former roomate sit straight up and be like baaically yelling. He was a sleep talker anyway, but when he had nightmares it'd be worse. - zmanbunke

Again there seems to be a pattern - apnea, pain medications, and sleeping on your back. I was always told as a kid not to sleep on your back 'cause it caused nightmares but never told why. Now I'd like to do some research and see if there's anything to it. As for talking in your sleep, that can be kind of fun.

My hubby frequently has whole conversations in his sleep and sometimes he sings. I can't make out what he's singing, but sometime I might record it to see if I can figure it out.

I had a dream about zombies that was so scary I woke up shaking and couldn't stop for several minutes :O - lyssavirus

Ah, zombies. Monsters for some reason never frighten me in dreams, in a lot of cases they make me laugh. I would never laugh at another's fears though - sometimes there's an underlying reason for that fear and it is totally valid.

Yes but they are about me being back in high school - beige4ever

Hey, that's a valid nightmare believe me. When I dream of high school, I'm always a kid again (the only good part) and trying desperately to get the attention and affection of a boy I had a crush on - never happens. That's the nightmare.

I am very pleased with the speed of the responses I have gotten and when more come in, if the people are willing I will print them here. It's both interesting and comforting to know that all of us have so much in common, whether we enjoy horror or not. Thank you to all those who allowed me to share their nightmares here - it was much appreciated.