Thoughtmares....Please Help

I have this problem, that I call "thoughtmares." I haven't met another person who has this issue, and it's really getting a lot worse, so I'm looking for some insight.

When I have thoughtmares, I think I'm asleep...but I'm really still 'awake.' I'm stuck repeatedly thinking one thought, something that usually makes no sense (for example, measuring the angle that the cosine function would make with my toilet)...for hours until something external wakes me up. I'm never aware that I've been thinking until I'm awake. Once I'm awake...I still can't stop thinking this. I literally need to leave the room and find somewhere else to sleep if there is going to be any hope of me falling into a normal sleep for the rest of the night. I usually feel like I have a headache afterwards from all of this nonsensical uncontrollable deep thinking.

When I was in highschool, this used to be something that would happen every three months or so. I'm a junior in college now, and it seems as though the frequency of these events has slowly increased. Thoughtmares twice a week now is not uncommon. I've learned that trying to go to bed early or taking any kind of sleep supplements increases my chances of having a 'thoughtmare.'

It might be worth mentioning that since highschool, my insomnia has also gotten increasingly worse. Whereas I could fall asleep within 15 minutes of going to bed then, it takes a solid two to three hours now. Severe insomnia runs in our family, though. But I just get raised eyebrows when I ask if this has ever happened to them.

I really have no clue what to do about this. Has anyone else here had this? What did you do? :whyme:

I suppose there even is a medical conditioning for ur case. I'd call it a last option to see a psychiatrist or some expert in sleep disorders.

Sounds like you are stuck in a feedback loop. Looking at it from a psychedelic angle.. As I am sure you are familiair with Queen Zukin. :)

Acid/shrooms have a way of causing feedback loops that are quite severe. Some filters of the brain are shut off. This is my only experiental frame of reference. And to stop those kind of 'thoughtmares' what I did (or better yet.. Try to achieve..) is mindfulness.

Focusing on breath and something solid. Basically stop thinking altogether and just perceiving is a good way to not get stuck in feedback loops. This is easier said than done and requires a significant amount of training, but i do not know what else to tell you.
Have you tried listening to music, or some kind of acoustical anchor before going to bed?
Binaural beats?

Be more creative? Think about left/right brain connections. You want to keep switching to creativity and learning to establish a good connection there. Sounds strange what you experience. But I for one am glad to know that I am not the only one who commonly has thoughts instead of dreams at night. I just rarely get stuck, i simply think of stuff or people a lot and don't remember much afterwards.

That's a cool perspective, Dthoughts! I've tried a lot of mindfulness which sometimes helps sometimes falling asleep, but usually when I am in a thoughtmare it's already too late (it feels like someone else is thinking in your brain!). That's good food for thought though, I never thought of it like that before.

Well, tell me if it seizes or if it continues.. Be more detailed and i might be able to help you out more

As of now i do not have anything more to say but i wish i could help so.. feel free to keep us updated? :welcome:

I would definitively seek help from a physician for your sleep related problems - it sounds a lot like there is a medical problem at the basis of it.
I believe I did have such episodes myself, where I kept thinking the same things over and over in a "non-lucid" way, almost like dreaming, but not quite asleep.
If it's so extreme with you - probably connected to the insomnia disorder in your family.
Not all sleep medications are the same - and something might be possible in that regard, without making your specific problem worse.
Good luck - please get a professional opinion!