The nightmares are returning...

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Originally Posted by crazydreams

I've been a smoker for very long, and I've had a lot of off-times. Every off time seems to be full of dreams. But it's the first time it's that intense, that often and only nightmares.

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Hi... I'm back...
So I haven't had nightmares since, but I was smoking again every day. Now, yesterday, I ran out. Meaning: I let it happen, I thought a break would do me good.
I did have 1-2 small smokes last night, but really insignificant compared to my usual intake.
So... Night #1... And I'm back at it. I had the most vivid dream/nightmare since my last post here. (Completely unexpected, I had completely forgotten about last time.)
It involved some old thugs I used to hang around with, some new ones, prison, fights, escaping, car chases (completely insane, on railroad tracks sometimes), etc..
This is looking bad: last time, it went so out of control I would wake up screaming, covered in sweat, and the nightmares just went worse really fast, until I just had to get some more hash to make it stop.
So, if the same thing starts again, the nightmares go worse and crescendo (=last time this happened, it was so bad I was scared of going to sleep!!!),
what can I do..?? :?

You are going through nicotine withdrawal and nightmares can be part of the withdrawal symptoms. The medical literature states that these will decrease within a few weeks.

Try keeping your sleep habits the same. Keep the room temperature comfortable. Don’t take benzos, alcohol or caffiene before sleeping because these can make screw up your REM sleep and make nightmares worse. If you are on any type of synthetic nicotine to help you stop smoking, know that these are well known for causing nightmares. Try priming your dream before you sleep. Think about things you would like to dream about. If there are unresolved issues that caused you great stress with the people you are dreaming about, forgive yourself and tell yourself you are done with whatever the issue is about.