I have had a search, but I can't find any other reference to this problem - just hoping someone has some experience/ideas - Thanks 
Mil, for over a year now, even before moving in with us, frequently mentioned having 'nightmares/bad dreams'. Whilst she was still living independently, if we visited in the morning, it wasn't unusual to find her still in bed, or just heading downstairs, and she would be visibly upset, tearful and often need reassurance that it was just a dream she had had.
When she moved in, she had reached the stage where hallucinations and other behaviors sort of 'masked' these nightmares, and it was only just before Christmas, when medication had helped to take the edge of the worst of the sundowning and hallucinations, that I realized that she was having these dreams nearly every night. At the same time, I was concerned that she was depressed, and consulted with the CPN. The CPN agreed that Mil probably was 'down' (She has a history of depression, going back to when she lost my late Fil), and the anti-depressants she was on (which apparently do become ineffective over time, and were a very mild dose anyway) were changed, as the CPN felt the dreams could be part of the depression. The new anti-depressants also have a sedative effect, and the CPN said they are a 'very effective' as a sleeping medication too. Initially, for about 2 weeks, no mention of bad dreams. But over the last couple of weeks they are making a reappearance - and getting to be more and more frequent.
The odd thing is that Mil tends to wake at any time between 4am and 5.30am - I can hear her, moving round her room, and it seems that she spends this time packing her clothes and odds and ends into various bags. If she emerges from the room, she is generally confused about where she is, but not unduly distressed, and its a usually simple thing to chat for a few minutes, maybe make her a cuppa, and settle her down in bed again. Now and and again, she is noisy, just thumps and clatters as she busies about the room, and I tap on the door to remind her that its very early and suggest she goes back to sleep - which she usually does, and then sleeps through till usually around 9.30 - 10am, sometimes later. During the early 'wake up', she NEVER mentions having had bad dreams.
However, when she wakes for the second time, often she is really upset. She comes down, anxious, shaky, sometimes very tearful, and straight away starts on about the dreadful nightmare she has had. Usually she has been 'chased', e.g. by 'dragons', by 'bulls' or by people with guns. Often she says that she was scared she was going to be killed. She says that she feels like she hasn't slept because she has been 'running away, all night long'. About half the time, she seems to really struggle with separating the dreams from reality - she will peer out the window, making sure that there are no dragons, or repeatedly ask me if I am sure that she isn't going to be shot if 'they' catch her. Sometimes, It can take up to an hour to settle her - occasionally, it can take a lot longer, and she will refer to the dream now and then throughout the day - and always when that happens, she is inclined to forget it was a dream and think that whatever it was really happened.
Anyone else had experience of this please, and any suggestions for stopping them - they really distress her
Mil, for over a year now, even before moving in with us, frequently mentioned having 'nightmares/bad dreams'. Whilst she was still living independently, if we visited in the morning, it wasn't unusual to find her still in bed, or just heading downstairs, and she would be visibly upset, tearful and often need reassurance that it was just a dream she had had.
When she moved in, she had reached the stage where hallucinations and other behaviors sort of 'masked' these nightmares, and it was only just before Christmas, when medication had helped to take the edge of the worst of the sundowning and hallucinations, that I realized that she was having these dreams nearly every night. At the same time, I was concerned that she was depressed, and consulted with the CPN. The CPN agreed that Mil probably was 'down' (She has a history of depression, going back to when she lost my late Fil), and the anti-depressants she was on (which apparently do become ineffective over time, and were a very mild dose anyway) were changed, as the CPN felt the dreams could be part of the depression. The new anti-depressants also have a sedative effect, and the CPN said they are a 'very effective' as a sleeping medication too. Initially, for about 2 weeks, no mention of bad dreams. But over the last couple of weeks they are making a reappearance - and getting to be more and more frequent.
The odd thing is that Mil tends to wake at any time between 4am and 5.30am - I can hear her, moving round her room, and it seems that she spends this time packing her clothes and odds and ends into various bags. If she emerges from the room, she is generally confused about where she is, but not unduly distressed, and its a usually simple thing to chat for a few minutes, maybe make her a cuppa, and settle her down in bed again. Now and and again, she is noisy, just thumps and clatters as she busies about the room, and I tap on the door to remind her that its very early and suggest she goes back to sleep - which she usually does, and then sleeps through till usually around 9.30 - 10am, sometimes later. During the early 'wake up', she NEVER mentions having had bad dreams.
However, when she wakes for the second time, often she is really upset. She comes down, anxious, shaky, sometimes very tearful, and straight away starts on about the dreadful nightmare she has had. Usually she has been 'chased', e.g. by 'dragons', by 'bulls' or by people with guns. Often she says that she was scared she was going to be killed. She says that she feels like she hasn't slept because she has been 'running away, all night long'. About half the time, she seems to really struggle with separating the dreams from reality - she will peer out the window, making sure that there are no dragons, or repeatedly ask me if I am sure that she isn't going to be shot if 'they' catch her. Sometimes, It can take up to an hour to settle her - occasionally, it can take a lot longer, and she will refer to the dream now and then throughout the day - and always when that happens, she is inclined to forget it was a dream and think that whatever it was really happened.
Anyone else had experience of this please, and any suggestions for stopping them - they really distress her
