Dear Amy: Why does everything seem so bad at night?
For the last year or so I've found myself waking up from bad dreams almost every night. I start thinking about everyday issues regarding family, work, health, etc., and it all seems so overwhelming and urgent.
I put myself into panicked ruminations about these problems. When the sun comes up, I inevitably realize that everything I was worried about overnight is manageable by day.
The middle-of-the night bad thoughts are so bad that I can't or don't want to go back to sleep, so I put on the television and tune into an old, cheerful, and bright Hollywood musical. That eliminates the thoughts, but also eliminates the sleep.
Do you know why things seem so bad at night when they don't in the day? Also, do you know of anything that might help me to stop doing this?
Amy says: I suspect that your issue begins with your sleeping problem. If you were able to sleep through the night, you wouldn't have these anxious hours.
Your disordered sleep and nightmares could be brought on by anxiety, depression or medication. You should review any changes in your routine, diet or medical status that might cause this sleep interruption.
There are many holistic remedies for better sleep and some medications that might help you. This is from an article called "Nightmares and the Brain" published by Harvard Medical School (hms.harvard.edu):
