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Summary of Question:	Sleeping Problem
Category:	Health
Date Posted:	Wednesday, 5/21/2003 1:10 PM MDT

WJKK WJKF.

I am a second year university student and for the past two weeks i have been having problems sleeping.
i had the regularity of sleeping late due to my studies but then i had the ability to wake up at 5 every morning to do my nitnem. i would feel fresh and have the time to get myself sorted before going to university.
recently, i have been having bad dreams but they consist of anger and death of people i know.i can remember my dreams very clearly and they distress me.in the morning, i would feel sick and tired and then dont want to go to university.
i told my parents about this and they told me to do rakshia da shabad with kirtan soihla. but that made it even worse and now i just dont have the courage anymore.
i really need help because these dreams are frightengly scary that i think it is reality.when i wake up i am sweating as well as wondering about wat that was all about.today i was wondering about going to see the doctor but i know she will presecribe me with sleeping pills which i dont want to do.

WJKK WJKF

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REPLY
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Sat Siri AKaal. I understand about sleeping and nightmares. Here's what I suggest. (1) can you sleep somewhere else for a while? A friend's house or some other family member's? Sometimes a change of sleeping scene helps, believe it or not. If you can, sleep in a gurdwara or Babaji's room (head covered, facing Babaji). This is not sacriligious as long as you sleep alone. (2) KEEP UP the kirtan sohila and chant before sleep the last shabad of Rehiras: Rakhay Rakhanahar Aap Ubariaan, etc. for protection. Try chanting it 11 times before sleeping. (3) Also before bed, do long deep breathing with a straight spine and chant waheguru as you inhale & exhale. (4) Regular Naam Simran is also important to allaying nightmares. Can you do this in the evening or when you get up (no matter how distressed you are) because this will help CLEAR it? What happens is part of you is afraid to sleep and have more nightmares, which creates more problem than solves it. Naam simran helps to clear that out. (5) Pray directly to Waheguru to relieve you of these nightmares. (6) play a kirtan or mantra cd or tape on a player that can play all night. This can also help soothe sleep.

In the light of day, study a little bit the outline of your bad dreams and ask yourself what they might mean. I'm not talking all-out dream analysis, but there could be one single fear in you that is creating these horrid dreams. Perhaps you have a family member or acquaintance who is ill or very angry and you are picking up something from him or her. If that turns out to be the case, AVOID that person and visualize yourself shielded from their anger, so that it bounces off of you. Examine your other relationships in the world. If any of them are unhealthy or off-kilter in some way, consider that may be the subconcious source of the nightmares.

I hope this helps.
Guru rakha,
-DKK