The Buckets by Greg Cravens for January 16, 2022

Don’t ask about the eggnog dreams.

Yeah, Dad. What’s with this personal responsibility mumbo jumbo?

The stop smoking drug Chantix gave me extremely horrifying nightmares. I ended up quitting cold turkey in 2012.

I wonder if they involve Sheila…

If I ever had a nightmare, it was so long ago I don’t even remember having one. With five sibs, there was never any leftover pizza. That I remember.

Can’t remember food ever causing me a nightmare

Usually if something I ate disagrees with me I’m not getting much sleep, so no nightmares

Stay off the Elm St movies.

There is research on nightmares and some treatment options. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/nightmares

Yup, everyone wants to just swallow a pill, or have someone else take care of their problems.

Granted, it has fueled many a classic sitcom episode, but is there any truth to this association of heavy or spicy late-night meals with nightmares?

I have nightmares all night, just about every night. If I wake up my husband he holds me until they stop, but then will start again later.

I consider this an improvement. I went through a period (after we had bed bugs about 10 or so years ago) when I had nightmares so bad that my mind would not let me remember even having them. Now at least I know I have had them, even if I don’t remember them. I hope to in some decade start having and remembering that I have had nicer dreams or at least neutral ones – even if I don’t remember any of those dreams either.

In my case, Trazodone works.