New grad having nightmares about work!!!!!!!!!

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So, I am a new grad who has moved many miles away from home to work and get experience in the area of nursing I have always dreamed of working in. I absolutely love my job, the people I work with and the community I serve. However, ever since I have been working at this hospital, I have been having nightmares about work! I would literally jump up out of my sleep and run to my livingroom thinking to myself "OH NO!!!!! I HAVE BEEN AT WORK FOR HOURS AND I HAVEN'T SEEN MRS. 'SO-AND-SO' IN ROOM 4 AT ALL!!!!!!!" or "OH CRAP!!!!! I HAVEN'T PASSED MEDS AND THE SHIFT IS ALMOST OVER!!!!!!!", just to realize I was at home and wasn't even scheduled to work that night:eek:.....this happens AT LEAST 3-4 nights a week, (and the nightmares are far more bizzare than the two examples I mentioned), and I am simply TIRED of it!!!!!!! After waking up 3 times last night crying about it, I felt the need to come to my fellow nurses for advice......PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:crying2:

That feeling sucks. It is hard to feel rested and refreshed for the next day when your sleeping habits are all jacked up. I know this sounds silly but if you are in a position to do so ..... HAVE SEX! Sex releases all kinds of endorphins and chemical mood boosters and helps relieve stress and anxiety. It is a natural sleep aid and mood booster. Have you ever noticed afterward you usually sleep like a baby?..at least with good sex :) Also, any kind of exercise before you go to bed at least of couple of hours before will work wonders. It has the same affect as sex. Walking the dog.... walking/jogging/running on a treadmill or outside. Zumba is fun and physical. Those are my tips. Hope they help! Good luck!

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I still have them: "OMG, I forgot to sign THE STRIP!!!!"

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I've had the nightmare where I realize I was assigned to a patient I never checked on or gave meds to! :) And sometimes, I'll be sitting at my kitchen table after work and think, OMG, did I remember to take down Mr. Soandso's tube feeding before I left work this morning?

I'm not sure what you mean by "sleep aids", but I can tell you that my patients on Ambien sure have a lot of nightmares.

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Specializes in CCU,ICU,ER retired.

I retired in 2005 after 35 yrs of critical care and ER nursing. I still have dreams about nursing. Not the ones like the OP has I quit having those about 25 yrs ago but now my dreams are about going downstairs to the cafeteria and getting lost or someone holds me up where I can't get back to my patients. And I get to the point of hysteria because I know my patient needs me and I can't get back to the unit. I used to have that dream about 3 times a week but now it is only once a month or so.

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Specializes in Postpartum, L&D, Mother-Baby.

THANKS EVERYONE!!!!!!!! It feels good to know that I am not alone in this!!!!!! :yeah:

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Specializes in High-risk OB, Labor & Delivery.

The same thing happens to me about 2-3 times a week. It looks like we even had the same dream at one point too (not passing meds and the shift is almost over). This week I dreamt that I floated to ICU, was so busy I couldn't pass my meds until 1am, and that I didn't have my vital signs machine to do my assessment! I guess it just comes from having such a large responsibility (i.e. people's depend on us) and I guess these dreams may occur more frequently when we are stressed.

So, I am a new grad who has moved many miles away from home to work and get experience in the area of nursing I have always dreamed of working in. I absolutely love my job, the people I work with and the community I serve. However, ever since I have been working at this hospital, I have been having nightmares about work! I would literally jump up out of my sleep and run to my livingroom thinking to myself "OH NO!!!!! I HAVE BEEN AT WORK FOR HOURS AND I HAVEN'T SEEN MRS. 'SO-AND-SO' IN ROOM 4 AT ALL!!!!!!!" or "OH CRAP!!!!! I HAVEN'T PASSED MEDS AND THE SHIFT IS ALMOST OVER!!!!!!!", just to realize I was at home and wasn't even scheduled to work that night:eek:.....this happens AT LEAST 3-4 nights a week, (and the nightmares are far more bizzare than the two examples I mentioned), and I am simply TIRED of it!!!!!!! After waking up 3 times last night crying about it, I felt the need to come to my fellow nurses for advice......PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:crying2:
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