I constantly wake up in a panic after dreaming about failling at work, how can i stop this?

if daytime anxiety doesn't get resolved then it does invariably show up at night.  You may need to work on you level of stress/anxiety by considering therapy, maybe trying some relaxation techniques or beginning an exercise program like gentle yoga, creating a nighttime ritual that relaxes you - warm shower, hot herbal tea, not doing work in bed, stopping viewing TV well before bedtime.

Your stress is likely inducing these dreams.

There is a way to control dreams, which can be highly helpful to overcoming fears both in dreams and in waking life. It's called "lucid dreaming".

http://www.lunar-light.org/forum is a forum that focuses on the art and lifestyle of being able to control your dreams (lucid dreaming). The site focuses mainly on tight knit interaction between highly experienced lucid dreamers and new members, providing support and tutorials for lucid dream induction.

The forum contains an online dream-journal board, for recording previous dreams to enhance recall, and contributes ultimately to lucidity. As I said it can be highly helpful to overcoming fears and worries, and since I'm an avid lucid dreamer myself, I suggest it wholeheartedly. ;)

Hi! I have had this problem for years. I have tried hundreds of different remedies throughout this time each of which helped in varying degrees. I have found a solution for me (which I detail at the end of this post) but it might not be the same solution for you.

It's very important at this point to go back to the basics. The human brain needs two main substances to function properly: Oxygen and Glucose. If either of these are compromised the brain will wake the body up. This was useful tens of thousands of years ago when we were hunter gatherer societies: if someone tried to strangle us or drown us while we were sleeping we'd wake up because our oxygen supply was compromised--hopefully in time to fend off our enemies. If food was scarce and our blood sugar was low then the brain would keep the body awake until more food was found--which would have been essential for one's survival (as well as the survival of one's tribe)

So what you have to realize is that your condition has been around for tens of thousands of years. It was useful at a time way before the industrial revolution. The demands of modern life however stand in direct conflict with this built-in evolutionary mechanism.

If you are not getting enough oxygen at night you could have a common condition called sleep apnea. This condition will actually wake you up many times during the night. I'd recommend getting a sleep study done to rule this out.

If you are not getting enough sugar you may have a condition called hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) which can be caused by too much insulin in the body. Low blood sugar can wake you up. If this is the case you may want to try a proteinacious snack before bed.

Of course neurotransmitter deficiences can also cause your symptoms -- in particular low seritonin. For me I think this was the case as the only way I can releive my symptoms thus far is to eat a few scoops of Breyers Mint Chocolate ice cream about 20 minutes after supper. For some reason this stuff totally relaxes my body and I actually end up oversleeping (at which point I need coffee to wake me up).

Here is a link for the ice cream which I highly recommend everyone with sleep issues try: http://www.breyersicecream.ca/canada/products/product.cfm?b=1&u=58779-53105&lang=en

The only down side is that it is fattening. But it's the fat that slows the release of sugar into your blood stream so don't use low fat ice cream! I recommend trying this exact product. It's kinda strange because it's minty but it is not green because it has no artificial colours or flavours.

There are 5 reasons why I think this stuff works:

1) it helps peristalsis in the intestines. This is because it contains peppermint and is devoid of artificial colours, flavours and artificial sweeteners which can irritate the intestines.

2) it is rather creamy - this boosts serotonin levels

3) it is sweet - which also boosts serotonin levels

4) it is moderately high in fat which slows the release of sugar into the blood stream thereby avoiding a sugar crash

5) chocolate is a known anti-depressant.

let me know how this works out I'm eager to see if it works for you.