Rose,

I am afflicted by nightmares a great deal of the time as well. Some of the suggestions folks have made in this thread already are good ones to try and can assist your body to prepare for relaxing sleep.

Another thing that you may wish to try is keeping a dream journal. This is something I began doing myself about a year ago and I have found it to be rather insightful. It doesn't necessarily quell the nightmares, but it does help me to write them down. Then I go back, read what I have written, and find I have a better understanding of what the nightmare was truly about. With the understanding comes a lessening in the fear of them. I know this may sound stupid, but hopefully you can just trust me on this one.

I keep just a plain notebook and a pencil on the nightstand next to my bed so it is ready to be written in as soon as I wake from the nightmare. I also keep what I call a "ground" item near this notebook so I can I use it help get over the initial terror of waking from the nightmare. My ground? A little stuffed cat.