Which Is Worse?

I'm not sure which is worse, sleeping or waking, the night or the morning? At night, I don't want to sleep, despite how tired I am. In the morning, all I want to do is sleep. The night means I will sleep eventually and in so doing dream those nightmares that are haunting me. The dawn means the nightmares are finally over, but then I have to work. You can see the dilemma.

My nightmares of late are resembling something from a thriller movie. For instance, one of my latest dreams found me strung up in a warehouse, dangling from my wrists. Two men emerge from the shadows, one clearly in charge, the other a stooge. The leader is demanding me to answer his questions. In the dreams, I either cannot or will not answer, all depends on what he is asking. No matter which, he is always dissatisfied with my responses and orders the other man to do something. That "something" varies, but it always graphic and painful. I have been electrocuted, beaten, burned with cigarettes, branded with hot irons, and whipped. Never all in the same dream, but often paired together in some way. I wake in a cold sweat, thankful that it was all just a dream, though that word seems too soft for what has been going on in my head.

I cannot tell you what is making me think these things before I sleep. I've tried everything from watching cheerful cartoons to not reading or watching anything remotely graphic in nature to no avail. I am wondering what the flying hell is wrong with me. Does everyone dream like this? Or is it just me?