Vivid dreams,sleep meds,and memory

[Sun657]

My sleep is terrible.Very vivid and realistic dreaming that I find quite bothersome,morning headaches,exausted,night waking and getting up doing things and then not remembering it the next day,and I have abnormal sleep architecture.I have tried different meds for this(Remeron,Restoril,Ambien CR)but they are awful.I feel drunk instead of relaxed.My sleep study was taken with me taking 15mg of Remeron.My memory has been awful for about a year now since trying different meds.I also suffer from depression and I have read that this is linked to what I'm going through.Each time I try a different med,I only seem to get worse.Has anyone else experienced the same and what did you find to actually work?It's always taken me a while to get to sleep,but it has intensified since using Chantix.My sleep study shows that most of my sleep is in Stage 1 and REM.I would love to hear other opinions on this and any recommendations.Thanks.....

[Marycurry]

I just woke up today with two extremely vivid dreams back to back. I have been having these dreams for as long as I can remember and their intensity increases when I am stressed. Usually the topic of the dream is an issue that I am mildly worried about, but the worry isn't important enough in real life for me to make a decision or resolution about it.  I always sleep on my stomach and now that you mention sleep apnea, I'm wondering if these may be related. I only take medication for anxiety and have never taken recreational drugs/ I would like to get this issue corrected because like other posters I too wake up feeling exhausted even after 8hrs of sleep

[Bernard74]

I had same exact thing...My cause was sleep apnea...the vivid dreams are caused by oxygen deprivation to the brain at night...also linked to depression.

[scootermom]

I had my sleep study and MSLT. I've had the genetic dx of Narcolepsy and know that I have RLS. My sleep studies in two years say that I have idiopathic hypersomnia, which will not show on the genetics test. (the g- test says that).
My 2nd nap, I didn't think I fell asleep because I was talking myself into going to sleep. Study says: latency 1.1 min , no REM. I don't understand that part.  
All < 4 and no REM. I could tell them everything I was thinking, but I guess dreaming since I was asleep. I was off all med for 3 weeks before this.

Anyone with ideas??

[fucious]

hello there..i am guy  21 years old,,i am having sleep apnoe for the last 8years..but every time it happened, it accompanied by paralysis of my body..the only thing that i could move were only my eyes..The attack usually last for 10-15sec..I am wondering is there anybody here having the same problem like me because i have gone through the internet bout sleep apnoe and it never said it accompanied by paralysis of body.

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi,

I appreciate the humor and I did have recollections of  that scene in the movie:)

Narcolepsy is difficult to diagnose and may sometimes take years to diagnose. It presents with symptoms that may be attributed to depression and other disorders.

Do you experience sudden loss of muscle control usually associated with extreme emotions like laughing or shouting?

Physicians follow a criteria in diagnosing narcolepsy and the likelihood that you have the condition increases when you present with cataplexy or sudden loss of muscle control while awake.

Discuss this with a psychiatrist and bring your sleep study results with you. Further studies like a nocturnal polysomnogram and a multile sleep latency test may help.

All the best!

[Sun657]

I just seen on another website that this could be a symptom of narcolepsy and that this disorder is underdiagnosed.I don't have the parylisis(spl?)or fall asleep during the day,but I do have daytime fatigue and it said that people with narcolepsy go straight into REM sleep which is what I do.It seems as if as soon as I fall asleep,I go straight into a dream.Every time.I could self-diagnose myself all day and find all kind of stuff.Probably don't need to do that either.I'm not seeing a psyc. yet,but I have discussed all of this with my doc and he's just tinkering around with meds right now.The thing is that it's these dreams is what's put me in this major drepession im in right now.It's like a never ending battle.I'm gonna wind up like the girl off of Nightmare On Elm Street with a pot of coffee hidden underneath my bed to keep me from going to sleep.Just putting a little sense of humor into all of this.(lol)

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi,

How is everything?

Are you seeing a psychiatrist?

I suggest you discuss this with your physician .A referral to a pharmacist may be able to help.

Keep us posted for any progress.

[Sun657]

I don't even know where to begin on meds.They all seem to have the same nasty side effects.Changes in dreaming,abnormal behavior,etc.I've told my doc that is what's bothering me and then he puts me on something that makes me worse.I just want some sleep that's not full of these bothersome dreams.I wish I could just shut that part off.When you wake up every morning wondering if you got out of bed and left the house,that's a problem.It really scares me.I just want a med to relax me,but not knock me out.I'm to the point now to where I hate going to sleep because of the fear that I have.

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi

I understand your condition worries you a lot.

The impression of your sleep study likened your condition to those of patients with chronic pain syndromes. This does not necessarily imply that you are experiencing painful episodes. Rather the study tells us that you are not getting enough sleep that is required to restore your body.This is similarly experienced by patients with chronic pain syndromes like fibromyalgia who dont get enough sleep because of the extreme muscle pains.

I suggest you consult your physician for possible dose adjustment of your medications.

Keep a positive and proactive attitude. Dont allow your symptoms to overcome you.

Keep in touch!

[Sun657]

I was diagnosed with depression in August and I think it's this sleep issue that's causing it.I'm in fear that I roam throughout the night.My dreams are really bothering me because they are always about me leaving the house and ending up at a neighbor's house.It's very detailed right down to what I went to bed in.I get up in the mornings asking 5,000 questions like did I get up,did I come straight back to bed.I do have trouble getting to sleep.Without meds,it takes about an hour or two.I just lay there thinking about everything.I've even asked the neighbor if he seen me out and he's never seen me,thank goodness.In these dreams,I'm knocking on windows,dancing drunk,etc.I just want it to go away.I didn't start doing this until I took Chantix,now I can't get it to stop.I just had another one of these dreams under General Anesthesia Wednsday to where I "confessed" to the doc that I did all of these things that I had dreams about.I asked him yesterday if I said any of those things and he said no.Very confusing.They seem to get worse whenever I'm under any type of sedative....Could you help me understand my sleep study number's.I don't understand them very well....Total recording time 443.7 minutes,total sleep time 386 min.,Sleep latency 12.5 min.,sleep efficency 87%,Sleep architecture revealed 5.3% Stage 1,70.5% Stage 2,3.1% Stage 3,1.9% Stage 4,and 19.2% of REM sleep an REM latency of 130 minutes....5 obstructive apneas,and 15 hypopneas with respiratory disturbance index of 3.1....Impression:There is evidence of decreased sleep efficiency and ineffective sleep pattern.Similar picture might be seen in chronic pain syndromes.I don't have chronic pain,so,that one has me stumped.Does this sound like I have a major sleep issue,or should I continue with the meds I'm on?I just don't want to make things any worse.Thanks for your opinion on this.

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi,

I need to ask you a few questions:

-When were you diagnosed with your depression?
-How would you describe your sleep disorder? Do you have difficulty sleeping at night or you experience no problem in initiating sleep but have your sleep disrupted by frequent awakenings?

Sleep disorders and depression are usually associated with each other.Emotional problems, hormonal or other systemic problems that cause pain or discomfort may disrupt a person's normal sleep pattern.Disrupted sleep may lead to a "sleep debt" and this may explain your prolonged REM sleep .REM sleep is when dreaming occurs. Stage 1 sleep is a phase of light sleep and may not be able to give you the restorative properties of deep sleep which occurs in phases 3 and 4.The predominant stage 1 and REM phases of sleep shown by your leep study  may explain the exhaustion and frequent awakenings at night.

The medications you have mentioned works to maintain a degree of sleep continuity.However most antidepressants,may cause side effects that may be a source of discomfort.Vivid dreams, headaches and even worsening of sleep disorders have been noted.

I suggest you seek consult with a psychiatrist or neurologist regarding your condition.Knowledge on drug interactions and their mechanism of actions in the body may be of help.Your physician may help you with this.

Good Luck!