Vivid Dreams cause of excessive sleepiness

For years I have been "suffering" from excessive dreaming. I have dreams that are extremely graphic, detailed and vivid. Most of the time I am aware that I am dreaming and cannot wake up. It does not occur every night, but several nights a week. I wake up feeling EXAUSTED. I nod off during the day, cannot keep my eyes open. Last night (for example) I got 8 hours of sleep and yet today I'm so tired I could cry! I should also mention that I fall asleep almost instantly and I dream as soon as I fall out. There are some days where I "fall asleep" here at work and begin to dream instantly, it's almost as if It's an instant hallucination. My husband says I'm lucky to fall asleep when I hit the pillow but I'm to the point where if sleeping makes me THIS tired I don't want to. The dreams are often traumatic and I'm tired anyway. What's the point of sleeping?!

I'm not suffering from depression and I have a regular schedule in terms of sleep (Usually get at least 6.5 - 8.5 hours a sleep). My diet is pretty good and I get an average amount of excersize. Everything I do is in moderation (no drugs either, btw).

Can someone PLEASE shed some light on this? Why am I dreaming so much and why do I feel exhausted after a "good" nights sleep?

Perplexed,
Ms.April

[alchris]

Hi i am sure most would disagree but you could be highly perceptive and jsut no aware of it.  Wont use the word psychic but grealty intuitve probably which people dont realize happens in the dreams.  But no for medical you can go to a sleep lab and get test to see if while you are sleeping in you have sleep apena or any sleep distrubance.  

[scarlet37]

Isi t posible you have sleep apnea? Sometimes vivid dreams will occur due to the lack of oxygen-


Good luck

[andi04]

this used to happen to me, i went and had a sleep test and found out I had obstructive sleep apnea, they put me on some medication to help and for the most part sleeping isn't a problem unless my other diseases are acting up...I would go to a doctor about this.

[megabyte]

I agree that you should see a doctor... and ask about narcolepsy.  The stereotype is that individuals with narcolepsy simply fall asleep without warning.  That is an obvious symptom, but is only one of a few different symptoms (vivid dreams, sleep paralysis, excessive daytime sleepiness are others).  It's at least worth checking out!  

[belita]

Hi
Its always wise to consult a doctor.
Have you tried to keep a dream diary to see if there is a similar theme. Dreams can tell us allot. You don't have to be depressed to have vivid dreams. Are you waking up afraid after the dreams, or just overwhelmed because their so vivid? There are things you can do before you go to sleep at night to have a peaceful sleep.
I hope you can find some peace and answers about why this is happening.

[randomvisitor]

Dear Ms. April,

It is a bit relieving to know someone else has the same problem as I do. I have suffered from excessive dreaming for as long as I could remember. I can remember too many dreams I've had beginning from when I was a toddler all the way to last week. The dreams are unbelievably detailed and I always remember every detail clearly. As a result, I am constantly fatigued and always want to sleep or rest. I can sleep any amount of hours and it doesn't matter because I wake up and my brain is tired; my sleep did not help me rest at all. Instead I woke up with a new dream to remember, and my mind is tired from creating such a detailed dream the whole night. I have bad concentration and it makes studying incredibly difficult. I am a pre-med student trying to be a neurologist/psychiatrist and my excessive dreaming problem, as simple as it may seem, is making it so hard to reach my goal. The worst part is how hard it is to diagnose or figure out what exactly is going on in our brains. Loss of attentiveness, excessive dreaming, not to mention constant thinking and slight nerve twitching. It's all so frustrating. I take NO DRUGS, I do NOT drink, no history of abuse, I am completely normal and have a great, loving family. Everything about me is normal and moderate. I have good diet, physical activity, take vitamins, everything is fine. Yet, something is wrong. So I understand what you are going through, and how frustrating it is. I even got a EEG and it showed extra electricity. So i strongly suggest you visit a neurologist and do a sleep study. Then go from there. In the meantime, good luck and I hope we find out what is going on in our brain!!

Sincerely,
A Random Visitor

[randomvisitor]

Also in the meantime, do engage in "lucid dreaming." I've been researching it for awhile and have actually practiced it a few times in the past without knowing it was called lucid dreaming. So through research, people have said that it makes you more restful the next day. So who knows, until we find what is going on, maybe this will help.

(Honestly, I say lucid dreaming because I've already tried melatonin, nyquil, sleeping pills and even the dream journal. This is a last resort sort of thing.)

[visitor1]

I am glad to hear that i am not alone in this.  I am in the military and am scared to do a sleep test because i do not want to get kicked out.  I tell people that my dreams make me tired. It is like during the night i lived this other life and now i have to wake up and live this one. My husband also tells me that he wishes he could fall asleep as fast as i do.  I fell asleep last night and had a very vivid and detailed dream while my husband took a ten minute shower.  I just wish i could go to sleep and rest.  I am tired of being tired.

[randomvisitor]

Tired of being tired..how many times have I said this! :( In good news though, my mom recently told me that in Japan they are creating a device where you go to sleep, and you record your dreams directly onto a screen so you can watch it like a movie! Scary..huh?

[Bella171]

I ALWAYS have vivid dreams... and even if I get 9 hours of sleeps I feel SO tired in the morning.. my brain never seems rested. I also feel like I live a second life at night! I don't drink caffeine, don't do drugs, no alcoholic drinks, good diet, I work out daily, no abuse history... so I don't know why I have CRAZY on-going dreams. I have tried every type of sleeping pill possible and nothing will just pass me out... I am still dreaming up a storm. The worst is when I take naps... I start hallucinating and it takes a while for me to wake up... it's too much. In my dreams I know I'm dreaming... and I always dream that I am getting up and getting ready for the day and then my alarm goes off and I am still in bed. I am sick of always feeling tired when I get "good" sleep. What should I do?

From:
Bella171  

[caregiver222]

I know exactly what is causing your problem.

You have an insulin utilization problem and need a glucose tolerance test and an insulin clamp protocol.

The hallucinations are called "sugar people".

They are quite realistic and often you can see a dead relative in front of you and they are very real. The hallucinations can be tactile as well.

These can also be induced by fasting, and are the source of the mystical visions seen by Shamans who do so on a periodic basis.

Metrformin or glybiride will usually make them go bye-bye.

[caregiver222]

I meant metformin or glyburide.

[caregiver222]

I might add another comment about your "dreams", which are undoubtedly sugar halucinations. They tend to be extremely realistic. Sometimes you can't tell reality from the dream. This can be very worrisome. You can reach out and touch people and feel tactile feedback. Colors are vivid. People and sensations are present. They can be fun at times. Sometimes they can be terrifying, and you aren't sure if what you do in the dream will harm you in real life. Sometimes they can be pleasant and you can re-visit long dead relatives.

Yes, they can occur when you are sitting in a chair in a warm room, and suddenly you are in the halucination. It's almost like the movie "Matrix".

I suspect people who swear on ten bibles they were "abducted" by aliens experience such dreams.

I suspect there is a genetic predisposition to them, but sugar imbalance is the trigger.

I coined the term "sugar people" to describe the characters in these "mental movies".

They are more like halucinations than dreams. Another term would be "dreams plus".

[bittersweet29]

I am really relieved to find there are people with the same problem as me! I dream EVERY night, no exceptions. The dreams range from believable to downright ridiculous, and I often wake up wondering what is dream and what is reality. I once spent two hours looking for boots that I now think I never owned. I don't like to take drugs to go to sleep, expect for liquor sometimes, but even when I'm SO drunk I should pass out cold for HOURS, I still dream all night long!
I've always been an active dreamer, but in the last year or so it's gone to a whole new level. I wake up tired all the time despite getting 8-9 hours of sleep a night and the dreams are so vivid I can't tell reality at times. Also, I'm a Canadian living in Korea, and on top of the huge communication barrier I doubt the doctors here would think anything of excessive dreaming. I will get it checked out anyways, but I just wanted to thank everyone for sharing! It feels good not to be alone in this!

[AlwaysSleepyHead]

Me too! Vivid dreams, always tired, sometimes mistake dreams for reality. I also have horrible night sweats. My clothes, my sheets, and my body are drenched with sweat! Not every night, but maybe3-4 nights a week. Glad to know that I am not the only one. Just wish that I had health insurance so I could go to a sleep lab. I wonder how much I could accomplish in a day/ week/ month/ year if I wasn't always about to fall asleep!

[Farabim]

Hi,
for whatever it is worth, i do have some thoughts that i would like to share.  First and foremost, the theory i have is that dreaming is a process that has a "quantity" to it.  While not all persons will remember their dreams, which is a different issue, but in essense what I am saying is my theory, absent drug or other things interfering, people need a certain amount of dreaming per night if you will.  Just for sake of example and not that my numbers are exact, but say an average person may be expected to have say dream #1:15 minutes, dream#2, 20 minutes, dream #3, 25 minutes and then dream #4, 30 minutes.  So if something is interfering with sleep QUALITY, you are essentially sleep deprived, possibly for years worth of.  And so you go to sleep and roar this dreaming engine that will not stop because you are not getting QUALITY, DEEP sleep.  In that state of deprivation, your system then kicks in and puts you in overdrive dreaming which itself does not solve but aggravates your sleep deficit.

I have a few suggestions:
A) try as best as you can to stick, 7 days a week to a schedule of say 7 hours of sleep and maintain a bed a wake time that is close every day.
B) avoid all things with high glycemic content especially say after 5 PM.  Alcohol, sweets, carrots are very high in sugar content.  I beleive sugar in the blood stream before bed time is pumping up brain activity and decreasing the chance of deep restaurative sleep.
C) Condider a sleep study.  You may not realize it and may have a sleep disorder such as apnea.  I did.  The easiest and cheapest way is to insist that the Dr. does the regular AND the CPAP in the same night, when they wake you up say around 2 or 3 to see if air pressure solves apnea if you are prone to it.  Doing it over 2 different nights I feel is a waste of money and shows how parts of the medical system milks you and the insurance company to bill twice.
D) have sex.  It will  relax your body and help you possibly get a deeper night of sleep absent other issues.
E) avoid caffeine ( also in sodas ) after 1 PM.
F) if you are a smoker, stop.
G) if you use marijuana, you are cooked!  it is known to interfere with brain waves big time and is a possible why someone may be sleep deprived.  It does not matter much when you use the weed.  Just the fact that you use it is a total brain wave scrambler.  Yes, you may want to go to bed when you use it BUT just because you fall asleep after it mean that your brain wave pattern will be conducive to deep restaurative sleep.
H) ask your doctor if a small dose of LIQUID nortriptyline
of about 3MG taken under the tongue may be worth  a try.
I) do you have a lot of body pain?  Do you wake up stiff and sore and toss and turn early morning before you wake up??  You may have fibromyalgia and it can disturb your sleep.  A good Rhumatologist can help BUT he  must be a specialist in Fibro.  Dr Daniel Wallace in los angeles is a good choice.
J) a hot bath or tub about 1 or 2 hours before bed time, ( and the sex!) will help relax you.

I am free of fibro now but i had it before and a compounding factor was sleep apnea.  That got resolved too. But unfortunately due to an accident, i have a condition that  is messing up with my sleep again so i get to bed and like you dream and dream and dream and wake up in a fog and unfortunately it has really done a number on my life but you have to take on these problems head on and get involved, trust your gut and line up as many things on your side......my theory is that sleep deficit haunts us until we finally catch up with all the deficit and until then, you may be prone to excessive dreaming.
the best.

[jdnails2]

G) if you use marijuana, you are cooked!  it is known to interfere with brain waves big time and is a possible why someone may be sleep deprived.

Interesting, as this is a method  (2-3 hits a night before bed) that has helped me in the past, at least forget the dreams if they occur. And the brainwaves are an increase of Alpha state, much like being at a church with singing or using a binural beat to induce them.

I have also used dream pillows with specifically rosmary and some other herbs to at least make sure they are pleasant dreams, this too has helped. (Cinnamon for romantic dreams).

Ive used crystals for this as well. but they seem to interfere sometimes causing very unusual what I would call si-fi dreams or etheric dreams basically other relms with things I've never seen in this world or life.

During the day, if I nap I find the dreams are like of another life, reality or like living another life. At night, sometimes the same other times just mundane.

In my case, sometimes prophetic, like meeting someone in dreamland and then a few days later meeting them in what we call real life. Or having a dream of a daughter being born 6 months before wife was pregnant and we weren't trying for a baby.
The toltecs and aboriginals and some eastern teachings teach that this too is just a dream.

It is like living or visiting many different lives.

I have also tried 5-HTP to regulate serotonin levels (it didn't work for me at all and also left what I call dry head, feeling of dehydration of the brain)
Valerian root
Dropping multi vitamins (to reduce the B count).
Gaba, an herbal Valium like root (causes dehydration feeling of the brain) but is very relaxing.
coffea cruda (homeopath) this is used just to stop excessive thinking before sleep and works very very well for me.

Side note, I have Jupiter in the 12th (Astrology) this is indicative of shamanic dreaming and dreaming of things buried in the unconscious (often cave or underground dreams). Might get a reading or a chart and see whats in your 12th house (unconscious) maybe you have a lot going on there.

In my case, I was told both my grandmother and sister had to learn to train them selves to either stop dreaming or go lucid and control their dream activities.  I watch almost no TV maybe 2 movies in a week.

You might try a toltec or shaminic book that discuses dreams, not so much for stopping the dreams but for controlling them and/or understanding them a bit.

The following books have been helpful to me regarding dreams...

Toltec Dreaming By Ken Eagle Feather
Kabbalah and the power of dreaming by Catherine Shainberg
Making herbal dream pillows by Jim Long
sorry, don't have the shaman book at hand, but that's where I started.
If you going to have them, might as well do what you can to play with or control them or enjoy them.

For those of you that have had dreams of people past out of the blue read  the toltec book, very interesting.
I have those too. From 40 all the way back to 1st - 2nd grade!

Im still looking for a way to stop them rather than having them 1-3 times a night.

[jdnails2]

BTW, my daughters name (the one I drempt about many moons before she was born) is April as well ;)

http://www.thethoughts.co.uk/thoughts/delta-sleep-binaural-beats-mp3/
has a free binural beat deep sleep mp3 you can try (I am going to try this one tonight, I have been using others for other reasons myself and just got started with this angle)

I have also found that 1/2 hour or more meditation seems to work wonders and help energize me after a sleepless night of dreaming.

[jdnails2]

AlwaysSleepyHead, Feb 20, 2009 03:11AM
Me too! Vivid dreams, always tired, sometimes mistake dreams for reality. I also have horrible night sweats. My clothes, my sheets, and my body are drenched with sweat! Not every night, but maybe3-4 nights a week. Glad to know that I am not the only one.

--
I went through the night sweats too (I am a guy btw) Thing was, at the time I was reading some ascension **** on the net and it mentioned night sweats some times just the legs, some times puddles in the solar plexes other times whole body.

I am now working with soy due to what I read about soy suppressing the thalamus gland

After a week, My dreams went from very memorable to well a scene from 3 nights ago then just a glimmer 2 nights ago and not a thing last night!!!
Will update here.

ps: organic soy only due to other things I read about non organic soy it and tumors.

[GeorgiaCS]

I suffer from most of the simptoms listed here. Vivid dreaming does not happen every night for me, but it does occur several times a week. I sometimes have difficulty going to sleep, and almost always feel tired when waking. (more so than when I went to sleep). I feel like I do much more thinking than sleeping, and sometimes I go to sleep with a problem in my head and wake up in the morning with the answer. I can also wake up and then go back to sleep and continue my dream. Sometimes they come in parts, like a story, and I can change parts or go back if I don't like what happened. Very infriquently I dream that I am being suffocated/ drowned and everything fades to black. I suspect that I actually pass out at these times.
I've seen people recommend anti depressents on other boards (they are supposed to cut back on REM) and I tried taking klonopin and it helped tremendously, but due to it's addictive nature I'm a little hesitant about using it on a regular basis.

[jdnails2]

I am now working with a program (freeware) called Subliminal Blaster
It places subliminals on your computer when you are working.  
It has a dreaming section, but I created a new one via the options section that was to forget dreams and have dreamless sleep etc. I'll update here with the findings.

[Tony4real]

Hi Ms.April, nice reading from u on this forum. I must admit that from ur vivid description of ur way of life, u, i am convinced that the only thing that can still keep u in that situation can be psychological espectation judging from earlier traumatic dreams. So each time u go to bed, the sub conscious mind keep reminding u in that wise.
Hence i propose that u do as follows:
1. drink lots of water. This could cause more rehydration and subsequent system relaxation(just do that. dont feel u have enough bodily fluid).
2. Pray hard.

[Twitch_chick]

I'm in the same boat!  Rather than rehash all the same symptoms we all seem to share, let me add one.  About a year ago, in addition to the dreams, I began to develop sudden uncontrollable muscle spasms or "twitches" as my husband lovingly refers to them, which occur when I'm sleepy (which, due to the dream thing is often), at increasing frequency the more tired I get.

I recently discovered that my brother has the exact same symptoms.  This leads me to believe that either a) it's genetic, or b) we are both suffering some kind of chemical imbalance due to our family's diet in our growing years (about age 8-18), when we lived entirely off of fast food and cereal.  Incidentally, my brother and I both have scoliosis and TMJ as well, and I'm curious if any or all of these things might be related.

I am on a waiting list to have a sleep apnea study done in December, so I'll keep you posted if that is at all enlightening.  I have a hard time believing it's sleep apnea because I sleep incredibly deeply and don't even snore.  But who knows, maybe it is a lack of oxygen.

I also plan to look into the sugar thing and the soy diet, though if you have any more information on how to do that, please share!

[SeniorLady]

I'm nearly 70 and have suffered from these dreams all my life. Unfortunately for me i'm almost always working under great pressure in the dream- trying to accomplish the impossible and I'm exhausted in the morning. The main point is that I now know I have Fibromyalgia (which involves Restless leg Syndrome- Twitch_chick!)
For that I found an OTC  Vitamin supplement called Celadrin  (Omega 3 and 6 etc oils) worked wonders. And if you for sure have fibro, then an RX pill called Lyrica (pregabalin) really works for all symptoms by stopping the brain from sending out unwarranted pain and spasm signals. When I take that at night I get a good night's sleep. But I usually just take 1 in the morning to get through the day pain free. At $1 per pil plus I want to keep my drug useage as low as possible, I only take it at night when I really need to.
So maybe the brain is sending out false signals causing these dreams in some instances. I lead a quiet life so by no means is my brain overstimulated by daily activities!
I'm sorry for all of you but...thanks for the company! I thought I was somewhat alone in this. I will take the advice to see my doctor about it- I never would have thought to do that.

[karrybelle]

I have vivid dreams almost every night.  So vivid sometimes that I to an unsure if what happened was a dream or really happened.  Not only that but there are times the past few months where I am fighting in my dream and I will literally wake up swinging and I will accidently hit my husband.  Both my sisters have vivid dreams too.  It seems to run in my family.  However, my doctor finds it interesting that I have EXTREAMLY vivid dreams and I have sleep apnea.  From what I always been told by doctor's you aren't suppose to be able to reach REM sleep since you don't get enough time to fall asleep and dream before you wake up to start breathing again.  That's not true.  There have been plenty of times for me too when I am so tired from vivid dreams that I accidently fall asleep at work and I instantly start dreaming as soon as I fall asleep.

[SickofbeingTired]

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one! I was begin to think that I am crazy. I have vivid dreams all night (or at least what seems like all night) every night and have for about ten years now. I have had 4 sleep studies - Yes 4!! I don't have sleep apena or anything else for that matter. I have tried every medication out there and yet I'm still tired. The bags under my eyes are so dark I look like I have been in a fight. I'm at my wits end and just want a good night sleep.  

[M_Celeste]

I remember reading a long time ago in some magazine (maybe Cosmo or something) that dreaming takes place during REM sleep, which is a very important phase of the sleep cycle that always needs to be completed.  Basically, if you're woken up in the middle of a dream, you're in the middle of an uncompleted REM phase, & this in turn will make you feel tired & crappy for the rest of the day.  I personally have found this to be true.  But some of the problems you're describing might be related to something more serious, so you should probably see a doctor to make sure you don't have a more serious medical condition.

As for the people who are saying that they have night sweats, I've noticed that I sweat profusely when I dream.  I found this out because when I wake up in the middle of a dream, I'm drenched in sweat.  Any other time I'm dry as a bone.  I've never really given it too much thought.  I just figured it had something to do with my body's physiology.

[rosa839]

Vivid dreaming can be caused by certain medications and/or supplements. SSRI anti-depressants are well known for causing lucid dreams. This might also occur as a result of benzodiazepine withdrawal--including intra-dose withdrawal, or any other condition or substance that causes one's brain to enter a hyper-serotonin state.

[tanker3id]

i dream every night, i have movie like dreams that i think whould make blockbuster movies. i dream every night and remeber the dream  after i awake. i feel like i didn't sleep at all but go though the day fine i guess. i just want to know if any one else has this going on. i live a normal life but i seem tired alot and can sleep sometimes 24 hrs dreaming. sometimes i'll go to sleep just to finish a dream out. i feel i am never rested and need some kind of explination of what is going on. should i seek medical help?  i dream every!!! night and remember it every night !! sometimes dreams within a dream ?

[jjcs]

I have similar symptoms. My dreams are vivid, but never usually nightmares. They're generally fairly entertaining. I wake up 2 to 3 times a night with cold sweat on my legs (always in the middle of the dream and I always remember it). It's been happening to me probably since I was 18 (i'm 26 now). The thing is - it's never affected my life. I don't wake up feeling particularly tired and I get through the day fine. It seems to come and go at different times - the last time it "came" was when I broke up with my g/f, which was about 6 months ago. When I pass out drunk, it doesn't happen.

I drink heavily, I smoke occasionally and I take drugs rarely. I'm not on any medication. No trauma as a child or anytime else. Fairly stressful job (lawyer). I'd like to give some OTC remedies a go before I go see a doc. The only suggestion above I see is soy. Anything else?

[jjcs]

One other thing - the night sweats are invariably linked to the vivid dreams.

[Nikki972]

NARCOLEPSY--- I'm not 100% sure if anyone has commented on this from the above statements, but I urge anyone experiencing these physical and debilitating nightmares and related symptoms to please research (if not done so already) and speak to a sleep doctor about NARCOLEPSY. I have suffered from FIBROMYALGIA that has gotten worse over 13 years.  Last year I also found out I have very SEVERE SLEEP APNEA  and very recently I found out I also suffer from NARCOLEPSY. I've never had sleep attacks during the day. But all my life I've suffered from excrutiantingly vivid dreams, fatigue and I never knew this is a very unique symptom of NARCOLEPSY. Many times I know I'm having a nightmare while having a bad nightmare. It's horrifying. A hallucination!  Many many narcoleptic people don't know that the excessive REM activity can be much worse than the symptoms of cataplexy or sleep attacks. I'm currently exploring the right medication. SNRI antidepresant CYMBALTA to help supress REM and to help with Fibromyalgia. I'm also on Ritalin twice a day to help with daytime fatigue and excessive sleepiness. Ritalin is working. I've only been on Cymbalta for a month. It seems to be making the dreams less frightening. I use CPAP at night to help with sleep apnea. It's very difficult to wear the mask while coping with Fibromyalgia nerve pain and the excessive dream activity. But obstructive sleep apnea can have severe health consequences, and the mask definitely helps in the long run. I'm 32 and finally putting all the puzzles together. I will post comments as I experience progress with the combination of therapy.
Best wishes to all.

[mortar]

i have gotten worse in the last couple of days since i started taking mood supplements .could this be a cause?

[mortar]

i have gotten worse in the last couple of days since i started taking mood supplements .could this be a cause?

[karen78325]

i get prescribed trazadone for this problem and it helps a lot. i may remember the dream a little when i wake up but once i'm dressed and ready for the day i can't remember it at all. it's a relief when i can take it, which i won't unless i have at least 8 hours to sleep cuz otherwise it'll be hard to wake up.

[citysailor]

Vivid dreams is putting it mildly these days. Just spent 13 hours sleeping and was in some different reality/universe on a large ship being protected from the deadly radiation of the local sun (which I was then granted some sort of protection from later) and fighting other creatures. I'm often different "people" or characters in my dreams too. I wake up exhausted, have nightsweats, have also been accused of twitching, etc.
I'm an RN and have studied this with a personal interest. I don't have a sleep study scheduled because I can't get off my Effexor which I take for "depression" and it helps me stay awake & function during the day. I know it increases the dreams and sweats, but this has been going on since I was a kid. Nortriptyline really gave me wild dreams.I tend to have the most intense dreams in the morning. I don't mind the dreams because sometimes they are so beautiful and colorful I couldn't possibly imagine seeing them in reality or movies. I do hate being sleepy most of the time.
How I cope: Regular sleep or at least lots of sleep when possible, no food a few hours before bed, No TV in bedroom, work around my best hours to be awake, healthy weight, healthy enough diet & lifestyle, being in tune with myself.
This helps me function. If I don't get enough sleep I will fall asleep in public and twitch. The effexor has helped tremendously with this symptom when I am getting proper sleep. I know with my last symptom of occasional sleep paralysis that narcolepsy is a likely diagnosis. But, I feel relatively functional as I am and don't need speed. As far as my known medical history I have a chiari malformation, mild scoliosis, strabismus & amblyopia (bad eyes), Hashimotos autoimmune thyroiditis, asthma & allergies, anxiety & depression. I take effexor xr, birth control, and synthroid.

I don't really need a diagnosis as long as my symptoms can be listened too and managed. I do look forward to my sleep study to see how long I spend in REM and how many cycles I complete each night.

Good luck to all and dream on...

[bostitch]

I'm a vivid dreamer too, I've noticed that sometimes I may even pick up the dream and continue it several times during the night. The dreams can be visually very vivid, with details as clear as digital photos, like seeing every fleck in every pebble at the bottom of a stream. Most of my dreams have lots of details, and are very true to life. Sometimes I really hate to go to sleep, because the dreaming leaves me so tired.

I noticed years ago, that when I have periods of excessive dreaming, that may go on for weeks at a time, I'd wake up with pain in my joints, and I'd often bite my tongue, sometimes quite hard. I happened to wake up right in the middle of a biting process once and heard my jaw slam shut. It sounded just like a puppet's mouth suddenly shutting tight.
I also noticed when I awoke suddenly one morning, that my elbows, wrists, ankles and knees were all  folded tightly, as though in a muscle spasm. I figured, no wonder I hurt in the morning. Even the tongue biting seemed spasmodic.

Anyway, at least I don't do this all the time. I have no idea what triggers all this.
I did want to say though, because it might help someone here, that I've found if I take one ibuprofin when I go to sleep at night, I have normal dreams and no joint pain. I started doing this a couple of years ago. I don't take one every night, only when I find I'm in one of those very vivid dream cycles.

[healthcom]

No one here has the solution for all this dreaming. People who dream much are owned by a spirit, this spirit loves them with eternity in mind. There is no way for one to get rid of this spirit unless it abandons this spirit for another one. One most preferred is called the HOLY SPIRIT obtainable at the local church when all sins are confessed and a person makes a walk to the front for the laying of hands. Whats happening is that a spirit lives through the mind of the human. Every person has a spirit owner no matter if they dream or not. So if you are still looking you simply need to find, believe what I say, when you don't believe, that means the spirit that owns has full power over you and will not let you go. Love is a dominating force (meaning, rules over you, much like a husband over the household) and when a person dies this spirit is still there with you in the next life if you get one. Herbs,  Lucid dreaming, and doctors who prescribe medicine for this is a confusion and a wast of money. The meds they give usually create other problems within time. Take my advice, become a Christian because it has been proven to escape this domination.

[rebel_angel]

I have almost all these same problems too, the very vivid dreams, feeling very tired in the morning (as if I didn't sleep at all!). I started researching today after a particularly bad night last night, I slept about 12 hours somehow, and I was aware I was dreaming (lucid dreaming apparently), and trying to force myself to wake up but was unable. It's awful! I get the twitching thing, and I have dreams that I've already woken up and end up telling my dreams over and over in other dreams. Last night was weird though because I remember physically trying to force my eyelids open and managed to get one open and somehow I could see my room and the dream at the same time.
I'm pretty sure I don't have sleep apnea as I don't snore and I'm definitely not overweight. However I have frequent chest pains which I took beta blockers for up till 2 months ago when I was diagnosed with Costochondritis. A side effect of beta blockers is very vivid dreams which I had while I was on them, but they seem to have continued and are now escalating so I can recall at least 5 dreams EVERY SINGLE NIGHT!!
I think I'll book an appointment with my GP as it's really getting ridiculous now, I end up missing uni because I actually cannot wake up, my boyfriend has even tried shaking me awake and can't, he often thinks I'm dead!!

[gooddreams]

After experiencing excessive, vivid, thoroughly entertaining and screenplay worthy dreams for what feels like all night, every night, this is great to find others that do this!

Combing the internet, going to sleep therapy and talking to so many people over the years has shown that most are completely clueless about it's existence, but this is a real pattern.

I will come back here and check for anyone who has worthwhile results in diminishing the amount of REM sleep.

This is the goal for me.

Perhaps a Stanford sleep study could help, has anyone done that?

Most sleep websites and postings are the opposite, people that say how good REM is...well anything in moderation!

[jdnails2]

I've listed some things I tried to reduce dreaming that are hit and miss. I am now trying to reduce sugars, as I read somewhere that eating before sleeping and the digestion process can create sugars and actually contribute to dreaming.

I also consider it may be helpful to not recall the dreams. ie: if there is a way to forget them upon waking but I have not been able to do this either, yet.

[gooddreams]

Interesting about the sugars. Sleeping pills don't reduce my dreaming. However the sugar hypothesis is hopeful. The funny thing is that while I read your reply I had this new bottle of herbal medicine in my hand! It says this "Gymnema - the sugar destroyer".

I tried it last night and want to test it for some time before reporting back with an opinion.

[ayalaman]

Hi, it's refreshing to know that I’m not alone and this condition is worldwide, I’m from Mexico, and had been in therapy with 6 different psychologists, I had consulted many doctors included a neurologist and nobody knows what’s the problem. I had take, altruline, lexapro, numencial, clorazepan, melatonine, 5http, St. John’s Wort and many others and nothing worked, I’m still living my dreams like I’m awake, I can resolve mathematical problems in my dreams and when I wake up I realize than the answered was right, I discuss with other people like I’m awake, and like others in this forum in the morning I don’t know what was a dream and what is real. I had been like this almost 11 years, now I feel tired all day, with a kind of cloud around my head than slow my thinking and my judge. I have problems with my wife because I’m grumpy and with no tolerance for her and for everybody. I hope someone find a solution, for now I’m going to try to low my sugar intake at night, let’s see what happens.

PD. Sorry for my English I wrote a lot better in Spanish.

[samxrm]

I've been experiencing these type dreams since early childhood. At first, i would wake up and feel extremely tired, and this was like the 3rd or 4th grade. I didn't understand what was going on.
I felt as if everyone experienced this same thing. But as I grew older   I knew this to be false.
But as i grew older (I'm now 45) i realized through discussions and conversations that what i experienced was rather rare. i also learned to appreciate it. Few people can experience the lucid/vivid dream. The more people that I relayed the experiences to, the more i came to realize how lucky I was.

The first thing you have to realize is that you are in control. Nothing can happen without you wanting it to happen. Unlike real life, you are in absolute control of what takes place. And you can absolutely work this to your advantage. Take advantage of the situation. The hard part is realizing that it is an actual lucid/vivid dream. I always ask myself...would i do this or be in this situation in "real life?" When the answer is No, I slow things down and enjoy what my mind allows me to create. I make the dream last as long as i can. knowing I am in control for the duration. And for the most part i wake up totally refreshed.

But lucid/vivid dreams should come with a warning label. Not all are pleasant, or can be turned into a pleasant experience.  Some are nightmares. Not many, but some. But as long as I know it's a dream, I enjoy those too. Much like a horror movie that you get the starring role in. with the good of these dreams also comes the bad. But the good far outweighs the bad.

You just have to learn to accept what they are and work them into a positive. Trust me, there is nothing better than being in a dream in which you are in control. Others should be so lucky.

[seximo]

WOW, so many people with the same issue.  Since I was a child, I woke up tired daily.  Got in trouble for oversleeping, being tired during the day, etc.  You sleep 10 hours and wake up tired?  Makes no sense to anyone!
Then I say I was alseep 10 hours and dreaming 10 hours and can tell you EVERYTHING that happened throughout my night.  I got more done in those 10 hours than someone else may do in a week!  And as you say, VIVID, BUSY, CONTINUOUS, EXCITING, yet NON-STOP!  Go to sleep, dreaming within in 3 minutes, wake up, coming out of the same dream or my last dream, but it's all night long. By the time, I have climbed buildings, flew across a continent, jumped onto a car from a parking lot, eluding someone trying to kill me, etc... I am DOGGED tired when I wake up.

Doctor said I was not getting to the correct state of REM sleep to actually REST.  I was prescribed sleep medicine, and was worried about LOSING my dreams.  But this allowed me to still dream, yet also get to the correct state.  

However, the idea of taking something nightly is not appealing, and today, he suggested that since I do know that I snore and wake myself up snoring, talking, sometimes choking, that I need a sleep test to rule out, or IN, sleep apnea, something that  NEVER dawned on me!

YET I'm tired EVERYDAY and by 2pm, I'm ready to go home and take a damn nap.  Or I close my door and sleep on my desk for a few minutes... It's CRAZY and there has GOT to be a reason.  

I'm told your brain does not shut down!  DUH!  I figured that out.  HOw do we FIX that?  LOL....

Glad to know I'm not alone and I will be sure to post my sleep test results on Monday morning!

Wish the best to you all!

Monique

[Sellingdreams]

Hi fellows,

I googled this subject maybe a year ago and now I came back just to notice that even more people are posting the same problems. I hoped I would be myself over it by now, but I am not.
One day two years ago I had the referred vivid, complex, detailed, demanding dreams, and since then, every night till this day. The same routine that makes me exhausted, with no patience at all and with short endurance for the day. Sometimes it's so tiring that I make myself wake up after a couple of hours, and I stay that way. Of course in the afternoon, a nap is needed, and it's another endless torrent of dreams.
Usually I have problems to solve, impossible or extremly demanding ones. I go through them usually as an outside viewer, watching every single detail, analyzing it to the core and trying to come with a number of solutions, each with many options and for these, I build lots of scenarios. The funny thing is that I am just like that during the day. Not because of my job (I am an IT Consultant), in fact, I am the same way at my job because I am like that with everything else. I am that annoying guy watching a movie, that keeps saying "that's impossible", "that is a stupid argument" or that the story is poorly built just because A and B, and C etc.. Like my psychologist told me one day, I would peel an onion to the core, just to confirm that it is an onion.
My point is, I am very, very brain active at all times when I am awake, I am very curious about anything and don't relax until I know how to understand it clearly, how it's done, why it happened, etc. My feeling is I cannot unplug my brain and my curious spirit when I go to sleep, thus making me keep digging everything that pops up in my dreams.
Does anyone have this same idea?

Sorry for my english, it's not my native language. I hope all the best to you all.

[gooddreams]

We are stepping in the right direction. It's like we are a misunderstood minority ;-) The more we share, the more recognition, validation and power we get.

Most of my life there was almost no recognition from anyone about this. It's either "ah that's just sleep apnea" or "good for you that you dream so well" or "what's the problem? you sleep for 8 or 9 hours".

I JUST had my in depth sleep study done at the Stanford Sleep Medicine Clinic!

Over 30 probes on my head and body for ECG, EKG, Oxygen blood levels, restless leg, nose breathing, mouth breathing, camera on me all night, etc.

When they screened me to see if I was a candidate for the sleep study, I was.My good doctor brought in his boss who I asked many questions.

Here's the one that got a laugh:
Q. "Do you have a dream team?"
A. "Ha, no"

Q. "Well have you had any other excessive, vivid dreamers?"
A. "Yes, we have had several"

Q. "What's the best therapy so far?"
A. "It's usually apnea" (CPAP, with a followup visit to "titrate" to find the minimum amount of air pressure to use)

Well, I gave them good data and stayed in a shallow limbo sleep state for the first hour or two, then dreamed a decent amount. Woke up tired (Yes!)

We shall see!

My tech who watched me all night was absolutely the most understanding person I've ever met in terms of agreeing that the excessive REM sleep I got was NOT restful.

I gave him a stellar evaluation on their "how did we do card".

Here's my experience: REM is for learning and problem solving, NOT for rest. Other states are for rest, the one's I will be getting more of soon ;-)

I will come back and post results when I get them after my appointment on June 4.

[gooddreams]

BTW. I can totally relate. A problem solver with highly detailed dreams, often I'll continue to work on the same challenge all night while trying to sleep.

Here's where we can go: Once we get a handle on this, we perform better while awake, then write up our screenplays or inventions or enact our solutions that came from the dream world and become amazingly intuitive and incite-full beings!

We are empowered, just need to learn control this vast pool of creativity with which we are intimately in touch with.

[Annon21]

This happens to me almost every single night, im relieved to se it happens to others.
Im 17 years old and as long as I can remember ive had insane dreams. i always know where I am and that im dreaming and the places are always just reconstructed versions of places ive been (most of the time my school, place of work, city in general). The things i remember seeing are always so detailed and i remember everything the next morning. I enev woke up remembering the taste of wine i was given in my dream (and i only drink on holidays) I feel emotion in my dreams as well. I never have a problem getting to sleep and i dream almost instantly. When i was a child, i suffered from Night Terrors.

I love my dreams and im greatful that theyre so beautiful and that i remember them, but im always so tired. No matter how much i sleep im exhausted the next day. Its almost like its consuming(sp?) me.

After seeing this im wondering if i should go for a sleep study session to see if anything can be done..

[apes1986]

I have suffered many of the same problems all of my life.  For my entire life I have had extremely vivid dreams almost every nite, all nite.  I often wake up confused, and also mistake dreams for reality.  In the past few years I have come to find out that a lot of the memories I thought I had from childhood never actually happened, they were in fact dreams I had as a child.  I can recall dreams from last nite, last week, last year, even dreams from my childhood in great detail.  I also have severe nite sweats a few times a week.  The one thing that no one seems to have mentioned is that I talk constantly in my sleep, yell and scream and even sob.  I recently got kicked out of a weekend long bachlorette party because I was keeping everyone awake with my talking and yelling.  I wake up SO exhausted, it has impacted my daily life.  I feel like iIam expending all of my energy at night and the daytome is for rest.  It has gotten worse over the years and the past year the worst. It has gotten to the point where many days I just stay home and sleep for a couple hours a day several times a day, just to get some rest.  
I never thought there was any hope for me, so I never sought help.... until recently.  I found a documentry done by PBS and it opened my eyes a little.  They said depressives tend to go straight into REM sleep and remain there the entire night.  Healthy sleeping consists of going through all sleep stages, not just REM.  This is a large misconception by the general population becuase everyone associates dreams and heeathy and deep sleep with REM stage.  It is actually detrimental if we stay in it too long.  
My lifestyle is different from many of you who have posted.  I have suffered from depression and anxiety basically my entire life, and have tried somewhere around 5-6 antidepressants in the past 10 years of my life (which is sad, I am only 24).  When I was a child I tended to fall asleep very easily, yet my mother recalls that I NEVER wanted to go to bed, maybe this is why.
However, in my teenage years I developed insomnia and could never get to sleep. I wouldn't be able to fall asleep until 2-3am just to wake up at 630 to go to school.  In my years of light experimentation I discovered the cure to my insomnia.... MARIJUANA!!!  I have stuck with it ever since and smoke it nightly to get myself to sleep.  Those who say marijuana can be the biggest problem in sleeping in my opinion is bs because i had these problems loooong before I started smoking.  When I do not smoke before I go to bed I usually don't get to sleep until around 4am.  So for me its a damned if I do, damned if I dont?  I also smoke a small amount of cigarettes.  However I do not drink, I eat very healthy and get decent amount of exercise since I live/work on a farm. I am at this point assuming lifestyle has very little to do with our sleep problem.
I want to warn those who are trying to help their intense dreaming with antidepressants.  I have tried a wide variety, from prozac to wellbutrin, a few others and currently CYMBALTA.  None of these medications ever solved any of my sleeping problems, in fact some of them have made them worse.  
to NIKKI:  beware of CYMBALTA!!!!!  I have been taking 60-90mg for the past couple years.  It has been a blessing and a curse all in itself.  It was the first antidepressant to make me feel like a normal human being, diminished my anxiety and allowed me to led a more normal and productive life.  Sounds great, right?  I thought so as well.  however, I have come to find out that it is EXTREMELY ADDICTIVE.  When I would miss even just a few days I would revert back to my former depressed and highly anxious self x 10.  constant panic attacks.  My doctors rationalization? "Well that will force you to remember to take it."  Now having aged a couple years I have come to the realization that I cannot be on it forever, especially if I ever want to have children.  We have started weening me off and first started cutting in half.  This gave me worse withdrawls then a heroin addict.  
In summary, be extremely cautious with antidepressants. I cant tell you how much grief all of them have cost me.  I wonder if all these years of psychiatry have been a waste.  DO NOT just TRUST your doctor, do your own research and possibly get second opinions.  If i had done this is to begin with it would have saved me a lot of problems.  He said he has never heard of withdrawls from cymbalta, but if you type it into any search engine you will come upon many many many discussion boards like this and they are full of hundreds of people who have suffered at the hands of this drug.  
Since my sleep problems have become so bad they have interfered with my work (i don't even go half the time I have decided to see a neurologist and sleep specialist.  I am very skeptical of how they can help me as a result of my psychiatric history and now unfortunately from all these posts from people saying they have seen 489357 doctors and no one has helped.  
I dont know what to do. I'm at my wits end.  I'm so exhausted I just want to cry all day long.  I'm so sick of being emotionally and mentally drained.  I've come to the point where I am at low function.
Everyone thinks I am just lazy, if they only knew how I felt on a daily basis.....

[gooddreams]

To Annon21, perhaps you gained control of your dreaming process as kid in order to gain control of the night terrors?

This trick of remaining in control of your dreams is close to lucid, but when done all night, every night, is not restful :-p

My suggestions come from personal experience. I now have dreams that people would really want to dream...a dream dream.

To Apes1986, some of the questions on the sleep study at Stanford specifically have to do with what you have described about acting out in dreams. This particular thing does happen to some other people too.

It's the too much REM part that we share...It's exhausting huh?..and the observation that Marijuana helps if you are an excessive dreamer. Some people report having (or remembering) little to no dreams after medicating with this even during the day. It is medicine with yet another totally useful purpose. Also great for anxiety reduction if done in small amounts with time spaced in between.

This is so much better than that poorly thought out Cymbalta program they had you doing.

Most people have no idea thus no understanding of excessive dreaming, including doctors. They are taught much about the sleep states, but too much REM is apparently not in their curriculum.

We can speak, they can learn, and the specifics they get from us can be added to the medical books and taught more.

My study shows stage 1 to stage 2 and bouncing immediately out of stage 3 back to 1. All night with virtually no stage 3 or stage 4!. Stage 1 or 2 pops immediately to REM. This happened several times in one night. I suspected this in terms of the stages.

Some apnea is involved even though I'm thin, and don't wake up gasping and already had an oxygen level test before which showed no apnea. This is a surprise.

Will be talking to one of their specialists about this soon Jun 4th, 2010.

A Stanford sleep doc told me that apnea can be a cause for shallow sleep with short intervals and that low oxygen can lead to excessive dreams...we shall see.

I would be comfortable to go back, sleep in their hotel-hookup and give them some more data.

[letmysoulshine]

I too am experiencing vivid dreams every night and waking up exhausted. These dreams started about five years ago when I had an increase in neck pain. I was in a car accident in 2002 and have dealt with chronic neck (facet joint) pain ever since. I receive radiofrequency procedures every 12-18 months which helps. I, like some others on here, exeperience the muscle twitching. The intensity seems to come and go and there have been times where my toes twitch constantly when I am awake. The other thing I notice is that when I am in the middle of an intense dream and am woken up, I feel drugged and experience vertigo for about a half an hour. It is comforting to know that others are experiencing the same problem, but frustrating to know that nobody has found a cure.

[vividdreamer88]

I am so happy to see so many of you are out there. I was beginning to get "tired" of this vivid dreaming business.

My dreams: Vivid recurring dreams of people (friends, colleagues, non-threatening strangers) who are in my room and need something. I think they're real. I apologize profusely for not having gotten them something. I talk to them, turn on a light, go to get what they requested and realize they're not there. Its gotten to the point where now I tell them to "get lost", "you're not here", "you're a dream" - and I hear myself saying it and I wake up and then sigh, because I know tomorrow I'll be tired again. Thank goodness these vivid dreams aren't traumatic, but just normal. I just dream that they're real people until I realize they're not. My sugar levels are fine, too bad, I kinda thought belonging to a "sugar people" sounded kinda cool :P

Theory: I realized that I was way too emotionally healthy and stress free for it to be psychological. I have TMJ (and one of you out there already mentioned TMJ, someone also mentioned a car accident and neck pain) TMJ has been related to APNEA before. The dislocation apparently obstructs the flow of air. Also, large tonsils, sinus issues. The idea, from the initial research I have done is that your body has to wake you up so you can breathe. The funny thing is, I never feel like I'm gasping. Only an annoying person who is prodding me to get up.

Tonight I'll record myself sleeping (which honestly is kinda creepy) and I'll call the doctor tomorrow for a sleep test thing. Good luck guys!

[natti86]

wow this is so interesting, i have complained to my bf everyday about the dreams i have been having for god knows how long now. I dont get to sleep till late but when i do its straight into dreaming i have multiple weird dreams everynight and half the time dont know how my brain comes up with this stuff?? they are mainly horrible ones people after me trying to kill me or other situations where i have to be the hero trying to kill someone/something! they are always so strange never seems like im anywhere familiar, like im on other planets or something, they go for what seems like hours and if i wake up freakingout i usually have to try really hard to not fall back into the same dream but sometimes i do and its horrible. I feel stuck. Im always tired. Last night i slept prob 10 hours but im sitting here now thinking i wont get out of bed today.
I have had recent depression - may not be totally over it, causing me to not eat properly meals are alot smaller but in that i havent been eating alot of sugar which they say can be a trigger? I dont want to have to go do all the sleep testing i think that would scare me a little and wouldnt fall asleep. An easy answer and fix would be great but i think this is more involved than i thought after reading all this!

[elle555]

I've been having really vivid dreams for maybe about half a year, but I can't recollect exactly how long. I used to dream but only every now and then, some were ok dreams, sometimes a nightmare. Now I dream every night, sometimes more than one dream and they are so active and vivid, although I have slept enough hours I wake up exhausted because it feels as though my brain has gotten absolutely no rest. A reoccuring theme in them is the world coming to an end, and I'm somehow trying to save it, but I have many other ones. I'd love to not have any dreams when I sleep. Any suggestions? I eat properly, I exercise, I'm not depressed.

[elle555]

I am also losing concentration......I've become more forgetfull during the day, and I think maybe due to the fact that my brain is on overload......

[Bernard74]

I'd put money on obstructive sleep apnea...oxygen deprivaton to the brain. I experienced the exact same thing and it all went away the night i put on the cpap mask.

[bivoir]

I saw this thread a fair few months ago and was relieved (and saddened) that so many other people have the same problem.

BUT I NOW HAVE AN ANSWER!

I am not a doctor and I have no medical knowledge but I wanted to share my experience with fellow sufferers.

Almost my whole life I've put up with the vivid dreams and nightmares about people trying to kill me or losing my family or even silly things affecting my hobbies (camera being stolen or pets getting loose). Even as a kid I experienced frequent nightmares about train and plane crashes. I have always slept-in at any chance I could get and took naps when sleepy.

At first I thought it was because I am a light sleeper. Recently I had been waking up often at night from the Dog making yawning / rolling over / snoring noises (noisiest dog ever!) and my partner is a heavy snorer, so I plugged my ears with cotton balls soaked in Sorbolene Cream. The sun also woke me at first light and I fixed that problem by getting an eye mask. So I was able to stay asleep but still felt sleepy during the day.

I was starting to fall asleep during the day, my short term memory was terrible, my mood swings were getting more and more erratic but when it started to affect me when driving, I decided to do something about it.

I'm not depressed, I'm not overweight, I eat healthy and I exercise. I have, however, suffered from Anxiety (not panic attacks) released through OCD (Tricholtillomania) for 20 years and have suffered from Menière's Disease since I was 7.

Apart from the Pill, I am not on any medication and I don't smoke or take drugs. I do drink wine / champagne most weekends.

I had seen my GP about my 'tiredness' for many years and each time her answer was to exercise more.

However after Googling 'tired', I realised there was a difference between being 'tired' and being 'sleepy'. I found this and many other sites showing that it was common.

After researching 'sleepy' and finding Excessive Daytime Sleepiness was a common problem possibly caused by a number of illnesses I wanted to find out more and started by asking my doctor to refer me to a Sleep specialist for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.

The specialist was surprised to see someone in my demographics asking for an OSA test. I am 30, female, fit, healthy and don't snore but I gave the test a go anyway. The test was clear for OSA; however the test indicated slightly abnormal REM sleep patterns (strangely I don't remember dreaming that night, I barely moved while being strapped to the small box). The Specialist suggested the next step would be to see a Neurologist.

So my GP referred me to a Neurologist who sent me to get an MRI (clear), and then conducted a day of a sleep study in their office called a Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). This consisted of hooking my head and chest up to 29 wires, sending the information to a laptop then taking 5 naps during the day at 2 hour intervals. The process was very long, boring and exhausting, starting at 8.45am and I left the office at 6pm, sleepy from all the mini naps and unnatural waking.

The main objective of this study is to see how quickly I went into REM sleep and if I got any Delta sleep at all. There is an overnight study you can do at a Sleep Lab but it was going to cost $1500 - definitely couldn't afford that. The Neurologist was content with the MSLT for now.

A follow up consult the next week along with an EEG (lots of wires again but no sleep this time - only bright lights, closing my eyes, opening my eyes, purposely hyperventilating (that was horrible) then lying quietly in a dark room.

At the final consult, my Neurologist finally had an answer for me.

It is Narcolepsy.

When I first saw Narcolepsy was the cause of a lot of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, I never thought it would be the cause of my problems.

Seriously, I have seen Deuce Bigalow and the girl falls asleep in her soup! I know that is a farfetched, Hollywood comedic description of what happens to Narcolepsy sufferers but I knew they fell asleep at the most inopportune times - I could control it somewhat - except for certain days after a night of full-on dreams.

There are varying degrees of Narcolepsy with varying symptoms. I'm lucky that I don't get restless leg syndrome or the other feeling of being paralysed upon waking. But I do have random Hypnagogic Hallucinations.

My Neurologist noted in the MSLT that I often went straight into REM sleep and while I did experience Delta sleep (deep sleep), it wasn't a whole lot. I believe the worst sufferers of Narcolepsy can have no Delta sleep at all.

He mentioned a few other things that went straight over my head but I was relieved that I finally had an answer.

There is no cure for Narcolepsy, but there is treatment.

The most common treatment is Dexamphetamine (Ritalin) however there is a fairly new drug on the market, Modafinil, which is more natural and supposedly doesn't give you the 'high' feeling. He prescribed Modafinil (almost AUD$4 a tablet!) 1-2 a day at this stage and I go back in 8 weeks for a review.

Today is the 3rd day on Modafinil and I'm finding it rather bizarre that I'm sitting here, it's almost around the time when I normally start to doze and I'm actually feeling awake and alert, even though last night’s dreams were crazy again.

It could be a coincidence but for the last 2 nights since starting the treatment, I have experienced even stranger and more longer vivid dreams but without a longer study I couldn't accurately tell if it's the drugs or not.

But as long as I am awake during the day, I don't mind. If it means I can work in my Reception role without fear of falling asleep at the front desk I'm happy!

There are a lot of illnesses that cause excessive daytime sleepiness but if you have been a long time sufferer of vivid dreams and have had enough, I would seriously consider asking your GP for a Sleep Specialist referral. Try and rule out Sleep Apnoea first.

It's not a cheap experience, the whole process has cost me approximately AUD$2300 but I have got around half of it back from Medicare. Well worth it to have an answer and effective (so far) treatment.

Thanks for listening and I hope this can answer a few questions for you.

[gooddreams]

Glad to see this forum is thriving, there can be worthwhile discoveries and realizations to come of it.

[buckeye5472]

Hi all!
I'm, so grateful this is a current discussion.  I just started having vivid dreams over the last month.  Many years ago I experienced this and predicted births of cousins and my brother's babies - down to the sex and day!  I get sixth senses all the time, but these are just goofy!  Last night I dreamed I was in a bunk bed and had to go to the bathroom.  I remember sitting up and crawling over our footboard and standing in front of the bathroom door totally disoriented!  I've often awakened asking where my mom is....she died in 1987 and we were never what one would call, warm & fuzzy!  I dreamed that a wasp was after one of my grandsons and woke up as I was pushing out with both arms (getting him out of the way).  I am a diabetic, am overweight and have other health issues.  Within the last 3 months I had a real spell with my blood pressure (228/137) so I'm on several new medications that keeps it under control.  I go to bed tired and wake up tired, this has gone on for months and months and months!!  I have fallen asleep at my desk at work and as soon as I get home I take a nap, after we eat supper, I take a nap, I have to take a nap before bed and I still go right to sleep!  I am so exhausted the thought of exercising, which I know I MUST do is out of the question right now; even cleaning the house has become a chore.  I clean a little and have to rest cause my joints and muscles ache so, then I clean some more and rest some more....what used to take me 3-4 hours has turned into nearly 12!  I've talked to my doctor and they've done blood work, but everything is coming back within the normal range!  I'm at a loss....any insight from anyone out there?

[gooddreams]

After posting here about my excessively exhausting vivid dreams several times since April 2010, I have an update and a epiphany.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a large factor. I am slim and in good health. If it's obstructive, it's all about the airway and relaxation. There is another kind of apnea, but it's less common.

I am trying a CPAP device now and so far so good. (will report later)

Here's the epiphany: When I sleep on my stomach I get a similar benefit to the CPAP. I remember less dreams, and wake up less exhausted. In my case to not bend my neck too much and be able to breathe, I lay lengthwise on two stacked pillows (under my chest).

The trick for me is to do this at the beginning of the night, not the last sleep of the morning. My sleep study showed the only slow wave (delta stage 3 or 4) sleep was happening at the beginning. This is the best chance to get some slow wave for me.

I'll guess it's similar for some of you excessive vivid dreamers too!

This is a lot easier to try out than a dental appliance or a CPAP device, it's free and available tonight.

[stopthedreams]

Does anyone grind their teeth as well?  I have very vivid dreams, every night, and grind like crazy.  Trying to figure out if there is a connection.  I was invited to do a sleep study but feel it is pointless if the end result is drugs.

[jjcs]

Yes, I grind my teeth badly. I wear a guard at night to protect them.

[nosleep4me]

OMG, I'm so happy I'm not the only one. I'm 50 now, and these night time adventures are affecting my health. I purchased a Zeo sleep tracker, and it only confirms what I always knew. Abnormal amount of dreaming, and under 10 minutes of deep sleep. I'm so tried of being tired. talk about a sexy momma, imagine a sleep band across your forehead, a night guard for gritting my teeth, and a CPAP when I use it. I could make movies from my dreams, or design beautiful houses, fight evil like a super hero. I wish I could turn my brain off. This is funny, but true. I was dreaming one night a wall was falling over, so I ran to hold it up with all my might causing me to fart so loud my husband jumped up looking at me like I was from another planet. See we do participate in these weird dreams.

[rodriguez17]

I am glad i am not the only one . I been in this jurney for 25 years,but they have gotten worse the last 7 years specially after two of my friends comited suicide in 2007.I ask my self every day what the hell have i done so bad to deserve this but i guess is life! all i do is suck it up and continue life and pretend like everything is ok .theres no point of speking to anyone all they do is get freak out and run away lol. SO FINALLY I FIND PEOPLE THAT ARE GOINT THRU THE SAME THING TOUGH I WAS FROM ANOTHER PLANET........

[gooddreams]

Yes grinding teeth as well and very active, very entertaining dreams.

Low blood oxygen may well be directly connected to this.

Have you guys heard the latest about near death experiences, very vivid experiences ensue whilst the brain is deprived of oxygen.

This is not a given, just a possibility.

Broke my CPAP mask last night, the moisture was dripping water up my nose and the skirt ripped. If you have one of these, hang in there and try to be patient, I know it's hard, but so worthwhile.

When the CPAP is adjusted right I definitely remember less dreams, and funny and fantastic thing...I wake up feeling the best I can ever remember.

[apes1986]

Since posting here last I have also done a sleep study, one over-night and the the next day i did the napping test to see if I was narcoleptic.  I do NOT have sleep apnea and I am NOT narcoleptic.   They tested my blood for human growth horomone deficiency but that was fine.  In fact, aside from my anemia I had near perfect bloodwork. So basically this has left my doctors scratching their heads. The thing they find most confusing is that I verbalize my dreams while I am asleep; I just don't ramble incoherent nothings, I speak loudly and clearly and I can recall the next day what was happening in my dreams when I said it.  They said it is similar to hypersombalism, however this is usually expressed physically through the arms and legs (thrashing) or sleep walking.  I think what confuses them is they have never heard of a "verbal hypersombolism" and speaking requires a different action in the brain, not to mention i can vividly recall my dreams in which i speak.  so next up for me is MRI's and CT scans.....  
So I am curious to see if those who are being treated for narcolepsy and apnea find permenent alleviation of over-dreaming, or if it is just temporary relief while they are being treated for something that may not be related?  
I hope all of you continue to post your journies here....

[Jeandrea]

To summarize: Those whose feel sleepy during the day seems go more for the narcolepsy type. Those whose feel tired more than sleepy and, have had sleepy studies report low or no delta stage. Fibromyalgia has overlap symptoms but it is still distinct.

Possible solutions: Learn self-control provide less restless; suppress REM but has drugs' side effects; better (deepest) breeding to carry more oxygen to our brain.

Seems that meditation is an alternative. Although meditation is believed as a relaxation tech it is not the main purpose. There are different type of meditations-concentration, transcendental, mindfulness- to look for mind control and fulfillment of the beings.

I am not and expert but I am reading about (and hopefully practice regularly). Good ways to find more information is trough Buddhism, that came after meditation was in the world but that it has been study meditation more deeply.

Does anyone practice meditation?

[nosleep4me]

Does anyone hear music when they are trying to fall asleep? Almost like hearing some ones iPod when they are next to you. Not the same kind of music every night either.

[gooddreams]

To nosleep4me, we have a dedicated part of our brains just for music. Most people I know are susceptible to catchy jingles because of this. This is why a talk show will not erase the last piece of music running through a person's head, it requires hearing another lyrical piece to overwrite it.

[sleepyhead1]

I also am exactly the same. I decided to look this up because I am really grumpy. I am fed up of being grumpy but realize i am that way because i am so tired. I have always experianced the same symptoms as everone else but always put it down to smoking weed, so i never done anything about it. But i gave up two years ago and nothing has changed. I am such a heavy sleeper, i can sleep through any noise. i also sleep talk alot. And apparently sit up in my sleep or kick my legs around. But what i find most anoying is that i have to set the alarm to go to work but i always get up about an hour later and i have to finish my dream regardless. Even though i have to do this i am still more tired than when i went to bed and grumpy. My job is understanding as i work flexi hours but i want a new job which starts early but i just can't bring myself to apply as i know it will not be possible to get up. I read all these posts in great detail and really am still none the wiser apart from resting in the knowlege that i am not alone. One thing, whilst reading this, i notice that i go to sleep so quickly and when i am just dropping off my mind has to be clear. As in, i cant sleep if i am thinking about something. However my husband has just told me that when he goes to sleep he has to be thinking about something, he doesn't suffer from our problems. Perhaps I will give this a try tonight. I have also booked a doctors appt after reading these posts.

It sounds like there is no real solution. I like the idea of learning to embrase it rather than see it as a problem but it doesn't help if you have to go to work early.

I have learnt a meditation technique which involves meditating for one hour a day. I gave up doing it as i always fell asleap, which defeated the object. But i am going to try it again, i really think if i can meditate every day it might help. Does anyone else think this? I will keep you posted on the outcome from the docs.

[Sillysam18]

hi everyone, im only 18 but recently have started to have really really vivid dreams, they freaked me out so much. but after reading on all these forums i opened my eyes to them. i realised in m dreams that i was dreaming and started challenging my thoughts. (bit confusing and a bit tripy to be honest). i managed to open one of my eyes whilst still dreaming. i viewed my bedroom with one eye and in my dream in the other!

but after reading on post about setting a plan and getting back to sleep properly, i found a book - I Can Make You Sleep - Paul McKenna, i have read this over the course of two weeks. its seems a bit weird but as we all seem to suffer this weird conundrum of having mucked up sleep. this book supprisingly helped me! im sleeping right through from 10pm to 8am! and from what i can recall only having my dreams in the morning when trying to lay in for longer. i highly recommend giving it a try with a possitive attitude. if your not up for trying something you will be stuck like this for a long time. its all psychological, these dreams are just own on memories playing with us.

im no expert but have really looked into all this mental health and rem sleep stuff and think i have sussed my own problems. hope can be some help to you all, but u need to help your selves :)

[nosleep4me]

I don't just hear music, I also hear distant voices talking. We just moved to the middle of nowhere. It's so quiet here, the only noise is my dogs scratching flea bites. The quiet still has not helped me. I wake up feeling like a ton of bricks are on my shoulders. I have to take a nap, and can sleep up to three hours if not disturbed. This no sleep is make me look way older than I should. The dark circles under my eyes are scary. Ambien CR helps, but I still dream. Sad to say, but I know why Michael Jackson had a doctor put him in a coma to sleep. The best knock out I ever had was when they were doing an upper and lower GI. I went out like a rock.

[cyder]

I'm glad to know there are others with similar problems. I've always had vivid dreams, which I love often times more than reality, but lately my sleeping patterns have changed. It started a few years ago actually. I've always needed more sleep, but never eighteen hours. I'm often called lazy, which I agree to now, but I never used to be. And it's starting to effect my school work and social life. Depression almost sounds like an answer, but it's as if my dreams put me in this mood. Truthfully, I'd rather sleep than be awake since my dreams are always more interesting. They are rather lucid, I'm normally aware I'm dreaming and do have control, but then I wake up and realize that my bed is stripped and I'm tangled among the blankets that didn't fall to the floor. I know I don't snore, my roommate says she's never heard anyone breathe so quietly while sleeping. She actually admitted to checking to make sure I was breathing a few times, which I, of course, was. I also recently had a night terror, which I haven't has since I was about four. Just the one a few weeks ago. I just woke up in sheer terror breathing hard until I realized I had been sleeping. I never remembered the dream, but I thought it odd for that to happen since I'm now nineteen. I normally go to bed about 8pm, and on the days I don't have classes, I wake up around 11:30am or later feeling exhausted. On the days I do have classes, I go to bed around 8pm still and wake up around 6:30 or 7am and feel as though I can't function at all. I'd taken to drinking a good amount of coffee, and as an experiment (and to save money for a new computer) I've stopped drinking it and things just seem worse. I did deal with a bit of caffeine withdrawal at first, but now it's been a month and I've realized how important the coffee was to get me through my classes. But now I've also realized that coffee wasn't my problem with the sleeping. I don't drink alcohol, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs, and the only medication I'm on is to help with cramps during a certain time of month. I plan on going to a doctors, but I never have time and, when I do, I don't have transportation or the doctor's office is closed. I may try over Thanksgiving break which is coming up. Or find a new doctor who's office is open on the weekends. I do have to wonder if I'm anemic, that may explain a good deal. Or maybe I just don't sleep as heavily as I seem to. I do toss and turn an awful lot, though I've slept int the same bed with a few different friends before who tell me I don't move at all. I hope to get this figured out. I really hate feeling tired all the time. I've tried aromatherapy, meditation, sleep music, chamomile tea along and other calming and sleep teas, and yoga which turned out to be painful and cause me to sleep even more. If the doctors don't find anything wrong I'll try a chiropractor or even an acupuncturist. I'd try hypnosis, but that's been tried on me before. I just giggled uncontrollably until the hypnotist kind of just gave up. Tried that for "unexplainable" migraines that happened to be caused by allergies a psychologist later pointed out. My current doctor likes to just prescribe medicine as did the hospital doctors I went to for the migraines. Not sure how much I trust them to actually think about things, but somewhere along the line someone is sure to give me an idea or figure something out.

[nosleep4me]

Gosh, I wish I could help, but after 50 years, I still don't have the answers. Really try to wake yourself up before 11:30 am, It seems that if you are like me, if I go over a certain amount of hours, my dreams get really wacky. If I awaken too early, I feel like I could just crawl into a corner and die. Give yourself a specific time to get up every day, and try to stick with it. I purchased a Zero sleep coach, pretty pricey, but if you use the alarm function, it tracks where you are in a sleep pattern and wakes you up when you are in light sleep, so you don't have a dream hang over. Really try to get a grip on this now, if possible. I don't wish bad sleeping habits on my worst enemy.

[StephWI4]

I'm 19 years old, and I was diagnosed with Narcolepsy when I was 17.  I did a night and day 'sleep study', and I had no problems while sleeping.  I don't move around a lot, and I do not have any time of sleep apnea.  During the day sleep study, I fell asleep within, on average, 4.5 minutes.  And I did dream in all 5, 20 minute, naps they gave me.  They told me that I was entering into one of the sleep stages way too quickly, and that was the reason for my dreaming.  I've noticeably had these vivid dreams for the past few years, but I can recall several occasions from when I was a child.  I've dreamt of dead grandparents, hugging me and telling me things are alright.  I've dreamt of my loved ones being taken from me, and upon awakening, a huge rush when I realized that my husband is still next to me sleeping.  Clearly, I've had some terrifying vivid dreams.  I've had fun ones as well, but the crazy part about them all is that they feel so real to me.  Everything plays out as if it were all actually happening.  But anyways, I was prescribed Adderol, to keep me up during the day.  I've never fallen asleep in 'serious' situations, but I was falling asleep in class, and during the middle of things at night time.  I can get 5 hours of sleep or 15 hours, and I don't feel replenished from either amount.  After I moved about a few months ago, I haven't been taking any medication because I haven't set my health care up yet.  Regardless, I'm always tired, and I believe it's these vivid dreams that are preventing me from feeling awake during the day.  It's almost as if I'm not sleeping, and my body is still going while I'm in these dreams.  :( The medication did help; not only did it help me stay awake during the day, but it also helped control the dreams.  I've had many many more vivid dreams off the medication, than I did when I was on it.  

[Jenny436]

I have had vivid dreams all my life. Am now 45. I have had two sleep studies, and don't have apnea. But one study showed that I only had 9 minutes of REM. And I dreamed all night. The neurologist said you can dream in other parts of the brain. He said you don't have to be in REM to dream. He prescribed Triazidone. I did not bother to take it. It is an antidepressant. I am not depressed. I don't want to take a drug with all those terrible side effects.
I have resigned myself to being tired all day and dreaming all night. Sometimes, I am watcing a movie all night. My brain makes up movies. It is crazy!! I have also had premonition dreams. Not a lot, but a handfull. It is really wierd when you dream something and it comes true shortly after.  

[nosleep4me]

I to have had dreams that come true. To understand just how complicated my dreams are, I dreamed I went to a class reunion, an aged all the people I went to school with to our current age. Now that takes some powerful brain work. I to watch movies. Some meds the doctors want to give you make you feel like a zombie...forget that.

[MandiiRica]

I suffer from almost the same thing. The only thing different is that I don't dream as soon as I fall asleep. If I do, I don't realize it. I dream all throughout the night & they're very vivid. About my family & my childhood. I remember every dream but while I am dreaming, I don't actually "know I'm dreaming & want to get out". I just remember many dreams when I awake & I am extremely tired.

I can't wake up to my alarm. I've tried everything. Having 2 alarms, putting it across the room, having someone else wake me, ect. I am constantly late because I cannot wake up. I nod off at work & people have told me I seem very lethargic. I do not take illegal drugs & rarely drink alcohol. I excersize moderatly & eat extremely healthy. I am a bit of a health nut. I've looked into many different types of food that may help my sleep issues but none have helped me. I am 27 & wish this would just stop.

My boyfriend is a very light sleeper & constantly wakes up throughout the night. He always said I am sleeping very hard & if he tries to wake me, he has to physically shake me or yell. LoL Then I am in a really crappy mood. All I want to do when I have "nothing planned" is sleep. I have however been diagnosed with some depression issues & have been perscribed different medications for it. The medication I am currently on, helps me tremendously while I am awake. I am happy but not very energetic but I don't feel so stressed out about work or bills anymore. But in the mornings, it's always the same. I am tired & pissed at the world because I want to go back to my dreamland.

I haven't really talked to my doctor about this because I hate the fact that I have to take medication for depression & I take a medication for my allergies. (Plus birthcontrol) I just feel I am too young to be on so much medication & makes me wonder how many pills will I have to take when I am 35. But besides that fact, I have always had sleep issues since I was a child. I used to walk & talk in my sleep. I still talk in my sleep, but not walk. Occassionally I will shut off the alarm in my sleep & not remember. That's as far as that goes. But I used to be pretty violent as well. I remember my mother telling me when she would try to wake me up in the morning I would kick her in the face. I would wake up shortly after & not remember a thing. There has been many other incidences other than that one but I have just recently been thinking that maybe a lot of my "depression issues" may stem from my sleep issues. So I googled it & saw your post & it just sounded all too familiar to me.

I also keep myself on a tight schedule. I am always in bed by the same time every night & set my alarm for the same time every morning. But every day it's the same thing, I hit snooze for an hour & finally when my boyfriend snaps at me, I wake up. It ***** waking up that way. I think I need some help so, I just thought maybe someone may be able to suggest something or if you have had some recent information that has helped you, please let me know. I am going to look at some sleep studies around my area though to see how much it would be to go try one & help shed some light on my condition. Good luck to you & hopefully we both put an end to restless nights!!

*Amanda*

[RecoveredEpicDreamer]

I am here to share what finally worked for me.  I too, suffered all of the symptoms that so many of you have mentioned, for 13 years.  The only additional symptom that I didn't see mentioned was that I often woke up with headaches that I described as "cannonball-head" because it felt like I had a cannonball in the back of my head.  I often couldn't even lift my head from the pillow because of this sensation of heaviness and a dull-ache.  One night, crying from exhaustion, I looked up a neurologist and the next day, I made an appointment.  Although he was unable to pinpoint a cause, he was at least able to give a name to the problem.  His big, book of sleep disorders called it epic-dreaming.  The book also said that research on the subject had been limited due to a small number of sufferers and no obvious results when patients were put on anti-depressants or medication.  (Like many of you, my physician had tried this, even though I am the least depressed person you'll ever find.)  My last tactic was to meet with a "Dream Therapist" who essentially specializes in Jungian Therapy.  I wasn't sure if this would work and even if it did, I expected it would take a while.  I was shocked when, after my first session, I had only 1 dream that I could remember (instead of the 20 vivid, nonsensical dreams that would be typical in a night,) and the dream involved places and people I knew rather than the endless stream of unrecognizable people and situations that were common in a normal night.  I worked with this therapist for a year, which did ease the dreaming, although didn't completely cure.  What finally did change my life, was breaking up with my boyfriend of almost five years.  Looking back, I realized that I had been in 3 consecutive relationships over these dream-torture years, and now, looking back on them, I realize that these people were all bad for me.  I wanted things to work and suppressed what I knew about these people.  My subconscious was desperately trying to get a message across to me about what I was ignoring while I was awake.  For those of you who are still suffering, I would suggest taking a good, hard, truthful look at yourself and your life.  If you're not able to see something that might be the problem, try a professional therapist with an objective perspective.  It may not be the answer for everyone, but I wanted to share this because I have been where you are...and today I wake up rested, no headache and smiling.

[hehe760]

Well, for starters, you might be feeling irritated from getting the same answer over and over again, go see a docter or maybe you have dunno what problem what not that you are not aware of, but I prefer to say possible reasons that are not in that theme. Secondly, I am only in secondary school, but though I may seem to be too young to possibly give any good advice, I feel that I am incredibly wise for my age, not to brag. Plus, I think children gives the best advices. First of all, when you dream, the brain does not really rest, thus a possible reason that you are so tired. I think that fact is quite obvious, but you all seem to be neglecting that very fact. So, I got some advice. My teachers, one from Singapore and another is a Jew, say that to rest more, it is better to do something you enjoy like reading a LEISURE book or listening to music, whatever that is relaxing, to allow your brain to relax before going to sleep. That's all from me, hope it helps.

[Otterfrog]

I'm with you all...its good to know I'm not alone.  I'm 57 and have mega-epic dreams all night long every night.  Some are nightmares 3x/week sometimes 2 in one night.  I can narrate my dreams as I fall asleep. I'm an upbeat, positive and professional person AND I take Trazidone It helps with sleep more than depression as I can fall asleep but I can't stay asleep without it due to brain and body twitches.  I was diagnosed with MS about 6 years back but it is mild for me... and I have fibromyalgia. Dream work and/or dream journaling just makes it worth. The medications I take for pain don't help with the dreaming.  I've tried pot and drinking a glass of wine before bed...hot baths... meditation, etc.  Nothing works for me.  I'm curious about Shamanism and wonder if I missed a calling when I was in my twenties.  My neurologist just laughs at  me when I say I have a dream disorder.  I will have to share some of these posts with him.  I have 3 masters degrees... and had ADHD as a child even though I was TAG.  You'd think I'd be able to figure this out... I'm stuck.  I'm tired and I want some peace.  Thanks for sharing.

[thedrillsgt]

OK, I have been fascinated about dreaming for about a year now. I am 51 YO and in excellent physical condition. I do suffer from some mild depression as my wife of 27 years is very ill and due to her illness our marriage has been sexless for 7 years.  I dream every time I sleep. It may be a mid day nap and certainly at night, all night. I look forward to my dreams as they are very peaceful and I am often living some fantasy. These fantasies are not erotic, they normally involve me working on a project like rebuilding a classic car or traveling on some journey with friends. I don’t remember ever having a nightmare or any uncomfortable dream. I sometimes wake up wanting to fall back asleep and finish a dream. I worry that this may be abnormal but like I said, I am healthy and happy and just think it is keeping me busy.    

[Jade1950]

I have been on antidepressants for years. 6 months ago dx with ADD, so now I'm on adderol.  I have been on sleeping pills for years. Ambien to be exact.  In the last two weeks, I have been having very vivid dreams, I wake up tired, my legs ache, like I have been doing exercise.  The dreams are so real, but notice, that if I see something during the previous day, I dream about it, but it isn't the whole dream.  I have also experienced sleep eating. I have had two sleep studies done years ago and I don't want another!!  Now I'm tired of taking my meds! I'm actually gagging at the thought of taking my meds, to the extent I won't take them.  Today is the 3rd day of no anti depressants and adderol.  Tonight I probable won't take the sleeping pill.  I'm exhausted!!! And depressed about the whole issue.  I do see my psych doctor soon...as these dreams are driving me crazy!!

[lewisj41]

I take ZMA ( zinc magnesium aspartate) which has cause me to have very vivid dreams possibly it could be your diet?

[jjcs]

Sounds a lot like what I experience. I generally look forward to dreams at night... the only irritating thing is the night sweats.

[Lucidmayhem]

I too have very vivid and extremely frightening dreams sometimes I don't know there a dream are we all crazy or some people say were blessed I think they need to go through what were going through before the say that kinda stuff don't know how to deal with theses dreams no body understands but you people are we to smart for our own good I would love to get 8hrs of dreamless sleep wake up feeling like I'm crazy it goes away after 1hr but we shoudnt have to
live like this anymore.I've tried everything I think I
just need a girl to talk to in morning worst part is
being single this guys at his breaking point had a nice one last night I was riding a white horse in a land of gold best one yet other than that one there horrible and frightening hit me back let me know a cure please

[WENDY4444]

I hate my vivid dreams. I feel assaulted and annoyed and sometimes just pissed when I wake up  AGAIN feeling tired and annoyed at my dreams. If I go back to sleep it gets worse. If I leave the TV on it just follow the TV show and I wake up more tired. If I play music I have racing thoughts and dream some more. Pills make me more sleepy but do not stop vivid sleep dreams.  I hope you have found a solution. I want a new brain! :) And a restful nights sleep. Stimulants actually help me sleep better , like coffee, but then I need twice as much caffeine the next day. And most of the prescribed meds make me too hungry to sleep, no matter how much I eat so forget that. I live with Major Depressive Disorder. But the wellbutrin I take for that actually helps me rest some every night instead of every other night. Good Luck. Exhausting sleep is worse than no sleep for me too.

[LeslieO]

People,

I have read every entry posted from 2007 to current.  Everyone including myself is having vivid wild dreaming  Several things stuck out from all these blogs.  About half of the people having dream problems has Fibro Myalgia. Fibro is now believed to be a form of arthritis.  One of the key ingrediance of Fibro is mis-directed brain signals.  The brain is constatnly sending signals to the muscles to hurt.  Why?  Doctors do not know.  However, now many doctors believe too much electricity is received by the the brain making it work overtime.  This would account for the excessive dreaming and Fibro fog. However you do not have to have Fibro Myalgia to have the constant vivid dreaming nor do you have to have arthritis, but more than likely your brain is receiving to much electricity for one reason or another.

I have Mitro Valve Prolapse also and had to have a nerve in my heart distroyed  because it was receiving to much electricity causing the heart to race.  Nerve was distroyed, problem solved.

I also have Trigeminal Neuralgia.  The brain sends messages to the trigeminal nerve to shock the side of your face.   Again, believed to be to much electricity received by the brain.  I take Tegratol for this.  This is an anti sizure drug used by persons with epilepsey.  It reduces the amount of electricity received by the brain.  By the way for all you people taking Lyrica.  This drug is also anti sizure medication like Tegratol.  

Point being I'm not here to compare illnesses.  I wanted to show you these illnesses are related.  They all deal with too much electricity going to the brain for some reason.  

Every person  like myself that has not been diagnosed with a sleeping disorder more than likely is having to much voltage to their brain.  I have increased my Lyrica to a healthy dose and dreams have gone bye bye.  See your doctor and tell him what you have found out.

[gooddreams]

Leslie() - Does Lyrica have other effects on your daily mood? Do you take it at night and wake up without a hangover?

Now I am interested in Lyrica and this is very much worth checking out.

I don't have fibromyalgia, and think my nerve bundle coating myelin sheath is good. Perhaps this is what you mean by excessive electrical nerve activity. Brain is very active though...could just be a thinking habit and lack of calming meditation in this modern electronic world of constant distractions.

One tip for Trigeminal Neuralgia, a simple over the counter health food mineral called "MagFos" has helped two of my girl friends immensely. One had it so bad the face pain was unbearable, she barely ever has recurrence and keeps up on Magnesium (and I think Iron), harmless and good for you prevention, especially for a woman.

I agree that we are different, sleeping pills do not reduce the dreaming for me. They only help me to get over anxiety of another tough night and put my out.

Also a footnote that shortage of oxygen absolutely makes dreams even more vivid for me and most people. My Cpap hasn't fixed everything, but helps keep me functional. I'll repeat for those who don't have that, try a room with cool, dense air and lay on pillows on your stomach as a test to see if you sleep better.

[evarivera]

I started dreaming every night none stop about 8 years ago.  I am so exausted, I wish I did not dream. I don't use any type of drugs, and exercise regularly. Am certain something is wrong. Everyday am super exausted, sometimes if I have five mins I try to take a nap during the day. I still dream, but I have notice that the dreams that tire me the most are from 3am-6am....please help

[evarivera]

I started dreaming every night none stop about 8 years ago.  I am so exausted, I wish I did not dream. I don't use any type of drugs, and exercise regularly. Am certain something is wrong. Everyday am super exausted, sometimes if I have five mins I try to take a nap during the day. I still dream, but I have notice that the dreams that tire me the most are from 3am-6am....please help

[kio153]

I was taking Trazedone for a long time to get me to sleep. I can become sleepy get into bed, but my mind does not shut down enough to allow me to sleep. I began having vivid dreams that made me REALLY question whether not I actually did the things I dreamed of. I am currently no longer on this mediation and things have been better, however I still have the vivid dreams I don't question them as much anymore, and mostly don't remember details as much as I used to.

Hope this helps!

[Amanda1717]

I have always had vivid realistic dreams like every detail I can map out to you if you want in every one of my dreams. I have been tired after sleeping and hardly ever get enough sleep. I constantly get dreams and keep a record but the dreams lately have been more and more realistic. I recently had a dream that happened right where i was sleeping and it all happened right where i fell asleep and it looked the exact same as when i woke up. My dreams are getting stranger and I have been getting less and less sleep from it. I need to know what this is all about?

[tecota]

So glad to have found this thread... I'm coming to the party late...

In my vivid/intense dreams, I talk, hit, pinch my dog (not hurting her - but what was I dreaming - and several times?), and feel drugged, brain fog,  and unable to connect to reality for a while after waking.  Same as some others - dreams blurred with reality.

I've had serious bouts of depression and my hubby says the constant dreams are from "all those meds".   Doing better with depression, but - Exhausted, exhausted, exhausted!!  Poor sleep makes depression worse!!  Given ritalin and Provigil (for narcolesy) to stay awake during day.  Makes anxiety go thru the roof!!!

Do wake a few times a night to turn over - it's a big ordeal.  My dog sleeps part on me, part on my body pillow.  I wake to tell her we have to turn over - she gets up, waits for me to turn over with the pillow, then gets back into her sleeping position.

Sleep studies:

1st study - mild apnea
2nd study - with CPAP
CPAP for 8 months with no relief, told to discontinue because apnea is so mild.

3rd.  Went to another sleep clinic for snoring (family WILL NOT sleep anywhere near me).  Given a sleep study device to hook up at home.  Data indicates SEVERE apnea.  What the heck?    Why the huge difference in tests?  Doc says 1st study did not record me on my back.   Paid megabucks for a less "intrusive" apnea mouthpiece to use at night.

Eventually realize the mouthpiece is what is causing my tongue to feel like I just ripped it off a frozen piece of metal.

4th.  Can't decide what to do...go to a third doc to confirm which sleep data is correct.  Says he can't rely on the data - has to do his own study.  AAHHHH!  May go once I get over being disgusted.  THIS is WHY it is called "practicing" medicine.

Used to have my brain race at night before sleep, so I imagine a lit candle and focus on the soothing flame.  Helps with falling asleep, but not with constant wild dreams.  

Saw a few posts about brain electrical activity.  May be something to that.

Seeing a specialist about chronic fatigue syndrome this week. SOOO tired of docs.  May be BS.

I'm going to try herbal options found in "An Elder's Herbal".  Valerian root, etc. Has combo for pain and sleep.

Next will be Chinese medicine and then Voodoo doc.

Best wishes to you all.  Too bad we can't harness all this wild energy...

[dreamer606]

After reading all of your letters i now do not feel so alone. I dread going to sleep at night.Is this what we have to look forward to when we are dead,A never ending uncontrollable dream.I often say to myself before i go to sleep,tonight i am going to have a great peaceful sleep ,this never happens.I just wish i could have one night with no dreams at all.Good luck to you all ,Maybe we will meet in a DREAM.

[Vividreamer]

After reading this thread, I realized one thing.......no matter how different or special you think you are, there are bound to be others like you out there among the 7.5 billion human that live on this planet.

I too have vivid dreams every night which I can remember clearly when I wake up. Its like living 2 lives. As I am falling asleep, I could feel myself slowly stepping into the other world....first one foot, then the other. I have several dream worlds, but one predominates. Most of the time, my dreams are unspectacular........like just another ordinary day doing ordinary things......chatting with people, going to the stores etc. Occasionally, things will get exciting, like there's a wild animal circling the house outside or going fishing and seeing a crocodile in the river. One recurrent theme is living in different dwellings unfamiliar to me in real life but that seem perfectly familiar and cosy in my dreams. Another dream is that some strange phenomenon is happening in the sky at night and people are gathering around and looking up. But I never find out what the phenomenon is.

I feel exhausted in the day. I nod off during seminars and meetings. Sometimes, I can have a full length dream when I doze off for just 2 minutes during a lecture. Not sure if any of you face the same problem but I feel that time is going by so quickly. It is almost as if the clock sped up when I'm not looking at it.

Lastly, some of my dreams actually come true, usually shortly after I have dreamed it. These dreams are not about mundane stuff like doing the laundary or going to the store but something extraordinary. They events in these dreams are not simple ones but can be quite complicated and the accuracy of these dreams sometimes scare me.

[Nadakan]

Today I woke up really dizzy, sweating and felt a bit sick. I'd remembered that I'd been dreaming vividly and heavily that time before i woke up.

Interestingly lately, I've been having a lot of dreams that are intensely vivid and that I mistaked for real life. The other day I dreamt a celebrity died, and it seemed so real that I woke up in total confusion and had to ask my housemate if he did die and could we check it on the internet.

It doesn't help that I have a fear of getting brain tumours. :( this is what worries me most, that all this could be a sign. I get sleep paralysis quite a lot, and I go into REM sleep pretty much immediately and sometimes even start dreaming as I'm drifting off to sleep! Another night recently, I heard a cracking sound in my head, a flash headache and woke up dizzy. It was enough to scare me for a few days..

I have to add that I have a history of epilepsy, and that my diet is not great right now due to no job. I'm eating a lot more eggs and protein and don't eat much in the day. My meal usually consists of egg on toast in the morning, and then more carbs during the day. I hardly drink water. Maybe I'm dehydrated?

I seem to also have been getting 'psychic' dreams. For instance last night I dreamt exactly what happened when my friend was out for the night.

Could this be a sign of tumor? I really would prefer to have a scan, or maybe a sleep problem?

[sgupta2312]

Hi...

I have been experiencing long and clear dreams while sleeping.and whats important is that I know consciously that i am dreaming and want to wake up from my dream but unable to wake up as i feel my hands and legs are paralysed and i cannot move them....and finally i have to jerk my body suddenly then only i m able to wake up...

Is this some kind of syndrome????

[Elmstreet405]

  Does anyone else get the feeling that the writer of the Freddy Krugger movies suffers from this same afliction?  Whether it's nightmares or just plain busy busy dreams they are so real that I have to ask people the next day if I had a certain conversation with them or not, and then I'm so sleepy during the day that I feel like I'm dreaming.  So the problem begins trying to decide which is the dream and which is reality.  I've been to two sleep specialist and have 4 sleep studies only to have their studies contradict each other.  So yeh, who is right, and when do they something that actually works.  Cpap no help at all, then told I didn't need it.  Restless leg medication has helped my legs, but still dreaming and still exhausted.  Trying the Lyrica next after reading many posts here.  Hoping it works cause I'm 46 and I've been dreaming like this all my life, only the last 5 years have been so bad that the last two years I haven't been able to work due to the sleepiness.  I go to sleep at night at 10 pm and wake up at 7 am everyday, only to go back to sleep by 9 am and sleep til 2 pm, and I still need an hour nap during the news from 6 pm to 7 pm.  I feel so useless, so yes, I am depressed but the depression is not the cause of the tiredness.  I'm glad to hear others have the same problem because the doctors look at you like you are stupid when you tell them your dreams are why you are not getting enough sleep.   Whats Real and Whats Not?

[reenabharat]

I read an enlightening book on dreams, Sleep, Dreams and Spiritual Reflections. If you want its softcopy, mail me at reena.***@****

[Lunitix]

Wow, I've had this problem forever going back to when I was a young kid. I have vivid, detailed dreams almost every night and I wake up extremely exhausted and feeling as if my heart overworked throughout the night. After 30 years I finally decided to Google this problem and I am amazed at the number of people I am seeing who's suffering from this. As much as I would like to say I wish no one else was suffering from this, I do have to say I'm also glad that I'm not alone so that I don't feel like I'm a weirdo. So to my fellow sufferers, hopefully one of us will find a Doctor or someone that can pinpoint what we are going through that may have an affective treatment solution...

[barfyguy]

  Occasionally when I dream I am trying to walk and the best I can do is a very weak stumble, grasping for help to get up.In the morning I'm exhausted.

[Auntlello1]

Two things: Epic Dreaming Disorder and have your thyroid levels checked. NOT the TSH for thyroid, but the FREE T3 and FREE T4. Something to consider. . .

[Dreamador]

I'm 54, and all my life, I have been having those dreams about phenomena in the night sky.  Those dreams always leave me unsettled and with a similar feeling I get after a reoccurring dream that I have about an approaching tornado (which I have never experienced in real life.)

[menolikeREM]

I am one of you/us.

I haven't had a sleep study but from reading all of your reports, I think that the label Narcolepsy best describes my excessive dreaming (REM) and reduced deep sleep. I dream too soon when I sleep and the 'epic' dreaming increases as the night goes on. It seems that if I sleep more than 3 hours, the dreams get more vivid/intense and hence take up more energy and I become more tired the next day. If I sleep more than 6 hours, the dreams get even more vivid/exhausting.

Solutions that I am considering:

1. Sleep in two shifts of 3/4 hours
2. Very vigorous exercise reduces amount of REM
3. Anticonvulsant medication - I was on Valporate for Bipolar and this changed my dreams. They didn't go away completely but I definitely had more restful sleep. Helps calm my electrically overactive brain
4. Getting a Zeo sleep tracker to find out how much REM and how much deep sleep I'm getting every night and compare this to lifestyle changes / medication.
5. I will take Phenibut once a week for a dreamless sleep. This will be a wonderful relief to you guys. But BE CAREFUL. The tolerance builds up v carefully and the rebound effect can be MORE INTENSE DREAMS and MORE EXHAUSTION. Please be careful. But if used say once every two weeks or something it can be a sweet sweet relief. Imagine a dreamless deep sleep !!
6. I will try and see a neurologist and go through the medical system and see what happens. If the diagnosis is narcolepsy, there is a medication called Xyrem which helps get a more restful sleep.

Hope this helps and thanks to everyone's experiences and jokes!

[duke142]

like most here, i have had the dreams and the unrest full sleep, but i also notice that i will wake up and look at the clock and say see it says oh say 3 am....i will go back to sleep have another long vivid dream that seems like it lasts forever then wake up with that OMG i'm late for school feeling(even though I graduated 20 years ago) and i look at the clock again only to realize its only now 4am.... This has been going on for about the last year. The doctors are blaming my apnea cause by my epilepsy, but i have had those for almost 30 years, why would they only start doing this for the last  2 years?????

[pvanderaa]

This is an interesting forum.  I too have had all these same symptoms - excessive dreaming, night sweats (upper half of my body), can't tell dream from reality.  I'm tired all the time.  I wake up thinking I've slept the entire night and look at the clock and only an hour has passed.  

I was recently diagnosed with a Vitamin B12 deficiency.  I'm also border line Gluten intolerance (I get sleepy and have brain fog from it but don't have violent rushes to the bathroom).

I also have tried to control my sugar intake and fasted to see what effect that has and so far no confirmed connections.

One thing I have tried is to keep a log book of everything I eat to monitor for the symptoms over a 48 hour period.  I need to do this because the food takes this long to travel my gut and causes different symptoms along the way.

So far I've eliminate monosodium glutamate and all soy related products including soy leikthin (Chocolate).  I've also eliminate all dairy products, although diary is a good source of Vit B12, I get sleepy whenever I eat cheese or drink milk.  

As the deficiency went for quite a while as undiagnosed, I've had quite a bit of nerve damage and I believe that this has contributed to a lot of my recurring symptoms.  I'm now on a regeim of B12 jabs, supplements and am controlling my food and I'm pretty stable and getting restful sleep and mild dreams.  

The normal range for a serum-B12 test is 200-900 pg/mL but some labs include a note that levels beow 400 pg/mL cause neurological symptoms in 10% of the population.  Japan has recently set it's lower limit to 500 pg/mL.

I would recommend you ask your Dr for a Vitamin B12 test as it is not done as part of a complete Blood count.  I'm also planning to ask for a Gluten intolerance test the next time I visit the Dr.

That's my two cents.

[VanPelt]

I too am an excessive dreamer always have been. Even as a child. Excessive dreamers DO NOT go through the four stages of sleep before REM. They go right to REM and stay there and usually wake up in REM. At the age of 25 I was diagnosed with "chronic fatigue syndrome" and at 28 with manic depression. With the depression I usually have too change meds about every two years. I've been researching the link between excessive dreaming and depression. I found an article about U.S. vets who were taking a blood pressure medication that surprisingly was helping with the dreams associated with PTSS. I asked my doctor if I could try it too see if it would help with the dreaming about a year ago. He said "No" because I don't have blood pressure issue's it would do more harm than good. Sigh...Recently I've been going through a bout of depression and was dreading changing my meds. yet again. My dreams were out of control and I felt like I didn't sleep at all! So I started looking into excessive dreaming again. In one article by a sleep doctor at the very end he said other than the blood pressure medication the only other med. he found that has any effects on dreaming is "clonazepam" it is a member of the Valium family. When I went to dr. we discussed this issue at length. I told him the best sleep I ever get is when I'm drunk (which is very rare) or when I was younger and smoked pot. He told me that makes sense because your brain was able to go through the four stages of sleep before you go to rem. We decided to give the clonazepam a try. It is not a sleeping pill so it doesn't put you to sleep.
This is my second week on it (10 mg) before bed and I can feel a big difference! I still dream but they don't seem to be as vivid or stressful, I wake up without that exhausted heavy feeling. I'm hoping this is truly working and not a placebo effect. But so far so good!  So if excessive dreaming is effecting your life too maybe talk to your doctor about this.

[jfreshzz]

The symptoms you have been describing have all been happening to me as well. Apart from the fact that I am physically exhausted... I have some of the most odd, bizzare and outlandish vivid dreams. It feels like I spend weeks in a dream in 1 night of "rest". As a result I am often mentally exhausted when I finally return to consciousness.

.

[coonyp]

A possible "paranormal" cause may account for some of the reports above.

Over the years,  I have noticed that I frequently have these kind of dreams when I in a motel or hotel.  Not all the time, just occasionally.  My conclusion is that I am somehow affected by the energy in the room.  I am just finishing a month stay at our vacation home that we rent out during the year.  I have had these dreams every night and my wife has on most nights.  I believe that 'bad energy" from one of our tenants may be the cause.  So the first question I would have to the above reports is whether the dreams occur at all locations.  It could be that they are in a home that had been affected by a previous tenant or owner.

I'll be home next week and I expect that the dreams will no longer be a problem.

[kalidurga]

I too have vivid dreams with sweats and twitching as I am going into the dream state.  Sometimes, I feel like I am picking up others energy,  It seems that best is to go to sleep at 11 pm - wake up between 2 and 3, read, get back to sleep around 5 and up by 7am --- I fall asleep driving in the car and sometimes have to pull over and sleep from 20 to 40 minutes.  In the car - away from others I sometimes sleep more deeply.

[whooly]

Same thing. insane dreams, dont  make sense, eyes/head hurt in the morning, tired, all the same stuff alot of you are feeling. it *****. had a dream one time where i was live at a wwe wrestling match and the poles keeping the rope taut for the wrestling ring sprung up as metal worms with razors attached on the head and all over the body, flesh ripping machines. the worms proceeded to go up the wrestlers butts and eviscerate their insides, eventually imploding them. i could feel the warm blood splashing on me and a liver came out and was on my lap, pumping for some reason, even though the liver was eviscerated, how is this possible i ask my self. now i feel like i set that upon the wrestlers for some reason and im staring at both their souls and their eyes are asking me, why did you do this to me? but i cant talk, i forget how to talk with my eyes, why are we talking with eyes?This is just a snippet, of one night, and i dream like this what seems to be like every night. my dreams, are; insane. I've had these for a long time, im 18, and have had these probably starting around 10. they have progressively gotten worse. What i have found to SOLVE this issue is to smoke MARIJUANA before i go to bed. if i am smoking purely just to sleep to save money and have a better memory, i will take about 3 hits and hold them in for as long as i can, so load as much as that takes for your weed, generally not a large amount. if i go to bed at 11, i will smoke this bowl around 4-8pm, then before bed i will turn the lights off or dim them very low, smoke 2-6 hits depending on tolerance levels, this drug forces some of your eye muscles to relax and i wake up less groggy, as i find i clinch my eyes shut while im dreaming, so this is the first pleasant effect. SECONDLY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, i do not dream after smoking marijuana. its just kind of black, or i have an extremely mellow dream that i dont remember. if you get a heavy indica strain of weed, perhaps a 80% indica 20% sativa just for example, then you will get a really heavy feeling and while you are falling asleep your mind just sort of goes blank and the insane dreams do not happen. By the way, if you are reading this and saying to yourself, "well i want to smoke before i go to sleep, but my parents will get pissed" then what you need to do is smoke in the shower, just go in, put a towel at the bottom of the door, turn the fan on, turn the shower on, but kinda cold. then proceed to smoke your bowl, blow it up at the fan, then get in the shower, turn the water temp.up obviously, then just take your shower, also; put some shampoo on the floor and rub it around with your feet, this will stink up your bathroom with the scent of the weed. also, if you need to sneak pieces in past your parent just put it in your towel and carry your towel in. make it work. then i would recommend cleaning your piece so it doesnt smell as you walk out, if you pour bong water in the shower you need to do the soap thing i mentioned. then just leave the shower and leave the fan on, preferably close the door when you leave, hide your ****, get dressed, go check and you will be GOLDEN, HIGH, AND HAPPY YOU WILL ACTUALLY SLEEP :))). I need to find another method though, that is more cost effective and not damaging to short term memory loss due to long term use, isnt  a prescription medicine, **** that. preferably something natural. please postif you know of anything like that, otherwise, smoke on.

[whooly]

"feet, this will stink up your bathroom with the scent of the weed. a"
I meant to say this will stink up your bathroom like SHAMPOO. which means you WONT get caught. nobody will suspect you in the shower.

[Cat72482]

I also have very vivid dreams every night (since I was a child) and wake up exhausted!  I, like the rest of you, am glad, yet saddened, that there are others like me!

I wanted to add an interesting thought.  I have 5 children (4 pregnancies, twins).  I've noticed that my dreams change during my pregnancies.  In the first trimester, they are still vivid but very strange.  However, in the last two trimesters, I sleep peacefully and only remember a handful of dreams!  It's wonderful!  Has anyone else experienced this?

So, to those of you trying to figure out what's going on... Could it possibly have something to do with hormones?

[sleepysleeper]

I too, suffer from intensly vivid dreams. i've had a couple ones that I will never forget during childhood, but for the past year, I have been having them every night, and sometimes have one, wake up and then fall back asleep and go right back into the dream as if nothing happened. Knowing my dreams that they are dreams, telling myself don't worry this is a dream. Like one dream i had as a child, i was at a friends house, and there was a fun house on the side, and these two huge elephants come up and there were two booths on either side of me, and my dad was sitting at both of them, and a kid next to me was standing at the table and my dad reached out with a cartoon like hand, closed his nose, and the elephant threw up all over him. Saw my elephant coming twords me, so I freaked out, ran behind me into the corner of the fun house, sat down and cried that i didnt like this dream anymore and wanted to leave. So this woman comes out from around the corner and tells me, if you close your eyes in your dream, you'll wake up in your bed. So i closed my eyes, saw a glimpse of my room and was right back into my dream. I started crying cuz it didnt work, but soon after i ended up waking up. I've had similar dreams, of knowing i'm in a dream. I've been able to feel water running over me, digging into the ground and feeling the vibrations of the shovel scrapping the rocks, and feeling the wet mud as i pick it up. And you don't just move from place to place and just end up there and don't know how you got there, you move around like it was actually happening. I've texted in my dream and saw every letter, i've backed a car up and parked it and did everything you would do normally. I have had a sleep study but showed nothing because i couldnt sleep like i normally do cuz of all the wires and such. And was told by the neurologist that i need to fall asleep at the same exact time every night and wake up at the same exact time every day, that just doesnt happen. Hoping that going to the doctor and telling what i've been reading here helps in finding out what the problem is, cuz like everyone else; TIRED OF BEING TIRED!!

[Lucid_dreamer]

Wow, I had no idea there are so many who have excessive dreaming like I do. I have lucid dreams every night and a lot of time wake up in the middle of them and my mind feels tired the rest of the day. I get enough sleep, sometimes I'll oversleep because of my dreaming. I can tell dreams from reality easily because my dreams are so bizarre. I can create images in my dreams which I've never seen before in real life. Because of my full awareness when dreaming I'm able to fly, change the weather, create objects out of thin air, and use magical powers like you see in superhero, fantasy, sci-fi movies and anime. I love my dreams because they are very entertaining and always look forward to sleeping but I'm afraid I'm not getting the restful sleep I need.

I remember a lot of pieces and parts of dreams I've had over the years, even ones from childhood, I'm 21 now. My dreams can be very violent sometimes, like a horror movie or action movie and I'll feel pain if stabbed or shot but I know that I'm invincible and immortal in my dream and show off my true strength. Sometimes I'm the hero in my dreams and sometimes the villain. When I don't like the way my dream is going and try to wake up it's somewhat difficult, I feel exhausted and my dream will change to me trying to get out of bed (I will know that I'm still dreaming because I can't move, I feel paralyzed) and my eyes will feel heavy. I can wake up however if someone tries to wake me up (by just talking to me) or I hear a loud sound. If I want to continue dreaming after I waking up I can easily fall asleep again and go immediately into REM.

Playing video games and watching a lot of fantasy, sci-fi movies could be the cause of my lucid dreams but there is no way I'm stopping that. I'm also a night owl, and like to stay up to play video games. I eat healthy, I'm not overweight and tall like a model so I don't really think sleep apnea is the cause..but who knows. I don't do drugs (strongly against them) or drink (absolutely hate the taste of alcohol and also it's just unhealthy) and never drink sodas (caffeine).

I wouldn't try diagnosing what my dreams mean because they are so unreal and I don't think aliens, ghost, monsters, vampires, demons (which occur in my dreams a lot but I'm not afraid of them) have any sort of significance. I don't really want to take any other medications, I'm just taking birth control for my skin (acne prone). I much prefer a natural healthy solution to sleeping better. Like tea, or maybe meditating will help.

~Lisa

[gooddreams]

I know what you mean about being aware of the dreaming and being invincible and in control in the dream state.

Really wouldn't doubt it if morning exhaustion is a side effect of staying in control and creating these amazing dreams all night.

I wonder if it's common for us unusual excessively vivid dreamers to feel this?

-gooddreams

[RemyStar]

Whatever personal beliefs you cary is absolutely fine. The fact that you cry "Become a christian and all your problems will be solved!" is rather a very ugly approach on your part. Choice of religion/belief, I think, has nothing to do with these peoples' issues. This is not a place to try and 'convert' people to your beliefs.

We all suffer from vivid dreaming, feeling tired when waking from what feels like an eternity of mental activity during the night. These particular issues, I think, have NOTHING to do with religion. The fact that you say so is absurd. What we personally believe does not affect how we sleep or why we dream. Or why we feel exhuasted.

I believe that our subconscious mind sends us messages during the night. It is its only way to get our attention on things that our regular mind is not aware of. Dreaming does not always make sense. But if you make a regular habbit of analyzing your dreams, as others have said and finding any common attributes, you're probably being told something very important!

I for one, have very vivid, intricate, very 'real' dreams.  I often feel as though these dreams are of my 'other' lives that I live in an alternate reality or universe while sleeping. I am always aware of my 'character' in my dreams, they don't always look like me but it is very clear that it IS me. Sometimes I watch things go on from an out of body experience, but mostly I see things through this 'characters' viewpoint. I feel what they are feeling. It is very real. I've been to other planets and seen other intelligent life forms, i've existed in alternate realities where societal concepts are very different than what is usually expected. I've been to the past, I've been to the future.  All of it has been excrutiatingly real. I do not believe that I am crazy. I think anything is possible until proven not to be, and even then. how do we know?

I wake up every day, remembering every detail down to the last leaf on the ground. I wake up everyday, feeling absolutely exhausted because it does feel like I am living in one place while awake, and then returning to another life when I am asleep. I do not condone disregaurding possible medical conditions as a good thing. But I do not believe that just because we are dreaming at an aware, conscious level means we need to seek medical help.

I know we want to have a good nights rest...but I think that the group of us have been given something special. We are taught to worship doctors and seek 'professional opinions' to help us.(I am thankful that those options are out there however, I mean no disrespect)  Help us...why do we need help? why are we taught in society that if something about us doesn't fit into the societal 'norm' that we automatically need help? Have any of you thought about it that way? I believe that the mind is such a powerful tool; just look at the places it has taken you during the night. Does no one else,- besides the fact that yes we would all love a good nights sleep, - think that we have been given something truly wonderful?

I do not lucid dream. I am always eager to see where this dream takes me as I feel an outside force is guiding it. I think we have been given the oppertunity to fully explore ourselves, other places, places we do not normally have access to. Do you believe in alternate realities or dimensions? Am I the only one who has explored this side of the concept?

I think if you tell yourself each night, you must do this every night, that you would like to sleep more peacefully and have less dreams, that eventually you will get there. You must be calm, and not desperate. Control when you dream yourself, your mind is very powerful. You are always in control, remember that. Kind of like the Placebo concept. One kid is given cough syrup, the other is given sugar water, they both feel better after. Coincidence? I think not.  I never started dreaming like this until I consciously made the decision that I wanted to remember my dreams more. I use to have a couple dreams here and there, until one day I told myself I wanted to remember. Ever since i practiced each night, telling myself I was going to remember my dreams, for a couple weeks, my dreaming 'engine' lets say roared to life and took me places I never would have gone otherwise. Its been about a year now. I am feeling unrested and more and more tired everyday. The thing is..as much as I want a good nights sleep. I don't want to give up these dreams. I have discovered a lot about myself & others, from them. I believe they are there for a reason, and when we address the issues it presents, we will once again be able to sleep.

I know this post probably isn't any help to you guys who are very desperate to sleep. I just wanted to explore the issue in general, and what you thought about these 'dreams'

sincerely,

- A sleep deprived girl who awknowledges that we have been given something very interesting & powerful.

[mmfuturedoc]

OMG!!!! i have somthing kindda like that happen to me!!!!! i am 13 and this has been happening to me for as long as i can remember. So, like, i wake up and i will see blood dripping down the wall in my bed room, or there will be a dead carcass on the floor. last night i woke up and there was a river of blood running beside my bed and floating down the river was a human carcass. It was horrifying. I know i read alot so this could just be the cause of an over-active immagination. BUT WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME!?!?!?!?

[ashb1983]

As I write this I am exhausted. I slept for eight hours last night and feel like I haven't slept at all. This is a regular occurrence. I finally decided to see if anyone else can relate and wow, the list here goes on and on.
I've always had vivid dreams, sometimes traumatic, sometimes grandiose, sometimes adventurous, and sometimes I'll experience a dream and then repeat it, making corrections with the foresight of knowing what will happen if I don't. It often feels like I'm either a creator of some kind or a movie editor, manipulating time and events to turn out better than previously experienced.
I don't know what came first as a result, exhaustion or mild depression, but I've quietly lived with both for as long as I can remember. I find it difficult to make the transition from awake to sleep because I think too much in bed (often about random, irrelevant things), and then I find it hard to wake up in the mornings because I'm so deeply engrossed in my dreams that sometimes I just don't want to wake up or, like today, I'm just extremely tired.
To stop the over thinking at night I have been taking melatonin and watching TV to distract me from thinking (I set the TV to switch off by itself after half an hour. If I'm still awake I reset it). I then dose off, have crazy, tiresome dreams, and then feel like death in the morning.
I'm reaching a point now where I really think I need to address this issue properly. I love having vivid dreams but I'm not living a normal life and I hate being exhausted, depressed and reclusive all day.
Maybe it's time I spoke to my doc about it. Will do some more research first. If anyone has suggestions they would be much appreciated. Thanks for the sharing, everyone.

[KnightKME]

If I were you, I would keep track of what you are eating.  The food that you eat can have a significant impact on whether you dream or not.  I am having very vivid dreams lately and I strongly suspect that it is either  a contaminant that got into my milk or an allergic reaction to some pistachios that I have been eating.  What are you eating that you haven't been eating before?  

Also, as a precaution, change the locks on your house and put better locks on your windows.  If someone managed to get a key to your house or knows which window to slip into when you are gone...who knows what that person might be doing.  S/he might be slipping you a drug.   If you doubt that people like this exist, read the crime section of the newspaper.  Or if you are really adventurous, take a trip into the ghetto area of your city...you'll find plenty of people like that.  I used to live in what I thought was a fairly decent area of town, but it turned out there were break ins rather frequently.  There is also evidence of such people on a show called "Caught on Tape 2".  People like this don't really need a good reason to break into other people's homes.  Simple jealousy may be all that is required.  YOU would not have had to ANYTHING to them.  I know...creepy...but I think we all remember some kids from high school and middle school we would rather forget.  They don't just disappear when we graduate.

[Angon]

Anyone tried meditation? My mother is a hypnotherapist and she has these guided meditation CDs that you can fall asleep to at night and they work like a charm. The problem isn't that we dream, the problem is that we are not reaching full REM. So once you find the cause of not sleeping well, you find the cause of the dreaming. (Mine is more often than not, stress). There are many stages of sleep, REM being the stage where your body regenerates and your mind rests. Dreaming occurs BEFORE REM. So it's like the closer you are to REM the less you remember your dream. Everyone dreams all the time. It's the quality of sleep that can often be characterized by how well you dreamt. I occasionally have nights where I do sleep well, I wake up rested, and I'm not tired the whole day, and when I think about it, I realize I didn't remember any of my dreams. So I must have reached REM. There are many reasons this could happen: being too hot (perfect temperature for sleep is supposedly 69 degrees), sleeping with animals or with someone who moves a lot (even if it doesn't wake you up completely, the movements still bring you out of a few stages of sleep), stress (probably the most common one), and many more. Things you normally wouldn't think of.

Try meditating. If all else fails, meditation allows you to at least control your mind and tell it to relax and sleep deeply. I seem to benefit better from it because I know my cause for lack of sleep is stress, but I think everyone can benefit, regardless of the reason that you aren't sleeping deeply. If you want more information on meditation try going to www.beaconhypnotherapy.com

[Ryan_K]

Hi guys!

I have noticed over a fair few years now that my sleep is just getting worse and worse, I wake up and just think...what was the point. I have very similar symptoms to everyone else I.e. all the endless fatigue etc (which never used to be me, I used to be over active if anything). But my concern is actually the level of detail in the vividness! As you see every night whether it be good or bad I can feel EVERYTHING! Sometimes this is good (as Im sure you can imagine for the obvious reasons)..However sometimes (more oftenly) my dreams can be bad and I either get shot or stabbed or punched or am hitting someone myself and I can literally feel every moment and 'contact'. Even if its a falling sensation the wind and increase in momentum, everything!
Sometimes it really scares me! This summer I finished University and I spent my last summer with my friends in their house before I went back home. for the first month or so my dreams were horrible. I could only describe it as 'Paranormal Activity'...but living the experience and not watching it. I would be asleep in bed in the dark and suddenly it would feel as if something is crawling on its hands and knees on the duvet upward and then presses down on my limbs as if someones on top of me and I have to use all my strength to push against whatever it is! The first time it happened it happened a few times in the same night and didnt know whether to shout for my housemates koz I didnt know whether what was happening to me was real or not?!

Is this the level of vividness other people are experiencing or is this bad?!

Ryan

[rodriguez17]

Yes Ryan its normal ! well not normal but thats the dream i mostly fear .I miself have that dream a few times a year,some dark presense that laids infront of me and just stares at me  and i cant move or scream, or the same black presence that pulls my soul and i pulled back .I feel like am living in two diferent worlds ! i close me eyes and i  start dreaming ,and then i see my self go to sleep or i tell the people in my dreams that i have to go! and i wake up and its time to go to work feeling tired and confused .missing the people on my dreams wondering who they are how they understand me and always happy to see me . who knows maybe its you guys  . I feel like something is missing! i am always looking up in the sky like if someone is watching me .   alot of time i see my self sleeping wondering if anyone else sees there self sleeping ?  dont know i can go on and on but every time i do people get scared and walk away like am crazy not even my wife or family understand what am goint thru so i just keep it to my self and wait for tonite to see how my mind well mess with me once again ...good luck and let me know if someone finds a answer !!!!  

[justmepam]

You are WRONG!!!!! My sugar levels are completely normal and I have had a glucose tolerance test.........I did not know there were other people like me. I am so tired. I just want to sleep and feel rested. I too have also had vivid dreams since I was a toddler. I'm fixing to get back to the forum to see what else everyone is saying. I also grind my teeth (have always done this) and have arthritis in my neck (now that I am older) (56). I wake up and HURT!!! My grandmother and I are just alike in this respect and come to think of it, she also had vivid dreams as did other people in my family. btw - my husband is tired of listening to my dreams. also btw - I'm diagnosed as  being ADD. Maybe I'm really not. Maybe I never get any rest.

[Sasha2867]

Go to podcast and find Kelly Howell Theatre of mind and the meaning and purpose of dreams. it will help you all understand why you are dreaming Enjoy

[23christina23]

You are not alone! I am 22 female good health extremely active and healthy but I have always had vivid dreams as long as I can remember. I remember at breakfast as a little girl with my family we would share a dream or two if we could remember and every morning I had about 3 - 5 to tell very detailed and my brother and sister always thought I was making them up just to talk! Anyway my sleep is getting much worse. Its not just dreams I'm having. As I go to bed sometimes I hear loud noises that jolt me awake as I'm dozing off. If that doesn't happen and I start to fall asleep it feels as though I'm falling asleep and my mind forgot to go along with my body. My arms and leg go numb my eyes start to shut I can't control it. It feels so freaky no matter how hard I try to relax my mind for the transition it just feels so abnormal. Next I'm completely paralyzed and I'm in my dream I walk around my apartment and I think okay what should I do while I'm dreaming? So my recent favorite has to been to jump out my 6th floor window and fly but I fly upside down so I can see the sky and I make it sunny. It feels so real and so vivid its beautiful and I think I'm lucky to be controling my dream right now this is so beautiful I've never felt anything like this. But always my dream turns bad and the sky gets dark and I feel demons I jolt myself awake and my eyes open but they are blinking heavily. They feel so heavy and I can't move my arms or my legs sometimes I can't fight it and give up and just go right back into my dream and try again once my little dream turns bad again. Last night was the worst it was from 5am- 9am constant in and out of my dreams not being able to move when I awake. During one of my dreams I saw something awful in my room so I covered my mouth and when I woke up my hand was on my mouth. When I unwillingly dozed right back into the dream I had second thought about jumping out my window because was nervous I would be there in real life. But talked myself into it because when you dream its a lot quicker than reality so didn't think I could walk to the window that fast. I would love to just go to bed and never dream again. These dreams are exhausting and especially since I always know I'm dreaming. When I was a little girl I used to know I was dreaming and jump off houses with the carebears. I can remember nightmeres I had at 4 years old yet barely remember anything about reality when I was that young. Am I crazy? Its getting worse. Any ideas to put and end to this maddness?

[kimmie926]

I am right there with you. I am 19 years old, and have been through this my whole life. I remember dreams so well and they are so out there too.. But I however, think it runs in the family. My mother is a psychic, and gets visons in her dreams, and has proved this to others. My older sister is a psychic as well and was diagnosed with sleep apnea as a young child. She was put on medications and some heavy steroids. I have had this problem too. I have very vivid dreams, and have predicted my own future with them. It is quit freaky. If you experience something in your waking life that you think you saw happen before and already know what is going to happen next, that is a vision. No one really knows how the brain works, and many DIS-believers think it might be medical... there is no known real cause. It is almost like bipolar...there are so many forms of bipolar.. but no one person knows exactly what their problem is. Some people turn to religion, or their gut feeling. I would say not to worry too much about your dreams. Maybe keep a dream journal, and you might see that they are telling you something. :)

[kcarnes]

Wow and here i thought i was the only weird one having these crazy dreams.

It truly does feel like i live a completely separate life when i sleep. I sometimes dream that i wake up get ready for work just like any normal day and then i wake up for real and it takes me few minutes to realize what day it really is and what actually is real and what was part of my dream...it's scary!

Other thing i noticed is that if i don't sleep with a night light i get really bad tremors and if i sleep during the day i have lucid dreams (where i know i am dreaming and i can control what happens like being able to fly or walk through walls.

[VanPelt]

I posted a couple of months ago about my excessive dreaming and a new approach my doctor and I were going to take to see if it would help. MAN what a difference!! I take 10mg of Klopin at night it helps me "drift" to sleep not slam into REM and helps my brain go through the four stages to go to sleep and wake up. i still dream but they aren't as vivid and sometimes I can't even recall the whole thing (kinda like "normal" sleepers). I'm so grateful I have a doctor that listens to me and is open to try something I suggest to see if it helps. I only wish I would have found this out YEARS ago. I explained in my previous post on July 18, 2011 why I wanted to try the Klopin. I definitely  recommend giving it a try! Sleeping well has made a HUGE difference in my quality of life! Good Luck all!

[worriedmommy84]

I know all these post are from a couple yrs ago but I'm so glad I am not the only 1 out there with similar problems. For the past 2 nights I fall asleep within 24 mins of sleep I'm woke up by what it feels like someone holding me to my bed and when I'm screaming for help to my husband its like noone can hear me. But last night after 23 mins into sleep I woke up to the exact same thing! Sent me into finally able to scream , cry my eyes out an I felt like I needed to go to hospital and be committed somewhere. Ive dreamed before but NEVER so vivid. I have a Dr's appt tomorrow at 3 & I am going to bring this up even thou I'm scared he may commit me somewhere I'm only 28 with 3 wonderful kids. But have had a few back surgeries and high bp and high cholestorol amongst other things. I am just outta options on what to do..

[laura900]

Oh my god! Everyone I have said this to thinks I am crazy! I'm 19 I dream all night and when I wake up I feel emotionally and physically EXHAUSTED! I get almost TEN hours sleep! I wake up crying from my dreams sometimes and sleep talk a lot. I also often have ghosts in my dreams which makes them disturbing. I can't remember a night when I haven't dreamt, it's very frustrating. I'm so glad I found this page, I thought I was alone with this!

[optimysticalmandy]

OMG!  I am so thankful I found this page.  I too have these vivid dreams and feel like I am living a second life when I am sleeping.  Tiredness is my norm.  I am glad to know I am not alone.  My dreams are RARELY bad or scary but periodically they are 'dark', meaning there is not a lot of light in them and they are very real.  Thank you all for sharing.  I don't feel so alone.

[CanadianShan]

RANDOM VISITOR & VISITOR1 you pretty much summed it up nicely for me. I use a herbal remedy that helps me relax and subseqently fall asleep within a few hours. This has cut the unbelievably vivid, tiring "second life" by 50%-75% (depending on any other factors that may affect my quality of sleep that night) - a small amount of MaryJane in a vaporizer :-)

[CanadianShan]

RANDOM VISITOR & VISITOR1 you pretty much summed it up nicely. I use a herbal remedy that helps me relax and subseqently fall asleep within a few hours. This has cut the unbelievably vivid, tiring "second life" by 50%-75% (depending on any other factors that may affect my quality of sleep that night) - a small amount of MaryJane in a vaporizer :-)

[LM6886]

I experience this several times a week, if not every night. Also, I often will sleep with my eyes partially open. (I obviously didn't know this, but I've been told it happens frequently by my family and boyfriend. I also can't see well in the dark, so it may just be a simple explanation of me thinking my eyes are closed because it looks dark enough to me.)
I feel like I've used my energy for my dreams and it's becoming a hindrance. I remember my dreams, more than my reality. I forget things I have to do at work, but I always remember my dreams. Last night I woke up my boyfriend because I was trying to get something off his shirt in my dream and apparently started to act it out. I also had a lucid dream about 3 days ago where I got myself to fly and walk on water. ( I was also completely aware of the motivation behind doing these things. I knew in my dream I was encouraging the lucidity and the psychological aspects of lucid dreams.)
I rarely act out or sleep walk, but I am concerned about the memory issues I've been having and feeling exhausted even though I've gotten 6.5-8 hrs of sleep.
I have had a stressful few months at work, but this has been going on since I was a child, which is why I think it's just how I am.
If anyone has the memory issues and has solutions for that, I'd be interested to hear your point of view. Thanks!

[monimom]

I am not alone!  I am not alone!  I am not alone!  Yeah!  Wow so I am not crazy....  No one I know or have spoken to, understands what it is like.  For you ladies out there, does it worsen during PMS and Ovulation?  It does for me.  I too get the night sweats and have been since 35.  No where near menopause.  At 43 I am a bit closer now, but still young.  

I have tried many of the things that have been mentioned already but I think it is time to get a sleep study.  I am curious about the glucose tolerance test as well, since I do love my sugar.  

Thanks for asking the question and for all the helpful answers  at least I feel sane and have some things to look into now.  Moni

[monimom]

I too have been diagnosed with ADD in my 20's, Now in my 40's I am also wondering if it is just a lack of sleep.  I will tell you one thing though without my ADD meds I could never stay awake during the day.  Or focus to get anything done.

I also grind my teeth that triggers my chronic neck pain, and I have frequent lower back pain.  I wake up in the morning and feel like I have been run over by a truck.  I have needed 2 root canals from the grinding.  I am not sure what comes first dreams or grinding?  I too am in pain...

I taught myself how to fly in my dreams so I can get away from the things who were chasing me.  But I don't know what to do about the enormous terrifying bridges I drive over and the tiny bath rooms I can get into when I have to pee.

I have some of the same dreams since I was a young child.  My dreams have always been vivid my whole life.

I am on Lexapro which makes them slightly more vivid and PMS and Ovulation drastically intensifies my dreams.  So I know hormones play a big part.  


The last few years have had a lot of stress.  2 special needs children, one almost didn't make it.  3 kids total.  My brother in law dieing of ALS.  To say this all caused stress would be an understatement.
But I have always had the dreams so I know the stress effects it but is not the cause.  

My husband is tired of hearing me talk, yell, sing, and scream at night.

It is nice to find out that the sweats may be related to the dreams themselves.  I thought I was going through menopause too early.

Hey if any of the older post people have made head way, please repost and share. Thanks

[TinaDeLynn]

Hi, RANSOMVISITOR, you posted a comment back in 09: about Your Mom saying that in JAPAN, they are developing a RECORDING DEVICE for DREAMS.. Is this for real, and If so have you heard of anything else on this topic? Please email me and let me know.  ***@**** Thank You

[JSM719]

I am so happy to have found this board.  Isn't the internet a wonderful thing??
I have been suffering this vivid dream/total exhaustion upon wakening thing for several years, and lately it's gotten way worse to the point that I finally begged my doctor to help me.   I always attributed it to the SSRIs I've been taking for the last 15 or so years.  (For panic disorder/depression).  So I had to share this here.  My doc prescribed Terazosin, which is a high blood pressure/enlarged prostate med.  She claimed that it's used off label to help control excessive dreaming.  I was pretty skeptical after doing my own research online, as I could find nothing that talked about this.  But I thought, what the heck, I have high blood pressure anyway, why not try it.  So I took my first dose before bed last night.  I have been tracking my sleep cycles with this iPhone app called Sleep Cycle.  You put your iPhone under your pillow and it tracks your movements during the night, and then shows you a graph of your sleep cycles.  I've been tracking for a couple of weeks, and could clearly see that I NEVER went into deep sleep.  I had cycles but the bottom of the cycle was not into deep sleep.  This morning when I checked my graph, lo and behold, I had one cycle where I went into deep sleep!  It's totally crazy, and perhaps too early to draw any scientific conclusions, but that would be some amazing coincidence, wouldn't it?  Now, I must say I don't feel any better this morning, but I figure years of sleep deprivation is not going to be cured after just one night.  So I am hopeful.  I would be really anxious to hear of anyone else who is taking Terazosin to help improve their sleep.  

[ChainedAngel]

you just described my sleep patterns to a "t". the vivid, traumatic dreams, lack of feeling refreshed despite adequate sleep times, not a drug / alcohol user, etc.

i just had a sleep test last night so i'm really interested in the results now !

[gooddreams]

Ahh, one good night is enough to give such hope due to a dramatic increase in vitality.

I love it when my eyes aren't gritty all day ;-)

We're working on this dream exhaustion together, as we come up with things that work, and test them out, and report back to this forum, we'll get better!

[sleepyinnyc]

It is such a relief to read this thread and realize I am not alone. I am a 27 yo female in good health with a good diet etc. I am have suffering from vivid dreaming for longer then I can remember. I recently went to a sleep specialist who didn't seem to believe much about what I was saying and wasn't any help. I really appreciate all the holistic suggestions on this feed and am going to try them! Hoping for all of us!

Sleepyinnyc

[chocolatecowgirl30]

It’s so good to know that I am not alone with the too much dream sleep problem. My boyfriend thinks I am talking rubbish as he suffers from insomnia and thinks it must be wonderful to fall asleep within minutes of shutting your eyes. On some occasions I think he thinks I was pretending to fall asleep and was ignoring him I fell asleep so quickly. My dreams are so vivid and detailed and I always wake up so full of emotion about what i have been dreaming about. The worst part is waking up like you have a hang over, i even thought at one point I had carbon monoxide poisoning i felt so ill upon waking. I am sluggish and sleepy all day, I have taken a days holiday from work on more than one occasion just to sleep. i am sure if I go to the doctors they will think I am crazy

[ellie_confused]

I have vivid dreams that often cause me to wake throughout the night, after sleep I still feel tired.  I know they say to try not to sleep throughout the day but sometimes if I have spare time I take naps as I started to feel like I better catch up on sleep any time I feel I can.  

I do not suffer from these dreams constantly, they seem to occur in batches.  At the minute I have had a few weeks of restless sleep and feel somewhat like a zombie in my everyday life.  In the past I have been known to often confuse dreams and reality, even simple things, for example watching the new episode of a tv series with my best friend in a dream..this was so real I believed it to be true..I could have described everything that occured during the show but as she later pointed out when I asked when the next episode was on tv, they are not making a new series of the show!!  Also sometimes as I am tired in everyday life I believe I have dreamed things that are real!  I often get dejavu and am unsure to whether this is arising from the dreams that I have been having.  The dejavu crops up in everyday life so discretely as those moments occur, for example I remember walking down a specific path in a village I am visiting for the first time, I remember parts of conversations I am having for the first time, I remember things about people I am only meeting for the first time.  

The dreams I have are often reoccuring, even from I was very young and in my dreams places and people take on a different appearance from real life but I always seem to know where I am and who they are as they always look the same in my dreams.  Its like I am living two different lives in two separate universes and sometimes it gets not only confusing but wearing to keep up.  

Last nite I had a dream I was in "my house" (the house I live in in my dreams, which is older, a lot bigger, and in a different location to my real house) and when I drove down the long driveway I saw a sign I had not seen before as it was pointing the opposite way which had been there from an old owner, that my house used to be a clubhouse, when I reached the house the reoccurence of my dream began, I went up the stairs and into a bedroom that has glass patio doors leading out onto a balcony, something blew them open, I felt nearly like another force was in the room and I got incredibly scared, I closed the doors but could not find the key to lock them, the wind and rain started outside and the doors were ratteling, there was those locks at the bottom and top of the doors that go into the floor so I locked them that way and stood back but the doors opened again and I felt like someone was there, I ran outside and got into my car and began driving down the lane like driveway in the stormy conditions in the pitch black dark of night, this was when I managed to wake panicking.  I don't know what this symbolises or why it continues cropping into my dreams.  

I believe that our dreams are a connection to other lives and greater things than us and maybe mean we are intuitive and am thankful that I am graced with such vivid dreams that I can remember distinctly but at the minute I think I could just settle for a nights peaceful sleep.  I have attended meditation, relaxation techniques, massage and reiki and don't know whether this will help me to gain control of my subconscious or whether it will bring out more of this parallel world.  I am unsure what I should be doing so that's how I found this site and it has given a little comfort to find others suffering from this sort of condition.

Ellie, Confused

[maryv2737]

Very interesting.  I went searching for this information specifically this morning due to a blockbuster movie type dream I had last night.  If I could remember all the details of this dream, I could write a movie, book, etc.  It was so detailed and followed a definite storyline.  Quite amazing.  But like the rest of you, I wake up exhausted with achy muscles.  If it weren't for coffee, I wouldn't be able to function (but I only drink it first thing in the a.m.).  I am not working this holiday week, so I can sleep in.  I've been going to bed at about 11:00 p.m., have to take the dog out at 6:30 ish and then I go back to bed until I naturally wake up, which has been 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon.  I hate sleeping so much and never feeling rested.  I also took a 4 hour "nap" yesterday.  I should mention I'm also taking Pristiq (I think it's an SNRI, not SSRI).  Look a lot of you, too, I wake up not quite knowing what's "real" and it often takes me awhile to reorient myself.  Sometimes the dreams "stay" without for quite a while and I find it hard to "shake them off."  I'm going to try staying away from sugar at night.  I've been eating a lot of fruit at all hours of the day, so I'm going to try veggies at night if I get hungry instead of fruit.

[jewelsz_]

I am obviously researching this because I too experience the all night long detailed elaborate dreaming.  In some ways, it is really cool, like someone else said - it's like a second life, an adventure.  Does anyone else wish they could record it all and make money off of this writing great novels!! Is it a gift or a curse?

But seriously, I can dream dozing off for five minutes and feel generally tired most of the time although I push myself really hard to get a lot accomplished and tend to not get enough sleep (but what difference does it make if I just end up tired anyway - you know what I mean?) More sleep = more dreams!  

[monimom]

  
   I totally agree. I sometimes hate to go to sleep because I know it will be more work than relaxing.  I am going for a sleep study on Friday evening.  At my consultation the Dr. didn't have anything useful to say regarding the dreaming.  He wanted to check for sleep apnea first and go from there.

Does anyone else's symptoms get worse with hormonal changes?

Has anyone made any progress?  Finding this forum is great to know I am not alone, but a bit discouraging because we don't hear of anyone making progress.

Has anyone found help or answers?

[erinrennee29]

look up Marfans syndrome. I have hyper mobility, all symptoms of fibromyalgia, sleep issues and anxiety since age 11, chronic pain, and i fall asleep walking , driving, while people are talking to me, etc. Im 29 and suffered these symptoms for yrs. doctors rarely take me seriously. its frustrating and my family and spouse think im a hypochondriac. it's lonely when you dont have support from loved ones and you feel like youre going crazy.  

[meesasometimes]

Wow, I feel like I'm in the twilight zone reading this post. I've read over 100 accounts and still can't believe it. I really thought I was the only one. I've never had anyone else understand what I meant when I would say I was a lucid dreamer, or that I dreamed all night long and remembered it all. I've always said it's like living a whole separate life at night. I wake up needing to take some serious time to come back to this one and process that one. I've had these kind of dreams since I was a child altho it seems to be escalating. I don't usually have night terrors, mostly just a cast of people from my life that play reoccurring roles. I swim alot the way others fly. I spend a good deal of my nightlife in the water. I tend to yell outloud and have a general fear of dirty showers and bathrooms and getting my feet wet (it's a contrast to the swimming thing I know) . They are rarely disturbing dreams. I have however had a dream that my mother came to me and told me it was my time to go and it would be within the year, it made for a very long year, and was not a premonition as it turned out.

My mother had a form of frontal lobe epilepsy, I've thought that I may have it too as it's genetic and I have a few indicators altho I've not looked into it farther. I've now seen some links to vivid dreaming and epilepsy. Does anyone know much about this?

[momsbabygirl17]

WOW WOW WOW is all I can say!!
I am a 39 year female, I have been dreaming like this since a toddler.. I used to remember all my dreams , then some how learned to block them?or to not remember details of them ..
I had at the age of 9 a dream about a car accident I could describe the car ( color size ect... could see the body however not the face of the person?? Told my mom as soon as I woke . she brushed  it off .. about 2 months later her cousin rolled his car on his way home from work.. There could not be an open casket because his face was not there .. I do not remember my dreams after that for a very long time .. Then into my teens it started again.. I have tried to block them as I never want to experience a vision again ( if I could not help)
Most of my dreams that I know of have not come true .. However most times I think i have been shown things that I don't remember , and just know ???
Again I am feeling like I live in to ( or more ) worlds ..
A few years ago I had another ( vision) it was a young man working with machinery his boot lace got caught in some kind of wheel ( lets say not sure what it was)  I was at the funeral watching one of my good friends standing in-front  of the casket , she has 3 boys the oldest was missing .. SO i assumed it was him. I call her and tell her to tell the boy to make sure his boots a tied , be careful on his moter bike and the farm equipment ..
about 2.5 months later on thanks giving weekend she calls to let me know her brothers son was in an accident at work and is no longer with us !!! I met him 2 X ..ANd Her oldest boy was not at the funeral !! He was asked to go to his soccer tournament as thats what the boys always did together....

So this is what I hate .. when do you know when to use it and if I cant use it to help why have the ability ???? ANd then to determine what is real and whats just a silly dream?? Even when I have those kinds of dreams ( that are very graphic ) I am not scared or grossed out ?? In real life I would have vomited !!!!!
Thanx to everyone for sharing !!! This is what we all need
ANyone has suggestions for me I am very open  

[momsbabygirl17]

Sincerely dragging my but every day whether I remember my dreams or not