Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

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
222 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Im really happy I saw this post I'm a 23yo male. I have done my share of recreational drugs and drank plenty since I turned 18 but as long as I can remember I've been having intense dreams that felt real. At some points in my life it's happened alot more then others but I've always had them. I still actually remember some dreams from my childhood more vividly then parts of my childhood. Sometimes they have full plot lines and developed characters sometimes they are so scary ill wake up and not be able to sleep until the sun comes up. These last 3 days however have been the most intense dreams I've ever had. I had been sober completely for all of them. Idk what it is but its starting to have adverse effects on me exhaustion wise as I've been extremely tired constantly despite getting nearly 12hrs of sleep per day. I'll wake up roll around then fall right back asleep and start dreaming within minutes. The only reason I wake up is because ill shake or roll violently and jerk myself awake.right now its 5am and I fell asleep at about 8 I'm still tired I still have a headache. I have no idea why it got this bad all of a sudden. I'm curious as to what is causing it.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
This forum is definetley a meeting of kindred spirits. I'm 29 and have been dealing with vivid dreams for a few years now, the people, the places... They are so cool. The night terror ones less so but it balances out I guess. I fall asleep quickly and wake up a minimum of 3 or 4 times a night. When i go back to sleep, I re enter the dream exactly where I left off. I have become very interested in spirituality, patticularily shamanism since it addresses the journeying into our different realities.

Being an amazing person in the dreamworld has its downside, I wake up in this world ( which feels one dimensional) EXHAUSTED and i mean so tired that I can just lay on my bed staring at the wall for hours. I did not dream last night ( a rare occurance) and even though I only got four hours of sleep I feel hyper, energetic and happy.

Jah
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It was a relief to read everyone's posts here.  I have been suffering from what I think to be too much REM sleep for about 3 years.  Most nights I have incredibly long and vivid dreams that I always remember upon waking.  It is such a terrible feeling to sleep for hours and wake up feeling exhausted. I know people who have insomnia issues and they ask questions like "Well do you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep?"  They look at me like I'm crazy when I say neither.  I just wake up feeling like I've run a marathon or just spent the last 7 hours deciphering ancient hieroglyphs, and can tell you the most ridiculous dream/s I had.  Sometimes the dreams are entertaining and fun, sometimes terrifying, and sometimes like a never-ending episode of some terrible BBC murder mystery show...but they always exhaust me.  I don't suffer from depression, I don't always fall asleep right away, and I don't typically fall directly into REM sleep.  I have always had vivid dreams and frequently remember them, but the duration or number per night was much smaller.  I have also always moved A LOT in my sleep, and typically wake up with pillows or myself on the floor.  My husband is a vet with PTSD and uses medical marijuana and sleeps beautifully every night.  Unfortunately every strand I've tried gives me other aversive effects, so I can't use it to help with my sleep.  I do notice that if I exhaust myself to the point of passing out at night, I sleep wonderfully.  Also, I like to watch scary movies or thrillers before bed because it helps.  I've theorized that it takes my brain off of my stresses and worries and has absolutely nothing to do with my real life, so I don't fall asleep processing the day's troubles or events.  Best of luck to everyone in finding a good night's sleep!!! :-)
Helpful - 0
16296930 tn?1446770060
I feel better to have found this forum and know that I am not alone, , I have been suffering of tiredness from overdreamig for one year, this has affected my personal and profesional life . Sometimes when I have some energy I take a hot shower and  a cup of chamomille with to tea bags before going to bed, it helps just to relax but not stops the dreams. I wake at least once every night from  a vivid dream, still having the same feelings I had in the dream, even my heart is accelerated, I had wake up a few times very happy but other with a lot of anger, and even when I know it was just a dream it is very difficult to get rid of those feeling. I thought I was going crazy, even the doctor send me to the psichiatrist. I thank everyone here for sharing their feelings and wish everyone find a relief or a way to get better mornigs :)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I've had this for 5 years. I'm 26 now. I'd wake up everyday feeling tired, wanting to sleep more. Sometimes I end up sleeping again (with dreaming) for 10-14 hours a day. My parents wouldn't understand me, none of my friends do!
I've been to sleep specialist, I don't have sleep apnea. I've tried hypnotherapy, which helped slightly. It gave me positive attitude towards my sleep. Right now I'm just meditating and hoping for the best in the future!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi fellow "dreamer". I'm inclined to respond to your forum because we have a GREAT DEAL in common in a lot of ways, not only in the dreaming, but regular life when we are awake. I will try to be brief. I  am a 52 yr old female...2 beautiful daughters, recently a widow, but that has no bearing. Anyway, I also have had my share of "recreational" drugs, & still partake if the timing is right. But I have always kept my life together, & don't compromise my dignity, morals, values or self worth. Anyway, I too, dream EVERY night, and wake up at least 5 or 6 times just about nightly. But here is the thing with my dreams. My dreams are usually sooo cool that I always resent having to wake up & leave the place where I was. My absolute favorite dreams are of my flying. Either flying above a neighborhood or ocean or just begin by simply jumping up & down on the ground & with each jump I go higher & higher. Sometimes a little scary how   fast & high. But those dreams aren't as often as I'd like. For the most part I dream about all kinds of common or uncommon situations but the weird thing is...the dreams are 95% with people that I swear I have never seen before in my life!!! Now a lot of times I dream about loved ones that have passed away, but again, usually along with all kinds of different but very real people that, at least on a conscious  level, I have never met or seen before. That also includes the places that I go. They, a lot of the time, don't seem to be anyplace I have ever seen. A friend told me that it could different spirits that i'm "hanging out" with. Just the other night I dreamed of a close girl friend that died suddenly & violently, ( bad motorcycle wreck ) back about 5 yrs ago. We hung out all night it seemed & when I started waking up I had to ask myself if she had really died. It took a minute to remember. It's almost always a bummer to have to come back to this world. It really seems so bleak or boring in comparison. Well, just wondered if you too, dreamed of completely different worlds with completely different people, doing God knows what. No matter what the situation I dream of, I am almost always really comfortable, happy, & fit right in. Almost always. Sincerely & happy dreams to you, Vallie
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I've just underwent a total system detox and wondered if my changing metabolism, as well as upped nutritional values caused my sleep to go nuts.  This all happened about the same time.  I don't eat sweets--only natural sugars like in fruit.  I eat an abundance of fruits and veg. I don't drink soft drinks.  I don't drink cow' milk because I'm lactose-intolerant.  I do exercise, but not as much as I used to.  I used to practically live at the gym.  I do have a high-stress job, but I'm good at it and used to it.  Lastly, I've just recently started weaning myself off alcohol.  I've wondered if that's caused my crazy dreams.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I share your relief that we're not alone!  I've been having some really vivid dreams that impact me so emotionally that I remember them for days.  I started taking Paxil 20mg the end of last year for work-related stress, but now things are better and I plan to start weaning off it.  I don't know if that's causing it or the fact that I've been weaning myself off alcohol (I am a mild abuser, but an abuser nonetheless).  I do NOT want to be on Ambien.  I was a few years back and I started doing stuff in my sleep.  Not good.  I weaned myself off it.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I can not believe how many of us there are.  I talked to my doctor and she said, maybe sleeping pills would help, but to tell you the truth I want to be able to wake out of some of these dreams.  I have been going through this for 12 years.  I stopped exercising, eating well, caring about pretty much anything about myself.  The only thing I did care about are my kids, getting to my couch to nap so I wouldn't feel so horrible but only to wake and feel just as exhausted as I did before I napped.  My family doesn't get it but how do you explain it.  Most people want to win the lottery, I want to wake in the morning, stretch and feel rested.  Not dizzy, tired, and ready for bed the minute I wake.  My daughters have recommended pot also.  I am almost ready to try anything at this point.  It made me cry when I saw all of you with my problem.  I even had a brain scan a few years back thinking that something had to be wrong in my brain.  I so wish there was something out there that would make me get up in the morning and ready to face the world, or at least a good day of house cleaning.  Thanks for listening.  My sister also thinks I never reach stage 4 and 5 of sleep.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am a 22 year old male. I started having very vivid dreams about 4 weeks ago, the kind where you are consciously making decisions, but never realize that you are dreaming. It's so strange, because I remember every dream, and feel like I've been awake for every hour that I was asleep. In one of my dreams, I felt a pressure in my stomach, which made me feel like I had to push one out. I realized a few moments later that I was awake, in my bed, trying to take a dump. I woke up the next morning feeling like I never slept at all. I'm not sure if I was in a perpetual state of REM, or I just never fell completely asleep. It was like I would wake up from one vivid dream, and turn over and make the conscious choice to enter another dream. I'm not sure how to get rid of this, because it has been extremely draining.

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Dear dreamers,

Welcome to the new dream junkies who have recently posted! ;)....we've gotta help each other, and I'm glad more of us are coming together.

I mentioned in my last post, that I have been taking SleepAid, an over the counter sleeping tablet mainly available in the US. It's an anti-histamine which has sedative properties. I got it shipped to London...

Just to let you know that it has worked to a certain extent for me. I only felt some relief for about 2 weeks on 1 tablet. I was still dreaming, but alot less and I woke up slightly more refreshed. It did take my body a while to accept the medication though...so initially I was still waking up rather groggy....Still dreaming, but less....if any of you wish to try it out it is an OTC medication. I still don't have as much energy in the day, but I find I am slightly more productive and alert during the day on the med.

At the same time, I'm chasing some specialists in the field of neuropsychiatry...will keep you posted if I discover anything else.

If any one else has found anything that helps, please do share.

Keep faith!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am so glad to have found this forum and see that there are so many people with issues similar to mine; I have always felt so alone. I am a 29 year old female, and I have had sleep issues as long as I can remember. I walk and talk in my sleep regularly, and move and flop around a lot. My dreams have always been incredibly vivid and almost always stressful, but the last few years it has become almost unbearable. I hate to go to sleep at night because I don't get the feeling of rest or relaxation that you are supposed to. I wake up exhausted after a full night's sleep. I remember dreaming almost every single night (maybe once every month or two I have a "regular" night's sleep where I don't remember dreaming at all), and they are almost all very stressful. I wake up frequently in the night because of them, and when I go back to sleep they often resume where I left off, even if I got up and was awake for a little while before returning to bed. I have been this way as long as I can remember, but only recently has it gotten so bad that I can't seem to function anymore. Some of the dreams are recurring, and some are new crazy things all wrapped up into one. One of my common recurring dreams (always a little different) is that I've been shot in the head. On the outside I look dead (people are always gathering around and hovering over me) but on the inside I can feel, see, and hear everything going on around me, but I can't move. I can vividly feel the pain of the bullet ripping into me, and all the physical pain and emotion, but I'm just screaming on the inside while I'm being declared dead. I usually wake up either crying or screaming, sometimes still feeling the "pain" that I was feeling in my dream for a few moments. This is just one example. Others include snakes (I have a deathly fear of them), being chased, etc... I often dream of people I don't know in real life and can't remember ever seeing, but I seem to know very well in my dreams. I'm just so beyond exhausted and frustrated at this point, but all doctors want to do is hand you a prescription and shove you out the door. I really had no idea there were so many of us though! I'm so glad that I sat down in front of Google this morning and ran across this forum.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that has posted on here.  It validates and somehow lessens the burden I have been carrying around because of my dreams.  I was literally in tears to hear that I am not the only person suffering from such vivid relentless dreaming...not that I'm happy anyone has to go through this.   It is a heavy burden to carry, living lives of dreams and then having to wake only to live yet another.  

I first noticed there was something irregular with my dreaming when I was 19, when I would dream every night that I was either shadow or light (meaning that there was a light behind my opponent that caused him/her to be a shadow and the light was on me.)  We would use whatever we could create in our imaginations to throw at each other, but never harm each other.  The winner each night would seem to be whomever could come up with the most spectacular display.  That dream reoccurred every night for over a year.  

After that I would dream in movies, where I was either a character or sometimes some ambien, ethereal onlooker watching a play or scene unfold.  It would range from future, to present, to past.  The locations would be sometimes familiar, and at other times alien.  Sometimes it was people from my waking life and often it's people I've never seen before or met.

Lately my dreams have been so demanding that they will "let" me get up to walk my dogs  or maybe load some laundry or do some other tasks in a dazed stupor.   The requirement of such though is that I "have" to lay back down and pick up exactly where I left off, as if some pause button was pushed and something compelling me to finish.  Sometimes even pausing 3-5 times until it unfolds as it wants.  

The outcome of all this dreaming is generally the same.   I feel mentally and physically exhausted in the mornings.  It's as if the actions of the dreams coalesce into my muscles.  I have to take hours after I wake to recover.  I had thought that it was possibly something in my diet, but I eat an extremely well rounded diet.  I love ALL fruits and vegetables raw and/or cooked (except watermelon....don't laugh...it just grosses me out lol.)  I don't do drugs, I can count the number of times I've drank alcohol each year on one hand, I don't smoke, I don't even drink sodas or anything with caffeine.  

I feel embarrassed, frustrated, and ridiculed by friends, family, and my doctors when I speak to them about this.  They see it as if it's an excuse, or blown out of proportion and exaggerated by me.  So I try and force a smile and continue forward.

I don't know whether I'm cursed or blessed or a combination of both, but I'm just tired either way.  I am tired of being tired for the past 15 years and it helps to hear I'm not the only one.  Thank you.    
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It is comforting to check in on our thread and see that we are not alone, and most everyone on here understands what it is like.

That alone is therapy.

Especially until the solutions emerge.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i have been having these dreams for as long as i can remember, i wont go into details since alot of comments on this forum are amazingly similar to mine, i could copy a few and paste as my comment.. im shocked at the amount of people that have it. i had been wanting to research this for a long time, each morning i wake u and struggle to get up, i say to my self, i have to google this, today i have.
i have been meaning to call my family doctor to ask if its something that needs to be checked but reading here that no doctor knows whats wrong just put me off..
heres what i have to say as a possible solution, i dont know if its a psychological treatment or spiritual one, each time i read the psalms (psalm 91 to be precise) from the bible before i sleep(as advised), i wake up peacefully with no memory of a dream. i wake up light headed and i get up easily. and say to my self "WOW!!, i found the cure".. i have dreamless sleeps or pleasant dreams if i dream and wake up feeling fresh for about 2-3days and i get carried away and as a result i forget to read the verse and also because i dont keep it in mind that my dreams would make me feel exhausted when i wake up, i tend to sleep like that..
now that i have realised that this is a world phenomena, i will make it an obligation to read the verses every night now to be able to access if it really helps me sleep A LOT better and post it for all to try. As i type this, my heart still feels heavy from my sleep/dream of last night. its now 11:45am, woke up 8am and of-course i was late  for work.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Ive recentley had really bad nightmares, like hurting people very badley in my dreams, like my boyfriends ex's or my own mother. Ive had dreams of hurting them, by beating there heads over things, and i wake up scared to death. I feel like its all so real, and then i wake up. Im only 16, and im pregnant with my second kid, so stuff like this scares me when im bout to have my second baby. I woke up the night before last cause i had a dream my babys father cheated on me with his ex, an i beat her head over the floor at our high school. I am scared to go to doctors about it, cause im scared they will say im not fit to take care of my kids, when i am perfectly fit. I just have bad dreams, and not about my kids. Ive had alot of sleep loss and ive been very sick with a cold or somthing for like 2 weeks, and its very bad, and the doctors just keep giving me antibitotics, but they dont seem to be working. I cough all through out the night, And ive been peeing on myself when i cough. I am very scared of these dreams and when i had the dream of my babys father cheating on me, when i woke up, i wanted to leave him, cause i felt like it was real... idk who to turn to or what to do. I am just terrified and would like to hear back from someone with some advice.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am so grateful to have found this site.  I have almost everything that others mention here.  Sleep studies are ONLY to find and treat Apnea, which I've proven I don't have. I am convinced that if I could just sleep some of each night without dreaming most (if not all) of my health issues would resolve.  I've been dreaming this way since as long as I can remember, and my health issues have gotten progressively worse as I've gotten older.  I worked my but off since I was 16, but have finally gotten to the point where I am unable to work about 4 years ago.  Most days I couldn't even sit up to type this.  
There is one thing I KNOW works everytime and for every second I am on it.....ANESTHESIA.

Since that is not a viable option, has anyone tried XYPREM which is a fairly new medication for narcoleptics to take at night in order to sleep deeply?   My regular doctor and sleep doctor won't give it to me because as they state "I'm just not familiar enough with it"  and that it is against "Kaiser's Policies" to let patients have it.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
One thing besides lessening sugar that has helped me is to set an intention at night before I go to sleep.

I will tell myself something like this:  Thank you for the wonderful messages you have blessed me with.  Tonight I only want to remember dreams that are absolutely beneficial to me.

Or what ever it is that you want.  It may take a few times before it works, but I find that being kind to myself always produces the best results.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You just may have known her in a previous life.  Try to acknowledge the feelings you have for her to your self.  Maybe since you are getting married it is bringing up feelings of love from past lives.

Our brains cannot tell time.  What happenes in the past present or future is all the same.  That is why the feelings are still so strong when we remember something from the past.  It can feel like it is occurring right now.

good luck.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I love what you just said. I am new to this world. It's only been a year and I have felt the nature of my dreams shift slightly....wanted to ask you, is there a way to harness it further so that I can draw on what it has to offer rather than be caught up in trying to escape it which I don't want to do.

I know the mornings are rough, and for me waking up with the alarm is the worst. I used to be a 6 hour sleeper, operating like a machine. Now it is the opposite. My dreams will decide when it has had enough and allow me to wake up....I have the morning clumsiness too! :)

Would love to hear more from you.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Do you believe in reincarnation?  If you don't you will just pass of your amazing dreams as nonsense and your over active imagination.  But if you do, you will understand that what you are seeing, where you are going, and the people you meet are not products of your imagination.  They are fragments of memories that are in your soul.  See if any of them have any links to your current life.  A lot of people just don't want to even try and understand what I am talking about, but the fact of the matter is this, the brain can NOT imagine or picture anything that it HAS NOT seen before.  Even when we daydream about things we want, we use things that we already know and see.  The next 10 - 20 years will be interesting for people like us who already know so much, as we see the majority of human beings being awakened to what reality really is.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Just came across this discussion site as I googled "exhausted and tired after vivid dreaming" because this morning was especially bad and I really want to find some answers.  I know the medical community won't have the answers because they are not "interested in the meaning of dreams" only natural sleep patterns.  So it's been good to read of so many that are like me.  I am psychic, very sensitive, have prophetic dreams that come to pass, am given warnings about my own body in my dreams, help for family members, and virtually live a thousand other lives in my dreams.  One of my most exhausting dreams was building the pyramids!!  Yes I was a slave and carrying bricks upon my back.   The natural healer I see completely understands how I feel because she is also the same.  But the majority of people think you are crazy and most people will say "I don't dream".  Well, when you are aware of who you are and why you are like that, dreams are a help not a hindrance or just something "you do".  They are a mixture of all our past and future lives, our deepest fears and all our personal issues, plus communication from the spiritual realm.  Overtime you get very good at sorting out what is worth paying attention to or not.  While I am very glad that I am me and these "intuitive gifts" are for me and to help others, it comes with a price.  And that is the weariness and exhaustion from being in several dimensions at once in the unconscious state.  Yes, meditation helps very much.  Also to completely accept that you will be tired when you wake up.  Get up slowly, stretch, spend time thinking about what you must remember from your night spent wherever.  Our souls leave our bodies when we sleep, are completely free to, and take us where we need to go.  The biggest criticism of how we are comes from those who have no belief or interest in dreams or psychic ability, bounce out of bed at 5am, can think clearly and function normally after waking up.  Me, if I get out of bed quickly and stand up, I feel like vomiting.  That sick feeling will stay with me for at least an hour.  I am very disorientated, can't think quickly, will stumble and be clumsy.  Thank you for reading, has been wonderful to find so many people like me.  Like others, I dream every night, and every night contains at least 3 to 4 very vivid dreams.  I am constantly waking and shifting, suffer terribly from the 2 am to 4 am sleeplessness, and all I have ever craved all my life is a long, peaceful, restful, dreamless sleep so that when I get up I feel great.  Well, I am now 46 and know this is not my lot.  I've given up trying to please other people by being "alert and a morning person" and have decided they can start learning and being considerate about those who are not so.  My comments here are not about people that have genuine health issues which affect their sleep, like sugar and diabetes.  This is about us who are vivid dreamers, often prophetically, because we are intuitive.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi Johnny

Wow, that is pretty intense waking up with those feelings. I'm a dream junkie too and sometimes, emotions do linger in the waking state for me too. Not the feelings of love as you have described, but other emotions....I started writing my dreams down in a journal 6 months ago, and for me this helps with releasing them from my system. Helps to clear my head and heart space I feel....
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Over the last 3 weeks I have had 3 very realistic dreams about Britney Spears none of them sexual or explicit but in them we are in the early stages of forming a relationship and the feelings are so strong that when I wake up I have the feeling of love for her so strong it makes me feel terrible as I know it's not real. I'm 29 and not a crazed Britney fan by any means but the emotions I feel when I wake are so unbelievably strong it takes me pretty much the whole day to get over it. I have had lots of vivid/realistic dreams over the years but none which has ever left me feeling so attached to someone from the dream like this. I have been with my girlfriend for 4 years and we're engaged so it's not as though I'm looking for companionship.

Johnny
UK
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Undiagnosed Symptoms Community

Top General Health Answerers
363281 tn?1643235611
Nelson, New Zealand
1756321 tn?1547095325
Queensland, Australia
19694731 tn?1482849837
AL
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Discharge often isn't normal, and could mean an infection or an STD.
In this unique and fascinating report from Missouri Medicine, world-renowned expert Dr. Raymond Moody examines what really happens when we almost die.
Think a loved one may be experiencing hearing loss? Here are five warning signs to watch for.
When it comes to your health, timing is everything
We’ve got a crash course on metabolism basics.
Learn what you can do to avoid ski injury and other common winter sports injury.