Does dreaming affect your sleep/awakening?

[PassionSpirit]

Hi
I have troubles waking up on mornings. I am always very tired regardless of what time I go to bed. I exercise and my diet is relatively okay. Sometimes I feel like I can't move out of the bed. Anyway, Some nights I dream excessively...several different dreams...like the other night, I dreamed that I was going about my day-to-day business. I went to work, went shopping and even got a parking ticket! (That was unusual). I had an argument with the police, had to sort out time to go to court etc (quite unlike my usual life). By the time I awoke, I had gone through so much activity during the night, it was like I hadn't slept at all. As a result, I overslept. It is even worse when the dreams take place in the morning after 5 am. I have troubles getting out of bed regardless of whether I remember the dream or not but when I remember the dreams it makes it worse. Do your dreaming habits affect your sleep/awakening?

[Jennings]

My sleep can be disturbed frequently through the night without leaving me tired or listless in the morning. Dreaming has no effect on any lack of energy in the morning but diet could be the likely cause. What leaves me shattered is if my sleep is disturbed while in the REM stage. I need only a few minutes to pass through this stage but when and if disturbed I feel entirely listless when I am ready to crawl back into bed..

[messenger]

Sometimes it does leave me tired now, but this is because of my older age. When I was younger, I didn't require much sleep at all.

I think Jennings could be right here on a few points ... one would be to try to increase healthy foods into your diet. And again I agree with him on the REM. I have found that by forcing myself to sleep earlier, it moved up the time period of the REM, and this allowed me more peaceful sleep before neighbors waking up, starting cars, dogs barking ... you get the idea.

Each day you have to get up and go to a job, this too will just keep adding on more stress and feelings of getting less sleep. Days later, this will only increase the amount of lost sleeping time.

Try planning one day a month to curl up in bed and not get dressed. No schedule. Sleep, nap, watch TV, read and then nap again. It might not cure the problem but sure is a great way to get some extra needed sleep.

[PassionSpirit]

Thanks for the input.
The one day a month in bed sounds great
I don't know but as long as I have lived, I've always needed a lot of sleep

[Jennings]

Interestingly, my wife requires between 8 to 10 hours unbroken sleep which, if she fails to get, the following day it is like living with a Amazon (God bless her)!

Another interesting point is that she bought an organic duvet that was anti almost everything potentially harmful; it was a heavier weight than usual for the amount of togg but not as warm as others. During the 4 months in which it was in use both our sleep patterns were disturbed. Reluctantly on my suggestion she purchased another (remember I am the guy who has to live with her) that was filled with Siberian goose down with a cotton cover; it is of a much lighter weight than the previous and distinctly warmer; since then our sleep patterns have been more restful with shorter hours of sleep required when harmony has been, once more, restored to the household. The observation of this moot feature has surprised us.

[idgy]

Hello Passionspirit,
I can honestly recognise what you are going through. At times I have woken up exhausted after a nights lucid dreaming. It really takes it out of you. I’m afraid that I have to throw a complete spanner in the ‘eat healthily and you sleep better’ idea. I only eat home cooked food, never touch processed rubbish and never drink fizzy, aspartame filled poison or alcohol. Dreaming used to really knock me out, but I have gradually got used to it. I never sleep all the way through the night without waking at least 3 times (3 wakes is a good night for me).

I would feel really exhausted if I tried to pull myself out of a nightmare and wake up. It seems to take all your energy to do it.

Also, lucid dreaming can take quite a lot of energy if you are trying to stay there and not wake up. It’s kind of like living twice. I can’t wait to get to sleep in the evenings.

[PassionSpirit]

Thanks, idgy. I'm glad to see that there's someone who knows how I feel. I love to dream but it really makes me very tired, especially if I am taking part in physical or mental activity in the dream (which is almost always).
I'm not too sure how much diet plays a part in this situation either...maybe for some people...but I don't think it is the cause of my situation.

[MichelleM78]

Originally Posted by PassionSpirit

Hi
I have troubles waking up on mornings. I am always very tired regardless of what time I go to bed. I exercise and my diet is relatively okay. Sometimes I feel like I can't move out of the bed. Anyway, Some nights I dream excessively...several different dreams...like the other night, I dreamed that I was going about my day-to-day business. I went to work, went shopping and even got a parking ticket! (That was unusual). I had an argument with the police, had to sort out time to go to court etc (quite unlike my usual life). By the time I awoke, I had gone through so much activity during the night, it was like I hadn't slept at all. As a result, I overslept. It is even worse when the dreams take place in the morning after 5 am. I have troubles getting out of bed regardless of whether I remember the dream or not but when I remember the dreams it makes it worse. Do your dreaming habits affect your sleep/awakening?

I have also dreamt about going to work and the usual day to day stuff. I feel that when I wake up from such an active dream that I need a nap. I sometimes say to myself....Good grief I was just at work and now I have to go back. Sometimes I don't remember my dreams. I do wake up quite a few times during the night. I, too, have problems getting out of bed. I love to sleep. I happily join my 3 cats and curl up for a good nap. I think you may have problems w/ your REM phase. Do you take anything to help you sleep? I am always so wound up from my day that some nights I can't fall asleep right away (partly b/c I don't want to get up and go back to work)
I do know that I have problems w/ REM and that usually causes you not to dream.

Let me know what you think....

[Jennings]

Hold on a minute girls, I too have lucid dreams but they have no physical after-effect. I would suggest that each of you may suffer from a higher than normal feature of nervous tension that is not allowing either of you to sleep adequately. I don't wish to push out the boat on the diet suggestion but do not let us dismiss it.

See this interesting site (to name but one of many):

Online Nutritional Information and Nutritional Facts - Second Opinions, UK.

You may also wish to read the following interesting article:

The Oiling of America

Here is another that should interest both of you:

WHFoods: What are goitrogens and in which foods are they found?

After reading those would you still advocate that you are actually eating a healthy diet?

[MichelleM78]

Well Jennings....I guess you are just the bee's knees!