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New here and question about dreams.
#1
New here and question about dreams.
Hi all.

I started my CPAP therapy about 4 weeks ago and have had great success!
Mood perked up first then energy level got much better after about 2 weeks!

Just before my diagnosis and treatment, I was dreaming constantly at night and remembered every second of it. Very vivid and clear! But I was a zombie during the day....tired and fuzzy feeling all day with no drive.

After starting CPAP, I dream normally now....I remember dreaming but not in as much detail as before.

Any one have any input on this?
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#2
RE: New here and question about dreams.
Hi ypeels,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Good to hear that you are having such great success with CPAp therapy.
I don't have any input on the dreams but hang in there, I'm sure someone will.
trish6hundred
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#3
RE: New here and question about dreams.
I used to get vivid dreams that would build in intensity and eventually get so terrifying that I had to wake up. At the time I didn't know what would cause them, but now I'm pretty sure they were brought on by apneac events and hypoxia.

I haven't had one since starting CPAP (yet). I dream normally and don't remember most of them.

I don't think you're supposed to remember most of your dreams. The brain's memory receptors are not active while you're sleeping. I think the ones that you do remember are the ones that happen when you are closest to wakefulness, especially in the early morning hours.
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#4
RE: New here and question about dreams.
Welcome to the forum!!! We are glad you joined us!!! Welcome
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#5
RE: New here and question about dreams.
I guess like many things, everybody is different. Before CPAP, I almost never dreamed. I think I just didn't sleep deeply enough to dream. After CPAP started though, I dream almost every night-and can usually remember what I dreamed.
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#6
RE: New here and question about dreams.
Before my sleep apnea was diagnosed I would wake up every 90 minutes or so. When I had my sleep tests I never got to REM sleep. Now I'm dreaming dreams I would have dreamed when I was 25. At my age (67), I find them somewhat amusing, but they certainly put a smile on my face and a spring in my step!
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#7
RE: New here and question about dreams.
Changes in dreams (type, frequency, quality, etc) are quite common.

Prior to CPAP, I could mess with my dreams. Stop, rewind, fast forward, change stuff, all that. Sometimes it was fun, other times it was not.

Then with CPAP, I had a week or more with very vivid dreams that I could not change. It was like my brain was having a party now that the parents were out for the night. I had a few nightmares, too.

The sleep doc said this was normal and that some folks have nightmares so bad he has to give them medication for a month or so until it all settles down.
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#8
RE: New here and question about dreams.
I seem to remember dream more detail just before I wake up. I think it's fresh on my mind when I transition to a conscious state.

Dreams earlier in the night, not so much.

Maybe you remembered more detail because you were continually waking up?

OMyMy
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#9
RE: New here and question about dreams.
It makes perfect sense. Apnea occurs during REM (dream) sleep. In that phase, most of your muscles are temporarily paralyzed (so that you don't thrash around and hurt yourself in your dreams). That includes your rib muscles, so you're only breathing with your diaphragm. Diaphragm alone is just barely enough to keep you breathing, so if there's anything making it harder to breathe (an obstructed airway, for example), you won't get enough oxygen. So you wake up from the dream. Usually not all the way. Just enough that you can start breathing normally again. So you're asleep, but you're not getting enough of that deep restorative REM sleep.

That's probably why you were remembering your dreams - you were waking up from them before you finished the normal REM cycle. And that's why you were so tired during the day - you weren't getting enough REM.

Now, with your apnea treated, you're more able to maintain proper REM. So you're more rested during the day and less likely to remember your dreams.
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