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Sleep Apnea And Bad Dreams?
#1
Sleep Apnea And Bad Dreams?
Anyone have any knowledge or read any possible "studies" about this? 
That is, if there is a correlation between UNTREATED sleep apnea and having, for the most part, bad (eg depressing, or dark or frightening) dreams. Thanks.
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#2
RE: Sleep Apnea And Bad Dreams?
No studies, but from personal experience, for me there were at times a blurring of the line between reality and dreams.
Not in a psychotic way were I was not aware of present reality, but a jumbling of memories.... Mother in law committed suicide in 1994, and maybe 10 years ago I had some vivid dreams that I had somehow been responsible AND disposed of her body. It was to the point that I could not have passed a polygraph test if I had been accused of murdering her... the memories of the dreams were as real as if I had been Tony Soprano.
Many other extremely vivid and dark dreams.
-- Rich
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#3
RE: Sleep Apnea And Bad Dreams?
To the best of my knowledge I didn't dream when I was untreated. I noticed their return only after several weeks of therapy.
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#4
RE: Sleep Apnea And Bad Dreams?
I sometimes had nightmares before CPAP. The theme was always the same. It's not safe.
Sleepster

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: Sleep Apnea And Bad Dreams?
Before I began treatment with  CPAP I often had frightening dreams of being choked, or of dropping into deep water and sinking unable to breathe, and I often woke with sleep paralysis. However those scary dreams went away  as I began nightly CPAP  usage.

TheDuke
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#6
RE: Sleep Apnea And Bad Dreams?
I had night terrors and sleep paralysis happen once in a while my whole life.
Over the years when apnea was bad and untreated I ceased to dream at all or if
I did it was a pretty boring repeater about feeling choked or falling.

Now with treated apnea, I get good full blown realistic dreams and nightmares like normal.
The occasional nightmare is at least vivid, new, and interesting.
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#7
RE: Sleep Apnea And Bad Dreams?
When first getting used to my machine, I dreamt that my face was caving in and my teeth were breaking... I've since changed masks. That one was thrown at the wall that night!
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#8
RE: Sleep Apnea And Bad Dreams?
i used to have vivid dreams all the time before CPAP

in hindsight, though they weren't scary dreams they all had an element of urgency or tension in them.

much less common now, though i do still get them.

I'm convinced it's a reaction to the stress hormones released during an episode.
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#9
RE: Sleep Apnea And Bad Dreams?
I have more dreams since going on CPAP 6 years ago. Some are vivid and others are meh. Look at it this way, when we reach a good state of REM sleep, the brain feels like all restrictions are off and it is time to play. Hence, the dreams. Think of it as a recharge system. That is how my sleep doc put it.

Homer
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#10
RE: Sleep Apnea And Bad Dreams?
Although I don't remember much about the dreams I had before CPAP which goes back around 17 years the dreams that I am aware of these days are mostly puzzling, baffling, preplexing -------. Mostly they seem to relate to some challenge I faced years ago when working or in school. Nothing in the way of really bad dreams. I do not think my pattern of dreaming really changed when apnea came on the scene or after treatment began. Actually, looking back, I can not determine exactly when apnea kicked in. It may have been in my late teens or early twenties.

Stan
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