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NightMares, Dreams, Causes, etc.

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 11:43 am
by DannyPh
Normally, all my Dreams are of the Pleasant Nature but Last Night I had a Horrific NightMare followed by a somewhat Pleasant Dream. My sleep was restful even with the Nightmare. Evidently something triggered the Nightmare but I have no clue as to what it might have been. I have not changed anything from my Normal Routine so it is a Puzzle to me. Hopefully, tonight will be NightMare free.

Re: NightMares, Dreams, Causes, etc.

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 11:46 am
by CPAPcub
I hope you have a better night tonight!

Before getting my CPAP machine, I was suffering bad nightmares almost nightly. They have virtulally stopped now that I have a CPAP. So it seams that OSA affects at many levels................

Re: NightMares, Dreams, Causes, etc.

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 12:15 pm
by allwxrider
Dreams occur in REM sleep, so if you were behind in REM, the brain will play Catch Up. It's normal not to remember dreams, so I wouldn't be concerned. Most OTC sleep aids and alcohol will put you in Stage 1&2, but disturb REM.

The National Sleep Foundation found that caffeine disturbs sleep up to 22.5 hours later on an EEG. So watch the coffee, tea, chocolate. Nicotine can disturb sleep.

A heavy meal late at night can disturb sleep. Eat earlier and a lighter meal. Think salads and veggies, pass on the heavy meats and oily foods. Let us know what happens.

Depression (serotonin deficiency) can cause insomnia. Turkey, cashews, bananas and milk are great natural sources of tryptophan (an amino acid (broken down protien)).

Tryptophan -> 5HTP (brain) -> serotonin (brain) -> melatonin (pineal gland) [the sleep hormone].

Re: NightMares, Dreams, Causes, etc.

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 12:26 pm
by harry33
tryptophan was available as a tablet but waas withdrawn due to contamination at the factory making it
seems its never been put back on the market

as a cronic insomnoia sufferer, I want to get some

Re: NightMares, Dreams, Causes, etc.

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 5:10 pm
by Captain_Midnight
Before beginning xPAP therapy, I would have turbulent, disjointed dreams, often some pretty yucky nightmares. Since beginning xPAP a few years back, the nightmares have all but disappeared.

Generally, the only exceptional nightmares I get are associated with a cold or infection of some sort. (But these are much more rare now with xPAP than pre dx.)

My point? One possibility is that you might have a "bug" or some such.

Happy dreams.

.

Re: NightMares, Dreams, Causes, etc.

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 8:13 pm
by Jersey Girl
I used to have a lot of nightmares before CPAP. Most of them centered on trying to get home but having no transportation - always it was dark and I was just trying to get home. Often I was in a strange place, with people I had never seen before. Now, I have much fewer nightmares and only one dream that I can remember. I was a curator of a museum! (No, that is not my occupation, nor has it ever been.) I think that maybe CPAP does change our dreams/nightmares in some way.

Wishing you peaceful, restorative sleep,

Jersey Girl