I'm new does dreaming mean I don't have it that bad?

[Chrisinfp]

I'm pretty certain I have apnea. I'm going for a sleep eval next week. This may be naive but if I'm able to remember my dreams, does that mean my apnea isn't do bad or Is it irrelevant ?

[kaiasgram]

I'm pretty certain I have apnea. I'm going for a sleep eval next week. This may be naive but if I'm able to remember my dreams, does that mean my apnea isn't do bad or Is it irrelevant ?

Hi Chris -- Remembering your dreams does not mean that you don't have sleep apnea. You may have heard or read that people with untreated sleep apnea can have an insufficient amount of REM sleep and that is true for some, but many others like myself were doing plenty of dreaming prior to getting diagnosed. In fact, the dreams of folks with untreated apnea are sometimes described as stressful dreams involving choking, struggling, etc., reflecting the body's stress state when unable to breathe.

Good luck with the sleep study next week, I hope you'll let us know the outcome and if it's positive for sleep apnea we're here to help.

[OhHelpMe]

if I'm able to remember my dreams, does that mean my apnea isn't do bad or Is it irrelevant ?

It could mean your apnea is bad. If you sleep well, you usually don't remember most of your dreams. If your apneas wake you up while you are dreaming, you are more likely to remember the dreams.

But why worry about it at this point? You are going to have a sleep study and hopefully there will be some good data to evaluate your condition. Then if you do have sleep apnea you can treat it successfully with CPAP.

Why are you going for the study?

[chunkyfrog]

My vivid, stressful dreams, which awoke me many times a night before cpap are something I do not miss--at all.
Everyone is different, but normally, we don't remember most dreams unless we did not sleep well.

[Stevoreno_55]

I am able to remember most of my dreams and I've been on CPAP for years; my dreams have for the most part never been stressful; no dreams of being choked or harmed; etc. I also dream in high definition color; does everyone else here dream in vivid technicolor?


Stevoreno_55
MS Gulf Coast
05/17/14

[zoocrewphoto]

I remembered lots of dreams before cpap. Of course, I was waking up all night long, so lots to remember. I also had many bad dreams of being chased, drowning, getting killed, etc. those are gone now.

My untreated ahi was 79, very severe.

[houndlover]

I used to have wonderful, vivd dreams that were like fantasy novels. Made up worlds, characters, and plots. No choking, drowning, ect like some folks describe..no frequent night wakenings. I actually really enjoyed them.

Now I can't ever seem to remember my dreams. I miss them a lot actually.

[ems]

Remembering your dreams does not mean that you don't have sleep apnea. You may have heard or read that people with untreated sleep apnea can have an insufficient amount of REM sleep and that is true for some, but many others like myself were doing plenty of dreaming prior to getting diagnosed.

+1 Happily no choking tho.

[BlackSpinner]

There is more then one kind of dream state. There is the classic REM dream state - usually involving the more challenging topics (and needed for memory retention and learning new stuff) and there are the happy go lucky dreams that you wake up with in the morning. There are also the semi hallucinations that you have when dropping of to sleep.

PBS Nova did a show on dreams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4yhtjm76WU

[archangle]

Unfortunately, there's no hard and fast rule. Some people find apnea makes them dream more, some find it makes them dream less.

I think a large part of your perception of dreaming depends on when you wake up from your dreams. If you wake up completely during or right after a dream and think about it, you remember your dreams a lot better than if you wake up gradually, or wake up and go right back to sleep. Thinking about the dream after you wake up also makes you remember it more.

That's part of why we remember nightmares so well if they wake us up.

[10032011]

If I fall asleep without putting my CPAP machine on I"ll dream that I'm running, or stuck under water, or performing some activity where I can't catch my breath. I"ll wake up and find that I actually am short of breath.

[Janknitz]

I had very vivid dreams before starting CPAP. But I was tested with severe apnea, and the sleep lab therapist who went over my results with me said it was one of the most severe cases she'd ever seen. So no, sorry, dreams are not an indication that your apnea is not severe.

[RestedRebel]

I have moderate sleep apnea, and I hadn't dreamed in years, or at least I never remembered them if I had them. I do recall waking up a couple of times gasping for breath though. Once I started cpap therapy, I started having dreams. Sleeping well and feeling rested is the best thing in the world. Cpap therapy also eliminated whatever sinus problems I was having - I guess the nasal pillows and humidifier take care of whatever issues I used to have.