Did you have bad dreams before treatment?

[OSAdude76]

I'm not sure exactly when my sleep apnea started, but I remember at least a year or two ago I started having regular bad dreams. They were not necessarily nightmares, but they were filled with action and I was always doing something scary. There is some research suggesting that environmental factors affect your dreams (if someone pokes you in your sleep, it will affect your dream). So I imagine gasping for breath all the time would have an impact. Has this been the case for anyone on this forum? Did you notice a change in the type of dreams you had once you started treatment?

I'm guessing some might have dreams related to wearing the mask, but for me I haven't had any (thankfully)

[Goofproof]

Do you mean the first 60 years of my life? If so, yes! Jim

[Heart Jumping]

I think the problem is that many of us have no idea when our apnea started because it's usually years before you're diagnosed. So it's not really possible to go back in time and say "my apnea started on this date and I recall having more nightmares after that".

That said, I think your thesis is correct, it makes perfect sense that the more restless our sleep is the more likely we are to have bad dreams. And the more restful the less likely. All other things being equal.

[Lucyhere]

Dreaming is much the same for me. Had occasional "bad" dreams before treatment and still experience them sometimes. People mention this all the time, but for me there hasn't been a difference.

[kteague]

Before CPAP I regularly had bad dreams that nearly always involved something or someone suffocating, choking, drowning, being shot in the chest, etc. and being saved at the last moment before death. My early CPAP experience was pretty traumatic as my treatment was drastically subpar and for the first time the dreams took it to the furthest degree. Once my CPAP treatment was effective, the scary dreams have nearly stopped. Had maybe a couple over several years, and even then they weren't as distressing.

[Goofproof]

I'm sure my bad dream had nothing to do with Sleep Apnea, it started at age 7, and over the years has recurred over 10 times. I'd be in the street, traffic was coming, I'd run out of the street to get to safety. As I ran I'd get weaker and couldn't run any more. I'd awaken before being hit.

The rest of the story, at age 11, I was riding my bike to the park, there was a railroad track in the road, it crossed the road at a angle, my wheel caught on the rail, and the bike crashed to the ground. A 18 wheeler was behind me, he slammed on the brakes, when the truck got stopped I was under the trucks front axle, unharmed. The driver thought I was dead, bad day for both of us.

Round Two, at age 15, I rode my bike out from two parked cars, a little old lady driving down the street hit me. I just had time to jump up a little, the hood ornament impale my left thigh. I moved just right the muscles in my leg were separated, but I got on my bike and rode home. It was my fault I never even took the woman's name you you something wrong its your responsibility. The next day I went to the doctor, he said I hit it just right, anywhere else it would have broken the knee or leg.

I've also been involved in two auto wrecks where all three autos were totaled, and one other high speed wreck where lots of damage occured, none were my fault in the least, my driving record is perfect, luck, not so much, except never been injured from it. No one else were hurt in these accidents either, this was before seat belts, bike helmets, we're law, or even thought of.

I am a proud victum of natural solection. Jim

A bigger question for me, are Dreams tied to events that happen in real life, or are they merely the brain cleaning out the trash pit. I have noticed that if I have a problem I can't work out at work during the day, many times, I find the answer in my sleep, like my brain keeps working a extra shift while I sleep.

[otrpu]

Don't remember having ANY dreams prior to starting CPAP in 2003. Maybe I had some, but don't remember any.
Cheers,
otrpu