Dreaming!!

[Gabe]

Is remembering your dream an indication that the process is working? Don't holler at me for asking a dumb question, because I have a right to, because I'm brand new at this.

[Sheriff Buford]

Who's hollerin'? I'm not sure about remembering your dreams, but if you are dreaming more, then it may indicate that you are spending more time in the last stage of sleep which is better for you. That was one of the first things I remember when I first started therapy, more dreaming... especially the good ones... being on a beach with a young, good-looking lady - with adult beverages (with little umbrellas in the glass), beautiful sunset... I'd better stop.....!!

Sheriff

[Gabe]

Sheriff let me know what movie you saw before going to bed. Thanks.

[Demeter_Soul]

Yeppers, I knew I was going to be OK...when I started dreaming the first night I used my Bipap. The only time I dreamed, prior to that, was when I fell asleep sitting at the kitchen table, with my head hanging forward. Now, I dream too darned much! And I can get up and go to the bathroom...and fall asleep and pick up the dream where I left off. Wow! That blows me away. LOL

[torontoCPAPguy]

Dreaming, of and by itself, is a definite sign that you are reaching down into L4 (some say that's obsolete) and most importantly REM sleep and that things are working for you but DO NOT BE FOOLED.

Just because you are making it down into REM sleep and dreaming does not mean that you are getting good sleep or that your bodily functions are being optimized by your nose hose.

Take the time to assembly and understand all of the data you can collect from an APAP machine, pulse oximeter and if you can arrange another sleep study... from the EEG, BP monitoring, etc.

Your target is 95% blood oxygen saturation consistently through the night without exception, BP in the 'normal' range throughout the night consistently and so on. You may inadvertantly be hitting REM sleep now and again but may still be afflicted with OSA at other times. As I constantly get on my soapbox to say: Educate yourself so that you know what the numbers all mean, have the numbers to examine, be your own advocate, your target is AHI=0.00 for starters.

And remember that OSA is a precursor for all sorts of other afflictions as we grow older (got the T shirt). AHI=0.00, SpO2 = 95% all night with normal BP, pulse RATE constant and in the 50-70 range all night long and you are on your way to health and vitality and a long life. Mess up ANY of the above and you are a ticking time bomb. If you are overweight, get it off FAST. Ignore the family and friends.... the faster it comes off the better. I am using a Paleo like diet (South Beack, Dr. Bernstein, etc.) which is essentially no processed food, no chemicals, no salt, etc. and the weight is coming off. It may indeed cure my OSA when I get down to a nominal weight. It will, for sure, eliminate my Type 2 diabetes.... just the change in diet has sent my blood sugar plummetting and I have eliminate Gluconorm and reduced Metformin to half of what I was taking. Another 30-40 pounds and I expect to be rid of my meds completely.

BUT, to answer you question succinctly. I am dreaming! YAY! Means you are hitting REM sleep which is a great sign that your body is not poking your brain (or vice versa) all night to tell you to wake up and breathe deeply as your blood oxygen is low (or your CO2 is high). It is a great indicator but it is NOT the be-all and end-all......only an indicator. You need the data to make the decisions as to efficacy of treatment and where you are heading from here.

Congratulations on your progress and successes. Your have found the path. Now you need to hone it to a fine edge. Good luck. Good health. Good sleep. The sooner you get to AHI=0.00 every morning the better. Perhaps you can avoid atrial fibrillation unlike me. I believe I fixed my OSA but that the AFib was already there and it has progressed to Permanent or Chronic which will take heart surgery to fix. At 58. No arteriosclerosis at all. Healthy heart.... just beating out of whack. We shall address this like OSA and ARE being very aggressive, getting educated and asking questions. My Cardiologist, I think, 'fired me' last Monday and gave me the referal that I have been begging for to one of the 12 top in the world that deal with this who happens to be up the street.

You want to give yourself incentive to correct your OSA? Visit http://www.aFibbers.org

[Gabe]

Thanks alot torontoCPAPguy, much appreciated.

George

[lcosborn]

I've never had an AHI of 0. I've been a hosehead since last August, got on Bipap in January. I feel pretty good after a few days of AHI < 5. But I've had a week of AHI > 5 and I wake up in the morning agitated and depressed. I have no idea how to get to AHI = 0. What gives?

[Pugsy]

I've never had an AHI of 0. I've been a hosehead since last August, got on Bipap in January. I feel pretty good after a few days of AHI < 5. But I've had a week of AHI > 5 and I wake up in the morning agitated and depressed. I have no idea how to get to AHI = 0. What gives?

AHI of 0.0 is an elusive goal and not realistic to expect it all the time. Even people without OSA diagnosis can have "events" from time to time.
Some people are lucky enough to achieve this goal. I have only once in 2 years and that was with only 4 hours of sleep. I can pretty much bet if I had slept longer it wouldn't have happened. Don't beat yourself up over not attaining it.

I would instead work on trying to figure why the AHI is over 5 and try to get the number back down below 5.
Some people do notice that they do seem to feel better with AHI in the 1 to 2 range when compared to 4 to 5 range. Not everyone will notice a difference. Each person has to figure out what their target is and strive to attain a realistic goal based on their own data and how they feel in general.
Can't judge your own therapy by someone else's numbers.

[archangle]

Is remembering your dream an indication that the process is working? Don't holler at me for asking a dumb question, because I have a right to, because I'm brand new at this.

WHAT A DUMB QUESTION.

Just kidding. I took "don't holler" as a challenge.

Welcome to the board.

I find how I wake up makes a big difference on what I remember of my dreams. If I wake up suddenly for some reason like a noise in the room, I'll tend to remember my dreams a lot more than if I just sit around and climb up slowly from the depths.

It may be that with the CPAP equipment on, you tend to come fully awake more easily if something disturbs you during the night. Or you get woken up by something related to the CPAP.

Or you may be remembering your dreams because you're sleeping better.

[W_HAMILTON]

I never understood this. As my OSA seemed to progress, I actually seemed to dream MORE and could remember them more clearly. At points, I was waking up at least once an hour, but still having dreams. I asked my doctor about this, since I thought that my severe OSA would prevent me from dreaming, but he said it can be quite varied. He said what may be more indicative of how well treatment is going is whether or not your dream patterns change. For instance, after starting CPAP therapy, I still dream, but I don't seem to be as able to remember them like before CPAP. As another poster suggested, this may signal that I am getting deeper sleep rather than light sleep where I can wake up in the middle of a dream and remember it easily.

[Kilgore Trout]

Is remembering your dream an indication that the process is working? Don't holler at me for asking a dumb question, because I have a right to, because I'm brand new at this.

This is more of a suggestion than an answer... If you want better dream recall, get in the habit of writing down your dreams as soon as you wake up. You'll find in short time that you remember more detail about your dreams for longer into the day.

[The Bandit]

Sheriff let me know what movie you saw before going to bed. Thanks.

The Sheriff is dreaming of catching me, which he never will. Ever! I'm way too fast for that old fart!

[rested gal]

LINKS to dreaming - dreams - REM rebound
viewtopic.php?t=3524

[Breathe Jimbo]

Your target is 95% blood oxygen saturation consistently through the night without exception, BP in the 'normal' range throughout the night consistently

All that is true, but good sleep architecture is important to having recuperative sleep and good mental health. REM sleep is very important in and of itself, but not the only important thing.

[Sheriff Buford]

The Sheriff is dreaming of catching me, which he never will. Ever! I'm way too fast for that old fart!

What we have heera, is a total lack of repect for the law!!!