Q's about REM & CPAP

gracie97 · Post by **gracie97** » Sat Jul 02, 2005 5:10 pm

Noticed that the emphasis on the post-callibration night questionaire seemed to be REM: Did you have vivid dreams last night? Do you remember what you dreamed about?

Aferwards was given a REMStar.

Last night, I slept with the CPAP for first time: 6 hours with no dreaming.

But when slept without CPAP for 2 hours after that, I had what felt like 2 hours of intense, vivid dreams running the gamut from wild nightmares to gorgeous, detailed fantasies. So I apparently got the REM AFTER I stopped the CPAP.

Is the CPAP supposed to increase REM?

I thought CPAP was to increase deeper stage III and IV sleep. But if so why the interest in more REM?

Is getting REM after removing the CPAP indicative of some sort of problem that should be addressed?

(I may be different than most tube-heads in that I have quite mild apnea and am using CPAP for upper airway resistance syndrome that seems to be causing severe alpha intrusion. So I'm used to getting all the sleep stages, just overlayed with gobs of alpha.)

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Jul 02, 2005 5:48 pm

Clickable links to some interesting topics about dreaming:

Apr 02, 2005 subject: CPAP vs. APAP

Mar 01, 2005 subject: REM Rebound?? (2 page topic)

Feb 03, 2005 subject: dreaming

Jan 05, 2005 subject: Dreams -increasing and remembered? (2 page topic)

Oct 21, 2004 subject: PLEASE CAN YOU ANSWER THESE

November 24, 2004 subject: Dreams (2 page topic)

March 02, 2004 subject: REM Rebound Questions (3 page topic)

June 15, 2004 subject: Dreams and lack thereof (2 page topic)

October 16, 2004 subject: Used to dream before cpap, now it's rare. Is this a problem?

September 23, 2004 subject: Brain damage leads to lack of dreaming, interesting article (2 page topic)

Apr 26 2005 subject: Why am I dreaming (without CPAP) - (posted on talkaboutsleep)

April 26 2005 subject: Why am I dreaming (without CPAP) - (posted on cpaptalk

so tired · Post by **so tired** » Sat Jul 02, 2005 6:27 pm

Gracie, I'm a newbie! Can you please tell me what upper airway syndrome and alpha intrusion mean??

IWannaSleep · Post by **IWannaSleep** » Sat Jul 02, 2005 8:39 pm

Hi Gracie,

I think your experience makes perfect sense. CPAP primarily keeps your airway open while you sleep. This prevents your airway from closing which then prevents your blood oxygen level from falling.

When your airway closes and you stop breathign, your blood oxygen falls and your brain wakes you up so you breathe. If you wake when you happen to be in REM and dreaming, you will remember the dream.

Since cpap keeps your airway open, your blood oxygen level remains high, and you will not wake up while you are in deep sleep and dreaming, so you will not remember your dreams. Remember we only remember a dream if we wake up in the middle of it.

So to me it makes perfect sence that you do not remember dreaming when you use cpap, and you remember lots of dreams without it, since you were probably waking up a lot due to airway closures while you were sleeping.

Ron

Humidifier