Remembering dreams

A post by -SWS back on 21 Dec mentioned "lucid dreaming". I happen to be one that has been able to use that.
When I was younger, I frequently had nightmares: monsters chasing and catching me, falling from heights onto rocks, and so forth. I'd wake up screaming and sweaty and too afraid to go back to sleep. I "learned" how to regulate those bad dreams, by becoming not just an victim in them, but by becoming the actor/ director of the movie that was being filmed. As the director, I'd yell "Cut!" and step aside to let a stunt actor get eaten, or fall, or whatever, when action resumed. I haven't had a nightmare since.

I'm aware, on some level of awareness, that I do stop breathing when I sleep. When I'm aware of it, it's because I'm holding my breath in a dream. Scuba diving, the tank runs out, and I have to surface. My race car slides off the track into a pond. I have to run through tear gas to get to safety, yadda, yada.

I am not claiming that I'm aware of all, or even a minority, of my sleeping breathing cessations. Nor will I claim that the ones I am aware of as they occur are semi-conscious intentional. It may well be that my breath holding in my dream is the result of, and not the cause of, the cessation. Just as a beeping alarm clock can become a dream dump truck backing up, my sleep apnea episode may trigger my dream.

But if I can be cognizant that I'm not breathing in my dream, I hope to be able to use the same nightmare modifying lucid dream technique to... I dunno, maybe dream that I pop a James Bond pocket aqualung in my mouth or something...and start breathing for real.

CPAP therapy? So far I discern no difference, other than mask irritation is making the bridge of my nose appear to be sunburned. I been asleep-aware of two apnea episodes since starting CPAP two weeks ago. The more recent one I lowered my dreamed race helmet face shield down almost in time to trap that air bubble. Not to worry, both my dream co-driver and I got out of the car and to the surface where we were rescued.

I see that opinions on this subject healthily vary as widely as ever and as on all subjects! And the great debates are peppered with great creativity, art and humor! Regardless, increased oxygen to the brain at night appears to often alter our experience and or perception of our dreams. I appreciate and enjoyed your replies.

I'll stop by more often to MILK you all for more knowledge and entertainment!

Georgio

Georgio wrote:I see that opinions on this subject healthily vary as widely as ever and as on all subjects! And the great debates are peppered with great creativity, art and humor! Regardless, increased oxygen to the brain at night appears to often alter our experience and or perception of our dreams. I appreciate and enjoyed your replies.

I'll stop by more often to MILK you all for more knowledge and entertainment!

Georgio

Thanks for being such a good sport, Georgio.

Interesting dream. Interesting posts. Keep 'em comin'!

jeff

Happily I can't remember my dreams anymore. Before I started cpap I would slip into dream mode and out of it while awake - very confusing because I would try to think what important event I was forgetting.

I wonder if some of the historical mystics who talked about other worlds close to us were maybe just severely sleep deprived!

After two months of c-pap, my dreams are way too vivid....I woke up extremely angry at my husband the other morning and finally realized that I had dreamed the reason I was angry....poor thing LOL!