Flashbacks of old dreams

Nothing has prepared me for the emotional rollercoaster I find myself on since beginning therapy.

I am finally comfortable with my mask and it is working well. I'm starting to sleep more deeply and wish I could sleep more (daily naps would be nice). My numbers are coming down nicely.

This weekend, though, I began having flashbacks of deams I've had in the past. There are 2 or 3 with the same theme, and they have me rattled to the point that I'm ready to call my therapist to see if I can see her this week. I'm hoping that by putting this in writing and making it public will help take out the "sting".

Well before I was diagnosed, I had several dreams spread out over a few years. They all involve me starting to walk along a tunnel with a bright light at the end. Sometimes I could see my grandma (gone for probably 40 years), sometimes it was shadows, sometimes only the bright light. Voices would talk to me and sort of "encourage" me to come over to "their side." I would be listening to them and walking toward them, and suddenly something would jerk me and make me run away from the light. I never woke up from them at night, but would always remember them in the morning.

I had forgotten all about them until this weekend, maybe it's been the talk of dreaming/not dreaming on the board, I don't know. I figure it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what those dreams meant, but the flashbacks are scaring the bejeezus out of me.

I would really like to hear if anyone has had similar experiences.

L

I had repeated dreams I was suffocating, under water unable to reach the surface, unable to crawl through a narrow window to reach the outside. Sometimes awoke gasping for air. I just thought it was part of the dream. Once I was diagnosed, those repetitive dreams made some sense.

I just received my scored sleep studies. O2 level was as low a 66% at one point. Happily, on CPAP during my titration study, O2 level did not differ from that while I was awake. I think that's where the rubber meets the road.

If you want to have some fun, beg, borrow, or buy a pulse oximeter and play around with it for a while. Sit in a chair and watch what happens to your O2 level as you relax. The O2 level drops. Take a few deep breaths. The O2 level rises. Then hold your breath. I bet when your O2 level drops below 90% you're going to find yourself really wanting to breathe. Now, imagine what sleeping at, or below, that level does to you over a period of years.

Thanks, Slarty. I makes me feel better to know I'm not alone with this crazy shit.

Although my oxygen level went down to only 91% during my test, I have been considering purchasing an oximeter myself. Then again, Christmas is coming!

BTW, I was really sad when they pulled Red Green from our viewing area. He was always good for a laugh

L

Hi,
I have a very old mystic dream book and this is what it mentions for some things in your dreams -

To dream of voices- To hear people speaking is a dream of contrary.If they appear to be happy and merry,then expect reverses in buisness and many worries.

To dream of a tunnel- Another obstacle dream,If you do escape from the tunnel all will go well.

To dream of light(s) -A good sign unless the light goes out or becomes obscured,when it shows difficulties in store for you.


Regards,

British Bulldog x

Linda,

No need to be rattled.

Probably, the ideational content of dreams is what we experience as our cerebral cortex "tries" to make sense out of the nonsense stimuli it is receiving from the optical cortex.

This is from Wikipedia:

"To put it simply, Hobson and McCarley suggest that during REM sleep the cortex is highly active and activity in the brain triggers certain neurons at random (activation). The brain then tries to make sense of this by synthesizing the random impulses into what we experience as dreams, for example a cell triggering the area of the brain that controls balance may lead to a dream of falling. When we sleep, all sensory and motor input is blocked and neurons in the cerebral cortex are activated by random impulses; the forebrain then interprets this activity and produces the dream."

So, while the content of dreams reflects a person's unique historical experiences and emotional events (and that's why dreams recur), dream content has no meaning beyond that. In particular, disturbing dreams do not mean anything bad is happening to you.

The Wikipedia articles on sleep, REM and dreaming contain a lot of useful information.

M.D.Hosehead wrote:So, while the content of dreams reflects a person's unique historical experiences and emotional events (and that's why dreams recur), dream content has no meaning beyond that. In particular, disturbing dreams do not mean anything bad is happening to you.

Thanks, but, what about people who report near-death experiences and talk about seeing the light and being encouraged to go to the light and being talked to by people from the "other side?" I know we are getting close to Halloween, but this is a little too spooky for my blood.

Linda, that is scary. When my early cpap treatment was ineffective, I had a few incidences of a "dream" that left me so unsettled that I didn't go to bed for a couple days because I was afraid to. Mine were happening when having so much trouble during the time I was using the ramp feature at 4. The scenes had such a profound sense of silence you could almost hear it, almost a hollow sound. The scene was hazy white around the perimeter, and the view was from above my bed where I lay in utter stillness. In the scene I was in the PJ's I was actually wearing and on the sheets that were on my bed. After some time of this silence a voice nearby high in the room says, "It's been a while since you took a breath." There was an acute awareness of the passing of time in the silence, then I hear my voice saying, "Yes, it has." The voice beside me says, "You should breathe now." Suddenly I am no longer above my body. I am lying in my bed taking a breath. No struggle, no fear, no panic - just serenity. Total contrast to my pre-cpap bizarre nonsensical dreams of struggling with choking, drowning and suffocating, which I believe were apnea related. By the way, more than one doctor has said these dreams are common in people with OSA.

It is my opinion that any presumed understanding of something so intangible as dreams is theory, not absolute. And opinions are a dime a dozen (especially mine). I am convinced dreams can be triggered by external stimuli or physical sensations. How many of us have dreamed of something potty related and woke to an urgent situation? I had that happen again last week. Dreamed I was protesting in Times Square. The big screen was showing a commercial for women's incontinence pads, and I was screaming at people passing by, "Don't believe their lies. Their products do NOT work." Had to laugh as I woke up and ran for the bathroom thinking, well, I should at least use the product before I blame them for the situation.

One more thing, Linda, have you looked at the details of your data? Just wondering if any of your residual events were prolonged or were possibly centrals? Also, is your pressure range fairly narrow?

Tired Linda wrote:

M.D.Hosehead wrote:So, while the content of dreams reflects a person's unique historical experiences and emotional events (and that's why dreams recur), dream content has no meaning beyond that. In particular, disturbing dreams do not mean anything bad is happening to you.

Thanks, but, what about people who report near-death experiences and talk about seeing the light and being encouraged to go to the light and being talked to by people from the "other side?" I know we are getting close to Halloween, but this is a little too spooky for my blood.

REM sleep tries to deal with important issues - so maybe you put all these issues on the back burner for a few years. Now you are getting good sleep the issues are in line to be dealt with.
Just remember that a "phone call" from the other side is not always an invitation, it could just be a status update like on Facebook. In fact in many cultures calling on ancestors in dreams or having them just show up to help with current issues is kind of common and expected ( it is part of the job description of being dead).

Linda; try this:
Before drifting off, visualize the tunnel dream starting;
then imagine yourself pushing the 'stop' button on your dvd player.
Picture yourself comfortably in front of your TV, breathing deeply.
Then push 'eject'. Now what would you like to do to this dvd? Do it!
Happy, nice dreams, Linda--You deserve it.

Tired Linda wrote:

M.D.Hosehead wrote:So, while the content of dreams reflects a person's unique historical experiences and emotional events (and that's why dreams recur), dream content has no meaning beyond that. In particular, disturbing dreams do not mean anything bad is happening to you.

Thanks, but, what about people who report near-death experiences and talk about seeing the light and being encouraged to go to the light and being talked to by people from the "other side?"

According to the excerpt from Wiki, those topics would be the concerns, wishes, thoughts, fears that are on the dreamers' mind, rather than literal conversation with a deceased person.


kteague is certainly correct when she says:

It is my opinion that any presumed understanding of something so intangible as dreams is theory, not absolute.

Whenever there are dozens or even hundreds of theories about something, it's usually the case that no none knows for sure, because none of the theories can be disproven.

(BTW, It has been proven that sounds, smells, and body perceptions such as pain and bladder fullness, are often incorporated into ongoing dreams.)


The Wikipedia quote is the "null hypothesis," in other words, there is no scientific reason to accept any other explanation of dream content.

I really didn't mean to start an argument. I was hoping that considering dream content to be a natural biologic phenomenon (as opposed to a supernatural one) would help Linda to not be frightened by her dreams.

No arguement here, M.D.Hosehead. I wasn't familiar with the term "null hypothesis" - thanks, I learned something new today. For Linda's sake, I certainly don't want to be an alarmist, just would not want to fail to make make mention of being sure some aspect of the treatment isn't optimized.

If it's any comfort, my dreams were over 4 years ago and I'm still here, and they aren't!

Sometimes dreams are just attempts by your brain to make sense of external stimulus.

Several years ago, I had a recurring dream. In the dream, I was always someplace watching an experimental aircraft. (The experimental aircraft was different each dream. Some of them were quite fantastical.) At first it was thrilling to see, but it soon became very omnious, and each time as the aircraft drew near me, it became obvious that the aircraft was going to crash, and it was headed for me. I started running for my life, but I couldn't run fast enough, and the buildings didn't provide safety. It would always end in a fiery crash. It was positively terrifying.


One night I happened to be awake in the middle of the night and heard the sound of approaching aircraft, military, which grew louder and louder and louder. Suddenly it occurred to me that this was the input to my dream, and my mind was trying to make sense of it. Military aircraft sound different than civilian craft, hence the experimental thing. Because the real life aircraft were getting so close and so very loud, my subconscious interpreted that as the experimental craft pursuing me. After that night, I'm sure there were more passing aircraft, but I then knew what it was, and there was no need for my subconscious to explain it to me, and the dreams stopped.


This was just after 9-11. I've always wondered if the military was moving planes or performing night-time exercises in the build-up to the war.


The point is that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and there is no philosophical meaning. Your subconscious is trying to deal with incomplete facts and is not a very logical thinker but excels at filling in the blanks with randomly chosen stuff.

LoQ wrote: After that night, I'm sure there were more passing aircraft, but I then knew what it was, and there was no need for my subconscious to explain it to me, and the dreams stopped.

Very interesting.

LoQ wrote:The point is that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and there is no philosophical meaning. Your subconscious is trying to deal with incomplete facts and is not a very logical thinker but excels at filling in the blanks with randomly chosen stuff.

Sure sounds like an explanation of most of my dreams.

Tired Linda wrote:Thanks, but, what about people who report near-death experiences and talk about seeing the light and being encouraged to go to the light and being talked to by people from the "other side?" I know we are getting close to Halloween, but this is a little too spooky for my blood.

I think that it has been shown that when people are dying, they often experience the sensation of bright light. I'm not sure why, if this is because of oxygen deprivation or what. In any even, many people who coded have reported this phenomenon, along with the people on the "other side," when they were revived. My guess it is caused by some physical process. I think you are putting way too much emphasis on mystical explanations simply because the actual physical explanation is not at hand.

I do believe that we will see departed loved ones after death, but I don't believe the so-called near-death experiences are related to that. This is obviously not a provable assertion, so people will draw different conclusions from incomplete information.