Dreaming Problem?

jnk wrote:

Rickv wrote: . . . I don't take any meds . . .

I include vitamins, coffee, and alcohol in the "meds" category.

Even the timing of food intake can make a big difference for some people. One doc claims that not taking in anything but water for the three or four hours before bed makes a huge difference for some of his sleep patients.

I know was just being funny. I usually don't eat or drink anything but water after dinner and drink a glass of water before I go to bed.

ironhands wrote:

Rickv wrote:As soon as I fall asleep I start dreaming is this normal? I have been like this for at least as long as I have been on CPAP (7 years). I used to sleep through the night but, lately the last month or so I fall asleep let's say around 11pm and start dreaming and then wake up 30-45 minutes later. Half the time I can roll over and fall back asleep in a few minutes but, sometimes I am wide awake and it takes me forever to fall back asleep.

A low REM latency is generally associated with narcolepsy, but can often be a side effect of sleep deprivation. I'm having similar issues, but not on a CPAP.
How is your daytime sleepiness? Do you ever experience hallucinations or sleep paralysis while in bed? Muscle weakness during the day?

When was your last sleep study? Did they note SOREM or a low REM latency? It's generally 60-120 minutes. My study rated me at 6 minutes.

As I posted above I am fine during the day. I sometimes take a nap after lunch if nothing is going on. I have been on CPAP since 2006 and before then I had the symptoms of sleep deprivation especially hallucinations or sleep paralysis while in bed. I had a sleep study a few months ago to get re-certified to get supplies and a new APAP machine due to a change in insurance companies (I retired and I am now on my Wife's insurance). They had a hard time qualifying me because my apnea is very mild. I never really talked to my doctor or the sleep doctor they just sent a new script to the DME. Maybe I should schedule a appointment with my doctor or the sleep doctor to discuss what is going on.

Rickv wrote:As I posted above I am fine during the day. I sometimes take a nap after lunch if nothing is going on. I have been on CPAP since 2006 and before then I had the symptoms of sleep deprivation especially hallucinations or sleep paralysis while in bed. I had a sleep study a few months ago to get re-certified to get supplies and a new APAP machine due to a change in insurance companies (I retired and I am now on my Wife's insurance). They had a hard time qualifying me because my apnea is very mild. I never really talked to my doctor or the sleep doctor they just sent a new script to the DME. Maybe I should schedule a appointment with my doctor or the sleep doctor to discuss what is going on.

What was your CPAP prescribed for? Sorry if I missed it earlier. I wonder if you may have been misdiagnosed earlier.
Low REM latency, + paralysis and hallucinations definitely sounds like narcolepsy. I would certainly recommend you discuss this with your doctor, granted, there is no cure at this time, just treatment of symptoms.

My advice would be to find something that helps you sleep. For me, sugar before bed knocks me right out, but I will still wake up, and still have the dreams. I'm looking into MJ as a sleep aid, since it can be prescribed here legally. It will send me into a deep dreamless sleep.

ironhands wrote:

Rickv wrote:As I posted above I am fine during the day. I sometimes take a nap after lunch if nothing is going on. I have been on CPAP since 2006 and before then I had the symptoms of sleep deprivation especially hallucinations or sleep paralysis while in bed. I had a sleep study a few months ago to get re-certified to get supplies and a new APAP machine due to a change in insurance companies (I retired and I am now on my Wife's insurance). They had a hard time qualifying me because my apnea is very mild. I never really talked to my doctor or the sleep doctor they just sent a new script to the DME. Maybe I should schedule a appointment with my doctor or the sleep doctor to discuss what is going on.

What was your CPAP prescribed for? Sorry if I missed it earlier. I wonder if you may have been misdiagnosed earlier.
Low REM latency, + paralysis and hallucinations definitely sounds like narcolepsy. I would certainly recommend you discuss this with your doctor, granted, there is no cure at this time, just treatment of symptoms.

My advice would be to find something that helps you sleep. For me, sugar before bed knocks me right out, but I will still wake up, and still have the dreams. I'm looking into MJ as a sleep aid, since it can be prescribed here legally. It will send me into a deep dreamless sleep.

The thing is after I started on CPAP paralysis and hallucinations went away. Just recently though I have started waking up about 30 minutes after going to sleep and sometimes have trouble falling back asleep. I have always started dreaming as soon as I fall asleep. Actually last night I slept for 1.5 hours before waking up and was able to rollover and fall right back to sleep.

it was likely improving your sleep quality a bit, might have had some mild apnea. Very strange, I'd definitely speak to your doctor about it for more info, and possibly a referral to a neurologist

Ricky, a lot may depend on the content of your dreams.
For example, before cpap, I had mostly dreams involving strenuous physical activity, to the point of exhaustion,
and beyond. I believe I was having oxygen desats. If your dreams are very physical, maybe your pressure is too low,
or you are mouth leaking significantly.

ironhands wrote:it was likely improving your sleep quality a bit, might have had some mild apnea. Very strange, I'd definitely speak to your doctor about it for more info, and possibly a referral to a neurologist

No it improved it a lot, before I started CPAP I would be fatigued a lot during the day since I started the CPAP I feel great during the day. But you are right I need to speak with my doctor.

chunkyfrog wrote:Ricky, a lot may depend on the content of your dreams.
For example, before cpap, I had mostly dreams involving strenuous physical activity, to the point of exhaustion,
and beyond. I believe I was having oxygen desats. If your dreams are very physical, maybe your pressure is too low,
or you are mouth leaking significantly.

No I actually have normal dreams usually along the lines if things I have seen or done during the previous day. I have Auto CPAP machine and it is set 4 to 20. The only time I mouth leak or snore is when I am on my back or have been drinking a lot and 95% of the time I am on my side. The Wife says she thinks Darth Vader is in bed next to her when I mouth leak or snore .

Many of us have found that placing the minimum pressure of an APAP up to within a cm or two of what we need to prevent apneas is a comfortable and more effective way to run an APAP than running it the standard spread of 4 to 20. For example, if my sleep test showed I need 9 cm to prevent apneas, I might choose to raise my minimum to 7 or 8.

jnk wrote:Many of us have found that placing the minimum pressure of an APAP up to within a cm or two of what we need to prevent apneas is a comfortable and more effective way to run an APAP than running it the standard spread of 4 to 20. For example, if my sleep test showed I need 9 cm to prevent apneas, I might choose to raise my minimum to 7 or 8.

The pressures were set according to the script by the RT. I actually bumped em up to what I had my old machine (a Resmed S8) set at 7.5 to 11.5. Last night I set em back to the original numbers and it seemed better.

Many of us have found that judging numbers is best done in blocks of two week averages, or so. But yeah, I would always choose comfort over a few AHI points, when it comes to an auto, unless the lower AHI made a big difference in how in felt overall during the day for a few weeks.

We can only get our sleep as good as we can get it, but no better. Sounds to me like you will find the way to get the best sleep possible.

Posting some screenshots for Pugsy to see would probably be my next step, were it me.

jnk wrote:Many of us have found that judging numbers is best done in blocks of two week averages, or so. But yeah, I would always choose comfort over a few AHI points, when it comes to an auto, unless the lower AHI made a big difference in how in felt overall during the day for a few weeks.

We can only get our sleep as good as we can get it, but no better. Sounds to me like you will find the way to get the best sleep possible.

Posting some screenshots for Pugsy to see would probably be my next step, were it me.

I have some screenshot just can't figure out how to post em.

lets see if i can help. i am really new to posting screenshots so no guarantees.

1. get a photobucket account
2. upload your screenshot to photobucket from your desktop (self explanatory)
3. click on the image you want to put on cpaptalk in photobucket (one click-just highlight it)
4. on the right side of the screen, it gives you options, email, html, slideshow
5.i choose slideshow-click on the slideshow box and you will get a message when copied
6. go back into your browser and paste
7. preview your message and see if the pic is there
8.post

Here are Pugsy's instructions from another thread to someone else:

Upload the image to a host site. I use Photobucket it is free, there are others.
Once the image is uploaded then copy the ENTIRE IMG address. Be sure to include the opening and closing IMG in brackets. Paste that copied address into a post here.
If you want to use Photobucket they provide a box with the various url addresses and you just choose the last one in the box.
Copy/paste that last line url address into the body of your post.
Use the preview button. If you can't see the image try again because if you can't see it we can't.

Thanks oak and jnk. I have Photbucket account just thought since they were small files I could just upload em from my PC.