Vivid Dreams - Constantly Waking Up

[Justin28]

Hello,

I have an issue I have been dealing with now for over a year, which is that I have very vivid dreams throughout the entire night, which causes me to wake up multiple times at night. I usually get back to sleep quickly but will wake up shortly after with more dreams. Its a constant repeated cycyle.

I have tried things like better bed routines, reading a book, no phones, sleeping early, epsom bath, supplements like magnesium, GABA, 5htp, glycine and none of them have worked, the only thing that can help a little is a benzo, but I definitely dont want to take that every night.

Any suggestions?

 

[MATD]

Do you sleep on your back? I find that my dreams are more vivid when I do. Also, I think it depends on how bad your anxiety is. When mine was really bad, I had horrid dreams and often acted out physically. One night I hit my ex where it hurts the most because I was having one of those dream states. Another thing is medication can cause these dreams too. Plenty here to ponder on.

 

[Justin28]

i sleep on my side mainly, but its definitely worse if I end up on my back. I dont really take any medication, so I do believe its mainly from anxiety, but if there is any supplement or method to help reduce them, im definitely open to try anything.

 

[Jonathan123]

Hello,

I have an issue I have been dealing with now for over a year, which is that I have very vivid dreams throughout the entire night, which causes me to wake up multiple times at night. I usually get back to sleep quickly but will wake up shortly after with more dreams. Its a constant repeated cycyle.

I have tried things like better bed routines, reading a book, no phones, sleeping early, epsom bath, supplements like magnesium, GABA, 5htp, glycine and none of them have worked, the only thing that can help a little is a benzo, but I definitely dont want to take that every night.

Any suggestions?

Your unconscious is telling you something about yourself that you need to listen to. Repeated dreams are like a nagging person who want's answers. I have written about dreams on this and other sites, but there is still a tendency to dismiss them as 'just dreams'. There is no such thing as 'just dreams'. Jung and Freud both gave great prominence to dreams is psychotherapy. The message is sometime plain and clear, other times it can be obscure. It takes a dream analysis to work out what is being said. When we sleep our conscious mind goes into lockdown and our unconscious takes over. The unconscious is unbiased and not subject to judgement as is our conscious mind, so it speaks freely, but in symbols. That is the language of the unconscious. So much help is lost by dismissing dreams as just something that happens in sleep. Why do you think it happens? What's the point other than sending you messages about yourself? It can be a good idea to write down your dreams as soon as you wake. If you can find a counsellor who understands dreams then so much the better. Never be upset by dreams. There is the apparent content and the latent content. You may dream of being chased by a Tiger! Now that is apparent and can be frightening, but the dream may be saying, 'what are you running away from?'
The story of the man pursued by a Tiger comes to mind. He ran and ran and all the time the Tiger kept up with him. Exhausted he turned and faced the Tiger. It stopped, then began to shrink until the size of a mouse and scuttled off into the corner. Facing and accepting are still so important in recovery.

 

[E.B]

All i can say is that i have noticed at different times when anxiety may be high or when i may have missed my med too much i noticed more vivid dreams. When i went off meds a few years back cold turkey i had vivid dreams that would affect my feeling into the day...but this is coming from some one who can be very affected from there dreams.

 

[Izthewiz]

Are you taking any SSri? Like
Zoloft or ?

 

[Camden]

Hello,

I have an issue I have been dealing with now for over a year, which is that I have very vivid dreams throughout the entire night, which causes me to wake up multiple times at night. I usually get back to sleep quickly but will wake up shortly after with more dreams. Its a constant repeated cycyle.

I have tried things like better bed routines, reading a book, no phones, sleeping early, epsom bath, supplements like magnesium, GABA, 5htp, glycine and none of them have worked, the only thing that can help a little is a benzo, but I definitely dont want to take that every night.

Any suggestions?

It sounds like your sleep cycles are being disrupted. Sleep stages are either NREM or REM type sleep. With each period of REM sleep, rapid eye movements (REM) occur and dreams take place. The brain is as active as it is while you are awake during REM sleep.

I'm not a doctor, but I can say from experience that your sleep during the REM periods is not deep enough due to several possibilities. Are you dealing with high levels of stess during the day? Any medications, specifically SSRI's that you take routinely? How is the lighting in your living space?

If so, continuing to manage your sleep quality with bedtime routines is a great start. If you take medications, I would suggest asking your doctor about the possibility of them disrupting your sleep. Always take your medications exactly as directed and don't suddenly quit taking them or change dosage without talking to your doctor.

It sounds like you have a great bedtime routine with reading, limiting screen time, and hot baths. I would recommend looking into over-the-counter melatonin supplements. I would also suggest looking into adjusting the lighting in your bedroom and other living space. LED lights emit some blue wavelengths of light, similar to phone and computer screens, and can detract from your sleep quality. Consider "soft white" LED lights and incandescent lights that can be dimmed to create a soft, sunset like environment.

Hope this helps

 

[Cuchculan]

Everybody dreams. But dreams can vary depending on what our life is like at any given time. If you are going through a tough time, you will probably have these more vivid dreams. All might not agree, but I do, at times, see dreams as a form of healing. It is getting out what is in there. Deep within the subconscious mind. Imagine an onion. Peeling away each layer to get to the core of it. Our dreams can be similar. There is a meaning in there somewhere. Though I do think various dreams are just basic. Part of the day we have just gone through. Then we can have these other deep, dark dreams. Important to note, dreams can never harm you. Never cause you any pain at all. With a bit of practice we can learn to have a good look around our dreams. See everything that is going on. Not easily done. To be aware that you are in a dream. But it can be done. I kept track of my dreams for years. I made them part of my life. Is no lie that I knew when I was in a dream.

Another interesting thing is a form of meditation used more today. A therapist is fully aware that the longer you meditate the more things will come into your mind. This whole concept of telling people to empty their their minds is all but impossible. So now they use a guided meditation. But the therapist will ask the patient to describe what is on their minds as they meditate. With the awareness that things we fear will probably come to mind much quicker. If we sit still for any amount of time.

I would suggest to try and keep track of your dreams. Write them down. See what is there. But remember we all dream. Good and bad dreams.