Do you still have dreams? For me it's very rare to have a dream. It usually only happens when symptoms improve. But it's still unclear what exactly causes my lack of dreams. Similarly, I have trouble imagining objects or faces. I can picture someone's face in my mind, but it fades really fast and then I'm stuck with just 'knowing' how they look like. I'm not sure that's normal.
Anyway, was curious if I'm the only one here who has trouble with these things.
I have nightmares when my bp starts crashing in my sleep
from my reading in neuroscience i think its a biological necessity for us all to dream
i seem to recall there were studies in the 60's where volunteers were woken every time they went into REM sleep (the stage of sleep where most dreaming occurs) thus depriving them of REM sleep and dreams - but still allowing them to sleep in other stages. 100% of subjects became psychotic within something like12 days!
so we all dream to some extent every night - and its more a case of whether we remember dreaming or not - and by definition we are supposed to be unconscious when its happening so the default is we will not remember them as a rule.
of course that may be the default - but there are edge cases where we are moving rapidly from unconscious sleep to consciousness and back again where we often have some recollection of the dream - and there is also lucid dreaming where we are aware we are dreaming while its occurring - so there are no absolutes - and people can also train themselves to retain and recall more of their dreams over time - for instance by keeping a dream journal they record dreams in when they first wake up.
i have had periods where dreams are super crazy with the flow of the dream so chaotic that my conscious mind struggles to make any coherent sense of it - and other times where i know i was dreaming - but the dreams were so mundane - nothing memorable seemed to happen and it was almost like there was nothing to recall - just reruns of mundane things from my day.
mostly i don't remember them - but i think its normal and not something to be concerned about
ill since Feb 2015 – Lyme (Armin), Mycoplasma Pn, suspected Bart
Bart now conclusively diagnosed by microscopy see https://tinyurl.com/2eatxxz7
60% recovered - most useful approaches:
=Wholefood Keto Diet
=Exercise – initially walking – now weights too
=Buhner Lyme herbs and co-infect herbs
=Immune modulation- Ivermectin and LDN
=Methylene Blue (Bart)
+T4 and T3 for thyroid
i seem to recall there were studies in the 60's where volunteers were woken every time they went into REM sleep (the stage of sleep where most dreaming occurs) thus depriving them of REM sleep and dreams - but still allowing them to sleep in other stages. 100% of subjects became psychotic within something like12 days!
so we all dream to some extent every night - and its more a case of whether we remember dreaming or not - and by definition we are supposed to be unconscious when its happening so the default is we will not remember them as a rule.
of course that may be the default - but there are edge cases where we are moving rapidly from unconscious sleep to consciousness and back again where we often have some recollection of the dream - and there is also lucid dreaming where we are aware we are dreaming while its occurring - so there are no absolutes - and people can also train themselves to retain and recall more of their dreams over time - for instance by keeping a dream journal they record dreams in when they first wake up.
i have had periods where dreams are super crazy with the flow of the dream so chaotic that my conscious mind struggles to make any coherent sense of it - and other times where i know i was dreaming - but the dreams were so mundane - nothing memorable seemed to happen and it was almost like there was nothing to recall - just reruns of mundane things from my day.
mostly i don't remember them - but i think its normal and not something to be concerned about
ill since Feb 2015 – Lyme (Armin), Mycoplasma Pn, suspected Bart
Bart now conclusively diagnosed by microscopy see https://tinyurl.com/2eatxxz7
60% recovered - most useful approaches:
=Wholefood Keto Diet
=Exercise – initially walking – now weights too
=Buhner Lyme herbs and co-infect herbs
=Immune modulation- Ivermectin and LDN
=Methylene Blue (Bart)
+T4 and T3 for thyroid
I have noticed this also. The stress of these infections definitely disrupts REM sleep.
One of the big issues is that the opioid effect of beta-endorphin suppresses REM sleep. Also adrenaline causes nightmares as Bailey describes.
I've definitely noticed a rebound of dreaming when taking low dose naltrexone. Recently I did another round of sodium valproate and almost immediately got symptoms of opioid withdrawal from it. Not only changes to sleep, but anxiety and diarrhea. This occurs because blocking histone deacetylase affects the opioid tolerance mechanism.
Too much of these stress hormones is bad, having negative effects not only on sleep, but immune function, blood sugar, and other things.
If you want to try treating this pharmacologically, LDN is a good place to start. If you're getting nightmares, then try low dose hydrocortisone to suppress the epinephrine. If that's not enough then maybe sodium valproate. Valproate can have some pretty potent effects though, so maybe start with some other things before you move on to the stronger stuff.
One of the big issues is that the opioid effect of beta-endorphin suppresses REM sleep. Also adrenaline causes nightmares as Bailey describes.
I've definitely noticed a rebound of dreaming when taking low dose naltrexone. Recently I did another round of sodium valproate and almost immediately got symptoms of opioid withdrawal from it. Not only changes to sleep, but anxiety and diarrhea. This occurs because blocking histone deacetylase affects the opioid tolerance mechanism.
Too much of these stress hormones is bad, having negative effects not only on sleep, but immune function, blood sugar, and other things.
If you want to try treating this pharmacologically, LDN is a good place to start. If you're getting nightmares, then try low dose hydrocortisone to suppress the epinephrine. If that's not enough then maybe sodium valproate. Valproate can have some pretty potent effects though, so maybe start with some other things before you move on to the stronger stuff.
There are techniques to remember dreams better that you can search for. I did that when experimenting with lucid dreaming when I was younger.
This I know..... I can have an entire night of poor sleep, but if I fall asleep for several hours before morning and experience dreams, I awake totally refreshed.
Oh wow, do I dream!
A long time ago I trained myself to remember all my dreams. All I did was say to myself "Denise, when I wake up I will remember my dreams"... I kept a pad and pen on my nightstand and would write down so many dreams as soon as I woke.
Then I tried to analyze them, but I wasn't good at that because most of them didn't make any sense, duh!!
Denise
21 years well ~ used Dr. Jernigan's protocol from his book about Biological Medicine (used Borrelogen, Microbojen and Neuro-Antitox). Detoxing, drink Green Vibrance. I come back to help others for others helped me when I was sick. Pay it forward!
http://javuviews.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/how-i-became-better-from-chronic-lyme
A long time ago I trained myself to remember all my dreams. All I did was say to myself "Denise, when I wake up I will remember my dreams"... I kept a pad and pen on my nightstand and would write down so many dreams as soon as I woke.
Then I tried to analyze them, but I wasn't good at that because most of them didn't make any sense, duh!!
Denise
21 years well ~ used Dr. Jernigan's protocol from his book about Biological Medicine (used Borrelogen, Microbojen and Neuro-Antitox). Detoxing, drink Green Vibrance. I come back to help others for others helped me when I was sick. Pay it forward!
http://javuviews.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/how-i-became-better-from-chronic-lyme
Yeah I've gone for years without being aware of dreaming...I dream occasionally now if I'm feeling good but it's always very vague, more along the lines of knowing I had a dream rather than knowing what it was about. It's extremely rare that I'm able to recount a dream
I forgot what dreaming in sleep was like.
Up until a year ago, I had not had a dream and at least 10 years. Even after 14 months of antibiotics of various types (six different ones in total ) I still no longer dreamed in my sweep.
Then four months ago, I tried LDN you start in a low dose and work your way up 1/2 a milligram every month or so.
Most people have very bizarre dreams when they first start, which is why you need to increase the dose slowly. I had all kinds of dreams but not nightmares.
Now that I’ve been at the maximum dose of 5 mg for about three months I dream occasionally and sleep quite a bit - problem with LDN for me as I never have enough sleep now even though I’m actually sleeping. I’m always tired.
I was more wide awake during the daytimefor the last decade with three hours of sleep per night on average, which should not have been enough.
Oh well…….
Up until a year ago, I had not had a dream and at least 10 years. Even after 14 months of antibiotics of various types (six different ones in total ) I still no longer dreamed in my sweep.
Then four months ago, I tried LDN you start in a low dose and work your way up 1/2 a milligram every month or so.
Most people have very bizarre dreams when they first start, which is why you need to increase the dose slowly. I had all kinds of dreams but not nightmares.
Now that I’ve been at the maximum dose of 5 mg for about three months I dream occasionally and sleep quite a bit - problem with LDN for me as I never have enough sleep now even though I’m actually sleeping. I’m always tired.
I was more wide awake during the daytimefor the last decade with three hours of sleep per night on average, which should not have been enough.
Oh well…….
I always get nightmares if I eat in the evening, could it have somdthing to do with blood pressure..?
Could be blood pressure, or could be reactive hypoglycemia or some other blood sugar problem. Have you checked your blood sugar?
No i will look into it.
I have quite low bp tjough, 90/60.
And my resting puls is 30
I have quite low bp tjough, 90/60.
And my resting puls is 30
interestingly - we are actually supposed to be "paralysed" or immobilised while we are asleep - but not typically aware that is happening.
this is an evolutionary adaptation in all mammals to prevent us moving around when sleeping / dreaming
and for example is the mechanism that fails when we sleep walk. in that case we are mobile but not aware - rather than immobile and aware
quick explainer
"We are temporarily immobilized during sleep (specifically during REM sleep) by a protective mechanism called REM atonia. This state safely disconnects your brain from your muscles, ensuring you don't physically act out vivid dreams or injure yourself while your mind is wildly active."
typically we are not aware we are immobilised - so it would seem being aware that we cannot move while asleep is the real anomaly here.
these infections cause all sorts of dysfunctions in the CNS and in particular in the deep parts of the brain that control these autonomic type functions - sleep, heart rate, blood pressure etc
likely via oxidative stress and inflammation pathways as Rainy indicates in that thread - and perhaps by microcirculation issues also (lyme, bart and babs all alter microcirculation) - which drive the former.
ref the sleeping / dreaming nightmares etc - its a known thing that drops in blood sugar during the night can cause a surge of adrenaline that can in turn cause a variety of unwanted symptoms - like broken sleep, nightmares, anxiety, terror, waking etc.
it could be worth experimenting with different foods - especially those that provide longer vs shorter spikes in blood glucose - or those that support short chain fatty acid production. typically in the early hours of the night, many hrs from our last meal, as blood glucose falls we start to support our brains with short chain fatty acids from fermentation of fibre in our large bowel. this appears to be the natural order of things - from when our diets contains 4x more fibre than they do today - so it could be that in people who are ill - they are particularly sensitive
ill since Feb 2015 – Lyme (Armin), Mycoplasma Pn, suspected Bart
Bart now conclusively diagnosed by microscopy see https://tinyurl.com/2eatxxz7
60% recovered - most useful approaches:
=Wholefood Keto Diet
=Exercise – initially walking – now weights too
=Buhner Lyme herbs and co-infect herbs
=Immune modulation- Ivermectin and LDN
=Methylene Blue (Bart)
+T4 and T3 for thyroid
this is an evolutionary adaptation in all mammals to prevent us moving around when sleeping / dreaming
and for example is the mechanism that fails when we sleep walk. in that case we are mobile but not aware - rather than immobile and aware
quick explainer
"We are temporarily immobilized during sleep (specifically during REM sleep) by a protective mechanism called REM atonia. This state safely disconnects your brain from your muscles, ensuring you don't physically act out vivid dreams or injure yourself while your mind is wildly active."
typically we are not aware we are immobilised - so it would seem being aware that we cannot move while asleep is the real anomaly here.
these infections cause all sorts of dysfunctions in the CNS and in particular in the deep parts of the brain that control these autonomic type functions - sleep, heart rate, blood pressure etc
likely via oxidative stress and inflammation pathways as Rainy indicates in that thread - and perhaps by microcirculation issues also (lyme, bart and babs all alter microcirculation) - which drive the former.
ref the sleeping / dreaming nightmares etc - its a known thing that drops in blood sugar during the night can cause a surge of adrenaline that can in turn cause a variety of unwanted symptoms - like broken sleep, nightmares, anxiety, terror, waking etc.
it could be worth experimenting with different foods - especially those that provide longer vs shorter spikes in blood glucose - or those that support short chain fatty acid production. typically in the early hours of the night, many hrs from our last meal, as blood glucose falls we start to support our brains with short chain fatty acids from fermentation of fibre in our large bowel. this appears to be the natural order of things - from when our diets contains 4x more fibre than they do today - so it could be that in people who are ill - they are particularly sensitive
ill since Feb 2015 – Lyme (Armin), Mycoplasma Pn, suspected Bart
Bart now conclusively diagnosed by microscopy see https://tinyurl.com/2eatxxz7
60% recovered - most useful approaches:
=Wholefood Keto Diet
=Exercise – initially walking – now weights too
=Buhner Lyme herbs and co-infect herbs
=Immune modulation- Ivermectin and LDN
=Methylene Blue (Bart)
+T4 and T3 for thyroid
Curiously, I’ve discovered that I can dream every time I drink a lot of apple cider vinegar. I occasionally use it as an anti-fungal.