To Sleep, Perchance to Dream...

[Velma]

Most nights I dream. Generally, I do not remember those dreams beyond snatches of color and sound. On occasion, I do remember a bit more. Last night was one of those times.

Aliens had finally come to our planet. They were asking me why they should not destroy the human race. I really could not come up with a good reason why they should refrain. There was more, but that is all I can remember.

Dreams are strange.

[Bad Penny II]

I don't see why we shouldn't be left alone to destroy our selves.
Fucking aliens.

[Velma]

If the aliens destroyed us, then maybe the flora and fauna would be spared.

Anyone else have any odd dreams?

[Essie Mae]

The few dreams I remember are so ridiculous you'd think I was making it up. Two of the more sensible ones are the one I had in my teens for a few nights running was that we'd moved out of our house and were living in the garage. It varied slightly when the bathroom was moved into the garage. Now sometimes I dream that the living and dining room contents are moved into the garden and I know that if I want to watch TV, that's where I will have to do it. It does seem a bit inconvenient, but not particularly surprising in the dream.

[xSilverPhinx]

I like the title you've given this thread! As for whether I have strange dreams, it's a definite yes. There are a few recurrent themes: sometimes I'm able to fly, but I usually have to carry extra weight such as another person to safety, which makes sustained flight more difficult. Other times it feels like I'm trying to walk in a medium which offers a lot of resistance, such as waist-high in water, but I have to get somewhere urgently. Another common theme in my dreams is I'm trying to take a written test but the room is dark and I can hardly make out the letters on the page.

I have bruxism so painful dreams also happen occasionally. 

These dreams, while I wouldn't consider them extreme enough to be nightmares, do cause me a level of anxiety in my sleep and I sometimes wake up out of breath and with my heart pounding.   

~~~~

Out of curiosity, have you always only remembered bits and pieces of your dreams?

[Tank]

...

Out of curiosity, have you always only remembered bits and pieces of your dreams?

One woudn't know would you?

[Dave]

During the year before my heart attack I had almost nightly nightmares, I would wake up in a state of utter terror and constantly suffered from fatigue, to sit down was to fall aslerp. Had to be careful at work but not unusual for me to literally collapse onto the sofa (after climbing the stairs to my room) and doze for an hour or so after getting home from work.

Did a little research and asked a couple of doctors but fojnd nothing to indicate this was a common precursor to a heart attack. I had suffered cognitive dreaming, where you are asleep but actually aware you are dreaming, and other anomalous dream states for some time. I had also been a light sleeper, always "on guard," and am naturally analytical.

I had evidently been suffering various symptoms of cardiac distress at night, though only breathlessness during the day to start with, until the angjna started. I came to winder if my mental "guard circuits" and analytical bump had been trying to "interpret" the physical symptoms and, typically, coming up with subconcious fantasy solutions.

I still suffer "exertion dreams", running, cycling, climbing etc, and awake slightky short of breath. But, which causes which I cannot tell. Even bought a recording pulse oxymeter unit but that gave no clues. Trouble is there is a bit of the brain that measures blood CO2, it is known for this to give false readings in cardiac cases, the body possibly then reacts with hyperventilation that feels like breathlessness, but is, sort of, the opposite

So, Silver, do you think your dreams have a physical origin in your bruxism that your unconcious does its best to interpret? This is a very interesting area!

There is a BBC  series called "All in the mind", I think there should be a balancing program called "Not all in the mind"!

[xSilverPhinx]

...

Out of curiosity, have you always only remembered bits and pieces of your dreams?

One woudn't know would you?

I was wondering if there was a phase in her life in which she remembered them in more detail.

[xSilverPhinx]

So, Silver, do you think your dreams have a physical origin in your bruxism that your unconcious does its best to interpret? This is a very interesting area!

I think it could be! Maybe something underlying bruxism...stress perhaps? It's been a very long time since I've had my cortisol (stress hormone) levels tested, so I can really only speculate. Maybe dreams may reflect that state if you're feeling more stressed in general and aren't able to cope as well with whatever situation is causing it.

I do occasionally dream I'm trying to unclench my jaw, I think those are the only cases in which I'm aware that I'm dreaming but find it difficult to control it or wake up. Other times I dream I've broken a tooth or some teeth, and wake up with my jaw muscles and head aching, which I'm not aware of during sleep, so I think you may be onto something there.

[Dave]

So, Silver, do you think your dreams have a physical origin in your bruxism that your unconcious does its best to interpret? This is a very interesting area!

I think it could be! Maybe something underlying bruxism...stress perhaps? It's been a very long time since I've had my cortisol (stress hormone) levels tested, so I can really only speculate. Maybe dreams may reflect that state if you're feeling more stressed in general and aren't able to cope as well with whatever situation is causing it.

I do occasionally dream I'm trying to unclench my jaw, I think those are the only cases in which I'm aware that I'm dreaming but find it difficult to control it or wake up. Other times I dream I've broken a tooth or some teeth, and wake up with my jaw muscles and head aching, which I'm not aware of during sleep, so I think you may be onto something there.

In cognitive dreaming, where part of your mind is aware thst you are dreaming, you cannot control the content of the dream. However you can sometimes stop the dream and let it re-run . . . Several times over! I have had "annoying" dreams that run on the same lines every time, I actually wake up really angry. Seems that, sometimes, stress and other hormones can be released during sleep that have effects on your waking state. But they can also have a nasty effect on your cardiac system . . .

That last point is why cardiac wards and monitors are so often badly run and designed, those bleeping monitors, ringing bells, and sometimes noisy staff, do not always make for restful nights and healthy hearts! About time all alarms and help buttons alerted the nurses via Wfifi pagers or mobile phones in their pockets on night duty, no noise on the ward.

Later: there is a missing link above: if I am disturbed by repeated noises whilst asleep, semi-woken several times, I tend to be like a bear with a sore head all the next day. Not good for cardiac patients. Nor the staff...

[Velma]

Out of curiosity, have you always only remembered bits and pieces of your dreams?

I've had a few dreams in which I've remembered most of the dream. Most of the time, though, it is only fragments that have faded by the time I've managed to find my way to the kitchen to make of cup of tea.