I sleep all night in REM

Posted , 7 users are following.

I think I found the problem with me. My dreaming is so active and vivid all night long that I wake up in the morning extremely tired. This has been most of my life. Has anyone found a way to supress the REM cycle and instead of REM, sleep in SWS slow wave sleep? My research so far says that GABA might lessen the REM sleep. I ordered some but someone I know said it didn't work for him. I feel many people have this problem but I don't know how common this discussion is. Thanks!

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Posted

    James, do you actually know you spend all your sleep in the REM part of your cycle? Vivid dream recall doesn't mean anything in itself. The only way to find this out is to get yourself referred to a sleep lab. There are various drugs that will suppress REM sleep, but you need to take them under medical supervision, not order possibly ineffective copies over the internet.

    • Posted

      I don't know where you live, but I do know that if you're in the UK it won't be easy to get a sleep study.

      If you can't get a referral, try and work on the triggers for all this dreaming. I've had exceptionally vivid dreams all my life too, but I don't interpret that as having only REM sleep. Dream recall varies widely from one person to another.

      Sometimes our activities or what we eat or drink late in the evening can have an effect on dreaming. If I drink too much wine in the evening, that's a sure way to give me really weird dreams. Ditto getting too warm in the night. I always try to sleep in a cool bedroom under very light bedcovers, even in winter. Try and identify what factors make your dreaming more vivid.

      The other possibility is to try and enjoy your dreams! I admit I find mine absolutely fascinating, albeit a little tiring sometimes. Maybe you could try keeping a dream journal - though you have to write them up as soon as you wake, or they tend to evaporate quite quickly. Did you know Robert Louis Stevenson is said to have written Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde largely from his dreams? Apparently he was able to continue the story from one night to the next.

      I think people worry a bit too much about their dreams sometimes. Try and relax - they won't do you any harm. Vivid dreaming runs in families, btw. My father was the same right up to the end of his life.

  • Posted

    Hi James12452, are you still experiencing this problem because i been having the excessive dreaming thing for like 9 months now and it is driving me crazy. Hoping to hear back from you soon! When i wake up my eyes feel exhausted and sore feeling, and this feeling fluctuates throughout the day.

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