Problems AFTER Falling Asleep?

Hi everyone.  I’m not sure if this question is very general or very complex, but here it goes.  I’ve been trying to get treatment for sleep issues for a few years now and I seem to have such an unusual issue that doctors don’t know how to go about it.  In addition, insurance companies typically do not want to do a sleep study, which makes it even more difficult.  I recently got a new insurance provider with where I work, so I plan to try that avenue again but thought I’d reach out to see if there’s perhaps anyone in my shoes as well. 

My issue is not necessarily insomnia but what happens AFTER I fall asleep.  I typically start the dreaming process very early, and once I’m completely asleep I am dreaming non-stop.  I frequently wake up, and each time, I’m exhausted – and I can recall vivid details about multiple dreams I’ve had.  This goes on throughout the night, and by the time I’m awake for the day, I can sometimes recall up to a dozen details about various dreams.  In between waking, I am often completely out of it, hungry, and will eat something and go back to bed.  I will often be reminded of something I consumed during the night only by the wrappers or what’s left over. 

What happens is when I fall asleep, I begin to dream and it’s almost as if I have an awake life and an asleep life.  I am often running, fighting, struggling, or doing something random in my dreams.  I’ve recorded my sleep and I move ALL the time – I’m constantly moving my legs, arms, and even sometimes appear to be speaking.  I tend to bend my knees and move my legs front right to left in that manner each night, regardless of how I sleep (back, stomach, etc). 

Sometimes I awake and feel like I was partially awake for some of the dreams, but that goes beyond the issue really.  Aside from being exhausted enough to not be able to drive, my eyes are bloodshot, I’m hot, thirsty, and get frequent headaches.  I obviously feel like going right back to sleep, but I only endure the same thing again.  This has been going on for at least five years.  The only good thing is I usually wake up pretty quickly and can function like a normal adult, though a little sluggish sometimes.

Recently, I was diagnosed with thyroid problems and oddly enough I became quite an insomniac off and on.  What’s crazy is I’ve learned I feel better on my “insomnia nights” than I do when I sleep because of what I do in my sleep!  The most recent development is I’ve been prescribed a sleeping medication, Ambian, but I’ve not taken it yet because it almost seems as if that would cause essentially what I am trying to avoid…DEEP sleep.  The more tired I am, the worse the symptoms.  Caffeine has actually helped a little bit, off and on, as I don’t seem to sleep “as deep”.  Has anyone heard of this?  Someone online suggested Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD) to me, but obviously a sleep study is where I need to go from here if I can get my insurance to do one!

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