Please do *not* tell me I am dreaming & forgetting my dreams!! I know for a fact that I rarely get any REM sleep if at all. Read on for details!!

Here’s some background on my personal experience with sleep:

1. I never wake up rested. At all. Except.. [see #4]
2. No matter how interested I am in my college class material or whatever else I’m doing, I get tired & sleepy, then I doze in & out of naps right where I sit. This happens in the morning & afternoon alike, sometimes even in the evening.
3. When I remember a dream, I wake up drenched in sweat. It can be the most calming & relaxing dream imaginable & I still wake up drenched.
4. Only when I remember a dream & wake up drenched do I feel even slightly rested. This happens maybe once a month.
5. It often takes me 30-60 min to fall asleep, unless I am dead tired already. It doesn’t matter how much or how little I think or let my mind wander, I can’t fall asleep. To be honest, 30-45 min is a blessing for me b/c even just 2 yrs ago, it took me 1-2 hrs *every* night without fail.

I know that I get practically NO REM sleep at all in 99% of my nights b/c:
1. I only feel rested perhaps once or twice a month.
2. I only remember a dream or wake up drenched in sweat once or twice a month.
3. I only feel rested when I have memory of a dream *and* wake up drenched.
.:. Therefore, by inductive reasoning, I feel it is safe to assume that the rest of the time, I either do not dream at all or experience utterly useless REM.
If I experience any REM at all, then I must not go into the deeper sleep beyond REM, where a lot of restful sleep takes place.

So my question is:
What can I do to increase my chances of dreaming restful REM & deep sleep on at least a semi-regular basis? My life is suffering due to lack of rest!!!!!
EDIT; Forgot to mention that I am seriously considering the possibility that I have a sleeping disorder (the 1st answer said something similar before I got a chance to add this. I’ll research hypersomnia, thanks). Anyone else have any other ideas on what it could be or where I could start looking?

I also want to add that the chance of it being a mental/mood disorder is pretty slim. It would have been a factor even just 1.5 yrs ago, but these days, I’m strong, pretty happy, & mentally healthy.
EDIT:
Oh & another thing. Does sleeping on your back, side, or stomach have any effect on REM? I may have heard once that it has an effect.

I find it much much harder to fall asleep on my back & a little harder on my side. So I never fall asleep laying face-up & I usually lay on my stomach rather than my side.

Technorati Tags: amp, class material, deep sleep, dreams, memory of a dream, naps, personal experience, rem sleep, restful sleep, sleep, sleeping disorder, sweat

In need of some suggestions for a natural sleeping aid.
When bed time arrives, I normally lay in bed and watch some television until I become very tired, and then I fall into a deep restful sleep.
The problem arises after I’ve been sleeping for some time.
I just completely wake up after about one hour. I’m wide awake and then go back to sleep. This pattern happens all through the night. I wake up at least 4-6 times each night.
There is NEVER a night when I sleep straight through.
This has been going on for about 4 months, and yes I’ve tried to pin point some type of change in my lifestyle, but cannot put my finger on anything specificly.

During the day, thank goodness I don’t become tired, but believe me, by 10pm I am ready for the bed and then the same ritual begins once again.

Would greatly appreciate any healthy suggestions!!

Technorati Tags: 4 months, bed time, goodness, google, lifestyle, restful sleep, sleep, specificly, television

Okay so I just moved into a new apartment in late October and the place is awesome, big, centrally located, just like my old apartment. Both are located downtown san francisco. anyway the problem i am having in the new place is that I am not getting that good old REM sleep. I’m not sleeping deeply. The sleep I am getting is not refreshing, not deep at all. I used to sleep like a log, sleep through an ambulance blaring, sleep though police sirens but not anymore….

I am not a believer in ghosts or aliens but maybe someone was killed in this room? Am I getting too far ahead of myself? And I am not crazy because my boyfriend doesn’t get restful sleep there either, he says he even feels a "presence" in the room. Anyway, I decided to move the mattress to the floor so see if that would alleviate the problem and it helped slightly but in a very small way.

So I went over to my parents house and AHH i slept so good again. I then went to my boyfriend’s place and, I slept good again. What is wrong with my apartment? Is it haunted? What’s going on?
has anyone went though anything like this? If so, what can I do to get my old sleep cycle back?

Thank you!

Technorati Tags: aliens, ambulance, believer, ghosts, google, mattress, new apartment, old apartment, parents, police sirens, presence, rem sleep, restful sleep, san francisco, sleep

I dream throughout my sleep. Let me preface this by stating I know about REM sleep and the cycles of sleep, etc. Doesn’t work like that with me–not for quite awhile. From the moment my head hits the pillow I am already in an internal monologue, which trancends into dreaming.
I have woke up throughout the night several times dreaming a certain dream and it continues each time I fall back to sleep.
My dream life almost challenges my real life. I vivdly remember each dream. Most dreams involve family or friends in some capacity-some are romantic, some are of a same quasi-real place, many are of me on a mission to find something or be somewhere in a hurry. I always seem to be convincing someone of something in my dreams. Thank goodness my dreams aren’t scary or violent, though many times the feeling is that I have to do something or there will be dire consequences. Bottom line is I don’t get a lot of restful sleep. My mind never rests. Anyone similiar? Any thoughts?
Oh–and I am a night owl. I usually don’t get to bed until 2am – many times later. I think best and am most creative at night.

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For years now, I’ve had a problem sleeping. Most nights I only get about six hours sleep (on a good night) with my usual average being maybe three or four.

I’ve been to doctors, only to be prescribed medication that nearly killed me (no exaggeration there) and then when they found out I was allergic to it, I found out that there was nothing else I could take.

So as I sit up this early April First…I find myself asking a stupid question.

What’s the easiest way, without medication, to cure my insomnia and help me sleep? I need the deep sleep, the restful sleep. Something I’ve not had in…well years.

Technorati Tags: april first, deep sleep, doctors, exaggeration, google, Insomnia, medication, prescribed medication, restful sleep, six hours, sleep, stupid question

Is there any studies that document the effect that listening to music while sleeping has on REM cycles?

What changes have you noticed while listening to music at night? More/less restful sleep? More/less dreaming?

Technorati Tags: google, listening to music, restful sleep, sleep

I have chronic sleep problems (over 10 years). I have extreme difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. I’m seeing a sleep specialist next week, but I’d appreciate some feedback on what to ask.

I had as sleep study done 10 years ago and was diagnosed with hypopnia (not apnea). CPAP seems to help, and is tolerable.

It’s hard to deal with the CPAP when you can’t fall asleep for hours, so I often fall asleep without it and it does little good.

I’ve been taking Ambien for 5 years, but it’s loosing effectiveness. Now it causes me to loose memory, and I’m getting up and doing things during the night with no memory.

I’ve gotten fed up with that side effect, and had my doctor switch me to Lunesta this week. It doesn’t have the knock-out punch of Ambien, but it seems like I’m still awake all night. I’m asleep at some level, but it sure feels like I’m awake.

I think all the Ambien does is make me forget I can’t sleep.

Any advice?
Hypopnia is where your breathing doesn’t stop, but it is shallow or slow. In my case it wasn’t impacting my blood oxygen saturation, but was waking my body enough that I rarely entered the "restful sleep" phase.

I’ve tried melatonin before, but it didn’t seem to help. Actually, I’ve read all sorts of books for answers or remedies, but nothing has been a magic bullet.

I’ve also had surgery to correct a deviated septum. That helped a little.

I think I’ve tried about everything. I’m hoping someone has some new cutting edge ideas. Right now I’m thinking of restricting myself to 4 hours of sleep a day. Maybe I just wasn’t meant to sleep a normal 7-8 hours.

Technorati Tags: 10 years, all sorts, ambien, blood oxygen saturation, cpap, cutting edge, extreme difficulty, google, hours of sleep, hypopnia, knock out punch, lunesta, magic bullet, melatonin, memory, restful sleep, septum, sleep, sleep problems, sleep study

I have very un-restful sleep and repeatedly wake up during the night (especially at about 3 or 4 am)and lie awake for ages before i can drift into un-restful sleep again. I’m always really tired during the day because of it but am never tired when i go to bed (frustrating!)

Any tips on getting better sleep ?
My mum uses lavender spray .. does this work ?
What do you use ?

thanks xx

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