1. < Sleep Health

Anyone wake feeling exhausted after seemingly dreaming all night

Posted by mazeppabob @mazeppabob, Jul 26, 2022

I never wake refreshed/rested. It has been like this for as long as I can remember and I am 77 now,
My sleep medicine DR called it EPIC dreaming. A rare disorder with no known cause or treatment. His only suggestion was to prescribe Modafinil (a stimulant) taken in the morning to perk me up.
I have tried CPAP and other meds to no avail.
I wonder if this is really that rare.

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miphobia | @miphobia | Jun 30 9:05pm
In reply to @extragreenjean "Just came across this discussion after waking up from another night that felt like a whole..." + (show)
@extragreenjean

Just came across this discussion after waking up from another night that felt like a whole year of dreaming! Not sure why I waited so long to Google the issue, which has been annoying and exhausting me for years.

My first question: wondering how many of you have a history of serious childhood trauma, e.g. domestic violence, sexual abuse, etc.? I always had vivid dreams, but they went into serious overdrive the past few years as I began to come to terms with the abuse I suffered decades ago. Haven't really been dreaming about that issue specifically, but plenty of scary and stressful stuff. (I know anxiety can play a part in this issue. No question I have a good bit of that, too.) Tired of feeling so tired when I wake up in the morning!

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From what I gather from many discussion online and from my own experience, I would like to address some of your questions:
1, people were mostly born with it, no matter growing up trauma or not.
2, the dreams are not necessarily nightmares, just very active vivid and you can remember them long after waking up.
3, I myself am not sure if I really wake up "tired" or "refreshed" because as you have experienced this the whole life, you don't have a standard to refer to. You can only know someday you feel worse or better than your other days. So it doesn't really bother me anymore and I learn to function with whatever amount of energy I restore from my sleep.
What I am trying to say is, your problem seem to be very different from what is currently discussed here, and medical treatment can potentially help!

REPLY
SusanEllen66 | @SusanEllen66 | Jun 30 10:39pm

@miphobia
I was waking up more tired than when I went to bed.
My doctor sent me for a sleep study. Turns out my brain was not in a DEEP sleep long enough for me to get proper rest.

I was diagnosed with hypersomnia. I take the prescription drug Armodafinil to give me energy during the day.

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1 reply
rjjacobsen | @rjjacobsen | Jul 1 10:48am
In reply to @SusanEllen66 "@miphobia I was waking up more tired than when I went to bed. My doctor sent..." + (show)
@SusanEllen66

@miphobia
I was waking up more tired than when I went to bed.
My doctor sent me for a sleep study. Turns out my brain was not in a DEEP sleep long enough for me to get proper rest.

I was diagnosed with hypersomnia. I take the prescription drug Armodafinil to give me energy during the day.

Jump to this post

@SusanEllen66
What did they recommend for treating the lack of deep sleep?
Thanks!

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SusanEllen66 | @SusanEllen66 | Jul 1 7:14pm

@rjjrjjacobsen I take medication in the morning to keep me more awake during the day. That’s all.

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1 reply
rjjacobsen | @rjjacobsen | Jul 2 11:09am
In reply to @SusanEllen66 "@rjjrjjacobsen I take medication in the morning to keep me more awake during the day. That’s..." + (show)
@SusanEllen66

@rjjrjjacobsen I take medication in the morning to keep me more awake during the day. That’s all.

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I do too... it's called coffee! Heh!

But no caffeine after Noon - not even chocolate!

Been having trouble with the chronic lack of deep sleep and was seeking a possible solution.

Thanks!

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1 reply
SusanEllen66 | @SusanEllen66 | Jul 2 2:05pm
In reply to @rjjacobsen "I do too... it's called coffee! Heh! But no caffeine after Noon - not even chocolate!..." + (show)
@rjjacobsen

I do too... it's called coffee! Heh!

But no caffeine after Noon - not even chocolate!

Been having trouble with the chronic lack of deep sleep and was seeking a possible solution.

Thanks!

Jump to this post

@rjjacobsen
The medicine doesn’t prevent me from having to take a nap.
I have several autoimmune diseases that bless me with fatigue.
I only drink one cup of cawfee a day…
Being 74+ contributes to my problem…

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aforadham | @aforadham | Jul 17 8:30pm

Hey guys, I’m 24 years old and I have been suffering from epic dreams for more than 4-5 years now. Initially, I only knew that my brain doesn’t go to the deep sleep stage. Now, I know that my dreams are the reason. I’ve tried a lot of medicine, but the only things that help are melatonin, which helps a little, and breathing meditation, which also feels like a massage for my brain. Now, I have to consume a lot of coffee every day to fully wake up and not feel tired or want to sleep. I barely succeed for one or two hours, then feel sleepy immediately after my next meal. I think the solution is to create a larger community and start funding researchers to look more into our case.

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1 reply
bandaids4444 | @bandaids4444 | Jul 20 12:02pm
In reply to @lvat "I feel like I wrote this myself. I dream from the moment I close my eyes..." + (show)
@lvat

I feel like I wrote this myself. I dream from the moment I close my eyes until the moment I wake up. I'm exhausted from my dreams when I wake up the next day. While I'm dreaming, I often recognize that I'm dreaming, but despite recognizing that it is a dream, I have only a few times (so rarely) tried to control the dream like lucid dreaming. I take no medications other than OTC pain killers, like tylenol, as needed for frequent headaches. (I've found that my headaches are usually because I'm tired and feel physical stress on my body.) I don't use caffinated products or energy drinks. I've never considered bringing it up to a doctor as I just figured "that's life." I wouldn't mind finding a solution that doesn't include taking some kind of prescription to suppress the dreams or change my sleep. I guess what I would prefer is knowing that there is some natural way (like, for random example, eating less processed foods) to get better sleep and less exhausting dreams

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Now I feel validated reading these. I just found out in the last year. This is not "normal" but even among other people "not normal" it's rare.

I'm exhausted and reading these validate for me it is my second life, my other reality, my dreams.
This makes it more sad.

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sbtheplumber1 | @sbtheplumber1 | Jul 22 1:28am

I would recommend downloading Shuteye I think it was around $30 for 6 months it is well worth it I can take the reports in and show the doctor. With Narcolepsy and Sleep Apnea I take Sunosi to keep me awake and all my pain meds knock me out. I wake up so tired I’m ready for a nap 30 minutes later. Then around 3-5 o’clock I’m getting so droggy I have to take a nap. I just got my disability after a failed back surgery so I can nap as long as I want.

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aforadham | @aforadham | Jul 23 6:38pm
In reply to @aforadham "Hey guys, I’m 24 years old and I have been suffering from epic dreams for more..." + (show)
@aforadham

Hey guys, I’m 24 years old and I have been suffering from epic dreams for more than 4-5 years now. Initially, I only knew that my brain doesn’t go to the deep sleep stage. Now, I know that my dreams are the reason. I’ve tried a lot of medicine, but the only things that help are melatonin, which helps a little, and breathing meditation, which also feels like a massage for my brain. Now, I have to consume a lot of coffee every day to fully wake up and not feel tired or want to sleep. I barely succeed for one or two hours, then feel sleepy immediately after my next meal. I think the solution is to create a larger community and start funding researchers to look more into our case.

Jump to this post

I think that’s the latest research: https://drpress.org/ojs/index.php/EHSS/article/view/4693/4544

If you find any new papers, please reply to this comment. Additionally, if anyone can email or message the researcher to thank them and ask if there is any news about epic dreams, it would be appreciated.

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