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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gussie | @gussie | Apr 29, 2023
In reply to @tired777 "Thank you for this post. I had never heard of epic dreaming, and now I finally..." + (show)
@tired777

Thank you for this post. I had never heard of epic dreaming, and now I finally have a term for this problem. I have been experiencing these very vivid dreams since I was in my mid 30's. I'm now in my mid 40's. It does not happen everyday, more like 4-5 times per week. I have to force myself to stay awake when I do wake up from the dreams in the morning. Otherwise, I can keep sleeping for hours more. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I immediately drift back into a dream within minutes. I can take a one-hour nap, and I will dream the whole time. I am exhausted all day. Coffee does not help.
My dreams are often, but not always, filled with anxiety. That could be a psychological thing as I have GAD and depression that I am on medication for and it helps me. However, it seems to be less effective for this dream state. I had been taking medications for GAD and depression for years before this started. The sleep is also accompanied by excessive sweating. I'm not sure if this is a perimenopausal thing because night sweats are common for women in perimenopause. I basically feel like garbage a lot of days.

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I have never been diagnosed with either GAD or depression but the dream thing started around 15 years ago. I am 81 now and nobody has had an answer for the constant dreaming situation. I don't usually have trouble falling asleep but I dream all night every night. If I wake up for any reason when I go back to sleep I start another dream which are very involved. In my dreams I have spoken other languages which I don't. They are extremely vivid. I could have two or three different dreams a night. It's like watching a movie which I am in every scene. I could have some form of mental situation but I have never found out.

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2 replies
tired777 | @tired777 | Apr 30, 2023
In reply to @gussie "I have never been diagnosed with either GAD or depression but the dream thing started around..." + (show)
@gussie

I have never been diagnosed with either GAD or depression but the dream thing started around 15 years ago. I am 81 now and nobody has had an answer for the constant dreaming situation. I don't usually have trouble falling asleep but I dream all night every night. If I wake up for any reason when I go back to sleep I start another dream which are very involved. In my dreams I have spoken other languages which I don't. They are extremely vivid. I could have two or three different dreams a night. It's like watching a movie which I am in every scene. I could have some form of mental situation but I have never found out.

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Yes. I have described it as kind of living another life in my sleep. Many times, I'm trying to get somewhere or do something on time; trying to get everything done or to get to the destination on time is this anxiety inducing thing. I do not know if it is connected to psychological issues. Something tells me it is more of a physical issue, but I'm no doctor. When I was younger, I used to have these dreams that I would be running or walking to a destination, but it was so hard because I would be walking through knee-high sand or my legs would just become incapable of fast movement, like there was this weight on them. But that was before my dreams became an all night thing. Different languages though, I have never experienced that. Are you somewhere else? Language comes from the left side of the brain, that side of your brain must be activated for that, or I just assume. I have a Master's in Linguistics, which is the only reason I say this. I'm no expert though. Then again nobody is, apparently because it is not studied much.

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katiesp | @katiesp | May 6, 2023
In reply to @mazeppabob "The DR who made the diagnosis of Epic dreaming described it as non-REM dreaming. I can..." + (show)
@mazeppabob

The DR who made the diagnosis of Epic dreaming described it as non-REM dreaming. I can take a short nap and dream. They seem to start as soon as I nod off. The dream continues for what seems like hours. I can be drifting in and out, partially awake, and go right back to the same dream. The only way to end it is to physically get up and walk around. When I return to bed a new dream starts and goes on and on.
This has been going on every night basically my whole life. I can't believe that I have been stressed every single day or that it is medication related since I wasn't on any when younger.
I asked the DR if there had been any research for cause and treatment. His reply was that no one wants to spend time and money on rare disorders.

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I appreciate this post is from last year. I just wanted to say I am 29 and have exactly the same as you describe. I was diagnosed with adhd in Feb 2020 due to racing thoughts and I've wondered if it I'd related to this. I wake up tired every day , I can wake up and go back into the dream, occasionally I can even influence the dream. I can fall asleep no issue, I can stay asleep fine but no matter if I get 8-12 hours I am exhausted

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1 reply
katiesp | @katiesp | May 6, 2023
In reply to @gussie "I have never been diagnosed with either GAD or depression but the dream thing started around..." + (show)
@gussie

I have never been diagnosed with either GAD or depression but the dream thing started around 15 years ago. I am 81 now and nobody has had an answer for the constant dreaming situation. I don't usually have trouble falling asleep but I dream all night every night. If I wake up for any reason when I go back to sleep I start another dream which are very involved. In my dreams I have spoken other languages which I don't. They are extremely vivid. I could have two or three different dreams a night. It's like watching a movie which I am in every scene. I could have some form of mental situation but I have never found out.

Jump to this post

I am 29 and have had this since childhood. I can wake up and recall my dreams like you say like it was a film. I wake up so exhausted like it has been another life.

REPLY
nancy459 | @nancy459 | May 9, 2023
In reply to @mazeppabob "The DR who made the diagnosis of Epic dreaming described it as non-REM dreaming. I can..." + (show)
@mazeppabob

The DR who made the diagnosis of Epic dreaming described it as non-REM dreaming. I can take a short nap and dream. They seem to start as soon as I nod off. The dream continues for what seems like hours. I can be drifting in and out, partially awake, and go right back to the same dream. The only way to end it is to physically get up and walk around. When I return to bed a new dream starts and goes on and on.
This has been going on every night basically my whole life. I can't believe that I have been stressed every single day or that it is medication related since I wasn't on any when younger.
I asked the DR if there had been any research for cause and treatment. His reply was that no one wants to spend time and money on rare disorders.

Jump to this post

OMG this is EXACTLY how my nights/dreams go!!!
I was prescribed sleep meds but supposed taking them as 1- I was so groggy when I got up 2- I felt trapped in a cycle of not being able to wake up from the active dreams as I could without meds, the meds basically didn’t help

REPLY
1 reply
mazeppabob | @mazeppabob | May 9, 2023
In reply to @nancy459 "OMG this is EXACTLY how my nights/dreams go!!! I was prescribed sleep meds but supposed taking..." + (show)
@nancy459

OMG this is EXACTLY how my nights/dreams go!!!
I was prescribed sleep meds but supposed taking them as 1- I was so groggy when I got up 2- I felt trapped in a cycle of not being able to wake up from the active dreams as I could without meds, the meds basically didn’t help

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@nancy459
I haven't found anything that helps. Sleep studies, CPAP, shrinks, antidepressants, diet, not eating late, etc. Like you said, most of the meds make it worse and have unpleasant side effects.
The whole world thinks insomnia is the only sleep disorder. All the research and medications deal with it.

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mbg1 | @mbg1 | May 11, 2023

I dream all night long even after waking up every 2 hours to urinate. I am exhausted every morning and depleted. I drink coffee but it does not help for long. I don’t want to take any more pills. Any suggestions ?

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1 reply
singhp | @singhp | May 17, 2023
In reply to @mazeppabob "The DR who made the diagnosis of Epic dreaming described it as non-REM dreaming. I can..." + (show)
@mazeppabob

The DR who made the diagnosis of Epic dreaming described it as non-REM dreaming. I can take a short nap and dream. They seem to start as soon as I nod off. The dream continues for what seems like hours. I can be drifting in and out, partially awake, and go right back to the same dream. The only way to end it is to physically get up and walk around. When I return to bed a new dream starts and goes on and on.
This has been going on every night basically my whole life. I can't believe that I have been stressed every single day or that it is medication related since I wasn't on any when younger.
I asked the DR if there had been any research for cause and treatment. His reply was that no one wants to spend time and money on rare disorders.

Jump to this post

Hi @mazeppabob ,
This is exactly what I experience every night for many past years. Waking up exhausted.Dont know what to do I am 27 yrs old. Nice to know others are having same issues.

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singhp | @singhp | May 17, 2023
In reply to @purplesky28 "Joined to say that I am one more unfortunate soul on your boat sailing through the..." + (show)
@purplesky28

Joined to say that I am one more unfortunate soul on your boat sailing through the endless dreamworld. All my life and it's quite intrusive on my quality of living. Even cannibus doesn't help, and that's supposed to mute dreams. I can't do this anymore.

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Same here..can you please let me know if there is any solution to this

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singhp | @singhp | May 17, 2023
In reply to @katiesp "I appreciate this post is from last year. I just wanted to say I am 29..." + (show)
@katiesp

I appreciate this post is from last year. I just wanted to say I am 29 and have exactly the same as you describe. I was diagnosed with adhd in Feb 2020 due to racing thoughts and I've wondered if it I'd related to this. I wake up tired every day , I can wake up and go back into the dream, occasionally I can even influence the dream. I can fall asleep no issue, I can stay asleep fine but no matter if I get 8-12 hours I am exhausted

Jump to this post

Hi @katiesp ,
I am 27.I am also experiencing same. Racing thoughts , dreaming extensively everyday for years now every night.I have lost my job few months ago and I think due to this condition i can't decide what to do, not able to focus on anything.Feeling like I am living a dual life, I dont think i can tell this to family members as they will think I am making excuses, or is this something that happens with everyone. Dont know . Can you please tell me if You have found any solution to this..

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