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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All I can say, is you are not alone! I have horrid nightmarish type dreams almost every night. I wake up so stressed and tired that I wish I had never gone to bed in the first place I have tried sleeping medication's. I have tried exercise at different times of the day I have tried eating different time is the day nothing seems to work, my dreams are extremely vivid so much so I could tell you what color socks I have on in the dream. If I wake up and the dream is going on, I actually have to get up get out of bed and stay awake for at least 30 minutes occupying my brain with something else or I simply go back to sleep, rework the dream, and it usually gets worse . I would love some answers. I would love anyone to tell me what to do to help it.

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@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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You sound exactly like me! I have dreams every night, and remember everyone of them. I told my doctor about them, (who at the time was giving me medicine) and he was like, "they don't make medicine for dreaming." I never brought it up again. When I want to, I can remember that saying and instantly withdrawal. I don't think I can live without my dreams, but I wake up exhausted and can sleep for hours never getting enough sleep.

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@tondra

You sound exactly like me! I have dreams every night, and remember everyone of them. I told my doctor about them, (who at the time was giving me medicine) and he was like, "they don't make medicine for dreaming." I never brought it up again. When I want to, I can remember that saying and instantly withdrawal. I don't think I can live without my dreams, but I wake up exhausted and can sleep for hours never getting enough sleep.

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@tondra
I can only recall dreams for a short time. If I do not physically get out of bed the same dream will continue on and on wandering all over. It is like I am paralized drifting in and out. Sometimes I will get so sick of the same crap repeatedly that I force myself to get up and walk to the bathroom. However, a totally different dream starts when back in bed. This cycle has repeated every night for at least 50 years. I actually dream during short naps.

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when I was a nurse working night shift in hospital, if it was an exceptionally busy night, I'd then go home, sleep dream and wake up very exhausted.

fast forward 30 yrs, now I can have very vivid dreams with exhaustion by taking magnesium glycinate and zinc at bedtime. I changed the zinc to am, but I missed the dreams so went back to taking both at bedtime. I also use 02 and cpap and take melatonin 10mg at bedtime. I now wake up refreshed and do not take naps during the day!

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Yes!
I do!
Thats how I ended up finding this page here. I wake up feeling so exhausted & my doctors have recently suggested the same for me. A sleep study & CPAP machine & a medicine to help perk me up because i always feel fatigued.. from not really getting sleep when I sleep.. it is so strange. & I too have had this issue ever since I can remember to which my mother can attest to as well at a younger age.. it is absolutely exhausting having this issue. Im 32 now. And my lack of energy has only declined since hitting 30. I have such vivid & intense dreams every single night I wake up sweating... feeling so weak, drained of energy like I've been running since I fell asleep. Im up & down at the most oddest times because of my dreams. Ill wake up already crying sometimes from whatever happened in it if it were an especially frightening or sad one. I wish there were something that could truly help but I don't believe there is. It just scares me bc of the lack of oxygen I feel I have upon waking up. Like I was nearly a goner.. Im not stressed. I have no depression. Im not angry or tense. Im probably the most happiest I've been in my life if im being honest. I have a wonderful government job, a home, loving family & enjoy life on a daily basis. So my mental health is very healthy. However I can remember times where it werent & it stemmed from this issue & one other time as an adult due to my ex husband who had an alcohol problem & would become totally abusive. But as an individual I've never been a depressed person. It has usually always been due to another issue that caused it. Im a very positive outgoing & energetic person who has an abundant amount of faith to keep me going. But my dreams can really take a lot out of me & I feel slightly helpless bc its not as if im able to control them. When I wake I feel so thirsty & just complegsly drained when I should feel rested so now its gotten to the point my body ALWAYS wants more rest. I fall asleep at my computer during the day even first thing in the morning after having a full 8 9 or 10 hrs of sleep bc I was so tired after work the day before. It makes no sense to me. My blood tests have shown deficiencies in posspherous & vitamin d the most in the last 2 yrs which makes having this issue even worse bc im constantly tired.

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@susie333

when I was a nurse working night shift in hospital, if it was an exceptionally busy night, I'd then go home, sleep dream and wake up very exhausted.

fast forward 30 yrs, now I can have very vivid dreams with exhaustion by taking magnesium glycinate and zinc at bedtime. I changed the zinc to am, but I missed the dreams so went back to taking both at bedtime. I also use 02 and cpap and take melatonin 10mg at bedtime. I now wake up refreshed and do not take naps during the day!

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@susie333
I am confused about the combo that works for you?
You say FF 30 years, now I can have very vivid dreams with exhaustion by taking MG glycinate and zinc at bedtime. Changed zinc to am, but missed the dreams. The with exhaustion and missing the dreams ??
I want to minimize the dreams which I think cause my exhaustion.

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I like dreaming these days..... but zinc and magnesium supplements can definitely affect dreams.... even Rx meds. was suggesting to not take these at night to minimize chance of dreams.

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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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@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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Hi @purplesky28, Welcome to Connect. I've also had dreams most all of my life that I can remember but other than a few recurring nightmares in my youth, it hasn't been too intrusive on my quality of life. A few years ago I had an overnight sleep study where I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and started using a CPAP. It took over a year to get used to it but it has improved my quality of sleep.

I imagine you've tried a lot of different things to help with your sleep. Have you ever had a sleep study?

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@johnbishop

Hi @purplesky28, Welcome to Connect. I've also had dreams most all of my life that I can remember but other than a few recurring nightmares in my youth, it hasn't been too intrusive on my quality of life. A few years ago I had an overnight sleep study where I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and started using a CPAP. It took over a year to get used to it but it has improved my quality of sleep.

I imagine you've tried a lot of different things to help with your sleep. Have you ever had a sleep study?

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I personally thought it was the best decision I had ever made. I read that if you have sleep apnea that you are a candidate for more intense symptoms and lingering symptoms. Saying that by using the BBap machine can help you fight the sickness on less time. I myself have been completely bacc, but still tested positive 3 times and have never felt completely virus free. Since Feb2020. I have struggled with employment, sickness, body changes and more sickness. It's been a cycle that I'm still unsure of the future that is ahead of me. Best wishes and a speedy recovery.

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