To be annoyed at my dreams??

[Okurrrrrrrr]

GAAAHHHH I'm going to go mad.

I've always had quite a vivid imagination since a kid, and have been one of those people that will dream regularly with no problems. I even used to have lucid dreams quite regularly as a kid and would realise I'm dreaming, which was quite fun.

But for the last year, I have been having such intense, detailed, weird and long dreams it's becoming ridiculous. There's not one night in the week where I don't have one that doesn't stay with me the whole day. I mean, my subconscious is going to town on these. They're proper sagas. Sometimes will be three or four smaller ones, others it will feel my whole sleep from beginning to end has been taken up with one massive epic chronicle.

It would be quite interesting if it wasn't effecting my day to day life so much, I've also started grinding my teeth according to DH. I'm on anti depressants (Citalopram) but have been for around 4 years now and not had any issues until now. The last few weeks I've become confused a few times, not remembering if something was a dream or real.

Has anyone had this or can anyone she'd any light/give any advice?? I'm beginning to dread going to sleep.

To be clear, they're not usually scary and I'm not having night terrors or anything, they're more very intense and weird. (Obviously they make perfect sense during the actual dream )

I have very clear, detailed dreams like this pretty much every night and they are almost always quite anxious or unnerving at best or full scale nightmares at worst. They are very intense. Last night’s was about being in a mountain village haunted by the ghosts of a class full of children who had just been killed by a train at a level crossing.

I also have waking dreams, night terrors, night time hallucinations and something which is, incredibly, called ‘exploding head syndrome’

I do notice it more when I’m stressed about other things, and it was even more heightened when I was on citalopram myself, so it might be worth talking to your GP about dosage or trying a different drug, or even being referred to a specialist. I do know that feeling of waking up and feeling a bit worn out by the intensity of your dreams, as if you haven’t actually had a rest.

@dolly that's exactly how it feels..like I've not actually slept, just sat there watching a ridiculous movie all night.

Can I ask what helps you call them down? I'm doing a lot of googling but nothing seems to be relevant.

Bloody hell just googled Exploding head syndrome - you poor thing

I’ve always had dreams like this. I’m not entirely sure what to suggest though. Nothing really seems to have any effect on mine. What about them is it that bothers you so much?

I have no advice whatsoever but I have exactly the same problem. My dreams are huge, detailed sagas often spanning years. Like the story will be of someone's life at different stages or something like that. I mostly enjoy them though and they often are lucid. Sometimes though they are exhausting especially if I am running in the dream!

The last few weeks I've become confused a few times, not remembering if something was a dream or real.

Not in an alarmist sense - just for your own peace of mind - get a review scheduled for the citalopram pronto.

Apart from that, do you think these dreams are from the frustrated creative within you, scrabbling for an outlet? Do you write? Is that something you would enjoy?

But never mind random advice on the net, no matter how well intentioned: GP for you, missus, just to ensure optimum management of your wellbeing.

Also just googled exploding head syndrome. I think I have this!
Side note, sometimes when I'm completely lucid in my dreams and can control everything that's going on I stop and just look at everything. Isn't it amazing that your mind can create an entire universe for you? The detail in the. The houses and the windows and the people. I just think dreams are amazing

Thanks all for your replies. It's so interesting.
@mesolinni9 yes I think you're right I'm going to go for a review, haven't had one for years anyway and would like to reduce (I'm on 40mg) DH suggested reading before bed instead of being on my phone, see if that helps.

@anyway they're amazing aren't they? I sometimes have the same thing.
I'll be in the dream, will suddenly realise I'm dreaming, and will stop and have a proper look around as well, all the while thinking 'I'm actually in bed right now'

I read that our subconscious can't 'create' new faces so all the ones we see in our dreams are ones of strangers we've already seen I don't know if that's true but it's freaked me out!

My dreams are very similar, and in those where I know I’m dreaming I can also partly influence the way they go. They also tend to be very vivid and detailed, and sometimes feature so much of reality it’s not at first obvious until I remember fully which is dream versus reality. Usually pointless details such as whether my neighbours really have just got a red car or did I dream that. I’m also currently trying to figure out if the castle in my last dream is one I maybe saw in a film or pure imagination.

I dream more when I’m either stressed or excited, which in turn increases the chance of a bad dream. And then it becomes a vicious circle of worrying about dreaming making me dream. I can to an extent influence the occasional bad dreams, but it still leaves the horrible thought in my head, usually one that hasn’t ever occurred to me or has much basis in reality. And even with the good dreams it can be a bit like wanting to switch the tv off to get some sleep. Sometimes I achieve that, sometimes I don’t. Occasionally by trying to imagine the line I would like a dream to take whilst I’m still awake and beginning to doze I find perversely I don’t dream at all which can break the cycle.

Funnily enough nothing I eat, drink, watch or read seems to influence whether I dream, or whether it’s good or bad

Ooh other weird thing - has anyone ever dreamed of a place then gone there a few weeks later? I once had a very very vivid (but not lucid) dream about a very strange house with 2 stair cases and then went on holiday there. Scared the absolute shit out of me.

Yes, but if I sit and think hard enough I can usually find somewhere I’ve encountered it before, and if it’s a fairly average dream (rather than spectacular) I think sometimes confirmation bias is part of it.

I have exactly the same thing. Last night I had an incredibly weird dream where I woke up from a coma to discover that my dh has decided to house-swap with some close family friends of ours.

I was very unhappy about this in the dream and woke up feeling extremely angry with dh! It took me quite a few minutes to realise that those emotions were from the dream, not from real life.

I have very vivid dreams as well, and at times am almost totally in control of them to the point where if it doesn’t go in a way I like, I’ll sort of rewind it and then do that bit again in a better way! It’s so bizarre!!

Can I ask what helps you call them down? I'm doing a lot of googling but nothing seems to be relevant.

I'll be honest - I haven't really found a full solution but it would definitely be worth getting your medication reviewed and if that doesn't help, go back to the GP. Some people think sleep apnoea might be a contributing factor (where people briefly kind of hold their breath in their sleep as their throat relaxes) so it might be worth looking into that.

It was definitely worse for me when I was on citalopram, particularly when my dose was upped, and it's also generally most noticeable when I've got other stresses in my life - I recently changed to a more difficult job, for instance - so anything to help you relax and clear your mind at bedtime is worth a try. Maybe a meditation/hypnosis app or something?

Cheers @Okurrrrrrrr
DH suggested reading before bed instead of being on my phone, see if that helps.

Oh, I suspect it will.
Says the insomniac pp merrily posting on screens at half feckin 1 in the morning :)

God this is all so relatable. Waking up and feeling like you've lived a lifetime overnight.

Wish there was a solution, I just want a 'switch off' sleep!

Anyway I had this, I was 8 at the time and had a dream that was so vivid, I was walking on a street, through these connected alleys that led to pensioners cottages which had beautiful gardens. I remember telling my Mum in detail about it. A few weeks later we were taken to the other end of the country to look at our new house. As soon as we drove onto the street I remembered it right away, I even had my Mum come with me as I led her round the back of our ‘new’ house which led to an alley and at the end was the pensioners cottages complete with pretty gardens. It has never happened since that I remember but it really spooked me at the time.

This seems normal to me? I dream every night and remember most of it. I've risen dragons, murdered people and loved 80 years of being someone else - doesn't everyone dream a lot?

@LemonPrism no, not at all. My DH hardly ever dreams, or at least not to remember them. No one else in my RL has this problem.