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Can't Fall Asleep For Hours, Then Finally Do, But Have Exhasuting Dreams

by Dave
(Austin, TX)

Help - I'm constantly exhausted, and I'm running out of sick days.


Takes a while to fall asleep - I have lot of thoughts about work stresses and can't put them aside. But when I do, I have these odd dreams, and I wake up exhausted. The dreams aren't scary or anything, just very vivid.

Last night, I had three. 1. I was a stduent in a class taught by a work colleague of mine, but somehow I had to carry all my possessions with me and missed class a lot. 2. I was graduating from grad school, and the parties got so wild, police were called. 3. I bought a house in my hometown - near where it flooded a lot - I dug a moat so the house didn't flood. After a big rain, a few people washed up....fine, though, once I woke them up.

So when the alarm goes off, I'm not sure if I'm still in the dream or not. I try to go back to sleep for a bit, but it doesn't help.

I've been to doctors: already been diagnosed with sleep apnea, depression, high blood prressure, and low testosterone. I take all the required meds and wear a CPAP. Doesn't help. The "sleep specialist" wants me to take Nuvigil to stay awake, but my primary doc says it's addictive.

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Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

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Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide

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Ever woken up paralyzed? A surprising number of us have, believe it or not. But few know the actual causes of this phenomenon, and fewer still how to exert control over it. Dream researcher and sleep paralysis expert Ryan Hurd shares breakthrough insights into how to do just that.

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