REM Sleeping Waking Me Up

[Sagitarrius90]

Any idea why when I start to dream it wakes me up...

Reason I am confident it is REM sleep is that the first 4-5 hours of my sleep are deep, no dreaming and I can actually stay asleep. After that I start waking up every hour when I begin to dream and I am unsure why. I always try to make sure I have ample fuel for when I sleep (Moderate saturated fat, protein, complex carbs)

Is there any mechanism behind this.. has anyone else experienced this as well

thanks!

 

[Sadcaptain]

Unfortunately I can't help you but I have the same problem and it's driving my crazy. Years of it. And I've tried everything, and I mean everything.

I thought perhaps sleep apnea but I've recorded myself sleeping and don't seem to have any breathing problems, and apparently I don't snore. Only way to know for sure though would be an expensive test.

 

[Sagitarrius90]

Apparently calcium defiency would mean interrupted rem yet frequent awakening and general insomnia is a magnesium defiency.

My issue isnt getting to sleep it's more waking up every other hour after I achieve a deep sleep. Super frustrating forsure.

I just started taking vitamin d with k2 and magnesium so maybe my calcium levels are tanking. Taking more calcium today and let's see how my sleep is tonight. Doubt its blood sugar or adrenaline related because I dont wake up with anxiety which happens when my blood sugar drops and it isnt adrenaline because I always ensure enough sodium before bed especially.

Thyroid health has improved over the course of a few months.

 

[Sadcaptain]

Yes my issue is multiple waking, getting to sleep is no problem. I usually give up and get up around 4-5am after waking 10-12 times

Strangely magnesium keeps me awake (like I've taken speed!) Despite what the internet says. I doubt calcium is my problem as I drink lots of milk and cheese. Also tend to eat a fair bit before bed as that definitely improves things slightly.

I've spent years reading every article on the internet and trying every supplement/routine and got nowhere

 

[Sadcaptain]

Also to add, I track my sleep with a Fitbit. I get very little rem (12 mins last night!). I know they aren't totally accurate but other people I know get 90-180 mins according to thiers. First half of my sleep is deep, second is tiny bits of rem and mostly light/awake

 

[StephanF]

I had written some stuff up on improving sleep, see my post or conversation here:

https://raypeatforum.com/community/conversations/i-want-to-sleep.27078/

I mention there the magnetic pulser “EarthPulse”, it is not cheap, try to find a used one on eBay. This device works! I am using it when I have trouble sleeping. One pulser we gave to a young woman in Germany, she had a bad traffic accident and had brain injury, we met her at a hotel when we were visiting family in Germany. I let her borrow the device since she could not sleep, that was in 2018. Last year (2019) we saw her again and she told me that with the help of this pulser she finally was able to sleep.

I can only recommend this highly, but you can try the other things that I suggested in the above link first.

Regards, Stephan

 

[gaze]

1. how much sunlight do you get, more importantly how much sunlight do your eyes see over the course of the day
2. are you in an emf heavy zone? Do you have any electronics near you or a lot of wifi signals due to being in an apartment
3. do you drink coffee

 

[Sagitarrius90]

1.) Not enough forsure. I started supplementing with vitamin d and use the tanning bed and 20 mins of full body red light therapy

2.) No just my cellphone but I should start putting that in airplane mode

3.) I do at 7am but sleep at 9pm so it should be completely out of my system by then.

I've read the importance of calcium and how it affects sleep cycles which is interesting because I notice I achieve my deep sleep but whenever I dream I constantly wake up. Sleeps been a bit better since I've added calcium but again I havent slept thru an entire night In at least 10 years

 

[LucyL]

Glucose? I've started keeping a bottle of honey by my bed. When I wake up in the night, i take a swig and sleep quite soundly afterward.

 

[S-VV]

Clonidine supresses REM sleep.

Tbh, REM sleep is a clusterf*** of physiological processes that seem to make no sense:
-The body inhibits input to every muscle EXCEPT the eyes
-Strong hallucinations
-The sexual organs engorge with blood
-The sympathetic system becomes activated
-The EEG profile resembles one of an awake person

And yet, it must have a fundamental role, because the brain keeps a "REM debt" that needs to be paid off eventually-or else.

 

[Sagitarrius90]

@LucyL I have that at my bed side as well but the entire point is not waking up in the first place. Ive always suspected low thyroid high cortisol is waking me up so im doing my best to improve thyroid health so I can sleep like a baby.

 

[LucyL]

@LucyL I have that at my bed side as well but the entire point is not waking up in the first place. Ive always suspected low thyroid high cortisol is waking me up so im doing my best to improve thyroid health so I can sleep like a baby.

Same here. In my case, I suspect my thyroid function is severely compromised by low cholesterol. Do you know what your cholesterol levels are?

 

[invictus]

DX: treatment resistant rapid cycling/mixed state bipolar, C-PTSD(related to to bipolar relapse),Tourette's Syndrome(since 3 y.o./now 70) My sleep crashed when I relapsed in 2004. That was the first symptom of relapsing; fragmented, non-restorative sleep. Prescribed Klonopin. Addicted for 15 years. Have been reducing dose for a year, which is now .25 mg but without .5 or higher, can't sleep. Eating high carb before bed(oatmeal with butter & sugar) hasn't helped. Cypro worsens my depression. Thyroid is hit and miss(desiccated + T3). Increased salt intake during day, with no improvement to sleep,though I am warmer during the day. Magnesium at night worsens sleep, so taking it in the morning. Calcium 'seems' to help, so I'll be increasing to 15oo to 2000 mg(or more) at night. Can't tolerate milk. Generally, consume lots of carbs, including sugar. (Can't tolerate honey, though I love it.)

Also, for years, strange feverish type dreams. Wake up feeling tired/exhausted/unrefreshed. Likely related to bipolar/PTSD but none of the psychiatrists I've seen have a clue. I'm just sharing my story. If I find a solution it will be accidental. All I know, which many of you know, is that without restorative sleep, life is grey, dull and miserable.