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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Cluster Headache Specific >> Sleeping Question
        
(Message started by: ferrie on Nov 11^th, 2006, 9:29am)

Title: Sleeping Question
Post by ferrie on Nov 11^th, 2006, 9:29am

If you do manage to get to sleep with your CH, do you:

1. Feel that you are wide awake but know that you are definately asleep?

2. Have a dream or something in your mind that just repeats itself like a broken down record as if your brain is malfunctioning.

3. Feel like a fairground is in your head, with colours, noises and lights.

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by _UNsolved on Nov 11^th, 2006, 9:36am

Never experienced quite what you are explaining. Could be a medication side effect or maybe you just better see another doctor. (Maybe a psychologist or psychiatrist).

Goodluck

UNsolved

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by Richr8 on Nov 11^th, 2006, 10:09am

on 11/11/06 at 09:29:29, ferrie wrote:

If you do manage to get to sleep with your CH, do you:

1. Feel that you are wide awake but know that you are definately asleep?
Actually, for me it occurs after the fact that I felt like I was wide awake, but know that I slept.

2. Have a dream or something in your mind that just repeats itself like a broken down record as if your brain is malfunctioning.
Yep!

3. Feel like a fairground is in your head, with colours, noises and lights.
That could be the shroons. :)

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by brewcrew on Nov 11^th, 2006, 11:13am

Not making fun (really, I'm not) - I've never experienced anything like this at all. But it reminded me of a Jefferson Airplane song:

One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all

Go ask Alice
When shes ten feet tall
And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you're going to fall
Tell them a hookah-Smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call
Call Alice when she was just small
When the men on the chess board get up and tell you where to go

And you just had some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving slow
Go ask Alice
I think she'll know

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by Charlotte on Nov 11^th, 2006, 11:22am

There is no doubt strange things happen related to sleep. On those bad nights when sleep escapes me, I sometimes seem to get stuck in "rem sleep" while awake, also.

Charlotte

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by Richr8 on Nov 11^th, 2006, 11:24am

just wanted to ad that, after any prolonged periods without sleep, things just start to get plain freaky.

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by yikes-another-one on Nov 11^th, 2006, 12:36pm

on 11/11/06 at 09:29:29, ferrie wrote:

If you do manage to get to sleep with your CH, do you:

1. Feel that you are wide awake but know that you are definately asleep?

I am awake and just toss and turn, like trying to recapture a
good dream, your eyes are slammed shut and you lay
there in denial....winks

2. Have a dream or something in your mind that just repeats itself like a broken down record as if your brain is malfunctioning.

yes, I have had this happen, like a short version
of "groundhog Day" hahhaha

3. Feel like a fairground is in your head, with colours, noises and lights.

nope, just heard the bass drum pounding....
possibly had the lights....hmmmm.
neat way of describing it...

If its a low level....4 or 5
at 1, 3 or 5 am
I can remain in bed, and chant silently
untl the pain fades,and then go soundly back to dream land...
but when I wake up....ugh,
more tired than when I went to sleep....winks.
if its a level 6 I just give up and come play cards
online....winks.

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by starlight on Nov 11^th, 2006, 4:57pm

Ferrie,

I get most of my HAs during REM sleep. Right before the HA comes on, it is as if I become conscious of my dream--like I am looking at the dream "thinking" about it. When that starts happening, it is almost like the dream (a little segment of the dream I am thinking about) starts repeating almost like a stuck record. It seems like it starts repeating because I am "thinking" about the dream. Sometimes I have thought that this has to be important. Cause it doesn't ever happen except right before the HAs. OH and then I will begin dreaming that I have head pain and low and behold I soon wake up and I do!!! Well, that's my two sense, Star

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by BarbaraD on Nov 11^th, 2006, 6:26pm

Star

Try taking about 12mg of Melatonin before you go to bed. It takes a little while (week or so) to get in your system, but it helps with the night time attacks and helps us get some rest.

I've been taking the melatonin for a long time and don't remember having any dreams like you describe.

Hugs BD

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by starlight on Nov 11^th, 2006, 8:16pm

Barbara,

Thanks for suggesting melatonin--my neuro actually had me take that and it helped some--I just had to keep raising doses cause my body would adjust to the level. But that is totally what I need during cycle to battle my HAs is something that lets me sleep real deeply--the melatonin works really good but unfortunatley kinda wears off and then I go up a bit. One good thing about it too is that even if it doesn't eliminate the headaches some nights after I use oxygen I go right back to sleep after each oxygen use (whereas I normally wouldn't be able to at all)--I think it is a good thing for us clusterheads.
PFDAN to you, Star

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by Linda_Howell on Nov 11^th, 2006, 8:32pm

By saying this:

Quote:

If you do manage to get to sleep with your CH,

are you saying that you can sleep while having an attack?

Charlotte, I am not sure I understand what you're saying here:

Quote:

On those bad nights when sleep escapes me, I sometimes seem to get stuck in "rem sleep" while awake, also.

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by _UNsolved on Nov 12^th, 2006, 12:36am

on 11/11/06 at 09:29:29, ferrie wrote:

If you do manage to get to sleep with your CH, do you:

#1 Threw me off so much I missed the part leading up to it ... lol

I've never "definately" known that I was asleep (while I was sleeping) ... even when dreaming.

I'd say that there is NO WAY I could ever get to sleep with a CH. It seems that if I go to sleep with a low level headache, it just get's worse the closer I get to sleeping. "Shadows" turn into full blown monster CH attacks. I try to sleep when I can in between CH attacks

UNsolved

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by kayarr on Nov 12^th, 2006, 10:38am

on 11/11/06 at 16:57:00, starlight wrote:

The headache dream could be kinda like when you have the I have to go to the bathroom dream. Mine used to be I had a dream about a pay toilet. Your body recognises the subtle things going on in your head ramping up to headache.

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by lskilly on Nov 12^th, 2006, 8:20pm

One of the normal times for me to get a CH is about 45 minutes after I go to sleep or just about the time Rem sleep starts. When it hits my feet hit the floor and there ain't no sleeping till it's over. When I tried verapamil one of the side effects was that I kept getting a reacurring dream that I was riding a cutting horse in competition. It was so real it was like being there. To bad the Verapamil gave me violent shakes. I might of had other dreams.

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by starlight on Nov 12^th, 2006, 9:20pm

kayarr,

I am sure you are right--like the body waking itself up. I hate those when I would start dreaming about head pain--it works its way into my dream in weird ways--like it will be that if I can just do something right like drive a car in the dream right then the pain will lessen, or I had a dream I was 14 with braces and the dentist had just tightened them and I was like uh Mr. Dentist please loosen these braces buddy. Anyway, I think it is true it is just your body recognizing the head pain coming on and then messing with the dreams.

I reread ferrie's post and it seems like he or she is describing what it feels lik to fall asleep after a period of sleep deprivation or not being able to fall asleep until like 5 am. ???

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by ferrie on Nov 14^th, 2006, 1:53pm

Many thanks for all your experiences of sleeping. It is not during a CH but in between times and before a biggie!. I guess It could be down to other factors too....like hormones (woman of a certain age).

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by TonyG1 on Dec 19^th, 2006, 7:19pm

I get night hits, I find the intensity of the dance with the devil is directly related to how intense my dreams are... just my personal experience

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by Richr8 on Dec 19^th, 2006, 7:25pm

on 12/19/06 at 19:19:56, TonyG1 wrote:

I get night hits, I find the intensity of the dance with the devil is directly related to how intense my dreams are... just my personal experience

It might just be that being awoken in the middle of a dream makes them feel more real, and certainly easier to remember. I experience the same thing. Missing that sleep is what makes you nuts.

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by BlueMeanie on Dec 19^th, 2006, 7:37pm

I'm not quite sure what your saying, but YES... I am usually dreaming that a CH is starting. I know while I'm sleeping that it's just a dream until the pain starts to get unbearable. I then wake up and realize it wasn't a dream and head for my shot. :(

ps... no color, noise and lights though. Just what I thought was a dream that wasn't a dream. :-/ And NO, I don't take any meds at all.

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by UN solved on Dec 19^th, 2006, 8:30pm

For me ...

Dreams = impending doom :-/ (A CH is on the way !!)

UNsolved

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by ax on Dec 21^st, 2006, 3:00am

on 12/19/06 at 19:37:13, BlueMeanie wrote:

I then wake up and realize it wasn't a dream and head for my shot. :(

And NO, I don't take any meds at all.

BlueMeanie please clarify [smiley=huh.gif]

Been having freaked out dreams almost exactly as you say... colors and such. This is first cycle like this

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by TonyG1 on Dec 26^th, 2006, 8:29pm

on 12/19/06 at 20:30:20, UN solved wrote:

For me ...

Dreams = impending doom :-/ (A CH is on the way !!)

UNsolved

Ditto UN !!

Title: Re: Sleeping Question
Post by Jim - PA on Dec 28^th, 2006, 12:37pm

Ferrie,

I never dream, even when I am not in a cluster cycle. At least I never have "dream recall". I am sure there is something wrong with my brain and sleep pattern that I never ever dream. Do you and others who are experiencing these repeat and colorful dreams have normal dreaming when you are not having a cluster episode? I still wake up frequently all night long during a cluster episode due to the pain of the CH cutting through my sleep. I become semi-conscious as the pain cuts through and have to fight with myself to get up and get on the O2 tank before it gets any worse. It is really hard because I am soooooo tired, but have to get up as soon as possible or face an even worse more painful HA. Sometimes I am aware of myself groaning in pain while still semi-conscious. But in spite of this repeated awakening from 3 - 7 times throughout the night and early morning, I never dream. I am just constantly made re-aware of the impending pain coming on.... I am wondering if your dreaming is connected to your propensity to dream even when not in a CH cycle?