Profund dreams, inability to stay asleep..

The past 3 weeks about, I have been having trouble staying asleep till morning.. I go to bed fine with no problem, like 10pm. but i keep waking up 3 a.m. in the morning and not able to go back to sleep. this happens everyday. a few days i got lucky and was able to push to 5a.m. but that's because my entire body was physically exhausted and beat. And I do exercise every morning for 50 minutes, strong cardio. The thing that keeps waking me up is these non-stop dreams. They're not even bad dreams. Sometimes I get a few bad ones, but overall they are relatively good dreams. But they are so intense, and all the time wake me up while I look at the clock or outside and it's dark and like 3:20 a.m. I can't go back to sleep.

A few people have recommended rx sleeping pills, but I don't want to take those, even if it's once in awhile. heck, I would need it everyday if that's the case, and I don't want to become dependent on sleeping pills. I've sampled Ambien in the past for sleeping problems and it made me feel weird, waking up in the middle of the night with strange hallucinations/dissociatveness - it felt like almost out of body. I'm naturally an early riser - like 6 a.m. usually. I workout every morning. I've tried Valerian root but that only helps to go to sleep. Also, I want to mention I've been taking rx'd Vyvanse 70mg for years now, so maybe that could play a role with REM sleep? I'm not sure. If it does intefer with sleep though, wouldn't I have this problem a long time ago? And nothing seems to be bothering me at the moment, so I'm not anxious about something at all. I just don't understand this sudden erratic change in sleeping pattern. Wish there was such a thing as anti-dream juice! lol. Perhaps it's the season? I just don't what to do? Will it go away, is this just a phase?

Thanks

DJ,
Many years ago, I suffered disturbing dreams due to stress. It was the divorce. I found a technique called directed dreaming which helped me. Basically, it is a matter of taking control of your dream and move it in a less dsiturbing direction. I have been through this and it is not easy at first. Try changning something simple like the color of an object (like the rug) or add a lamp to the scene. Of course, realizing you are dreaming is the first step and often the hardest.

I found that daydreaming can help. Find a quiet time and use your imagination to create a scene. Maybe you could imagine a bowl of fruit and control which items are in the bowl. Move on to imagining a room and change the furniture. This practice could become second nature and can spill into your dream time.

Even with this, it takes a lot of practice to be effective at changing dreams. I was highly motivated since my dreams were often nightmares. As an insomniac, I know getting enough sleep is another strong motivator. This worked without the awful side effects of pills, but it takes determination.

It was hard work and it was well worth it to me. I hope it helps you.
GaryM

I'm thinking it's the ADD medication. Your dose could be too high or you could be taking them too late during the day. You could probably find out more on your medicine and how it impacts your sleep by visiting a website where other people take similar medications and discuss the side effects.

I have a tendency to be a stressful person and worry about the smallest thing. I've been trained/wired genetically to have that worrying gene. My mother is a neurotic anxiety person to the point it irks my family sometimes. However, I do have my "lucky" phases where I'm just going with the flow, and lately I've been fortunate and blessed to not be stressed out. Although, I've been having sleeping issues now. Could it be sometimes I get overly excited? I recently got into music, and I've had a couple dreams where I'm composing music, or making music. I was surprised on how well I slept while i was away on vacation last week. I thought I'd never get a decent amount since each day was spent at the theme and water park 5 minutes away, lol. But - came home friday, and back in the cycle. this morning was 4 a.m. but it's a little progress from 3 a.m. I could say.

I also forgot to mention in my earlier post, that I take a 15mg adderall xr booster with my 70mg vyvanse. But i don't understand how the meds would effect my sleeping pattern since I take it super early in the morning - like 5-6a.m. the latest. It's just once a day. It's 12 hour release so should be worn out by then. Plus, i've been on it for 3 years already so I do have a tolerance and not sensitive to it anymore. I'm also rx'd to take xanax, but only prescribed when I need it for a panic attacks since it's got a high dependency thing. it helps with anxiety attack, but I don't think it helps with sleep at all, plus it doesn't last long. tylenol pm's make me sick to my stomach and sometimes even make me edgy/stimulated. what i find helps a little is just to lay there and rest, guess it's better than moving around I suppose? I might keep a cup of chamomile next on my dresser drawer for the middle of night wakings, hah. I will try warm bath too before bed, but usually i prefer bath early in the morning after i work at the gym. good for soothing muscles. but it is relaxing for sure. Thanks

DJ,
I think you have come across the solution by accident. You went to the water park, and your sleep improved. You got some sun and slept better. You need some sun on your skin to produce vitamin D and provide your body with a nice clue as when it is daytime. Flourescent light won't do this.

Exercise is an excellent choice. I would recommend some jogging to get outside in the sun and to help focus your mind. I found it was a great way to relieve stress.

take care
GaryM

Thanks. Sorry for the late response here. I'm doing a little bit better the past couple nights as far as sleeping later - like waking up around approx 4:30 to 5.a.m. I just started evening classes on top of my work schedule, so that should hopefully wear me out some more, lol.. It's funny you mentioned sunlight, because I usually find that winter is the season where I could sleep for so long, still be tired, and unmotivated. Whereas summer I tend to get more jumpier, edgy, and could get by with less (although it does effect my cognitive mind). Hah, can't win can I? lol. Gotta love seasonal affective disorder which I believe does exist. That's why spring and fall are for some reason are my better seasons - they both are friendlier on me, lol. But in February, i don't stand a chance.

Also, I wanted to mention - sometimes I notice that being on the computer/internet for too long in the evening nighttime, that tends to stimulate my mind a little more. Perhaps that could play a role? esp. facebook. I know I get pretty addictive compulsive when I'm on my computer binge. I work with computers too, so God help my poor eyes. Sometimes when it's too hot to go outside, I prefer to just stay in my bedroom all day and work on my music on my computer, then I get like too focused in the electronic world I'm stuck, lol. Indeed, I will still continue my excercise which helps tremendously with my well being I find... One night at a time. Best thing is probably to not think of it so much and not try to fight it when it comes. Even if it's simply relaxing and just laying there, ya know?

Thanks for your respsonse. And u could call me Mike, or Mikey. I just put DJ in front of my name because I hopefully one day would like to be like a dj (spinning the turntables) kind of Dj