Dreams and clusters

[Boatman]

I wanted to ask if anyone with clusters has dreams in or out of cycle.. I do not dream ever. Maybe once or twice in a year. I spoke to another cluster headaches who says he doesn't dream either. Wondering if there is any link between not dreaming and clusters???

[Milelli]

I am not dreaming either.

Cheers,

M

[MoxieGirl]

I think, if you ask the professionals, they'll say that everyone dreams, but not everyone remembers their dreams. I'm not a professional, but that's what they say.

In a normal sleep cycle, we tend to dream every 45-50 minutes, give or take, and more often than not, we wake from a restful night's sleep during the REM phase, when we're dreaming. Unless of course, you're woken up between dreams by an alarm clock or a cluster attack. 

Cluster attacks often happen when we are most relaxed. One might argue that at night time, this would be when we're in deep sleep and not dreaming. So, it stands to reason, if you are being woken up a lot by clusters, in deep sleep, you're not remembering your dreams. 

One trick, when not in cycle and you're able to wake up when you like, keep a notepad by your bed and write down as much as you can remember about your dreams. Do this every morning, and soon you'll remember more and more dreams as you train your mind to remember them. You might, then, remember the dreams you have between clusters.

Like I say, not a professional, just my experience and putting 2 and 2 together.

If you have an iPhone and Apple Watch, I'd recommend an app called ActiveSleep. It's one of the best sleep apps on the market, and might give you some insight to your sleep patterns, and when clusters strike.

MG 

[Boatman]

I have that app.. thanks for the info. I've never had a hard time falling asleep. If I do it's usually when I dream and that's only about once a year.. my kids and wife say they dream every night but not me. They find it hard to believe that. I always get my attacks and hr into sleep. I've heard melitonin helps with attacks but not sure if I should try it because I always have no trouble falling asleep. That and I was afraid to be groggy fighting the beast. Never took zany's for that reason too. I was thinking most of us might not dream much unless they used a sleeping aid. Might have some common similarities to clusters.

[doctorssuck]

I dream every night. I have lucid dreams and can feel an attack starting while dreaming. My dream starts to loop and they seem all mixed up right before an attack. Just sayin. 

[FunTimes]

I will have dreams that I am getting a cluster and start on my oxygen. It will then get so bad that I think I am going to get a 5hr energy drink and that is when I wake up and run for the real oxygen tank. It kind of sucks when that happens and my wife can sometimes see it all happening if she is in the room doing something. I told her to punch me or something the next time see sees this. I also take 20gm of melatonin almost every night. 

[dmlonghorn]

I've never been one to dream or at least remember them (pre or post clusters). I'd have friends that would talk about their dreams from the night before, on a daily basis... always thought it was odd that I was never able recall my dreams where others could seemingly recall them at will.

[MoxieGirl]

BoF - good call, REM every 90 minutes. Not sure why I had 45 minutes in my head. 

I often have 2 dreams at once in parallel, especially if my clusters are migraines are bad. I know, it's weird, but it happens. A quick Google search reveals that it's not that uncommon. The way it seems to work for me is that both the left and right hemispheres of my brain work independently, and not only when I'm sleeping. But when I'm sleeping, both sides of my brain can have their own dream. Sometimes, if I'm really lucky, I can be lucid in them both, and flit back and forth controlling the dreams. Doesn't happen as often as I'd like, but is fun when it happens. 

Remembering your dreams is like anything else, we just have to practice and make an effort at it. 

MG

[ThatHurtsMyHead]

I get several weeks of VERY vivid dreams a few weeks before my CH comes back.  Bad dreams, like pretty terrible stuff.  Always first person.  When I'm PF, I either don't remember my dreams or have normal dreams.  I've spoken with a few others that have a similar experience with their CH.

J

[Siegfried]

Lucid dreaming is amazing if one can do it.

It however requires considerable dedication and skill. But if one can manage it to have the experience its often life-changing

[ThatHurtsMyHead]

Siegfried,

I would concur if the lucid dreams some of us have were not worse than nightmares.  Having a lucid nightmare is not fun...   

J

[DBMAX]

Taking melatonin will increase the amount of dreams you experience, and help (a little) with nocturnal attacks.

[johncluster]

On 3/24/2019 at 5:49 PM, Boatman said:

I wanted to ask if anyone with clusters has dreams in or out of cycle.. I do not dream ever. Maybe once or twice in a year. I spoke to another cluster headaches who says he doesn't dream either. Wondering if there is any link between not dreaming and clusters???

I have  dreams almost every night , in or out of cycle 

[xBoss]

If you sleep well then you usually don't remember dreaming. If you don't sleep well you wake up or almost wake up while dreaming and remember it. The best dreams I ever had was sleeping on a boat in the ocean with big waves making the boat rise and fall, I guess it is common to dream hard at sea in the waves due to the stimulus keeping your brain in the "remember" loop better.