Help Needed For Too Much REM Sleep!

Thanks Carey and Shannon for removing the Covid jungle. I have two general health problems which are causing me serious problems but felt before now they would be swallowed up by said jungle.

The first is too much REM sleep. Even if I go to sleep and wake up 5 minutes later, as has happened, I'm waking from a vivid dream. Some nights I wake 4/5 times and every time I'm waking from a vivid dream.

The result is too little deep, recuperative sleep and I'm tired throughout the day and exhausted by teatime.

The only cure I've seen suggested is Melatonin but I've been taking it for some time with no results.

Really hoping someone can help!

Ever had a sleep study done? What you're describing could be sleep apnea.

Hi Sam....

As most of us know from experience and comparing "notes," sleep issues are often highly individualized.

On the melatonin topic, what I’ve learned is that (for me)… less is more. I didn’t have problems falling asleep…but rather, waking up around 2 am and not being able to go back to sleep. That was something new and also very annoying.

I tried 3 mg. melatonin at bedtime and it made the problem worse…in that, initially, I didn’t stay
asleep long and I couldn’t go back to sleep. I had read that sometimes, a lower dose works better
so I cut the 3 mg. tablet in half. Didn’t work.

Then, I tried a 1 mg tablet… Still didn’t work, so cut that in half… and also took a
(chewable) tablet of PharmaGaba by Natural Factors. I’ve tried just the PharmaGaba alone without success…

For almost a year now, (for me) this low-dose combo melatonin/GABA at bedtime is pure magic.
I fall asleep quickly. If, for some reason), I wake up, I have no trouble going back to sleep quickly and I stay asleep.
And, the good news is, I wake up in the morning feeling rested and without feeling ‘groggy’ or with a drugged-like effect.

I hope you find your 'magic slot' for a remedy as I can appreciate your frustration.

BTW, years ago, I did have a sleep study which was considered 'unremarkable' for the issues I had at the time.
Nothing helpful was suggested and I struggled for a while but then just became resigned to disrupted sleep.

Much later on, I learned about the melatonin/GABA combo and I'm certainly grateful for that.
If you decide to try it, I hope it works for you.

Jackie

Sam- are you taking Flecainide by chance? I had such dreams and sleep cycle even with a cpap mask while taking Flecainide. Drugs.com lists insomnia as a (uncommon) side effect..which means you may be lumped with the unusual few affected. I slept better once I stopped the drug.

I second the Flecanide as a possibility of you are on it. I had very vivid dreams when on it. Many were nightmares.

As to sleep I have used melatonin for several years but was concerned with using too much. I now take Magnesium Threonate & L-Theanine with great results thus far. Good restful sleep.

Thanks for the replies, folks. It would seem that my post was not clear enough.


I have no problems getting to sleep: takes no more than 5 minutes. When I wake up in the night I again go back to sleep very quickly. I don't have apnea. My problem is the amount of REM sleep compared to recuperative sleep.

We sleep in cyles throughout the night. Each cycle has 2 basic stages, non REM sleep and REM sleep. Non REM goes from very light to deep which is where the body repairs and regrows tissue, builds bone and muscle and strengthens the immune system. This is where we should spend most of our sleep. REM sleep is essential for good health but not recuperative in the way Non REM is.

The first REM sleep should occur about 90 minutes after falling asleep. In my case I go straight into REM sleep and spend a lot of the night in that stage. So I miss out on a lot of Non REM which means I'm almost as tired when I get up in the morning as I am when I go to sleep because of too much REM and too little Non REM.


My brain is not as sharp as it should be at the moment but I hope this has made my problem clearer.

Using the magnesium-threonate and the L-Theanine I get really restful sleep. Much better than when I was taking the melatonin.

rocketritch - I agree with you about the magnesium threonate.... aka NeuroMag^TM It definitely helps relax and promotes long-lasting sleep.

My FM MD recommended this a while ago and since I added it to my nightly small dose of melatonin and also GABA, it's become a reliable mainstay.

Here's a clip from the Designs for Health product data sheet. FYI

NeuroMag™ features the unique, patented, chelated mineral Magtein™,
which is magnesium chelated to threonic acid (magnesium L-threonate).

This ionophore has been found to be superior to other forms of
magnesium at getting through the blood brain barrier as it is able to
transport ions (in this case magnesium ions) across lipid membranes,
including brain cells.

Jackie

Try Clif High Pure Sleep formulation. I have never tried it but have heard others say it was very good at promoting restful healing sleep. Clif developed it after his bout with cancer in an effort to regain lost body mass after the chemo. It has mag glycinate and a Proprietary Pure Sleep Blend, Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA); Red Dragon Fruit;
Nutmeg; Glycine; Monk Fruit

Adrian

Well Clif has gone and changed his formula but he has put out a video explaining why. The last metric ton of pure sleep product formula 1 should be available soon but according to Clif this won't last long.
on bitchute Business notes about the pure sleep product

When it finally arrives can be found here Pure Bulk.com

Cheers

Adrian