Decreased dream activity? Very very weird

[SuperFob]

Over the past several months, there have been many cases where I've gone two nights in a row with very little sleep (less than 1.5 hours). After these two consecutive nights, I would always sleep my normal 5.5 hours on the third night. People here say that because of REM rebound, I'm supposed to have extra dreams and more vivid dreams on the third night after these two consecutive sleep deprived nights. That hasn't been the case, though. I haven't remembered any dreams at all upon waking up from these third nights. Normally I have a very vague memory of one or two dreams after waking up, but that hasn't been the case on these third nights. Even weirder is that I haven't felt the passage of time on these third nights. Normally, I'll feel the passage of time after waking up after having one night's sleep. It'll feel like 5.5 hours have gone by, even though I can barely remember anything that happened during those 5.5 hours that I was sleeping. That isn't the case with these third nights, though. When I wake up from them, I don't have that sense that 5.5 hours has passed. I haven't felt any passage of time. You know how when you've been knocked out so that you're unconscious, you have no sense that any time has passed when you wake up from your unsconsciousness? Well, that's what it feels like for me when I wake up from a third night after two consecutive nights of less than 1.5 hours sleep. Does anyone have any ideas on what's going on here?

[vbooy57]

That certainly is odd...I've never had these things happen...perhaps your sleep cycle was screwed after the first night?

[Matte87]

If you sleep 1½ hours of sleep two days in a row, you can count on your body ending up in deep sleep alot more aswell. You do realise that the REM periods below 6 hours of sleep are all of them very short? Sleep more! You shouldn't use REM rebound very often since it's not good for you. And the average amount of sleep that is recommended is between 6-8 hours.

[KingYoshi]

You don't feel the passage of time because you have had very little sleep. When you are sleep deprived, it really messes with your judgement of time during sleep. Also, you can have REM rebound, but still fail to recall your dreams. You still have to build up your recall or it won't matter how much REM rebound you get . Also, I wouldn't suggest depriving yourself of sleep on purpose. Its not very good for your body/mind in the long run.

[SuperFob]

You don't feel the passage of time because you have had very little sleep. When you are sleep deprived, it really messes with your judgement of time during sleep. Also, you can have REM rebound, but still fail to recall your dreams. You still have to build up your recall or it won't matter how much REM rebound you get . Also, I wouldn't suggest depriving yourself of sleep on purpose. Its not very good for your body/mind in the long run. For a while, I've been thinking of these third nights as peaceful nights where I'm free from having to deal with dreams. Are you saying that I could be having the worst, most vivid nightmares of my life on a regular basis during these third nights, and I'll never have a clue they even happened?

[Matte87]

Most like you won't because like I said, you won't end up in that much REM until a bit later on.

[KingYoshi]

Well, if its the worst nightmare you ever had, you aren't going to have any problem recalling/remembering it . Significant dreams stand out on their own. If you experience great fear in the dream state, it won't be easily forgotten. Of course, it is possible to forget any sort of dream, but if they are significant/memorable, they tend to stick on their own.