Well I also suck at falling asleep so can't say much about the first part?

One thing to note is that most people describe first period dreams as fragmented not because they are like that, but because they can't remember it properly due to the time of the day they happen at. Heck, since it happens so early one will most likely forget they woke up from the dream and just remember about it very later on when the memory is fuzzy and fragmented already.

I remember my first dreams of the night with a lot of detail, so wouldn't say its impossible to remember these dreams with high clairity. I wonder, did you wake up after the dream or did the memory come back at you later in the morning after getting up for good?