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I have recently read in my psychology book that many insomniacs actually do sleep for quite long periods of time during the night, but during that time, they dream that they are lying awake. So when the morning comes, they believe that they haven't slept at all? I found this quite interesting, has anyone experienced or recalled such dreams?
"All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream." ♥
That's really interesting, I often feel that I'm lying awake for long periods of time, but my awareness is impaired; I think it's because it's so late and I'm so tired...
Recently when some relatives were visiting I was 'sleeping' on a mattress on the living room floor. I thought I didn't fall asleep until long after my sister joined me on the mattress, and I thought I sat up and spoke to her then, but the next day, she told me that when she did join me I was already out and snoring.
Interesting theory.
I guess that could be the case, i have no real evidence against it, but it still leaves me feeling unbearably tired. I've got up in the middle of the night and given up on trying to sleep before from insomnia a good few times now, i'm pretty sure i didn't dream all of them times.
Normally when i have insomnia, it will feel like i've been lying still for days when it's actually only been about an hour when i look at the clock. I'll lie down trying to think of nothing as long as i can take it, it sure doesn't feel like a dream, eventually i get so bored i have to do something, even if it's just watching midnight TV (poker can be surprisingly interesting at 3am). It's hard to express how horrible it feels. Fight Club, if you've ever seen it, describes it pretty well, you get so tired that you seem to zone out of the real world, yet you still don't feel like you're about to fall to sleep as such.
There have definitely been nights where I was tossing and turning all night and felt that I got absolutely no sleep. But then I'll also remember several dreams from the same night, so I must have gotten at least some sleep.
Most people assume insomnia is the inability to sleep, however the actual definition is more subtle.
Quote:
insomnia is often defined as a positive response to either of two questions: "Do you experience difficulty sleeping?" or "Do you have difficulty falling or staying asleep?"
Therefore the situation described in the OP would absolutely fall under the category of insomnia. I guess the real question being brought up however is not subtle distinctions in the official definition, but rather...whether some people who think they never sleep actually do sleep a little without being consciously aware of it. I think that's very plausible, considering how much sleep deprivation can affect judgment and memory.Quote:
One definition of insomnia is difficulties initiating and/or maintaining sleep, or nonrestorative sleep, associated with impairments of daytime functioning or marked distress for more than 1 month.
(I'm finding it incredibly difficult to adjust my sleep schedule to 3rd shift, working from 10pm - 8am. I just can't sleep at 8am. The sun is so offensive.)
I have had dreams like that. I know they were dreams because I was in another house trying to sleep or not my usual bed.