> Awake and Dreaming, Is It Real? Or Is It REM?

Ok, last night the "broken switch" was in the "ON Position" and I could not sleep! I couldn't get to sleep to begin with-went to bed at TEN was up and down cause I couldn't fall asleep until like 1:30 in the AM! and then couldn't stay asleep, and was up at 5:17 in the AM!!!

Anyone Anyone reading my blog please please feel free on anything I write-I need feedback!

That's umm, fairly normal for me to not be able to fall asleep, but once I am asleep I generally don't wake up, except for a few erratic days in a row every once in a while. *shrug*

Thanks for your relpy Toph4er-did you read the post about the monster dude with the piece of glass? horrible horrible.

I have been trying to decide what to title my book...here are a couple I am thinking about...maybe everyone could vote?

The Broken Switch (which would refer to the brain not knowing when it's time to sleep or be awake, and then I would draw a pic for the cover of a messed up light switch, just kind of dangling, the bottom half having daytime, sky, sun, etc, and the top half darkness, moon, stars etc indicating night time.)

Or...

Awake and Dreaming :The Nightmare of Narcolepsy (and the cover pic I would draw out a few of my monsters.

Last night, I had what had to be a hundred HH's, one right after another. I did manage to fall asleep after a while though, and actually slept until just alittle after 6 am! Wow that was nice! and, I only woke up a couple of times during the night!

I have been having a lot of trouble during the night, and esp in the morning, waking up with terrible shoulder and neck pain, and my hands have been going numb. I thought maybe I was just sleeping/laying on them, but when I wake up I'm laying flat on my back and both my hands are numb, can't feel them at all. don't know what thats all about.

It must have taken me at least an hour to fall asleep last night. while laying there I had a few HH's...one was a girl about in her late teens, and she was walking-very slowly and very stiffly. Like, creek, creek, creek. Ever see the scary movie -oh crap I can't remember the name of it. Hmmmmm....

Alright I'll have to think about that one. I guess I'll have to ask my kids about that one.

Anywho- My husband and I went out for lunch yesterday, and after sitting down I suddenly got so sleepy I thought I was going to drop off right there. I could barely read the menu. We have been doing a lot of yard work the past few days, and spending time outside, esp when it's hot out-always puts me to sleep. If I go in the house and sit down-well, I'm out in a second or two. Heat always seems to make me so groggy it's overwhelming.

I was saying alot of retarded stuff yesterday too...well, that's not so unusual for me. words come out scrambled alot, giving everyone quite a laugh. Me included.

Like, for example: I was talking about "grass clippings" and it came out- "glass cliplings." LOL And of course my husband and my son never forget my little sayings, that particular one was from last summer, and it still gets brought up and laughed about to this day. They're not mean about it though, just harrass me in a fun and loving way.

ok-still can't remember the name of the movie. It scared the dickens out of me too! (I'll be back. )

Name a book? I have a hard enough time trying to name the poems I write about it. How is the book coming along?
Think back to the dream about the girl with the long ponytail who fell down in the school building. That was ME! I was lost and trying to find my class on time. I have dreams all the time about being in a huge school building and being lost. I'm always frantically running and searching for where I'm supposed to be. Not that I know where I'm supposed to be, mind you, but I'm searching all the same. How's that for a metaphore? I've had these dreams all my life. They're always the same. Except for one time. It was the same, but different. I was in the same kind of building with long hallways and lots of doors and stairs and stuff. This time I could see outside the building. I don't know if you could call it the sky. I'll just call it "outside the building". I saw Death coming and I knew he was coming for me. From another direction I saw an Angel coming. I said, "Look, the Angel is coming to save me!" At that moment, Death just reached and slapped the Angel down out of the air-and kept coming. I woke up. By the way, the ponytail, DEAD ON! Yep, that was me. Next time, please wake me up.

Sleeping Beauty-I have alot of dreams where I am searching for something too... I am either looking for someone, or looking for a way to get away from someone, or something-usually monsters of some sort! They are always very emotionally intense. When I was married some years ago to a real loser, I was always dreaming about trying to find him-because I knew he was somewhere he shouldn't be...and sometimes I would actually find him, and it was always bad. Glad I don't have those anymore!

The book is coming along slowly-don't have much time to spend on it like I would like too. I have tons of other projects going, and all the family stuff, house, grandkids to watch. so I can only work on it a little at a time.

So far the votes seem to be for "The broken Switch"- which was my first idea, and my favorite.

Saw my doc the other day-he is so great, I am so lucky to have him...said I could up my dose whenever I want to, all I have to do is call! Nice huh?

I also found out that I have lost 7 pounds since on my meds...well, I have been trying to loose a few pounds for some time, but was having such a hard time at it...but now with the meds, getting a "little" better sleep, having a "little" more energy to do things during the day, it is slowly coming off. I am so happy about that! Not that I am super overweight-just a little. 10 more to go and I will be happy!

Anyone else like Morel mushrooms? Well, it's that time of year, and my husband and I have been doing alot of mushroom hunting. Walking around in the woods, looking under leaves and what-not...trying to find that yummy prize...anywho-it caused me to have HH's about them...LOL over and over I saw mushrooms and leaves, mounds of dirt and moss. Finally those stopped and more started with different subjects. I saw a creek with two parent ducks, with a bunch of baby ducks along side the water; and a giant spider (eeewww!!) crawling out from under a leaf.

Another night I had a whole series of car related HH's-one vehicle after another, I just watched as they all drove around.

For the last three mornings I have woken up right at 4:25 am for some reason, with sudden alertness of course, and no going back to sleep. UGH.

The other day, while grocery shopping, I got up to the checkout and suddenly felt like I was going to fall asleep...I almost warned the cashier, but I made it out of there ok. What do you say? I was slurring my words and feeling really out of it. I think I better make myself an emergency card like mentioned in the medical alert bracelett thread here.

Definitely not sleeping lately. Waking up more often than usual, and can't go back to sleep if I wake up after 4 am.

Having HH's now while I'm up during the day- and they used to be just when I would lay back and relax, or within a second or two after laying down at night. And now all I have to do is close my eyes for a second-Like I always close my eyes when I brush my teeth...and the instant I close my eyes they start in. UGH. Up my meds again?

Up at 4 am again today...

One of the HH's last night was an all black chicken in the yard...LOL I have also been talking during my HH's...I am aware of it, but can't help it at the same time...one of the things I said was "there's a black chicken!"

After I was able to move last night, my husband asked me if I was ok...I said ya, I'm ok, and he said "you must of been dreaming." He seemed worried. He knows about the HH's, but I really don't think he understands. I stopped talking about them to him some time ago because of his reactions. Some of them are just too disturbing and he thinks there should be some reason, something bad going on in my life emotionally for them. I thank God that I can tell the difference between reality and the hallucinations...

Wow! I slept in today...made it all the way till my alarm went off at 5:20 am! It seems so weird after so many mornings of waking between 4 and 4:30am. Nice!

It's been like a year now, I'm jonesin' for more of your blog!

Greetings It Took Me A Couple Days To Read All Your Posts

Anyway, I have this to say; as a fellow narcoleptic, we have visual minds. Anyone who dreams and can remember every little detail about the dream has an excellent sense of perception. It is easy to dream but at times they seem so real your heart races in reaction to the contents of that dream.

I was once told by my great-aunt that dreams are the manipulation of the true, just as movies are as well. Dreams are pleasurable moments of peace and happiness, times of joy where as nightmares are the negative, dark-side of things we fear or have been traumatized about. A vivid dreamer tends to interprit the contents of a dream or nightmare and gives meaning or substance to the images that took place while supposedly asleep.

As for me, I am non-medicated and can fall directly into a dream-like state upon relaxing. At the same time, I dont hallucinate but what we as narcoleptic sometime fail to realize its during this stage of sleep that keep us functioning in automatic behavior and at times fall asleep in the middle of an activity and dont realize it. How many times have you been thinking hard about something only to realize when you come to that thought, you are waking up. At times, if you seem confused you end up sleeping on that thought or confusion only to wake up with the answer.

Well, I will come to a close here, but as you can tell we are here to tell our stories and help others cope and survive.