Can I stop or turn off dreams?

The only way to stop dreaming is to interfere with REM sleep, which is not advisable as it has detrimental health effects. You can talk to a doctor about being prescribed a REM suppressant. I suggest finding a board certified sleep physician and making an appointment.

reply to post by philosopherrose


You said you took Ambien?... I was just googling "intense vivid dreaming" because this morning I was having the weirdest "dreams" if thats what you want to call them, ( I only got 3 hrs last night and took an ambien)
well I tried to goto bed at around 7 or 8 am and WOW I never ever experienced something so weird,
I closed my eyes and fell alseep super fast, i felt my whole body jump, I was seeing colors, etc I also saw a bunch of doors that I kept pushing thru and the more i would go thru them the more doors would appear from every where, the floor, wall, roof, etc.

it wouldnt have freaked me out so much but I knew I was dreaming and
it just kept going on and on in reality it was only a few mins..
I woke up and now am actually scared to go back to sleep because although I had vivid dreams before this was SO much more intense I am also 39 weeks pregnant, and been on the ambien about a month -- still never experienced anything like that before. I hope that you can find something to stop your dreams when they are that intense. The only thing I know that helps is a small dose of Ritalin- I hardly ever dream while taking that- (but its harder to goto sleep then too)
goodluck!

reply to post by philosopherrose


I've had very similar experiences to yours - extremely vivid dreams from childhood on

and I really understand the part about not being able to determine whether something really happened - in your waking life - or was part of a dream - that can drive you a little crazy

spending large amounts of time going over your dreams - I've also done that

I've gone through periods of very painful dreaming after I've lost someone I love as well - things you just want to forget - and you think you need to forget

I think that might be key - right there

we want to forget - and we can all repress a lot of things - but I'm not sure we should

your dreams won't let you

I've come to see that your dreams can force you to look at the stuff you don't want to - not to torture you - but to help you in the end

we need to process these things - understand them - make peace with them

it took me a long time to see it - but some of the worst dreams I've had (and I've had some unbelievably painful, terrifying dreams) have shown me things - taught me lessons I might never have learned otherwise

you're taking Ambien I assume because you've had sleeping issues period - something I've also experienced - that's a nightmare of another kind - sleep deprivation

Ambien can really help you - but at some point you need to teach yourself how to sleep again - on your own - if you ever really knew how to begin with :-)

we all think sleep is a no-brainer - but, some approaches are definitely better than others

it isn't easy - but it's one of the most important things you'll ever learn - how to go to sleep - and stay asleep - it can change everything for you

it won't stop the vivid dreams - but, it will definitely help with being able to tell the difference between dreaming and being awake - and you might not have as many problems putting them away during the day

everyone has different sleep patterns - and I think some of us - for whatever reason - have a "thinner membrane" between the worlds of dreaming and wakefulness - and if things get too out of balance - there's hardly any difference at all. U2U me if you are up for advice

it also helps to remember that dreams use a language of symbols - and I personally don't recommend having someone else analyze your dreams or relying on books with cataloged meanings

I don't mean to suggest that they aren't useful at all - but they're created based on the idea of universal symbols - in the end - the language that really counts the most is your own

so, as long as you're already spending so much time analyzing your dreams in depth, something that might help you a great deal would be to write down your dream as you remember it - without thinking about it - in a just the facts/as it comes to you way - don't analyze

then sit down and go through it - and ask yourself what the various components of your dream mean to you - and only you

for instance - if there was blood - write a series of words - free-association style - of what blood means to you

same for where there was blood (stairs for example - what are stairs to you)

sorry to be so graphic - this is just an example of what worked for me

go through all of it - colors, noise, taste - people, animals, music - it doesn't matter - whatever you actually remember

when you begin to see what your dreams are telling you using your own personal symbolism - well, it can be an enlightening experience - and you hopefully will be less afraid of what you're being shown

then you'll be less anxious about sleeping - eventually the whole process will balance out for you

I wish I could clearly remember all my dreams. They have been as important to me in my life as anything that happens while I'm awake. The internet has really opened my eyes to how many people experience the same dream imagery I do. I've had a few vivid ones lately where I am in some sort of facility or laboratory, being taught the "truth of it all" by human scientists...but I never remember any details upon waking. I was shown my "role" listed in a book, but I immediately forgot. They get weirder, but I should stop myself now