November 27, 2023

"For some strange reason, I always feel incredibly sleepy when I'm dreaming."

"Basically, I would have to struggle to keep my dream eyelids open, and would generally pass out randomly etc. The sleepiness is very extreme, far more sleepy than I've ever experienced in waking life. It's so bad that it's basically my reality check: if you're super sleepy, you're probably dreaming. This is affecting my lucid dreaming. The sleepiness generally becomes worse when I'm lucid, so I'll easily 'fall asleep' into non-dreaming sleep. Even if this doesn't happen, the sleepiness is extremely distracting.... I tried to do things like drink imaginary coffee, but it doesn't really work...."

A Reddit post from 8 years ago, read this morning because I had one of those dreams within which I'm incredibly sleepy. Within the dream I am trying to stay awake, but in reality, I'm trying to stay asleep (to continue the dream). Or is falling asleep in a dream the real-world experience of waking up?

15 comments:

tim maguire said...

This person is worried about being distracted in their dream? Is the problem that the dream won't be productive enough, it will be inefficient? That is a...unique...concern.

I don't recall ever having a dream where I'm tired, but I've had many dreams where my eyes are clamped shut and I can't pry them open, where I'm trying to run but my legs won't move, where I'm trying to leave the house but I keep forgetting things and have to go back. It's very frustrating and I wake up annoyed.

Howard said...

Sounds like a vivid dream playing with your sense of reality.

tim in vermont said...

So the guy constantly practices "lucid dreaming" and his brain is saying "enough, already, you are defeating the whole purpose of dreaming."

Leland said...

I had that sensation this morning. I took it as being relaxed from a long weekend and not being ready to start the next week. I wasn’t “sleepy” as much as invested in the dream and wanting to continue it like a good book or show. What really surprised me was that particular sleep cycle was short (about 40 min) yet the dream was dense and seemed much longer.

tcrosse said...

Althouse's "I have a dream" speech.

The Crack Emcee said...

I have three kinds of sleeping experiences - non-existent dreams (the most common) horrifying (unspeakably frightening) and glorious (an explosion of imagination and color) - but none of them has ever been lucid.

R C Belaire said...

AA has crossed the boundary between reality and simulation. It's dangerous territory.

PJ said...

I've had the experience of dreaming that I was very sleepy, but I've never had the experience of fighting it. I just go ahead and dream I fall asleep, and then I dream I wake back up. Those are the only times I'm confused about whether I'm dreaming -- I falsely reason that I can't be dreaming because I just woke up, at which point all manner of disbelief is suspended.

JRoberts said...

At my age, it seems like a fair percentage of my dreams are about finding a bathroom...

rcocean said...

That's funny. Last week I had my first ever dream about being in bed and and trying to go to sleep. Its much more fun when my dreams are about jumping into Nigara falls and swimming to th shore. Or dreaming that I'm in Lv and climing the MGM grand with my bare hands.

Yancey Ward said...

I have had that kind of dream before where I am very, very sleepy within it- they aren't common to me, though.

As for lucid dreaming- I am pretty much always aware that I am in a dream. My only control over the dream seems to consist of two things- I can make myself wake up if the dream is too emotionally disturbing, and I can often return to the dream if I wake up and want to go back to sleep and continue it.

The most terrible dreams are those nightmares where it takes me multiple attempts to wake up.

California Snow said...

You may have been Incepted. Have you interacted with Decaprio lately?

Narr said...

I don't seem to dream as much as I used to. At least, I don't recall them like I used to.

Of course when I was young I had my share of dreams that promised a very happy ending, but that never happens any more.

Not sure about dreams about sleep . . .

mikee said...

My prostate has collaborated with my dreams to keep me from embarrassing incontinence, so far, but waking up to unload the bladder is a poor substitute for sleepy dreams.

Josephbleau said...

"I had one of those dreams within which I'm incredibly sleepy. Within the dream I am trying to stay awake, but in reality, I'm trying to stay asleep (to continue the dream). Or is falling asleep in a dream the real-world experience of waking up?"

Ms. Althouse, your confusion is the price you pay for being a Law Professor,