Had a Great Dream, but still almost panicked

[Cforte]

So last night, as every night, I had some very vivid dreams. The last one was a good one though. I dreamed I was back in my old hometown up in the Eastern Sierra of California, my "happy place. " I haven't been back to it in years and was so happy in my dream that I was crying. I woke up completely still and relaxed, in fact I was so relaxed I didn't feel like I was breathing. I had that empty lung feeling where it feels like there is no air in your lungs or that they are collapsed. This happens often, but not every morning, and I feel like I have to breathe deeply for a while to get my lungs or respiration working right. The feeling lasts most of the morning , sometimes all day, making me have to fight off wanting to panic all day long. Yet I woke up completely relaxed and from a good dream, I didn't wake up panicky, I just felt like my muscles were so relaxed they wouldn't even move to let me breathe on my own, which then almost causes me to panic. Anyone else get that?

[Darryl Partner]

I've had several times during the night where I felt I was like a total sack, unable to move my chest or diaphram to breath or even to sneeze the mucus out of my nostrils. Of course, I was indeed breathing. Anxiety creates all sorts of irrational nightmares and wakeups...it's up to us to understand how noticing "irrationality" becomes one of our coping skills.

[Cforte in reply to Darryl]

Thank you, Darryl. I had it again this morning. Multiple vivid dreams, then woke up feeling like there was no air in my lungs and I had to consciously breathe. The feeling lasted for just under a half hour. Is it central sleep apnea where your brain fails to send the signal to breathe? That usually happens when you are asleep, though it could wake you up sometimes gasping for air. Or is it just stress and just a panic attack upon waking? I also feel like I didn't sleep at all, even though I had so many vivid dreams. I've read that dreams are ways your brain deals with stress and when you dream you are not sleeping deep enough, so maybe I didn't get a good enough sleep? I dream every time I close my eyes. That could all be due to stress and anxiety? I am scheduled for a home sleep study next week. I just hope it is accurate. I really want my brain waves recorded too to see what is going on in my mind when I sleep. All these dreams. All the time. All could be due to stress? And I am not on medication...yet.

[Cforte]

Had it again this morning. Multiple vivid dreams, then woke up feeling like there was no air in my lungs and I had to consciously breathe. The feeling lasted for just under a half hour. Is it central sleep apnea where your brain fails to send the signal to breathe? That usually happens when you are asleep, though it could wake you up sometimes gasping for air. Or is it just stress and just a panic attack upon waking? I also feel like I didn't sleep at all, even though I had so many vivid dreams. I've read that dreams are ways your brain deals with stress and when you dream you are not sleeping deep enough, so maybe I didn't get a good enough sleep? I dream every time I close my eyes. That could all be due to stress and anxiety? I am scheduled for a home sleep study next week. I just hope it is accurate. I really want my brain waves recorded too to see what is going on in my mind when I sleep. All these dreams. All the time. All could be due to stress? And I am not on medication...yet.