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Some thoughts on reliever side effects

Wheezycat profile image
5 Replies

Hi all, In the early morning between sleep and wakefulness, I had a thought or two: I have noticed I now dream so much more than I used to. It all feels quite lively, but not uncomfortable or difficult, and certainly not unpleasant, and generally I would say I sleep well, on the whole. However, it occurred to me that perhaps the steroids have affected my type of sleep, so I have more dream sleep than before. I wonder in part as I tend to get so much more sleepy than I used to. Not fatigued, or feeling unwell, just straight forward more often feeling sleepy. I am getting older, so that could be it in part, but I do wonder about those steroids. When I am on prednisolone my normal sleep deserts me nearly completely.Inhaled is so much smaller quantity, so I certainly sleep, but just seem to need a lot of it. Has anyone else had this dreamy experience?

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Wheezycat
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emmasue profile image
emmasue

I am not sure. I do know that for me, I have struggled with fatigue quite a bit over the last few years. I have always had dream sleep though. I think this is because I have sleep apnoea (untreated). I sleep all night but I always wake up sleepy I usually need an afternoon nap. I am only in my early 40's and shouldn't feel like this. Not sure if it is the steroids or something else. I am on so much at the moment. I just wish I felt more alert. :-(

Minushabens profile image
Minushabens

I'm currently about 10 weeks into a 24-week course of pred & it's driving me crackers (yes indeed, more crackers than I was to start with).

I haven't noticed anything much with dreams, but I'd be glad on a Saturday morning not to have been up since before 6am. I feel a bit like I've run a marathon as well - really badly aching bones. I am very grateful for the fact they keep us breathing, but crikey I wish they'd discover something that doesn't come with an encyclopedia of side effects.

Anyway, I hope the dreams are good ones. Mine today is Huddersfield winning away at Manchester United. However, I'm planning to go for a big fry-up & several pints with my son to lessen the effect of sitting with 75000 people celebrating us getting hammered.

Wheezycat profile image
Wheezycat in reply to Minushabens

Prednisolone really stops me sleeping. May I never need it all the time! All the best to get through it.

Superzob profile image
Superzob

All 5 of the corticosteroid inhalers which I've tried have given me more dream sleep. Your brain is more active in dream sleep, so the overall quality of sleep may be reduced; hence, like you, I can feel more tired during the day, but it's variable and tolerable. I guess it's a balance between having some discomfort and controlling what can be a very serious illness for some.

Wheezycat profile image
Wheezycat

Hi all three! Thank you for your responses. Truth is that I sleep well enough, but dream a lot, seemingly lively, jolly dreams, no bad stuff that I am aware of. But I think like Superzob that it reduces my quality of sleep to make it less ‘efficient’. But I don’t suffer,except getting noticeably more tired, which can be tedious. I want at times to fall asleep in sofa corners, and I do. If I don’t have access to a sofa corner at such times that can be hard, but mostly I do. So no deep suffering, just a conundrum.

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