I Never Have Nightmares
I rarely remember any dreams I may have. For much of my life, I actually didn't get much REM sleep (due to sleep apnea); once I got the underlying issues fixed I did have some very bizarre dreams that seemed very real to me. On waking, I would often have a hard time distinguishing the recollections of these dreams from actual memories, which is why some of you got phone calls from me asking, "we didn't [something really strange], did we?"
I think I get better REM sleep now (although I'm honestly not sure; haven't been back for a sleep study in a while); but I don't usually remember my dreams. The ones I do remember are never nightmares; honestly, I don't think I HAVE nightmares. Or at least, not often.
For instance:
The other night I was dreaming about being bored (yes, really); and decided to go for a bike ride to entertain myself. So I went for a bike ride; the bike path in question was elevated, about a mile above the city streets (think monorail track with bike jumps). Great views, but only one problem: I'm scared of heights, which was worsened by the severe narrowness of the trail. So I came to a wide spot in the track, which was a great place to rest except for one problem: it was occupied by some kind of bizarre owl/trout hybrid that was clearly poisonous. I backed off down the trail for a moment, and returned to find the beast had (left? mutated? been eaten?) and a large snake was left in its place. This worried me for a moment until I realized that it was an anaconda and they are not poisonous. I was able to push it off the platform leaving me safe, but still worried about how to get down. I stopped and thought for a bit, and realized that, if I were in a movie, I could just have a training montage and be back on the ground. One training montage later, on the ground I was. At this point, I just had to figure out how to get home. Of course, I had my phone on me so I just pulled up a map program and started walking.
This probably isn't a lot more bizarre than most people's dreams. The interesting part of it is that, every time I came to a challenge, I solved it. I'm not sure, but I think this says something about my self-confidence. On some deep level, I think I can fix whatever comes along; so what would normally be a nightmare becomes an interesting challenge.
I think I get better REM sleep now (although I'm honestly not sure; haven't been back for a sleep study in a while); but I don't usually remember my dreams. The ones I do remember are never nightmares; honestly, I don't think I HAVE nightmares. Or at least, not often.
For instance:
The other night I was dreaming about being bored (yes, really); and decided to go for a bike ride to entertain myself. So I went for a bike ride; the bike path in question was elevated, about a mile above the city streets (think monorail track with bike jumps). Great views, but only one problem: I'm scared of heights, which was worsened by the severe narrowness of the trail. So I came to a wide spot in the track, which was a great place to rest except for one problem: it was occupied by some kind of bizarre owl/trout hybrid that was clearly poisonous. I backed off down the trail for a moment, and returned to find the beast had (left? mutated? been eaten?) and a large snake was left in its place. This worried me for a moment until I realized that it was an anaconda and they are not poisonous. I was able to push it off the platform leaving me safe, but still worried about how to get down. I stopped and thought for a bit, and realized that, if I were in a movie, I could just have a training montage and be back on the ground. One training montage later, on the ground I was. At this point, I just had to figure out how to get home. Of course, I had my phone on me so I just pulled up a map program and started walking.
This probably isn't a lot more bizarre than most people's dreams. The interesting part of it is that, every time I came to a challenge, I solved it. I'm not sure, but I think this says something about my self-confidence. On some deep level, I think I can fix whatever comes along; so what would normally be a nightmare becomes an interesting challenge.
posted by Ted @ 09:57
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