Wake Me Not

raised eyebrow emoticonWhen you lie down at night, is it for a reprieve from the FAB world where nothing can encroach the peace and quiet?

People give me the strangest looks when I ask that question, as though it should be rhetorical. Of course sleep should be the break from the day (or night) where sugar plum fairies should be the worst of the inhabitants.

Dreams

Imagine for a moment, your dreams were as diverse and populous as your FAB world. Your dreams were not vignettes of life but full-scale worlds of their own, right down to the smells and textures you encounter.

No amorphous impressions of vague remembrance. No more déjà vu feelings the place was  not concretely past or future. No more fugue memories of thinking you may have found something or lost something or were chased by something. Every portion was just as realistic and full as your commute.

Mine are.ElliotWhen the rest of the world lies down to repose, a new world opens to me which is just as vivid as the one where I am awake. Occasionally, the two meet and meld. While I stand before the mirror to brush my teeth, the final images of a dream interrupted show instead of my reflection on my personal viewing screen.

Often are the days dreams extend beyond one night. The moment I am supine, the dream from the night before begins right where I left it, like a favorite movie paused for a bowl of popcorn. Every once in a while, dreams will take more than a week to complete.

Even naps are not immune. In as little as 20 minutes, I can have a dream which takes me 15 minutes to explain.

Energy and Well-being

Blue Boxing Gloves

While sleep is meant to re-energize the body, more often than not, I awaken more tired than when I lay down. Long walks or sprints in dreams translate to sore leg muscles. Hand-to-hand combat makes for sore arms or knuckles and tender spots where blows fell. Certain times, bruises appear.

When I climb ashore from a swim in the ocean, I can feel the salt in my lungs. After a forest excursion, my sinus revolt. If the dreamscape is a sandstorm, my throat will be scratchy.

The power of persuasion is immense. Imagination can take you many places, real and imagined. It can show you solutions to problems you believed were insurmountable. You can see the pitfalls in scenarios you may not have first perceived. You can discover your own limitations.

I have been killed in my dreams. Despite most reports to the contrary, I did not wake up at the time of death; instead, I observed the action on the killing field. I have been so far into the future as to know a small portion of my death’s possible import.

Premonition

Blank CalendarAlthough the majority of my dreams are merely fantasy creations of adventure or flights of fancy, premonitions are as strikingly frequent as they are accurate. Admittedly, I do not always appreciate them for what they are. The parts which are out of sync with the present earn a quizzical dismissal from me. I deem them invalid because I do not see how the present could morph into the setting.

When the time comes, I see why I misunderstood.

Despite many suggesting to me it is merely déjà vu, the fact the dreams occur as long as five years in advance dispels such assumptions.

Triggers

Loads of research has proven letting dinner be digested reduces dreams, as does mild exercise or meditation before sleep. Calming techniques meant to empty the mind clear out the dreamy cobwebs for many. Self-appreciation, role playing, sleeping on one’s side or belly and skipping the late night caffeine jolt or highball make for peaceful nights for many people.

Bah. My eyes do not even need to close to dream. Daily yoga, complete lack of caffeine/alcohol, journaling, accepted praise and affirmation do nothing to change my dreaming.

If only I could dream about sleeping, I might be able to get some rest.

Doux rêves!

I have to get up, why?

 


Do you remember your dreams? Have you ever had a premonitory dream? How long do you sleep each night?

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18 Comments

  1. I’m pleased to say I sleep like a baby. Sometimes I dream, but not often, or don’t remember. When I was much younger I had dreams that foretold events a number of times. I especially recall, although I didn’t understand one in particular. I saw my father with bruises about his eyes. The next day I phoned home. I had no idea my father was to have cataract surgery and that’s what he looked like afterwards.
    Sorry to hear your mind endlessly wanders leaving you tired in the morning.
    Tess recently posted..Luoyang, Day 6, Part 1 – (local flight)My Profile

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    • Interesting the way the mind prepares us for things, even when we have no clue how they tie to reality. Send me a sleep-filled night, would you? I would gladly pay the COD for it. 😉 xxx

      Reply
  2. you are soooooooooo lovely, Red!
    btw, you won the book w/ your comment. I’ll need your address! xxxx CONGRATS.
    My Inner Chick recently posted..16 Things I Effing Love, Love, LoveMy Profile

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  3. My dreams are similar to yours, complete and complex worlds that seem as real as reality, no matter how strange they sometimes are. It’s hard to believe we can create those kinds of realities on a whim.

    Reply
    • For me, it is so interesting that it takes so little effort to create these worlds. Were we to sit and describe them, it would take hours to relay the details.

      Reply
  4. What is this ‘sleep’ you speak of!
    Wonderful piece Red. I keep a Dream Journal, but only when life rears myriad troubles (to me lol) at once . The recurring dream of myself skidding out of control on ice, while driving my car, isn’t to difficult to discern 😉
    As you said, it may take a while for dreams to reveal what they are telling you.
    I read once that 80% of our dreams are the brain working out daily situations. The remaining 20% can many times be truly prohpetic.
    Oh, I’ve died in dreams too.
    Been there. Fell that.
    Interesting, fun and good stuff for those of us who fear sleep and what awaits us…

    Reply
    • I read that same statistic and rolled my eyes. It is based on the scores of people surveyed who cannot remember they dreamed, much less what. Meh.

      Tell you what… When Tess sends me the box of sleep, I will forward half to you. *grins* Really glad to see you, Chica <3 xxx

      Reply
  5. Oh I forgot… nice pic chickie <3 <3 <3
    R. C. Black-Raven recently posted..4th of Juplaya 2014My Profile

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  6. If my dreams were real I could fly and breathe under water.
    Bearman Cartoons recently posted..Robin Williams Cartoon QuoteMy Profile

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  7. My comment disappeared but I will call back again later and see if it appears 🙁

    Andro xxxx

    Reply
    • Bugger. I hope it does. :/

      Reply
      • It didn’t, unfortunately but never mind, everything is working fine now, and the posts that I have read thus far are brilliant.

        You certainly deserve the comments and readership Red, you always deliver such incredible postings, and M3 has never looked so cool.

        You are the reason why everyone ventures into this blog of yours, the awesomeness of your words and of course the sweetness of your smile 🙂

        Andro xxxx

        Reply
  8. I can’t remember what I wrote the last time I commented, well the comment before the last time I commented to be accurate but one thing I do know is that just a little sleep for me works wonders, I can always drop off to sleep no matter the time, night or day if I feel like a nap I always manage one.

    It doesn’t even have to be dark, I often wonder why people cannot sleep with the curtains open, perhaps sleep is associated with night time, though many work during the night, therefore requiring sleep during the day. I know some will purchase the blackout curtains to mimic night time sleeping but for me this is not necessary, luckily, as I know there are those that cannot sleep in regular patterns, insomnia being a real battle.

    Years ago I always dreamt that I couldn’t find where I had parked the car, or that I was unable to find the keys, I guess we all have funny dreams, reflections of our thoughts or intermittent sleeping perhaps? Someone told me that eight hours sleep is required to feel rejuvenated but for me five hours is enough, of course after hard labour eight hours would be better I think 🙂

    Another brilliant posting that adds food for thought 🙂 Have a lovely day today my sweet and dear friend 🙂

    Andro xxxx

    Reply
    • The question of light is merely part of being human and 100% chemical. Blue light is the culprit. Our sensitivity to it is often changed by our habits. I do not even need to close my eyes to sleep, so my sensitivity is not why I like the dark. 🙂

      Typically, dream we are searching for something is a mimicry of the real world, as in something lacking in our day-to-day lives which would bring fulfillment. xxxx

      Reply

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