Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Do you have bad dreams?

I seem to have dreams that could be about anything, but at some point in almost every dream, I find that I cannot stand or walk, that it is intensely painful to rise from sitting, for example. I have had dreams of myself having to hold onto the wall to be able to walk, all the while having severe pain in my back and legs.

I'm wondering if anyone else experiences this?
I'm sure the dream is related to my fear of becoming disabled from this AS,(currently I suffer from pain that is difficult to control, but I work and am active, not terribly affected .... other than lots of pain)
Maybe the dream is also reflecting a fear of my pain increasing?
Darla

Hi Darla,

Good question...

I have alot of bad dreams, but I have always kind of just chalked mine up to all the meds I take.

Mine are bad like people chasing me, people after me, having to protect my family, running, screaming...lots of scary stuff.

I do have good dreams, but most of the time the bad outweighs the good.

Lisa

It could be that you are hurting while you are sleeping and your mind tries to find a reason for the pain. That combined with your fears probably creates those dreams. I also often dream about whatever was on my mind that day.

I've had strange dreams since I can remember (according to my family, even since before I can remember). It does seem though that since I've been on meds (not just for pain, but different meds for depression in high school) the dreams have taken on even stranger demenensions. Since I started being in pain all the time (a few years now) my dreams tend to be more violent, I often have night terrors and will wake up in cold sweats and/or a panic, just the other day I woke up and started yelling at my boyfriend to leave me alone and give me some space. Apparently, he was nearly falling off the bed b/c I had been kicking and pushing him over for quite some time.. I've tried a number of times to keep a dream diary, but, though I remember my dreams, they're often difficult to break down into writing in the morning. The one time I managed to keep a consistent diary of dreams was when I had mono, man, that fever will give you some crazy dreams...
Chelsie

Hi Darla,
I think dreams tell us a lot more than we think. Maybe it is that you are fearing the possibility of becoming disabled. My dreams are that I am in a tremendous amount of pain, crying and I can't move...so pain much that the pain wakes me and when I wake up I am in alot of pain. If that makes any sense.
Take care,
Cara

Yes, Lisa, I didn't even mention the 'cocktail' of meds I take. Since I've been on the muscle relaxers at night, I dream more. Fortunately at least some are good dreams except for the part where I cant walk and in pain ,etc.
Gosh I hope that the bad dreams you have is just your imagination being overworked, do you worry about always having bad dreams? (I always try to make some sense from the dream, but many times I can't, just figure that some of them are just my mind 'working out')
Darla

That's exactly what I think , that sometimes I am in pain when sleeping and that's why I would dream so much about pain... Although my mornings are always painful, seems like I have just as much pain in the evenings now.... that wasn't always the case. So when I go to bed, hurting so much.... it would make sense that my mind would 'take up the cause'.....a girl just can t get a break from it!
Darla

You have such a pretty name....wonder why I like it so much?( my daughter's name is Chelsey)
Geez I'm sorry you have such bad dreams. These meds are something, aren't they?
I hadn't thought about keeping a dream diary. Maybe I'll try that.
Darla

hi
sorry for the late reply, i have not been on much this weekend, its been a bit busy!
firstly i beleive dreams can b interpreted, and they r trying to tell us something, mostly something that bothering us in our subconcious, so yes worry about ur pain could b part of it.
secondly i dont know what meds u r on, but i take tramadol and thats supposed to cus dreaming in itself. i however have not noticed any differences i can pinpoint to the the tramadol tho.
thirdly when i am in a lot of pain, (this has been explained to me by my dr as have been dx as suffering from sleep deprevation) there r different levels of sleep, theres the deep sleep which we all need, this is the one thats supposed to make us wake up feeling refreshed like we have had enough sleep, and amongst others theres the dream state, which in people like us can be induced by bein in pain and not properly sleeping. i sure hope this makes sense.
my dreams too (well the ones i remember) r of someone/something trying to get me and very often i cannot move or function.
now i hope this next bit isnt getting too deep, but i had a while a couple years ago where i was having such bad bad dreams, i was too scared to go to sleep, they were everynite. the only way i could break them was to, frstly try and work out what might b bothering me to make my subconcious do this. secondly i had (its takes a bit of practice) work out a "trigger" word/or action (something very real to u) i could use to break the dream. this in fact worked as i could not work out for the life of me what was bothering me. hence the bad dreams finally stopped. i have done this ever since
take care
heather

Count me in as one of those who has horrible dreams. Right now they're so bad that I, like in Heather's past, dread going to sleep. The themes for mine are different, sometimes reflecting some very real concerns in my life, and at other times, being so abstractly scary that I can't even discuss them the next morning.

For better or worse, my dreams don't seem to touch on the subject of pain or disability, although I suppose that would at least make some sense to me

I'm sorry that so many people experience bad dreams here at KA, but I am a bit relieved on reading this thread, I thought it was only me.

Hugs,
Jeanna

PS - There's nothing really in my med cocktail that should be causing these dreams, just my own tormented psyche I guess