My dreams are becoming more complex. They are not scary, but they are so involved it is like watching a film. It is not like seeing snatches of scenes but whole segments of an ongoing story. It appears that I am weaving people, bits of television programs, reality and events into fantasy all involving myself into a nighttime world that I step into. I have caught trains, been in airport terminals, I have been pregnant, built houses, had adventures, travelled with friends and companions I have never known before, with my friends who bear no resemblance to their real selves, and all in 3D and colour!
The dreams are relentless each night, and sometimes leaves me mentally exhausted in the morning, without the ability to retain the memory of the details of them. I simply wake with my daily head pain, my brain stuffed full of mental activity, which by the time I have made a drink and take
n my tablets and ease into the day, dissipates. But I know one day they won’t.
There is no real point in trying to work them out because they are garbled meanderings that have no meaning.
I know that they may get worse, and hope that they do not develop into nightmares, common with some types of Dementia.
The problem with dreams is that as the disease progresses they become mixed up with reality. I have had odd flashes of thinking of something and wondering whether it was real or did I dream it? Did I talk about that to someone? Did they tell me? I don’t want the day to come when I am awake and the dreams are still real. I mean that the people in my dreams are there in my waking, or the events in my dreams are part of the reality during the day. When the day comes when someone starts arguing with me that what I have just told them is not real it will be sad.
So just don’t argue with me, I want to say now, my reality is not the same as yours okay!
Handbagwarrior; verbal ramblings 
This is a really interesting post. I often thought to my father his dreams were real events. He woke one night searching the house for a puppy he’d lost, a puppy which belonged to someone else and he had to take it back to him. He was very distressed and when I siad it was okay the puppy was back home he looked at me quite crossly, demanding to know how that could have happened. I also found with dad if we had been looking at old photos he would go to bed and dream of that time – so he’d wake thinking he’d to go and rake hay but couldn’t remember where his hay rake was. I had to make sure after looking at old photos or talking about long ago days we brought him back to the present time before he went to bed.
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Thank you for that Mary. I think how you dealt with it is absolutely superb and very helpful for others to know. I am still learning about my own Alzheimer’s, and others telling how they deal with their loved ones difficulties is a real help for me to know. I am just beginning a journey of being involved in the community with educating what it is like to live with this this terrible disease and suggestions like yours are vital. 🙂
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This gave me a real insight into your world. I always try not to ‘correct’ anyone living with dementia because who am I to do so anyway? We focus far too much on who’s right and wrong which isn’t important- what’s important is living well, whether you live with dementia or not!
Gemma
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Absolutely Gemma!
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Thanks for sharing what is happening in your world. It sounds both exhausting and rather frightening. Just as I picture a fictitious ‘cottage in the country and building a garden’ to help me go to sleep sometimes, I wonder does it help to read a particularly vivid comforting chapter in a book with calming music in the background before you go to bed? Would that set the scene for calmer dreams OR would it all still be mixed up in the reality of your day?
Is there any research into meditation before bed (calming the mind of Alzheimer patients)?
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Hi Vicki, I am not sure reading would help as my dreams can be from any part of the day or week, not just the evening before I go to sleep. Music would be interesting to try out..I might just try that sometime, although I do get ‘earworms’ where a song or music is stuck in my head and plays continuously until I listen to it and get rid of it.
I am sure there must be some research into dreams of people with Alzheimer’s because it is an important part of it. Hmmm food for thought..I might try and see what I can find out if meditation helps. Really interesting thought Vicki, thank you.
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I found it interesting that you were able to capture so much in your writing. I’m aware that some of the medications used for Alzheimer’s cause nightmares. That worries me that many people are not having a good sleep due to the medications that may or may not have any benefit.
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Thank you for your thoughtful comment Mike. Sadly, sleep is one thing that is affected with this disease even without medication. In my case my medial temporal lobe is affected, and my frontal lobe is underdeveloped. In both these areas, any ‘damage’ affects the the consciousness both asleep and awake. Lewy Bodys disease is particularly unfortunate with nightmares/daymares – very scary and insidious.
Fortunately, for me and my friends who live with Early Onset Alzheimers/Dementia, we are still able to use our intelligence to help spread the education of living with dementia, although as it progresses it will get harder but feel it is important to tell people how it is. 🙂
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