Ok, so I’m not entirely sure this is an ADHD thing or a me thing, but I thought I’d put it out there and see which of you might be able to relate. I tend to dream more often than not, which actually makes sense because apparently those of us with ADHD spent 80% of our sleep in REM mode (rapid eye movement). This is what’s known as a lighter kind of sleep zone as opposed to a deep sleep, it’s also the place where you dream.
I know I sound like I’m bragging when I say this, but I have had some pretty awesome dreams in the past. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t remember every single dream I’ve had, but when I do I’m really surprised about what they reveal in terms of my subconscious and also how imaginative I can be.
I once had a dream that went a bit like groundhogs day, but my friend and I were in a museum where a bomb kept going off. Every time we died, time would reset, and we had to solve the mystery of where the bomb was and who set it off. After about ten times of being blown up, I finally figured out that a sweet little old man held the key to the whole thing because he was the thing that we hadn’t tried to change. I woke up thinking it was like I’d got a free movie in my head ha.
“I don’t have nightmares too often, but when I do I don’t try to decipher them too much because I think that goes down a dark path.”
adhd Girl
Another time I dreamt that I was at a high school reunion of sorts, where we had to do some training. I should explain high school was a horrible time for me due to being bullied. In the dream, I remember feeling scared of history repeating itself, but also telling myself that I need to be stronger and that I’m an adult now. Anyway some girl tried to blame me for something, so I got sent to the school office. Yes, as an adult, it’s hilarious isn’t it? The office tried to send me somewhere else, but I stood my ground and said actually I’m an adult, I know what I need and this is where I am going to get support for this. When I woke up I felt empowered to take charge of a situation that been going on for a long time but I felt like I had no control over.
I guess my point with all this is, that when ADHDers have the tendencies to think of thousands of ideas at once and never just one thing, is it any wonder we would have such interesting and unique dreams? Do you remember yours? Have you had any interesting ones? Let me know in the comments below or you can always reach me at my email address, which can be found on the contact page. Till next time everyone, in the meantime; sweet dreams to you all.
One thought on “Dream on….”
I can relate to this! I have AuDHD and since early childhood I have had multiple, vivid and often weird dreams every night. I also wake up countless times during the night. When I had a sleep study, it showed that I had no deep sleep and a lot of REM sleep, as well as mild sleep apnoea. As you said, when you have a thousand thoughts and ideas in your head simultaneously, it’s no wonder they translate into bizarre dreams!