weird sleep problem - strange dreams in the morning - advice?

[EmilyGF]

For the last few weeks, I've been having odd dreams right before I wake up in the morning. Not quite nightmares all the time, but borderline weird/disturbing. I wake up sort of halfway and feel pretty groggy. I think my sleep starts getting disturbed about an hour before I would normally wake up, so maybe from 5:15 to 6:15 my sleep is weird and not refreshing at all. 

I'm trying to figure our if there is some sort of sleep hygiene issue I could work on for this. 

So far:

The night thermostat is at 55.

I sleep with the window open a bit so that I don't overheat. I used to overheat during the night with it shut. Negative: we live in a big city and there are a lot of noises.

I have very ineffective ear plugs in when I sleep. I haven't been able to find better ones.

I don't wear a mask, but I put a t-shirt folded up over my eyes. (Maybe this is a good one to target?)

I start the night with socks, but take them off sometime during the night. I can't fall asleep with cold feet and putting on wool socks before bed was a game changer.

I currently have a light-weight down comforter with a flannel sheet under it. 

DH does not snore. 

Ideas? I'm open to just waking up an hour earlier, as long as the problem doesn't just get shoved back earlier!

Thanks, Emily

[marbel]

This may or may not help at all, so ignore if not helpful.

I find if I wake up earlier than I want/need to get up - say, I wake up at 5:30 and don't have any pressing need to get out of bed for at least an hour - and I go back to sleep, I will have disturbing dreams and wake up feeling groggy. Like yours, they are not nightmares exactly, but just disturbing dreams. Like I can't find one of my kids, or I'm in a building and can't find my way out, or trying to walk/drive somewhere and not making any progress. 

I *think* I would do better to just get up, even if it's earlier than I wand/need to be up. I just haven't forced myself to do it yet.

[Ausmumof3]

I get that if the room is too warm.  I also find sometimes getting up earlier for a couple of weeks can help reset. 

[prairiewindmomma]

I think you are probably waking up mid-REM cycle. I have this too. Get up at 5:15 or shift your go to bed time.

[happi duck]

I thought strange morning dreams were universal! 

If I rouse enough to realize I'm semi-conscious I get out of bed.  If I fall back asleep I'll have bizarre dreams and that is more exhausting than just getting up.

[hippymamato3]

If I wake up (even a little) and then go back to sleep in the morning, I always have either extremely weird, vivid dreams or nightmares. I usually just try to get up when I wake up the first time. 

[EmilyGF]

1 hour ago, Indigo Blue said:

Sometimes if I take vitamins before bed, I have more dreams and they are vivid. Are you taking any supplements before bed?

Hmmm, I usually don't eat anything after dinner, but I'll stay aware of that. Thanks!

[BeachGal]

Do you eat foods that are high in resistant starch (RS)? RS feeds good bacteria in your gut and, in turn, they create a short-chain fatty acid called butyrate which, among other benefits, can improve sleep quality. Some people eat, for example, a small-medium, raw potato at dinner but you could try other foods as well. If you have gut issues or are unsure, you could try different types of RS and start with smaller amounts initially and increase gradually.

Another idea is glycine to keep you cool longer. Glycine lowers body temp during the night. Lower core body temperature leads to deeper sleep. It works for some. 3 grams in the evening is a typical dose. Now is a good brand. It’s just pure glycine.

 

[popmom]

No advice, but you are not alone. I have dreams every single morning that range from stressful to downright terrifying. I think it has been made worse by the pandemic as COVID comes up in some form or fashion in most of the dreams. I've kind of always had this issue, but something about the pandemic has made it worse. I think it's just one way for my brain to process all that is happening--the risks, fears, anxiety, etc. I hate it, but I haven't found any relief myself yet.