Epic dreaming is leaving people exhausted and distressed

Imagine regularly waking up exhausted, not because you didn’t sleep, but because you seemingly spent the entire night immersed in incessant dreams . For people who experience such “epic dreaming”, the effects can be severe, often impacting their work and day-to-day lives. “These vivid experiences linger in my mind, drain my energy and create lasting fatigue,” said one such epic dreamer.

This woman, identified as 38-year-old Madame R, is one of four epic dreamers who have been assessed at two centres in France. Though scientific descriptions of epic dreams date back more than 20 years , the four detailed case studies support the idea that it should be recognised as a distinct sleep disorder, according to the researchers, who included Pierre Geoffroy at Paris Cité University. During her assessment, Madame R said she has always experienced epic dreaming, but it worsened after the birth of her second child. The other case studies include Monsieur W., a 74-year-old man who said his intense, vivid dreams are “at times indistinguishable from reality”. Then there’s Monsieur D., a 58-year-old man who reported four years of twice-weekly excessive dream activity, and Madame W., a 40-year-old woman who can’t remember a time without it. “It feels like my brain never stops at night,” she said. Dreams can happen during any of the four stages of sleep, but the vivid, story-based nature of those reported by these individuals would suggest that they probably mostly occur during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage, says Geoffroy. Excessive dreaming might suggest that someone is spending a disproportionate amount of time in the REM stage, but when three of the four individuals underwent polysomnography – an overnight test that measures brainwaves and eye movement – the results showed that they had typical, or even slightly shorter-than-average, durations of REM. Overall, the polysomnography data was “largely unremarkable”, says Geoffroy. However, there were signs of greater REM density – more frequent and intense rapid eye movements – and more REM fragmentation — micro-arousals, which disrupt a continuous period of REM sleep. Frequent micro-awakenings may increase dream recall and create the impression of dreaming all night, says Geoffroy. Research supports the idea that our perceptions are powerful when it comes to sleep .

Key points

• This woman, identified as 38-year-old Madame R, is one of four epic dreamers who have been assessed at two centres in France.
• Though scientific descriptions of epic dreams date back more than 20 years , the four detailed case studies support the idea that it should be recognised as a distinct sleep disorder, according to…
• During her assessment, Madame R said she has always experienced epic dreaming, but it worsened after the birth of her second child.
• The other case studies include Monsieur W., a 74-year-old man who said his intense, vivid dreams are “at times indistinguishable from reality”.
• Then there’s Monsieur D., a 58-year-old man who reported four years of twice-weekly excessive dream activity, and Madame W., a 40-year-old woman who can’t remember a time without it.