Week 1: Extremely Vivid Dreams?!

itsMcKay
itsMcKay Posts: 131 Member
edited November 18 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, all!

I'm back at it after gaining 80 lbs. back. Week 1 of eating right and working out and my dreams have become intense and vivid! I wonder if this means I'm getting better/more REM sleep? I'm not a medical or sleep professional, so I wondered if this was a common experience for people losing weight.

I've already lost 6 lbs. (arguably lots of water weight, but I feel and look much less bloated and uncomfortable, so, hey, I'll take it!) and I think I've been snoring a bit less.

I've been dreaming about whole days with my dog who passed away years ago and about extremely detailed recipes I've never heard of before (my boyfriend used to be a chef and we both love to cook, so I think it's more *interest* related and less *food* related). I've also been dreaming about music that I've never heard before but I wake up humming the tune. It's like my nostalgia and creativity are on hyperdrive!

Anyone experience these vivid dreams when they first started? What where they like? Do you think it's related to weight loss or better health?

Thanks!

Replies

  • Zara11
    Zara11 Posts: 1,247 Member
    Interesting question! I've always had bouts of very vivid dreams, but I've never paid enough attention to WHEN they happen and if it's related to food/exercise/hydration, etc. Will keep it in mind.
  • jessica22222
    jessica22222 Posts: 374 Member
    The one and only time I had vivid dreams was when I was preggers.......
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    Have you changed when you eat certain foods? I saw recently that eating fat right before bedtime is suspected of causing more intense dreams. But it may also just be the quality of your sleep or the speed of your sleep cycles ie you may just be more aware of your dreams as opposed to the dreams themselves having changed. Dreaming is such a fascinating mystery.
  • TiffanyR71
    TiffanyR71 Posts: 217 Member
    Yes - my quality of sleep (less snoring and fewer nights of indulging in a "few" glasses of wine) has led me to deeper sleep and vivid dreams- I've been sleeping like the dead, and waking up feeling great! My dreams keep coming back to me throughout the day & are so clear that I have to think for a second whether it was a dream or real...
  • itsMcKay
    itsMcKay Posts: 131 Member
    TiffanyR71 wrote: »
    Yes - my quality of sleep (less snoring and fewer nights of indulging in a "few" glasses of wine) has led me to deeper sleep and vivid dreams- I've been sleeping like the dead, and waking up feeling great! My dreams keep coming back to me throughout the day & are so clear that I have to think for a second whether it was a dream or real...

    That's exactly what is happening with me, too. Glad to know I'm not the only one!

    Thanks, everyone, for your input.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,611 Member
    The only real change I noticed in my dreams during the first month or so was the number of food dreams I had. I was consuming massive, beautiful cakes of all sorts in my dreams. And woke up with the relief that I had not actually eaten anything. :)
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    I've recently been having vivid dreams about the city I lived in all my life before I moved to NC ten years ago. Never equated them with losing weight, but that's about when it started. Weird!
  • MeganKyGirl82
    MeganKyGirl82 Posts: 110 Member
    Wow this is happening with me also. I've only been back at it a week, and my dreams have been intense. Almost like being in a movie. That's odd. I didn't think of it as being related to food and exercise changes, but maybe it could be.
  • sunnydays851
    sunnydays851 Posts: 116 Member
    That sounds awesome. Why can't I have those?!
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    Dreams are usually an indication that you aren't sleeping well. You can expect to dream every night, but you only remember them if you wake during the dream.
  • anbtjp
    anbtjp Posts: 51 Member
    Yes! I had such a vivid dream a few nights ago that I woke up during it crying and couldn't stop because in the dream my boyfriend got shot. I felt like it really happened and couldn't shake the feeling for a good twenty minutes. I have been dieting for ten days now and have lost six pounds. I thought the vivid dreaming was from cutting out alcohol from my diet but maybe it's from the dieting itself!

    Cool to know others are experiencing the same thing though!
  • tryslora
    tryslora Posts: 1 Member
    Extremely vivid dreams can be a sign of low nocturnal blood sugar (that's one reason they can occur while pregnant, at least for me it was). Sometimes they can turn to nightmares (I remember some particularly cracked low blood sugar ones I've had along the way). If you are doing a low carb diet, that could be a part of the reason, or if you are stopping eating long before bed. As mentioned above, often vivid dreams means you aren't actually getting deeper sleep. If you want to help smooth out your blood sugar levels over the night, a few crackers before bed (or maybe veggies or cheese if you are low carbing it) would help maintain you.
  • MrsGriffin67
    MrsGriffin67 Posts: 485 Member
    Sounds like Chantix...I love Chantix. I wish I could take it every night so I could have wild, vivid dreams.
  • MeganKyGirl82
    MeganKyGirl82 Posts: 110 Member
    tryslora wrote: »
    Extremely vivid dreams can be a sign of low nocturnal blood sugar (that's one reason they can occur while pregnant, at least for me it was). Sometimes they can turn to nightmares (I remember some particularly cracked low blood sugar ones I've had along the way). If you are doing a low carb diet, that could be a part of the reason, or if you are stopping eating long before bed. As mentioned above, often vivid dreams means you aren't actually getting deeper sleep. If you want to help smooth out your blood sugar levels over the night, a few crackers before bed (or maybe veggies or cheese if you are low carbing it) would help maintain you.

    This makes so much sense! Thanks for posting! I try to stop eating 4 hours or so before bed. I may change that to a light snack.
  • TiffanyR71
    TiffanyR71 Posts: 217 Member
    I've had vivid dreams most of my life (decreased over my unhealthiest stages) - they're not all night long (if they were, that would mean sleep not deep enough). I was actually on a low fat high carb diet in college, which was my "dreamiest" time...
  • JustinAnimal
    JustinAnimal Posts: 1,335 Member
    Not sure if you're eating chicken, but it usually gives me really intense and weird dreams. Of course, going for lots of lean protein, I've been eating a ton of baked chicken breast.

    Fun side note: baking chicken breast at 350 for 20-23 minutes and letting it rest for 5 before you cut into it turns into the juiciest chicken I've ever eaten. TRY IT!
  • FatOldManMN
    FatOldManMN Posts: 1,116 Member
    Yep....me too.
    Hot dogs chasing donuts.
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
    itsMcKay wrote: »
    Hi, all!

    I'm back at it after gaining 80 lbs. back. Week 1 of eating right and working out and my dreams have become intense and vivid! I wonder if this means I'm getting better/more REM sleep? I'm not a medical or sleep professional, so I wondered if this was a common experience for people losing weight.

    I've already lost 6 lbs. (arguably lots of water weight, but I feel and look much less bloated and uncomfortable, so, hey, I'll take it!) and I think I've been snoring a bit less.

    I've been dreaming about whole days with my dog who passed away years ago and about extremely detailed recipes I've never heard of before (my boyfriend used to be a chef and we both love to cook, so I think it's more *interest* related and less *food* related). I've also been dreaming about music that I've never heard before but I wake up humming the tune. It's like my nostalgia and creativity are on hyperdrive!

    Anyone experience these vivid dreams when they first started? What where they like? Do you think it's related to weight loss or better health?

    Thanks!

    Are you also dropping acid?
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    MrsGriffin67 wrote: »
    Sounds like Chantix...I love Chantix. I wish I could take it every night so I could have wild, vivid dreams.


    I also had the dreams with Chantix. Mine were super weird though. Happy I quit smoking like 8 years ago.
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
    I notice vivid dreams after eating spicy food or pizza. I don't know why. I also notice more vivid dreams when I get too hot at night.

    But related to weight loss, I haven't noticed anything like that.
  • Jasmunr
    Jasmunr Posts: 147 Member
    I always have vivid dreams. The only time I get them more frequently is when I'm sick.

    If you've increased your meat intake I believe that can cause it sometimes.
  • tyismc
    tyismc Posts: 75 Member
    itsMcKay wrote: »
    Hi, all!

    I'm back at it after gaining 80 lbs. back. Week 1 of eating right and working out and my dreams have become intense and vivid! I wonder if this means I'm getting better/more REM sleep? I'm not a medical or sleep professional, so I wondered if this was a common experience for people losing weight.

    I've already lost 6 lbs. (arguably lots of water weight, but I feel and look much less bloated and uncomfortable, so, hey, I'll take it!) and I think I've been snoring a bit less.

    I've been dreaming about whole days with my dog who passed away years ago and about extremely detailed recipes I've never heard of before (my boyfriend used to be a chef and we both love to cook, so I think it's more *interest* related and less *food* related). I've also been dreaming about music that I've never heard before but I wake up humming the tune. It's like my nostalgia and creativity are on hyperdrive!

    Anyone experience these vivid dreams when they first started? What where they like? Do you think it's related to weight loss or better health?

    Thanks!
    . I have before when I ate later at night. Also when I have drastically changed my diet I would experience weird dreams. Not necessarily bad just weird. I don't know if it is related but it could be.

  • 1HappyRedhead
    1HappyRedhead Posts: 413 Member
    I've always had very vivid dreams, with no specific reasons that I can tell.
    I wake up laughing or crying sometimes, see things in color, smell certain fragrances, etc. I dreamed I got shot and could feel the "thump" of the pressure in my chest, although I didn't feel actual pain. (and NO, I don't drink alcohol or do any kind of drugs, LOL).... dreams are crazy things... I think it's just a combination of any of the millions of thoughts & memories stuck in our mind bouncing all around together. Whether it's something we've experienced, seen, heard, or what... that's why so many of them don't make any sense at all. It's like taking several boxes of puzzles, throwing them all up in the air, then trying to put together the pieces when they land. :wink:
  • GreenIceFloes
    GreenIceFloes Posts: 1,491 Member
    This is interesting. It's weirdly the opposite for me - when I overeat I have the most vivid dreams. When I'm eating well, I don't even remember dreaming.
  • nonoelmo
    nonoelmo Posts: 3,941 Member
    jessica22222 wrote: »
    The one and only time I had vivid dreams was when I was preggers.......
    This is the same for me. The technicolor dreams were pregnant dreams. I loved them!
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    Other than diet and exercise has anything else changed in your daily routine? Any new medications, or change in doses of medication? And new supplements? For example: vitamins, OTC "diet pills"(which don't work btw), OTC medications (allergy meds, pain relievers etc)? Even the smallest change can make your body and mind do "weird" or "new" things. Sometimes you may not even recognize the correlation.

    For me: I had changed a dose on medication because I was losing weight and the dose was too high/causing some mild liver enzyme elevations. A week later I started having sleeping time lapse issues (I would wake up 2 hours later, and think I slept 14 hrs/ would wake up not knowing if it was am or pm etc). Took me over a week to figure out the cause.

    I reccomend you keep a sleep journal. Doesn't have to be detailed, just a sentence or two of if you had intense vivid dreams or not. If there is a pattern with something you are doing, this will help figure it out.
  • itsMcKay
    itsMcKay Posts: 131 Member
    It's not low blood sugar or poor sleep. I'm not snoring anymore and actually sleeping through the night. My boyfriend confirms it. I sleep anywhere from 7-9 hours depending on the day. I eat normally, not low carb and I don't deny myself a certain number of hours before bed. I'm doing ALL my normal behaviors except working out and eating less. Same foods as always, though. Lucky for me, I've always eaten really healthy foods. Just too much of them. ;p

    And, also, yes. Acid. XD
  • BruceHedtke
    BruceHedtke Posts: 358 Member
    I've always had vivid dreams and I know that I don't usually sleep all that well. There have been precious few times in my adult life that I've gotten out of bed feeling really refreshed. The times that I have, it's been when I wake up and can't remember dreaming at all...like there is just a blank void from the time I closed my eyes until I opened them again. I cherish those nights.
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