Dreaming

[Dexster]

I find I don’t dream since my stroke. I used to dream a lot. Is this usual? Part of brain rehab, say?

[pando]

You do still dream, but you cannot recall. This will likely improve with time as the quality of your sleep improves. Take notes, don’t drink, and keep bed times regular. Also try blue-light blocking glasses 2 hours before bedtime. Many stroke survivors report a significant decrease in dream recall or a total absence of dreaming, especially in the months following their stroke.

To answer your questions directly: Yes, this is relatively common, and yes, it can absolutely be related to the brain regions involved in dreaming and memory.

Let’s break down why this happens and what it might mean for your rehab.

Is it usual? Yes, for several neurological reasons.

Dreaming primarily occurs during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep . A stroke can disrupt dreaming in three main ways:

1. Damage to Dreaming Centers: Specific areas of the brain are crucial for generating dreams, particularly the parietal lobe (which integrates sensory information) and the temporal lobe (involved in visual memory and emotion). A stroke in the right hemisphere, especially the right parietal lobe, is most commonly linked to a complete loss of dreaming (a condition called Charcot–Wilbrand syndrome ). Damage to the frontal lobes can also reduce the bizarre, narrative quality of dreams.
2. Disrupted REM Sleep: Strokes often fragment sleep architecture. You might still enter REM sleep (your brain needs it for healing), but the cycles may be shorter, less intense, or occur at different times. If you don’t complete a full REM cycle or wake up during REM, you are far less likely to remember a dream.
3. Memory Encoding Failure: This is a huge factor. Remembering a dream requires you to encode that experience into short-term memory as you wake up. A stroke that affects the hippocampus or its connections (common in memory-related deficits) can mean you are dreaming, but the brain fails to “save” the memory of it. From your perspective, it feels like no dream occurred.

[Mrs5K]

I found my dreams were a lot more vivid after my stroke…some were nightmares. That has settled a bit now although does tend to reappear from time to time.

[ManjiB]

I remember we discussed this not so long ago and in fact the topic has come up quite often. Here’s a couple of my picks from the forum that you may find interesting.

Dream's

One thing I’ve noticed since my stroke. I’m having very vivid dreams. Nothing scary but very detailed. And most of them are from things that happened years ago. I’ve not worked at one place for over 20 years but I find myself back looking around the place. Last night I was sea fishing with people I have never seen in my life. But the reality is I’ve never been fishing and would never go on the sea. Suppose it’s either the medication or another stroke / brain issue.

Positive Thinking…

I’m having problems sleeping. I have sleeping pills but do not want to get hooked on them so after a couple of night’s decent sleep after taking them on the third evening decided that I would rely on nature to handle sleep. I had a doze in the afternoon prior and actually had a dream, so that proved I was capable of a proper sleep. I got rid of the problems that were bugging me when trying to sleep by writing them and filing them on the computer . This convinced my brain that they were being ha…

[Tim1W]

I’m similar to Mrs5k.

My daydreams have beem more vivid and more intrusive since my stroke. They take me away with no choice, then Imget the shock reality of being 50 and years of my life have gone by.

I’ve always been a bit daydreamy when I get bored…….since stroke they are much stronger

[caggygill]

i keep having one pardiualar nightmare. otherwise I’m not remembering dreams

[JimBob65]

@Dexster

I don’t dream either, if I do I have no recollection of them. I had PTSD for a couple of years after my stroke so I would have daymares and nightmares based on recalling events. I should have but didn’t go into a coma which caused the PTSD.

[ManjiB]

JimBob - I think you probably do dream but simply do not remember them. That said, you might be one of the very few who as a result of underlying sleep disorders, health conditions, or various medication effects do not dream

Roland @pando has covered this in a bit more detail.

[JimBob65]

@ManjiB unfortunately or fortunately I am one of the few who don’t dream because of the areas of damage. It’s the combination of certain areas that cause it in my case. It’s not as unusual as you would think, certainly over 25% of people that survive a stroke, I was told this by a Neuro Rehab Consultant years ago.

[ManjiB]

Hey JimBob - I stand corrected, though I am surprised

[Dexster]

Thank you @Jimbob65 - that’s a great help. I know I don’t dream because I wake up at intervals through the night and have never interrupted a dream by doing so. Also, I used to dream a lot.

[JimBob65]

@Dexster @ManjiB Another wonderful side effect according to my wife is I no longer snore I am completely silent during the night a big change from before my stroke

[ManjiB]

Take it
You may as well reap any rewards you get