Sleep

[Gravity Defier]

What position do you sleep in?

Also, somewhat related:

Do you remember your dreams when you wake up?

[Wil]

On my back. I used to sleep all over the place, but I found I woke up in the morning stiff. So, I taught myself to sleep just on my back all night. Don't wake up feeling bad anymore. It's actually bad for you to sleep in positions other than your back. It puts pressure on different organs depending on which way you sleep. On your stomach, I've been told, is probably the worst way to sleep.

Also, yeah, I remember my dreams. A few years ago I spent several months teaching myself to remember my dreams by writing them down every day. I don't write them down anymore but I still remember every dream I have all night when I wake up in the morning. If I don't sit around and think about them for awhile I forget them quite fast, but I do remember them upon waking up.

Edit:

Decided to read up on it a bit more. Opinion isn't very specific. I've read that it's best to sleep on your left side in the "fetal position" with your back slightly bent as this puts the least pressure on your organs and your lungs are free, but I've also read that sleeping on your left puts more pressure on your heart.

On your back isn't any better -- organ pressure is spread out but more pressure is put on your spine, especially if you don't keep a pillow or a towel under your knees.

I was correct, however, in knowing that sleeping on your stomach is the worst. It puts the most pressure on your lungs and your neck is turned to the right or left for most of the night which is obviously bad for your neck, even more so if you sleep with a pillow like that.

Guess it doesn't really matter.

[locke]

i remember last night's dream, because last night my roommate told me about some insect bites she had which looked like bed bug bites, so I dreamed about bed bugs all night.

I've been itchy since she told me and I don't have any bites!

[neo-dragon]

Multiple. And I remember my dreams more often than not. If I don't remember them at first, sometimes they come back to me during the day. I'll have a deja vu moment if something similar to my dream happens in real life.

Can I add another question? Does anyone have any recurring dreams, or recurring elements in their dreams? I can think of two things in particular for myself. For one, I often have difficulty walking in my dreams. It's like I'm carrying a huge invisible weight or someone turned up the gravity and no one feels it but me. I'll be walking somewhere and it gets so hard that I almost have to crawl just to keep going, but I'm usually out in public so I'm just trying to act natural...

Second, I sometimes have dreams where I'm driving and I lose control of the car, usually because the brakes don't work. Nothing like that has ever happened to me in real life. I've never been in a serious accident, and I have no fear of driving, so I'm not sure where it comes from in my dreams. I once heard that if you're frequently in a car in your dreams and someone else is driving it means that you feel like you don't have control of your own life. If that's true, what does it mean if you're driving but you can't control the car?

[VelvetElvis]

I sleep on my tummy, and I remember my dreams most nights. On the (extremely, extremely) rare occasion that I nightmare, it involves Lord Voldemort.

[Jayelle]

I sleep on my back or on my side (either one), lately since I've been pregnant, I'm not supposed to sleep on my back, but I wake up like that occasionally (with tingling limbs, fun!).

I often remember my dreams and often have vivid ones. Last night was about going into labour and the hospital being basically like the mall at Christmas and my entire family showing up, including my sister from Australia.

[Wil]

Jayelle: Came across some pages when looking up sleeping positions for how you should sleep when pregnant. Says that it's best to sleep on your side because it keeps baby pressure off your organs. Recommended that if you find you turn from your side to your back at night that you should put a pillow on your back so you're less likely to turn over.

[Jayelle]

Uhmm...yeah, duh. That's what I was saying, I sleep on my side, because I'm not supposed to sleep on my back, but occasionally, I wake up on my back because I roll there while asleep. A pillow behind me doesn't actually help that much.

Trust me... there's very little you can tell me about pregnancy that I don't already know.

[Wil]

Uhmm... yeah, sorry. You didn't say anything about sleeping with a pillow at your back and, since I had read that, I thought I'd pass it along. Plus I found it interesting. I know you dislike me, but come on. A simple "Yes, I already am aware of this. The pillow doesn't really stop me from rolling over though. Thanks anyways." would have been fine, you know. Jeez.

[Mich]

Always on the left or right. One night I tried to sleep on my back, and, for some reason, ended up wide awake, talking to my ceiling about recent events in my life. It must have been pretty boring stuff, because the ceiling said nothing.

I normally remember my dreams, but once, for a two month period, I had extremely vivid, normally lucid dreams every single night that I would remember for the whole day. After a while I started to get really weird, because it was almost like being awake all of the time. Some of my friends say that I said and did some strange things during that period, but I can't really remember; it was like a dream.

I've had two recurring nightmares, ever since I could remember. In one of them I'm in a huge, huge bowl, like a gigantic satellite dish, and I'm slowly floating up and away from it. There's some guy standing directly in the center slowly craning his head to watch me float away, a blank expression on his face. He wears a gray suit and a gray and red striped tie. I always wake up sweating from it, even though there isn't anything remotely scary.

Another recurring nightmare I've had for as long as I can remember isn't so hard to understand: I'm in a huge warehouse, with rows and rows of shelves that hold one long, long box each. As I walk along the ends of the shelves, I see that they are gradually corrupting: their colors darken and they start to bulge in strange ways, pipe-like structures bursting out of them, creepily straight veins bulging along their lengths. I start to run to get away from the corruption, but it starts to speed up. For some reason, if I'm in a bathtub with the shower running, and the water starts to fill it up (I find it wonderfully relaxing), and I put my hand under where the water from the shower hits the surface of the bathwater, it really freaks me out, and completely reminds me of this nightmare.

Woo Freud.

[starlooker]

Sides. Although, lately, back and neck hurts like mad no matter what I do. I think I need a new mattress.

Sometimes I remember my dreams. They're usually worth remembering. Although, what's annoying is sometimes I'll have a great dream that I'll sleep more in order to continue, it's so good, and then completely forget everything other than the general awesomeness and complexity of it. This annoys me.

[Olhado_]

I sleep on my stomach; but I also have a feeling I toss and turn a lot.

If I ever do find some woman who is willing to spend the rest of their life with me (a miracle in itself), then I would hate to be them at night. I am assuming this from the positions my blanket has ended up in...although, perhaps this is too much information.

As for my dreams, no I usually do not remember them. I sometimes remember them when I first wake up; but it quickly degrades has I become conscience, even dreams I know I have often. My conscience and sub-conscience has a strong barrier

Although, surprisly I do remember one recenct dream in which I vividly remember seeing the gathering of the Full House bunch gathering in the park (after show credits) and then my alarm went off. The funny thing is I have not seen that show in ages. I am assuming it was my mind of saying, alright "'show's over' now wake up."

[Borommakot_15]

I sleep on my sides. More on my right than my left.

As for my dreams, well...

I don't remember them, often. I do believe I am going back to my oldest recurring dream.

*sigh*

Thought I had beaten him, years ago...

[daPyr0x]

I go all over the place. I will usually lie in place on my back or stomach, but rarely fall asleep that way. Sides are more common for me; but I can wake up in a completely different orientation than I fell asleep in.

As for dreams, I find that I can usually remember them long enough to write them down if I really want to, but more often than not all but the most pressing elements fade before their memory proves relevant.

I don't have recurring dreams terribly often, but I do have recurring elements. My friends, family, ex, all make regular appearances; usually in the most obscure of locations. I've yet to make full use of a lucid dream. I often realize part way into the dream that I am indeed dreaming, but that and making the conscious decision to take control of the situation doesn't work terribly well and more often than not ends up with me waking myself up.

[Luet]

I generally fall asleep on my right side; right leg straight and left leg bent and up on a body pillow. I'm sure I move around some during the night but I don't really remember how I wake up.

I do remember some dreams but rarely any specific physical details (color vs. b&w, for example). My dreams are generally stressful and/or emotionally upsetting. They are never, ever happy or fun or good.

[Rei]

I sleep on my stomach facing to my left.

As for whether I remember what I dream, generally no. When I do they're usually some form of nightmare.

[zeroguy]

What position do you sleep in?

Back, sans pillow. Sometimes on floors. Sometimes (rarely; still experimenting) in a sitting position, leaning against something.

Do you remember your dreams when you wake up?

Probably, but I don't usually remember that early in the day, later on. That's not to say I just forget the dream as the days goes on (but that can happen, too, obviously); I just don't remember the morning.

I had a period of time when I was younger trying to achieve Lucid dreaming*, and I kept a log of dreams in a notebook by the side of my bed that I could write in soon upon awakening. Makes for interesting reading, especially considering my handwriting while trying to write five seconds after waking. That had a pretty good record; at least a dream or two a night, I think, when I had a good, restful, night of sleep. I stopped trying to do this when I read/realized trying to achieve Lucidity doesn't work too well when you aren't getting enough sleep anyway. When I have a schedule that permits that (when I'm in college again), perhaps I'll give it another shot.

</sidetrack> I had recurring dreams/recurring elements when I was younger, and can pretty accurately (I think) recollect them today. Not so much details, as that's not what seems important anyway, but more the feeling of them. Sometimes adventure, sometimes foreboding (but not nightmares, really), etc.

Sometimes my memories of dreams can get mixed up with real memories when the dreams are more mundane/realistic. It can make things really confusing, thinking I or other people have done things, when they haven't.

The only "nightmares" I've had since I was but a wee one are about slipping up something with respect to my anonymity here. But maybe that's just the only thing I remember.

* Edit: Mostly did this so I could fly. Dreams of flying/falling are quite possibly some of the best experiences (if they count as "experiences") of my life.

Edit: Waking up by sunlight is many times better than waking up by any other means I have experienced (including alarms, drinking water, or even mentally setting a time to wake oneself up). And all it takes is not closing the shutters/blinds/curtains/etc and having an (ideally) eastern-facing window.

[lyons24000]

I put "other" because I alternate between my left side and my right side. However, I cannot fall asleep unless I am on my stomache. Once asleep, I must move because I always wake up on one of my sides.

[Mich]

* Edit: Mostly did this so I could fly. Dreams of flying/falling are quite possibly some of the best experiences (if they count as "experiences") of my life.

I recently had this happen for the first time in my life. It was wonderful and light and I did it with a lady friend. Flew, that is. She had trouble, but I showed her that triple-jumping makes it really easy.

Woah, showed my nerd roots there.

[Jayelle]

I've had two recurring nightmares, ever since I could remember. In one of them I'm in a huge, huge bowl, like a gigantic satellite dish, and I'm slowly floating up and away from it. There's some guy standing directly in the center slowly craning his head to watch me float away, a blank expression on his face. He wears a gray suit and a gray and red striped tie. I always wake up sweating from it, even though there isn't anything remotely scary.

Woo Freud.

No kidding - from what Freud thought anything bowl-like was... that seriously sounds like you're reliving your birth.

The day we learned about Freud and dreams in my psych 101 class, as the prof was telling us how "anything phallic in your dreams represents a penis and any sort of receptacle is a vagina", I remembered what I had dreamed about the night before the class - Pole Vaulting. Ha!

[Petra456]

I have to fall asleep on my side, normally turned away from the wall/person in bed with me. I know I move a lot in my sleep and I almost always wake up on my back.

I usually remember my dreams, but not lately.

[Yebra]

I'm never sure what the right position is, I'm convinced each night I rediscover the perfect one but fall asleep so fast I don't remember.

The other night I dreamed I was traveling around New Zealand raising dolphins. I don't remember much of the dolphins, but I remember waiting around for a while to get my dolphin license and talking to a nice french girl, but just as in life, I can't understand french so I didn't get a word. So apparently I dream about bureaucracy and girls I can't understand. Freud would probably find a way to make that about my mother.

[Analytic Mind]

I sleep with my head face down on the pillow (stomach position i am guessing). I hardly ever remember my dreams, and the ones i remember i act out as i sleep walk and talk at night.

[BonitoDeMadrid]

I usually roll around while sleeping, so I guess it counts as multiple.

And about the dream part; I remember only scary dreams, or dreams with great ideas in them (though those are forgotten some moments after waking up).

[Gravity Defier]

The only "nightmares" I've had since I was but a wee one are about slipping up something with respect to my anonymity here.

I envy you for that.

The forgetting if there's more, also.

I regularly dream of family members dying, of being chased and attacked/raped and not being able to utter a sound because I'm so scared, etc. Those would be my recurring dreams.

I do have good dreams, too, but it's really about even.

I toss and turn quite a bit, but I am most comfortable on either my stomach facing left with my left leg pulled up and bent, or on my right side facing left with my right arm up and under a pillow. I sometimes have the habit of sticking limbs into the air, which I don't really understand.

[zeroguy]

She had trouble, but I showed her that triple-jumping makes it really easy.

Or a cannon. A winged hat kinda helps, too, of course.

The day we learned about Freud and dreams in my psych 101 class, as the prof was telling us how "anything phallic in your dreams represents a penis and any sort of receptacle is a vagina", I remembered what I had dreamed about the night before the class - Pole Vaulting. Ha!

That Wacky Freud.

I regularly dream of family members dying, of being chased and attacked/raped and not being able to utter a sound because I'm so scared, etc. Those would be my recurring dreams.

Ah, that is what occupies my conscious thoughts, instead. Like daydreaming, but.... daynightmare-ing?

I sometimes have the habit of sticking limbs into the air, which I don't really understand.

I noticed people were talking about limb placement; mine can get into some interesting positions, but it's kinda hard to describe without a diagram...

Edit: Oh, and

I envy you for that.

The forgetting if there's more, also.

My poor casual memory: my blessing, my curse.

[Wigginfodder]

I usally toss and turn before I finally get comfortable to sleeping on my right side, which is primarily how I sleep.

I never remember my dreams, only nightmares of losing my teeth.

[zeroguy]

The only "nightmares" I've had since I was but a wee one are about slipping up something with respect to my anonymity here. But maybe that's just the only thing I remember.

Or a third possibility: I repress the memories of those I'd prefer not to remember. It took me a couple of days, but I remembered one. It was at least a couple of years ago, but it's rather hard to shake. I don't really like to talk about it in detail, but in short it involved me killing a nice man, slowly and deliberately, with a knife, as he begged me not to. After waking, for a time I really thought I had done that, almost like Lared in the Worthing stories, except perhaps not quite as much "I would never do that" feeling, which was the really disturbing part later.

[Petra456]

I sometimes have the habit of sticking limbs into the air, which I don't really understand.

I do this too! I'll find myself raising my hand while i'm relaxing and I have no clue why.

[neo-dragon]

I sometimes have the habit of sticking limbs into the air, which I don't really understand.

I do this too! I'll find myself raising my hand while i'm relaxing and I have no clue why.

Well it's perfectly natural for guys to an extremity sticking straight up while they sleep...

[wigginboy]

i fall asleep on my back and usually wake up on my front when the wife goes to work. then i usally fall asleep again on my side and stay like that till its time to go to work.

[Luet]

I sometimes have the habit of sticking limbs into the air, which I don't really understand.

I do this too! I'll find myself raising my hand while i'm relaxing and I have no clue why.

I did this when I was younger (a teenager) but haven't in years...odd.

[locke]

Could the raising of the hand be due to the habit of having it in the air in school and the teacher either ignoring it or not noticing it for long periods of time?

I hated when my raised hand was not acknowledged.

[shadow-petra]

Usually I sleep on my side, but a third of the time I in this odd twist: My upper half would be in side position, and lower half would twist into stomach...

I don't I've remembered a dream since middle school. I do know when I have a nightmare though, I wake up really hot and kinda sweaty. lovely, eh?

[GodInYourEyes]

I sleep on my lift side but wake up on my right.
and my dreams are really weird, like todays I was waking up
over and over and over everyone felt more realer than the last.
I wonder what that means?