Dreams

Hi Michael,

I'm nearly 5 years post-stoke, and I have noticed periods where I dream significantly less than before. I also don't recall the dreams as much as I used to, I remember them when I wake up, but loose those memories quite quickly afterwards. When I'm stressed I found this happens more, but when things are calmer I find it happens less.

Kat

Hi Michael,

My dreams are when I am fully awake and are my internal "goals".  I rarely have dreams during my sleep since my stroke, however I sleep very soundly and do feel well rested in the morning.

Good conversation!

Sue

Hi Michael,

I've tried to track down some research on this topic. In 2016, a systematic review of scientific studies found that stroke survivors on average have poorer sleep. However, there wasn't much difference in the amount of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is when we usually dream.

But although it's considered rare, it's possible for a stroke to cause a loss of the ability to dream. This is called Charcot-Wilbrand syndrome, and it was first described in the 1880s.

There was a case study published in 2004 of a Swiss woman who experienced Charcot-Wilbrand syndrome. She had a stroke in the back of her brain, where visual information is processed. However, she still had normal REM sleep, which appears to be controlled by a different part of the brain. After about a year she was able to dream again, but her dreams were less frequent and less vivid than before her stroke.

You can also read more about sleeping after stroke on our EnableMe resource page, https://enableme.org.au/Resources/Sleeping

Cheers,
Chris
EnableMe Content Writer