Actually, I have a long history of vivid nightmares, since I was a kid, and it's always been a bad sleep issue. I am always thankful when I wake up and don't remember any dreams. So, I try not to eat too close to bedtime, keep the room too warm, or watch anything too violent, etc right before bed, but I find that if I have anxiety or worry over anything or with hormonal swings, my dreams kick in.

They're not always bad -- a lot of times they're stupid or neutral, and even a few good ones, but a lot of time they do hang on, yes, and sometimes vivid enough to have me physically acting out in my sleep or waking up in a panic. That's rare, but it happens from time to time. Always in color. Many times about spiders, especially if I am stressed -- I am seriously arachnophobic, so that goes to figure.

One good dream I remember because it did change my view on someone was a dream I had about Clint Eastwood being our neighbor -- LOL -- he was so nice, and was lending us some movies we hadn't seen, and I woke up just thinking what a great guy he was and I wish he was our neighbor! LOL I like Clint, but I've always had a softer spot for him since having that dream.

As much as they plague me, we always talk about our dreams, even when my son was living home, it was like part of the morning ritual to mention dreams we had the night before, and talk about them. I think it's because in part I need to do that to get it out of my head, and so everyone ended up doing it. My son, unfortunately, took after me in that when he was little, he'd have horrible nightmares all the time and wake up crying or yelling. It's really such a weird thing. But several people in my family are strong dreamers like that, so I guess it's just something in our chemistry...

Sometimes I think it's too much stimulation before bed, and other times I think they really are revealing. Never had a foot massage dream though -- that one sounds very nice. ;)

Sam

I tend to dream in stages. What I mean is, I will not dream for weeks or months and then I will start dreaming every night for a while. Usually they aren't bad, just strange. Usually disjointed sequences of logical events, if that makes any sense. And they can definitely have an impact on me when I wake up. I have to confess, after reading the first Outlander book, Jaime and Claire figured into my dreams quite a bit and I found myself waking up for a week or so wondering if they were okay and what they were going to do today. :-)

I have insomnia so I don't sleep much but I always dream when I sleep.

If it's a good dream, I always wake up way too early! If it's a bad dream, I wrench myself out of sleep (going so far as to throw myself off the bed sometimes because I realize I'm dreaming and must wake up). And if it's particularly nasty but I'm very drowsy, I have to lie down in a different position than the one I woke up in or I'll drift right back into the nastiness.

My husband used to laugh at me when I'd tell him that but he recently had a bad dream and when he woke (I was still awake), he kept falling back into it until he finally turned another way. Then he didn't have the dream any longer.

If I wake up from a bad dream and I'm AWAKE, I get up and do something mindless (I dust a lot during the night) so I can get the adrenaline out of my system and try to fall back asleep.

ani

usually don't show up until close to morning for me. Occasionally they're delicious and I hate to wake. Sometimes they're just blah, and occasionally they're either bizarre or mildly unpleasant. I don't always remember much, and they don't often make much sense. I don't think I'm often affected afterward, except for residual weirdness on my part after an odd dream involving my best friend's husband (gack!)...

I dream a lot and sometimes my dreams are influenced by books that I have read. I dream in color and sometimes even in English although it is not my mothertongue. And I always remember my dreams.

I have recurrent dreams about things I wish I would have done differently. Even though it's been years since high school, I still beat myself up in dreamland over that fact that I skipped a lot of class my senior year. I also dream a lot about my old job and going back to it--I loved that job and left for reasons that now seem completely ridiculous. There are other examples, but those are the two prominent ones.

Also, I dream about my husband cheating pretty often, too. They seem so real that I, like your hubby, Karen, am really irritated with him when I wake up. I used to wake up crying when I'd have these dreams, but lately I somehow get it across to my dream self that it's not real. But I try to stay with the dream, because I've yet to find out who he's supposedly cheating with!! I never get to that part!! Which is probably a good thing...so I'm not absurdly peeved at one of my friends or something for something they did in a gosh darn dream! :)

I do not dream very often.
I dream in color and can remember most of the dream. The dream usually plays out like a movie.

I frequently have dreams that are scary but seldom do I remember them. I just wake up frightened and my heart pounding. I have no idea why this happens. I don't remember any good dreams or dreams that change the way I feel about something or someone.

I dream every night and almost always remember them. I dream about one of my school friends all the time. I always had a crush, so I guess I can't let it go. lol I also dream about other people in my life and wake up and have to call them, to tell them about something that is going to happen. Oddly enough, lots of it is true. My mom says I scare her.

As for bad dreams, I have really awful ones when my pcos is acting up. I thought I was crazy, but the doctor said hormone issues really do that. I just wish they didn't get so violent and scary.

I would love to sleep through the night and not dream. Or at least not remember it when I wake up.