What It's Like to Experience the Waking Nightmare of 'Paradoxical Insomnia'

[Andrew]

This is a nice overview of paradoxical insomnia, which is when people swear they’re staying awake much of the night, but they’re actually just in dream states that are so real they feel they’re awake. It also offers some ways to work with this perceived (but not real) lack of sleep.

What It's Like to Experience the Waking Nightmare of 'Paradoxical Insomnia'

But here’s the twist: Whenever my partner stirs and looks over, he swears that I am actually asleep. My eyes are closed, I’m breathing slowly—sometimes I’m even snoring. I never believed him but that posed a question as ridiculous as it was eerie: Was I awake or was I asleep? And how, come to think of it, are we really supposed to know the difference?

[_Barry]

@Andrew

Was I awake or was I asleep? And how, come to think of it, are we really supposed to know the difference?

Interesting article with a good introductory overview and discussion that offers the author’s “solution” to her problem. One thing I would like to know more about is the validity and reliability of apps that attempt to measure sleep periods REM periods, such as “Pillow” which I use. According to the app I don’t get more than 4-5 hours sleep each night, something that jibes with my perceptions. Perhaps when Apple comes out with the next watch it will have better measures built in? Anyone else use external devices to measure their sleeping activities?