Why is it that Diabetes affects the way a Diabetic person dreams?
I've noticed since I've been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes that I've been dreaming more, and dreaming more vividly. Recently I read an article about dreams stating that people with Diabetes have more vivid dreams. Why is this?
Diabetes does not guarantee that dreams will be more vivid.
In the article, it mentioned that vivid dreams and nightmares can be a function of the body's response to low blood sugar in order to raise blood sugar by causing the liver to release stored glucose and/or wake the person from sleeping.
Vivid dreams and nightmares are also a function of stress and worry, due to hormones that get released as part of the fight-or-flight mechanism (and those hormones also raise blood sugar). This is why stressed and/or worried people do not feel rested after sleeping.
Auditory hallucinations (hearing things that are not there, which can include music) are not due to blood sugar issues, but can result from altered levels of neurotransmitters (which are hormones). These episodes are not limited to schizophrenia or manic states of bipolar disorder, but can occur in people under stress or using certain medications.
"Ear Worms" (where you get a song "stuck" in your head) is different from a hallucination, and is a function of memory, if I recall correctly (it can be very irritating, but not generally a medical/psychological issue).
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March 23rd, 2009 at 8:03 am
I've got the dreams and I am also hearing clear music in my head constantly – I am not, according to friends and family – "losing it"!
(I'll be watching because I'd like to know also!)
References :
March 23rd, 2009 at 8:40 am
Diabetes does not guarantee that dreams will be more vivid.
In the article, it mentioned that vivid dreams and nightmares can be a function of the body's response to low blood sugar in order to raise blood sugar by causing the liver to release stored glucose and/or wake the person from sleeping.
Vivid dreams and nightmares are also a function of stress and worry, due to hormones that get released as part of the fight-or-flight mechanism (and those hormones also raise blood sugar). This is why stressed and/or worried people do not feel rested after sleeping.
Auditory hallucinations (hearing things that are not there, which can include music) are not due to blood sugar issues, but can result from altered levels of neurotransmitters (which are hormones). These episodes are not limited to schizophrenia or manic states of bipolar disorder, but can occur in people under stress or using certain medications.
"Ear Worms" (where you get a song "stuck" in your head) is different from a hallucination, and is a function of memory, if I recall correctly (it can be very irritating, but not generally a medical/psychological issue).
References :