Sleeping but aware?

I have kind of an odd question. Many times when I sleep I'm not fully sleeping. I'm very aware of what's going on around me and my head is full of thoughts as if I'm talking to myself during sleep. I usually wake up stiff, tired and with a headache. Anyone else do this? I'd like to know if there is some sort of name for it and why I do it.

Yes, I have this quite often (but without the headache). I do wake up tired though, and exhausted mentally. It's as if I didn't really get beneficial sleep. Perhaps it has to do with whatever sleep cycle we are currently in? Either way, I prefer a more deep sleep that actually provides rest!

Doesn't sound like you are getting down to lower levels of deep sleep:

http://psychology.about.com/od/state...leepStages.htm

I would talk to your doctor, have him check any medicines you are on? When did this start?

Sometimes when I'm really depressed and I just don't know what to do and I want to die, I go to sleep in the afternoon. But like you, I never actually fall asleep completely, I feel like I am sleeping but I am just sort of in a daze, I'm still aware of things... Then when I wake up it's the worst feeling in the world. I'm so depressed and I feel like I've been like this, in that sleepy daze, for at least 2 hours but I look at the clock and it's been 15 or 20 minutes. And it feels terrible. I would like to know why this happens.

Being aware of dreaming and being able to control the dream itself is called Lucid Dreaming...but what you are describing sounds a little different?

I'm not sure when it started. It seems it been a really long time, possibly years. It just bothers me more now that I have kids and have to be responsible and all that junk

"my head is full of thoughts as if I'm talking to myself during sleep" can be the entire explanation.In order to fall quickly into a deep sleep our minds need to be fully relaxed which requires the elimination of almost all thoughts,especially stressful ones.It's important to start this process at least 30 min. before you get into bed.

Try using a tape recording device on your nightstand next to your bed. If it can only record for a 2 hours get one that last for 4 hours or more, you can purchase/even rent these items at a spy store.This might give you information you need to handle sleep talking/and other issues that you are not aware of. I talk/curse/and have full conversations with myself. Not only that when i stay with my ex on the weekends he has conversations with me that I am not aware of!

I went to a sleep study part for this. I found out that my RERA (*I am afraid I don't know what the acronym stands for) is 17 times per hour. Basically, I go from almost awake to deep sleep and back and forth that many times in one hour. For me, I experience what you discussed in your post, but it has gotten to the point that I now have hypnogogic dreams. That's where I almost wake up/wake up and hallucinate. I can't tell the dream from reality.

Well, I came to start a new thread in the sleep forum, but it looks like this thread is very similar, so I'll add my question here. I posted it in the schizophrenia and psychosis section as well.

Some background info the folks in the sz forum are already familiar with: my son is 26 yo and taking 7.5 mg of olanzapine (Zyprexa) - up from 5 mg a couple of weeks ago because he was having rage problems.

Here's the question I posted in the sz forum:

Have you looked into something called sleep paralysis?