Why do I wake up so tired after vivid dreams?

Yaqoot Fatima; Danielle Wilson; Nisreen Aouira

doi:10.64628/AA.ryqu4g93d

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Why do I wake up so tired after vivid dreams?

Magazine article

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Why do I wake up so tired after vivid dreams?

Yaqoot Fatima, Danielle Wilson and Nisreen Aouira

The Conversation, Vol.27 May 2026

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64628/AA.ryqu4g93d

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Abstract

sleep

neuroscience

brain

health

consumer health

REM sleep

dreaming

sleepiness

Some mornings when you wake up, your head is fuzzy, your body is heavy, and you don’t feel rested. It felt like you were dreaming all night. But did all that dreaming actually wear you out? Let’s look at what the science says.

Details

Title: Why do I wake up so tired after vivid dreams?
Authors: Yaqoot Fatima - University of the Sunshine Coast
Danielle Wilson - University of the Sunshine Coast
Nisreen Aouira - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: The Conversation, Vol.27 May 2026
Publisher: Conversation Media Group
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.64628/AA.ryqu4g93d
ISSN: 2201-5639
Copyright note: © The Conversation Media Group. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Organisation Unit: Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; Thompson Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991232901402621
Output Type: Magazine article

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