Do benzos affect REM/ good sleep?

[OpiateKiller]

Whenever I take a benzo to sleep I never really wake up feeling refreshed, I mean I sleep like 12 hours usually but it doesn’t feel like good sleep. Is this true?

Also bromazolam half life/strength compared to Xanax?

 

[Snafu in the Void]

Benzos prevent or reduce REM sleep, but you could also just be waking up groggy from it still being in your system.

 

[Lil'LinaptkSix]

Yeah benzos are "bad" for the "good" sleep we need.
Take it in the am (if needed) and skip night dose (if possible).
helps me but ymmv

 

[emkee_reinvented]

Benzos prevent or reduce REM sleep, but you could also just be waking up groggy from it still being in your system.

Ime Benzo's never prevented me from having dream's, which occur during REM sleep. They do seem to mellow them out, less disturbing dreams more pleasant ones.

Neither do I feel groggy next morning, rather better as usual. My NREM sleep though is not like it is supposed to be. I have to little compared to the average. So with an actual sleeping disorder it could be otherwise. To bad Benzo's are addicting and the longer you use them the less effective they should become.

 

[lecroute]

I've been using Clonazepam and Lorazepam for quite some time now (like 10 years), but never in very high doses. Never had any sleep/waking up issues with Lorazepam. With Clona it depends on the dosage I took, and also what time or for what reason I took it. And remember, some benzos stay in your system for a long time, and if you take another dose before the first is out, the effects will add.

I agree with 6am-64-14m, if possible don't take it right before going to sleep. If insomnia is your problem, there are other things that might help to fall asleep.

As for the dreaming, you don't always remember all of your dreams, benzos or not. But consider that benzos tend to screw with your memory, so that could explain less "remembered" dreams, even if you did have your REM.

 

[TheUltimateFixx]

I take alprazolam (legally prescribed) for my PTSD-induced panic attacks.
Certainly does the job of calming me down and putting me to sleep, but the actual sleep quality is not good.

To me, basically the same as a load of alcohol. Yeah it'll put you out ok but when you wake you feel zombiefied and groggy. Still prefer it to alcohol since at least I don't get sweats and nausea.

 

[Lil'LinaptkSix]

Stolen

Stages of sleep​

An average sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes. Ideally, you need four to six cycles of sleep every 24 hours to feel fresh and rested. Each cycle contains four individual stages: three that form non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and one rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. While the time spent in each stage varies the longer you’re asleep, and you might bounce between stages each night, each individual stage remains largely the same.

NREM Stage One​

This stage of light sleeping lasts five to 10 minutes. During this stage you’re “dozing off,” as your body and brain activity begins to slow down. If you’re woken during this stage, you may feel as if you haven’t fallen asleep at all.

NREM Stage Two​

During this stage of light sleeping, your muscles begin to relax as your body temperature drops and your heart rate and breathing slow down. During this stage, your eye movement stops and your brain waves slow. There are occasional bursts of brain waves called sleep spindles that are believed to assist with storing your memories and shutting down your senses so your sleep won’t be interrupted. This stage prepares you to enter into deep sleep and may last up to 25 minutes.

NREM Stage Three​

This stage is known as deep sleep, in which your eyes and muscles are fully at rest. During this stage, your body is repairing itself by regrowing tissue, strengthening your immune system and building bones and muscle. It is increasingly difficult to wake you up during this stage, and if you are woken, you may experience a period of disorientation and brain fog for up to 30 minutes or an hour. During earlier sleep cycles, this stage could last 20 to 40 minutes and gets increasingly shorter as sleep cycles progress. As you get older, you spend less time in this stage and more time in Stage Two.

REM Sleep​

You dream during this stage. Your brain activity greatly increases and can even match or exceed your usual brain activity when you are awake. Your muscles enter a state of temporary paralysis, except for your eyes (which move rapidly during this stage) and the muscles you need to breathe. Your breathing gets faster, and your heart rate and blood pressure increase. Usually, the first period of REM sleep occurs around 90 minutes into your sleep cycle and lasts about 10 minutes. Each of your later REM stages gets longer the more hours you remain asleep

May be bunk science but experience with it kinda makes me see the reason of it.

There is a stage that we use as processing and and collating benzos prevent this iirc