In this week’s Sleep Diaries, a 27-year-old child and adolescent psychodynamic therapist learns how to stop her highly sensitive nature working against her.

A little about me:

Age: 27

Occupation: child and adolescent psychodynamic therapist

Number of hours sleep you get each night: 7-10

Number of hours sleep you wish you got each night: 9

Do you grind your teeth/have nightmares: I clench my teeth and have anxiety-producing dreams every night. The dreams vary in intensity (in terms of the narrative) but are always extraordinarily vivid and come in mass numbers each night. I often wake up in the morning remembering not only one or two dreams but more than five, all of which encompass some anxious series of events. I’ve tried dream analysis and dream journaling but this only intensifies my dreams and causes me to remember more details upon awakening.

I’ve tried spending no time on my dreams in the morning but they are so intense that they feel more like memories, so I’m emotionally impacted by them well into the morning and the content of the dreams pops up in my mind throughout the day.

I’ve had this since I was a very young child— I remember significantly impactful dreams all the way back from when I was five years old. I deeply admire and respect the role that dreaming plays on the psyche and part of me really appreciates the relationship my mind has with these unconscious messages and symbols. I don’t want to stop dreaming, I just want to get a better hold of it. I feel like my dreams are in control and I’m just along for the ride, and I’d like to flip that around so I can feel rested in the mornings and throughout my day.

Do you measure your sleep in some way (e.g. using a phone or wearable): I have done this in the past and as recently as last year. It has helped to use apps that measure my REM cycles and wake me up in a window of time after I have completed one. It just doesn’t help in the area of trying to get to sleep and stay asleep.

How much water you drink on average per day: 2-6 16oz cups per day

How much caffeine do you drink on average per day: none, I only drink water and decaf tea.

How much exercise do you do on average per week: I think I should be doing more. I live in the city so I walk everywhere and use 6-12 flights of stairs on a daily basis. I currently do yoga one to two times a week but would like to increase that to every day.

“My vivid dreams and sensitive nature are disrupting my sleep – what should I do?” A sleep expert answers your questions