sounds like (my) apnea to me.
could be fueling your depression.

I'm on Extended Release Seroquel partially because I had so much trouble sleeping before. If I had a testing, wouldn't that interfere?

It's hard for someone to figure out a health problem and doctors shrugging it off though. I think that sort of happened to me. I had a strong belief that the time clock in my head was all backwards. I used to go to sleep at 4AM and wake up at 2PM as a normal sleeping pattern. Every time I get really sleepy, I have adrenaline run through me also. I guess the doctors think that's a normal thing for people with bipolar.

I've noticed that just about everyone I've met with a mental illness has sleeping problems. I'm not sure they even consider that aspect.

for recurrent depression. i have both kinds of apnea and disrupted sleep has been part of all the big depressions that i have had. pregnancy and babies. 5 a.m. jobs. 2 a.m. jobs. kids.
i feel like i have half a chance to stay above ground now that i pretty much sleep as much as i need to.

and it is a well documented fact that some people have strange biological clocks. my son was a free runner, but he got really strict with himself, and he is on the straight and narrow now and on his was to grad school. it was a fight for him. a big one.

there are actually other test besides the doctors tests. my daughter has one of these that she uses a lot-http://www.fitbit.com/flex

DH bought me one, but i am in splint for carpal tunnel, and dont feel like going through the set up.

anyway, hang in there. one foot in front of the other.

I was in denial when my doc (internist) recommended testing for apnea over 10 years ago. I was waking with a start; had dreams of huge bomb blowing up the world, - impending doom, which I now believe had to do with fact I wasn't breathing at times and must have felt I was suffocating.

Test revealed beaucoup instances of interrupted sleep throughout the night.

I've had a C-Pap for 10 years now and wouldn't be without it. Mostly sleep soundly (also take a few nighttime meds for various purposes (heart, blood pressure, small dose clonazepam for anxiety and to sleep).

A sleep test can't do any harm, though it's not inexpensive. In my case worth every penny.

Good luck

there are dreams schemes that are indicative of apnea, and yes, like your, are brain panic for lack of oxygen. i dream of running without moving, and of being restrained.

I guess all our nightmares are triggered about fears that's why I don't understand how people love to get scared watching horror/slasher/end of the world films then jump into bed thinking they won't be affected because they have become jaded by fear media .

Sleep is kind of our battery charger and we can't recharge if our batteries are abused by stress .I would talk to the person that prescribes you the meds and tell them about your sleep patterns and ask questions that may sound dopey to you but the docs need to know so they can help. My friends who have been diagnosed as bipolar have the most acute sleep problems ,they self medicate usually with ill effects so don't feel you are burdening people with your concerns there are answers in communication that's why us people with so called mental disorders need to communicate with people and feel alone in a world mired in fear of others .

So knock it off with the scary shit okay ?????

I went to a lovely political meeting yesterday. I met cool people. First time I did something like that. It's the movie we watched that scared the shit out of all of us. (Been having nightmares before that though.)

I do the things I'm supposed to do in order to stay well. I don't self-medicate, I'm more or less social... Etc. So I think mopinko is right about needing a sleep test.

I do tend to love the gruesome books that others avoid however...

and always early in the morning. waking up in or near tears.

the broken sleep is bad enough, it's the lingering emotions that kill me.

It seems to be that no matter what I'm dreaming about, it doesn't really matter since I'm going to wake up in fear anyways. Could be the goofiest dream and I'll still wake up horribly.