Has this ever happened to you? Is it some sort of a hallucination?

Question

Have you ever thought that you didn't do something & then when you go to do it you find out that you did it but you have no memory of it? For ex, a few nights ago I was in bed & thought I forgot to turn the computer off & I went to go do so & found it was already off, even though I don't remember doing it.

This happens w/ a lot of things for me; maybe it's only absentmindedness?? But it feels too recurrent to be that way? Do people with short term memory problems usually have "blanks" in their day?

Also sort of related is often I'll have a dream & next day when I wake up I act like the dream actually happened.

Ex:I'll dream about having an argument with a friend & the next day I'll be avoiding her thinking we're angry w/ ea. other. But then we talk later & I find that what happened in my dream wasn't reality, even though I thought it was.

Normally I would dismiss this, but this has happened quite often & it's really freaking me out. Is this normal? Does it happen to you?

This may not be relevant but I'm taking a generic of Zoloft, so maybe it's a side effect? My psychiatrist & the package info sheet never said anything about these side effects however.

Answer 1

sounds like you have a guardian angel

Answer 2

Yes, as everyone else has said this can be normal, and/or it could be a side effect of your meds. I often get side effects that are not expected. Those things have happened to the majority of people so don't panic. If you are unwell that can make the memory thing worse. The last ime I was sick I forgot things like my address (great when you have to ask your children in front of a police officer!!) and the most BASIC of things. This is because your body is putting effort into getting better and can't be bothered putting your thoughts straight at the same time. Maybe this is a sign that you just need MORE SLEEP. Also drink lots of water, dehydration can mess with thought processes too. Take care!

Answer 3

This happens to me quite a bit. I have a hard time concentrating sometimes because I'm always thinking of what I'm planning on doing next. When we do routine things that don't require much thought, and our minds our occupied with other things, we're not going to remember the meanial little tasks we were doing at the time. If you think hard though, I bet you'll remember what you were thinking about when you were first turning off your computer.

As for your dreams, I think it's normal for emotions to carry over into our waking conciousness. I've only had it happen twice that I've had dreams that I mistook for reality. Normally, some cue in my dream will trigger something in my head and alert me that I'm dreaming. From that point on, I can start controlling what happens in my dreams. It's fun! I once dreamed (after I realized it was a dream) that I flew to work on a giant piece of Wonder bread! When I got off of work that day, all I did was go outside and whistle, and the giant piece of bread came and picked me up to fly me home again.

Answer 4

Yes. I will be preparing the coffee and put the filter in, then I'll pour the water in, then I'll try to put the filter in but it is already there. I think we are probably doing a task and thinking about other things, so we are not paying that much attention.
Yes. I've had dreams that I was in love with someone and when I see that person the feelings have overflowed from the dream. Or maybe i was angry with someone and felt angry with that person when I woke up. I'd say your pretty much "normal". Yours may be more intense though. Isn't life strange?

Answer 5

Yes I do both. I attribute the memory thing to the fact that I forget "mundane" tasks such as your example of turning off the comp. I will forget that I turned off lights and go check, Check my e-mail and forget I did it. It's every day repetitive tasks to which I assign no "special importance", you know the habitual stuff we all do every day. If it really bugs you develop a mnemonic device for things. I used to always forget where I put down my glasses. Then I started to picture that wherever I laid them exploding and shattering my specs into bits. This works very well for the glasses. I use other mnemonic "tricks" for other things. I had reactions to dreams as you described. On advice of a friend I started keeping a "dream diary". Just a notebook by the bed so I could, immediately upon waking jot down ANY slight remembrance of my dream, even just a line or two. This helped my mind "transition" from wake to sleep and also to keep my dreams in dreamland where they belong. And YES this is very normal. Especially in these days when we all seem to have trouble getting enough sleep. Hope this helps it did help me.

Answer 6

I don't know if seeing a doctor is really the answer. You will most likely be put through a whole battery of tests that end up meaning nothing, and only that if you're insured.

I'm thinking you're probably dealing with a lot of stress. If your concious mind is working overtime trying to cope with situations then your subconcious mind is probably trying to take over the more mundane tasks (turning off the computer) and is also being more active when you sleep (dream). That would be my guess.

Answer 7

The first part happens to me all the time. I think it's just because I have too much going on all the time. I do find things I have already done when I go to do them. It's just a matter of focus. Making lists and crossing them off helps me as long as I don't make too long a list.

The second part is not common in my experience. I have never heard that before. Possibly your dreams are Vivid dreams and that's why your emotions make you act upon them until you, as you said, find out later it is not reality. Vivid dreaming is often a strong element that carries over into our lives. As long as you find out they weren't real they shouldn't cause any problems. Good Luck!!

Answer 8

Firstly, get off that damn Psych drug. It'll do nothing but harm. Now depending on how long you have been taking it, you may have to ween yourself off it. If only for a short time, stop taking it. If for some time, take less and less each time you are supposed to until you can stop. Most likely all this is a side-effect of that damned drug!

Too many times are simple dietary lackings said to be some form of mental illness. Thats why we have such an "epidemic" of mental illnesses - mis-diagnosis. In actual fact we have an epidemic of poor nutrition and diet.

Just go and get a full medical checkup from you local GP. Specifically, you want the doctor to check for levels of B12, Selenium and Zinc to ensure you have enough. You also want him to check for excess levels of aluminium. Each of these can affect memory.

Make sure you are getting the Omega3 fatty acids your body needs, too.

As for the dreams; take a supplement of Vitamin B1 (300 - 500 mg) with 1000mg of Calcium. That will sort out the dreams for you and you will get a good nights' sleep.

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Answer 9

It seems as if you're just handling a lot of stuff and once and you are probably experiencing a higher level of stress that you're used too. Could also be that you're not getting enough sleep. Hit the gym, get some exercise and try to get in a couple more hours sleep (and by sleep I mean restful sleep) get some sleeping aids if you'd like, just don't' take them for more than a week and see if it makes a difference. Be sure to do the exercise thing as well and try to relax more. It helps.

Answer 10

Is there something you are really stressing about in life? Or do you have PTSD?
That sounds like how I was after I had my daughter. It really freaked me out. After a few months when I began to relax and not stress so much and got more sleep it pretty much went away. Not completely though because I forget stuff like that occasionally or can't tell if something really happened or was just a dream.

Answer 11

It's absentmindedness. Happens to me all the time. It happens most often with things that you do out of habit and therefore don't even realize that we're doing them. Sometimes I have to check 2 or 3 times to make sure I've done one specific thing.