Insomnia and Dream Déjà Vu

Since I have insomnia, it’s rare that I sleep deep enough or long enough to have memorable dreams. Now that my sleep schedule has changed and I am getting more sleep, I am dreaming again. And with this sleep, my insomnia and reoccurring unfinished dreams are disturbing me.

Insomnia and reoccurring unfinished dreams

It’s an odd thing to have "dream déjà vu." I wake up confused and still don’t quite understand it. It all seemed so familiar because I dreamed of it years ago. The memory is 1 of very few dreams I vividly remember and I’m not sure why this is the case.

An elaborate dream that reoccurs

Regardless of why it happens, I am left trying to understand why this dream reoccurs and why it feels so real. Luckily it isn’t a scary dream or something tragic. That would be far more disturbing.

This dream is of a place. It’s not just a single location, either. It’s an entire street in a city, complete with businesses, hotels, and tourist hotspots. My mind has created an entire vacation destination in my dreams, and I have no idea why.

Even pleasant dreams are disturbing

In this dream, I drive down the street and walk the sidewalks in front of these shops. I walk the winding path behind a hotel along the lakeside and look out, daydreaming of new adventures. Yes, I said daydreaming inside a dream. It’s a weird thing.

When I dreamed this dream again, I awoke confused. It felt like I had stayed at this hotel before. I felt like I had visited this town before, and I do not mean in my dreams. It was so familiar and felt so real. Despite it being a dream of a getaway, it was disturbing.

Repressed memory or just a recurring dream?

The sense of déjà vu was unsettling. I truly feel like I have been there before and I am left trying to figure out if this is a repressed memory of sorts. I don’t think it is, but maybe it is. Have I been there before? I can’t say for sure whether I have or have not.

I have a mental illness and I have had traumatic events in my past that I blocked out for years. While I know it’s possible to block out bad memories, this doesn’t feel like that. It doesn’t feel like something bad. It feels like a place I enjoy visiting, and it feels like I have been there before…but I have not. I really do not think I have.

Confusion caused by dream déjà vu

I do feel like there is something left unresolved as if something was yet to be revealed in the dream and I woke before its conclusion. Unfortunately, my insomnia may prevent me from reaching a deep enough sleep for a long enough period of time for the dream to reach a conclusion and give me closure.

It’s an odd thing to feel like you need closure from a dream, but I indeed do. I need to know why I have dreamt of this place multiple times over the years. The dream was the same and didn’t appear to have any changes. Everything in the hotel was the same. The shops had not changed. It was all identical to every other dream I’ve had as if it were indeed a memory.

Insomnia keeps me from getting closure

All I can do is mull over every detail of the dream and hope it triggers some memory. It just feels so familiar that it’s unsettling. This reoccurring dream is confusing. Perhaps I will 1 day reach the end of the dream to better understand why I keep dreaming of this place.

Have you experienced something like this? Has insomnia kept you from reaching the conclusion of dreams, or left you feeling confused? I would love to hear about your experience.

Do you have insomnia and reoccurring unfinished dreams too? Please share a comment.