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Antonskarp t1_iuiufc6 wrote

Alcohol surpresses REM sleep. Drinking on the daily means you go a long time without REM. You really need REM sleep, so what happens is that you start getting it when you're awake. That's where pink elephants come from. Hallucinations induced by lack of REM sleep.

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yanicka_hachez t1_iujo480 wrote

I have narcolepsy and get a lot of REM sleep if I don't take my RX. While the stories are interesting, it makes me feel like I've been running all night and wake up exhausted

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DJ__Hanzel t1_iuj47c2 wrote

I think you're referring to alcohol withdrawal and/or alcohol induced psychosis. In either case it's the hippothalamus and pretty much the entire pre-frontal cortex malfunctioning from brain damage, which causes the pink elephants.

You're right that you do need REM sleep though.

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