ScoobyDoo
05-16-2004, 04:09 AM
Okay....Im gonna do my best to try and describe whats been going on but Im not sure if i can find the words to describe this. It started awhile back on occasion but its getting more and more frequent....like a couple times a week.
Ill be laying down getting ready to fall asleep and all of a sudden my head seems like it goes numb for a second and then like my body stops it but when i relax again it does it again.
Now if I do fall asleep its like im not alseep...Im like both asleep and awake...I could be having a dream and still seem awake but I cannot move, talk, yell, or anything. I also cannot wake up. I try and try and try but I cant. Now I can be dreaming the whole time this is going on. There are times when this is going on that I have a couple of seconds where I can move somewhat and during that time , I kick and do anything to try to get myself to get up....but I cant. I just cant wake up.
This is happening alot lately and its scary. I hate the feeling, its awful. Im getting worried, what is going on with me. How can i stop it.
Does anyone else have this problem? I need some advice.
Thanks
Ill be laying down getting ready to fall asleep and all of a sudden my head seems like it goes numb for a second and then like my body stops it but when i relax again it does it again.
Now if I do fall asleep its like im not alseep...Im like both asleep and awake...I could be having a dream and still seem awake but I cannot move, talk, yell, or anything. I also cannot wake up. I try and try and try but I cant. Now I can be dreaming the whole time this is going on. There are times when this is going on that I have a couple of seconds where I can move somewhat and during that time , I kick and do anything to try to get myself to get up....but I cant. I just cant wake up.
This is happening alot lately and its scary. I hate the feeling, its awful. Im getting worried, what is going on with me. How can i stop it.
Does anyone else have this problem? I need some advice.
Thanks
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beebsqtip
05-16-2004, 10:55 AM
It sounds like sleep paralysis. I could be wrong cause mine are not a sever yet, but thats what it sounds like. Have you every been to a sleep clinic? Have you told your doc. about this? I really think you should tell your doc or try going to sleep clinic and have a sleep test done! At least you maybe you can find some answers, but sometimes there not going to gaurantee an answer. I hope you start to feel better, I feel for you. I know what its like to be terrified to go to sleep even though you need to so badly!
Angel77
05-16-2004, 05:35 PM
Yup! Definitely sleep paralysis and also possibly what's called a hypnogogic hallucination. They can come with several sleep disorders but are most common in narcoleptics. I know how scary it is but there are a few things that you can do to end them more quickly and adjust to them a bit more.
First of all, do you have a dog or s/o that sleeps with you? If you have either, you're in good shape. If you have the dog, or cat for that matter, have them sleep in bed with you. A lot of times if you concentrate on them instead of fighting to come out of the attack, it will end faster. If you have a s/o, tell them that this usually occurs upon going to sleep or waking up and for them to touch you gently to help you out of it. If you're asleep, no harm done, if you're in an attack it will help you.
Also, realize that your autonomic system (what controls all your involuntary movements, like heart, breathing, etc.) is still working. The feeling you may have of losing your air is related to the panic that sets in and not an actual failure in your lungs to breath. You may also have a heaviness in your chest, like someone sitting on you, part of the hallucination. Scary, but not real and most importantly not a physical threat to your life. I know it feels otherwise.
Just being aware of the condition makes it easier to adjust, knowing that you will not die or remain paralized for life. It's part of a screwy sleep wake cycle. What happens is that we all suffer paralysis when we are sleeping. This is supposed to happen during dream sleep to keep us from enacting our dreams. People who don't have this tend to sleep walk and in extreme situations, act our dreams that have a violent end...one man killed his mother in law because he was having a bad dream about her and since he did not have the paralysis, he acted it out with no recollection of ever doing it because his brain was still asleep.
That is an extreme, but what is happening with you is that you are also suffering the paralysis upon going to sleep, not just during dream sleep. Look up sleep paralysis, hypnogogic hallucinations and narcolepsy and you'll see a lot of what you're experiencing and the bonus, you'll know you're not crazy! LOL I did for a long time! Was thrilled to find out that not only was I not alone, I was normal as far as the narcoleptic community is concerned.
Got to run, headed to Wal-Mart! WooHoo! First outing in almost a month! It's sad when this is exciting for me....but, I'll take it where I can get it! Toodles for now and feel free to put all the other weird things out there....guarantee there's more to ya and you're probably hesitant to put it out there for fear of the white coats coming for you! I know I was.....but, turns out that it was normal for narcoleptics too. Not feeling so bad now!
First of all, do you have a dog or s/o that sleeps with you? If you have either, you're in good shape. If you have the dog, or cat for that matter, have them sleep in bed with you. A lot of times if you concentrate on them instead of fighting to come out of the attack, it will end faster. If you have a s/o, tell them that this usually occurs upon going to sleep or waking up and for them to touch you gently to help you out of it. If you're asleep, no harm done, if you're in an attack it will help you.
Also, realize that your autonomic system (what controls all your involuntary movements, like heart, breathing, etc.) is still working. The feeling you may have of losing your air is related to the panic that sets in and not an actual failure in your lungs to breath. You may also have a heaviness in your chest, like someone sitting on you, part of the hallucination. Scary, but not real and most importantly not a physical threat to your life. I know it feels otherwise.
Just being aware of the condition makes it easier to adjust, knowing that you will not die or remain paralized for life. It's part of a screwy sleep wake cycle. What happens is that we all suffer paralysis when we are sleeping. This is supposed to happen during dream sleep to keep us from enacting our dreams. People who don't have this tend to sleep walk and in extreme situations, act our dreams that have a violent end...one man killed his mother in law because he was having a bad dream about her and since he did not have the paralysis, he acted it out with no recollection of ever doing it because his brain was still asleep.
That is an extreme, but what is happening with you is that you are also suffering the paralysis upon going to sleep, not just during dream sleep. Look up sleep paralysis, hypnogogic hallucinations and narcolepsy and you'll see a lot of what you're experiencing and the bonus, you'll know you're not crazy! LOL I did for a long time! Was thrilled to find out that not only was I not alone, I was normal as far as the narcoleptic community is concerned.
Got to run, headed to Wal-Mart! WooHoo! First outing in almost a month! It's sad when this is exciting for me....but, I'll take it where I can get it! Toodles for now and feel free to put all the other weird things out there....guarantee there's more to ya and you're probably hesitant to put it out there for fear of the white coats coming for you! I know I was.....but, turns out that it was normal for narcoleptics too. Not feeling so bad now!
ScoobyDoo
05-17-2004, 08:05 PM
Thanks for the help. I do have a doc appointment in early July. I will talk to him about it. Im not sure about a sleep clinic though. Whats that like, do you have to be attched to all kinds of machines? Even If I did go to one, knowing my luck Id have a perfectly good nights sleep and they wont find out a thing. LOL
Thanks Again
Thanks Again
nitefright
05-18-2004, 03:31 AM
I'm a little more spiritual and have read that sleep paralysis is actually the result of your soul leaving your body to travel around at night. When you wake up, you are catching your soul out of your body and your body feels heavy and numb. Sylvia Browne has written about this and it's pretty interesting. Also, if you look up info on the net about astral travel, you'll see that it goes with the territory. The first time this happened to me, I was about 16 and I thought I was being possessed by the devil! I swear I saw something standing at the end of my bed and I couldn't move or scream. It's happened on and off throughout my life since then and though it's frustrating and scary when it happens, try not to let it scare you too much and definitely try not to think about it happening before you go to bed, that's almost sure to bring it on. If it does happen, just try to wake up and then walk around before going back to sleep. Good luck.