Sleep Paralysis - Sleep Disorders Message Board

becks20 · 06-04-2007, 11:11 PM

I have never personally met anyone who suffered from sleep paralysis, and i found out this morning that this is infact what i suffer from. I joined this forum to talk to others about this problem, and although my friends and family care about me, they cannot fully understand why i'm afraid to go to sleep.
I have had 2-4 episodes of sleep paralysis heretofore. the worst one yet occurred last night. doing little research, i know it is stress induced, but that really does little to comfort me. This is a stressful time in my life, and i fear there will be more of these little joys in the weeks to come. please tell me your stories, and your methods of coping....

how can you just ride the wave and relax?

are your hallucinations (visual or auditory) ominous or benign?

how long do your episodes generally last? or can you tell?

thanks
Becca

mkgbrook · 06-05-2007, 08:58 AM

I used to have regular sleep paralysis episodes.. the worse occuring during and after my pregnancy. I am sure they were a side effect of my sleep apnea now. Because since my diagnosis, surgery, and CPAP treatment for severe obstructive sleep apnea.. I haven't had another episode.

What was it like for me? I would startle awake.. almost instantly.. my heart would race and I would realize I couldn't move! I had to relax.. I would start by listening to my husbands breathing.. any noises in the house.. was something wrong with my baby.. my mind would literally go on a whirlwind analysis of everything about me and with in a minute or two.. though it felt like a life time I was able move once more. My breathing was the first thing to restart and normally did so with in 45 seconds to a minute.

Becca, have you been to a sleep specialist for a sleep study? There may be something else that is causing these episodes. It is worth talking with a ABSM (American Board of Sleep Medicine) certified sleep specialist and getting a physical exam to rule out other sources.

Sincerely,
MG

becks20 · 06-05-2007, 12:45 PM

i truly hadn't thought of going to a sleep clinic, it plagues me so few and far between i think i might be wasting their time. do you know what exactly about the surgery helped to stop the sp? i don't suffer from any other sleep disorders, so i'm not sure surgery is for me, yet its interesting that it took care of both problems for you.

thanks
becca

mkgbrook · 06-06-2007, 07:41 AM

The surgery reduced my sleep problems but did not cure all of my sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition where either your brain signals you body to stop breathing or your physically have an abstruction that hinders or stops your breathing.

My suregery completely cured my chronic sinusittus and sinus infections. It also help manage severe and annoyinh environmental allergen responses. The gory details? For sleep issues.. a tonsillectomy and adnoidectomy were performed. This openned my airway, but didn't cure my long pallet which need a UPPP *uvulaectomy and partial soft pallet trimming* or reactive airway disease issues. However it dropped me from severe to moderate/light sleep apnea and no more respiratory ills.

Over all I love my ENT for his carving and rearranging of my sinuses and throat. If my insurance had been willing to cover the UPPP my sleep apnea may have been erradicated tonsils and being overweight are large contributors to sleep apnea.

Sincerely,
MG

becks20 · 06-06-2007, 01:55 PM

that's a long process it sounds like. Thank you for enlightening me. i dunno, last night was pretty hard, i stayed up till about 2 in the morning afraid to go to sleep, knowing full well that irregular sleeping schedules contribute to SP.
i know that i'm not in any physical danger, but just being so vulnerable during sleep causes me to not want to unless i'm in an extremely comfortable place with a friend sleeping next to me.

with your apnea and other sleep disorders did you lose sleep because you feared you might not wake up?

-becca