Question
As a result of having ?something? happening in my sleep for a number of years, and last night being one of the worst and waking my wife up, I started looking on the internet. I came across All Experts Sleep Disorders and your answer to a question submitted I think almost 2 years ago.
What happens during my sleep I will quickly wake up and it seems that just before I wake up I have a sense of falling and I am reaching for something to hold on to but am not able to grab anything. When I wake up I realize that I did reach out for the night stand next to my bed. It is scary and very real-and I am so relieved when I wake up and escape the falling. But I am still reeling from the experience.
I can go months without having one of these ?attacks? and then one night just out of the blue, one hits big time. I am 68, severely overweight, have had a lot of emotional stress from family matters for last 4 years and have hypertension. I know that I have not been getting enough sleep, i.e. going to bed after midnight.
I went to sleepnet.com and read information on sleep apnea and narcolepsy. But I did not find any descriptions that were similar to what I am experiencing.
Thank you for any reply you can provide.
Answer
What you are describing is called hypnangogic hallucinations and sleep paralysis, if it happens often and affects your waking state then it could be narcolepsy which is not what you seem to describe. When it happens once in awhile in your case its natural normal phenomenon, but if one dont know of it , its petrifying. Though Im no doctor , i do suffer from it as As I have narcolepsy and am a respiratory therapist. What happens is that the brain and body are wired to wake up together and go to sleep together. We are all paralyzed in our sleep or we would be sleep walking. However every so often for some unknown reason there is a nano second of a lapse so either the brain or the body do not awaken together so you are literall dreaming with your eyes open and unable to move. If you can relax which I still cant and remember to move your eyeballs from right to left it breaks the cycle, however Im too peterified when it happens, but one other way is that if you are next to someone have that person not shake you as it will only start over when you go back to sleep. Its a part of the dream state that must come out so if that person simply says your name over and over and tells you lets say Jane its allright your allright its bob. Jane wake up, somehow hearing ones name pulls you back into the present state and out of the dream state. Also I am posting a general form letter for insomnia for some sleep tips. If you go to sleepnet.com click on narcolepsy or go to the search bar and put it these 2 symptoms you will find information. But just no its normal, my guess also is all the stress your under makes for restless sleep, which in plain terms, its relax and calm down easily said than done. hERE IS THE FORM LETTER, feel free to email again karel. If it does happen lets say every week or day then I would get a sleep study, or if the insomnia as I said is interfering with your daytime functioning then get test otherwise just know your normal. karel
into a different room and read a book or magazine only! No computer!
When you start to doze immediately go back into the bedroom.Do this as
many times as you awaken during the night.It will lesson.This retrains
the brain into thinking that the bedroom is for restful sleep only.
30 minutes before bedtime take a hot bath and immerse hands under the
water.Latest research states that the palms of the hand when immersed
in hot water send signals to the brain to relax. 15 minutes before bedtime\
drink a glass of warm milk. Milk when heated contains tryptophan, a
natural amino acid sleep inducer. Go to sleepnet.com click on disordersYou must reset your sleep clock. Do the following religiously for
4-6 weeks though many have seen changes in as little as 2 weeks.
You must go to bed and awaken the same time every day regardless
of how much or little sleep you got the night before. This starts to
reset your sleep clock. 3 hours before bedtime stay away from
tea, coffee, caffeine, caramel colored soda like, coke,pepsi, ginger ale,
or root beer, chocolate and exercise .All these make for restless sleep.
Make sure room is quiet and dark. When you go to bed if you start to
twist and turn or if you wake up in the middle of the night and cant
go back to sleep, twist and turn for only 20 minutes, then get up, go
insomnia for more tips. Feel free to email again , Karel
