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Do you fear sleep?

Mord

Mord

macrumors G4
Original poster
Aug 24, 2003
10,091
23
UK
I've been suffering from sleep disorders likely, a mix of sleep paralysis and night terrors, they're utterly terrifying and it's resulted in me being sleep deprived, I've been trying to get sleep for the last hour or so but every time I try i slip straight into paralysis while staying conscious and start to get epicly terrified, I only just managed to pull myself out of this.

Now I don't dare attempt sleep again tonight, it's too horrific but I don't know what to do, I'll get am emergency appointment with my doctor tomorrow but she's useless so I doubt she'll do anything to help.
 
Well I've experienced such a thing before but never as a chronic condition like that. Only thing I can think of is the usual stuff like stress or something similar. Have you tried working out/exhausting yourself that way?
 
sorry to hear that you're having problems, Mord.

seeing your doctor is a good thing, who knows maybe she will be of some help in some unexpected way. it seems as though its a rather reoccurring thing, so perhaps there is something larger at work.

personally i know i've woken up paralyzed once or twice, but they were rather few and far between and every time i was seriously sleep deprived and jolted from sleep. if its at all like what i've gone through, its not an easy process.

i wish you the best and i hope you can find some restful sleep in the near future. perhaps talking to/seeing a psychologist would help as well.
 
No, I just cant seem to manage to get there. Typical sleep pattern, wake up at 6 on weekdays, pass out at 2 to 3. and on weekends\days i do not need to do anything, I wake up at around 10. and sleep an hour or 2 later. Im almost always tired.
 
What happens is that I'm lying there paralyzed unable to move and if I'm seeing my room I'm hallucinating mildly but I'm just stuck in an absolutely terrified state for no particular reason it's just unadulterated pure terror and I end up stuck like that for what seems like an eternity. The worst ones are where I slip between that state and lucid dreams but as I'm conscious they seem every bit as real as reality and I mean that deadly seriously, I also hear my subconscious which just drones about mundane things during these ones.

There's nothing else like them, I end up scared and paranoid that I'm trapped in these hellish situations forever.

While my life is hardly stress free it's been going rather well lately, I've been happier than I ever have been. the last time I had these I was prescribed a certain progestin, I'm currently on a different one that's far weaker but I seem to have tolerated it well for the last few months up until a couple of nights back.

I'm loathed to quit taking the med.
 
yeah it sounds pretty mess up mate i work shifts and i have spaces were i wont sleep for 2 weeks or so but never anythink as bad as that....are you worrid about anythink or is there anythink playing on your mind and what are these dreams about ???
 
I didn't post this before because it is kind of weird but the way I approach nightmares and the can't move stuff is to enjoy them. Yeah, I know that is easier said than done and the this stuff can actually be a symptom of a much larger problem so you shouldn't avoid treatment by any means. Still, I approach it afterward as kind of a test and try to learn from it. Probably doesn't help you but I do hope this issue is resolved for you.
 
NAG said:
I didn't post this before because it is kind of weird but the way I approach nightmares and the can't move stuff is to enjoy them. Yeah, I know that is easier said than done and the this stuff can actually be a symptom of a much larger problem so you shouldn't avoid treatment by any means. Still, I approach it afterward as kind of a test and try to learn from it. Probably doesn't help you but I do hope this issue is resolved for you.
Click to expand...

The thing is it's not a nightmare, nightmares are a walk in the park compared to this. It's unadulterated uncontrollable fear, if I experienced the paralysis and the lucid dreams without it I wouldn't have a problem, it'd be weird but I've dealt with weirder in the past.
 
Yeah, I know what you're referring to. You're not entirely there. So yeah, I approach it by how I think of it afterward. So I try not to be afraid of it while I'm conscious, basically, by framing it as something fun (which varies). Again, this is what I do, don't expect it to work for everyone.
 
NAG said:
Yeah, I know what you're referring to. You're not entirely there. So yeah, I approach it by how I think of it afterward. So I try not to be afraid of it while I'm conscious, basically, by framing it as something fun (which varies). Again, this is what I do, don't expect it to work for everyone.
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I don't think it's that easy... it's like telling someone who's addicted to smoking to "just stop".

Mord, I hope you find treatment and can get some peaceful rest.
 
Place a card in the room in a position to see it later with calming notices, like "this will end soon". I don't know if this would work, but it's worth a try.

I'd tend to think that getting drunk to bed would stop this from happening. If it works, don't make it a habit, otherwise you'd develop a worse situation; alcoholism.

I usually get out from it by trying to kick my foot and it usually works and I wake up kicking the air.
 
I know, that is why I wasn't saying that and why I actually admitted as much several times in my posts. I was merely posting a similar experience with the hope that some insight could be gleaned from it (far shot, I know but hey this is just a forum).
 
NAG said:
Yeah, I know what you're referring to. You're not entirely there. So yeah, I approach it by how I think of it afterward. So I try not to be afraid of it while I'm conscious, basically, by framing it as something fun (which varies). Again, this is what I do, don't expect it to work for everyone.
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That simply does not apply while I don't doubt it's validity as applied to other sleep troubles. I've experienced things which scare the absolute bejesus out of most people and benefited from the experience but this is so epicly purely grim and that's all it is. I don't dwell too much once it's happened but when I can't get to sleep without slipping directly into one there's no way I can fool myself into thinking I'll enjoy it.

If there was any way of turning this around psychologically I would have found it already, I'm fairly certain of that for reasons I'd rather not go into here.

lighthouse_man said:
Place a card in the room in a position to see it later with calming notices, like "this will end soon". I don't know if this would work, but it's worth a try.

I'd tend to think that getting drunk to bed would stop this from happening. If it works, don't make it a habit, otherwise you'd develop a worse situation; alcoholism.

I usually get out from it by trying to kick my foot and it usually works and I wake up kicking the air.
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Already tried drinking, made it worse, I'm also hallucinating so heavily I doubt I'd be able to read anything, especially in the dark, I can't sleep with the lights on.
 
I'm no doc, but I have a basic understanding of the physiology involved.

The body does become paralyzed during REM sleep, so as to not cause damage flailing about. It almost sounds like something in your sleep sequence is being triggered out of order, and the paralysis is occurring (or not releasing) while conscious. Similar things have happened to me when I was pre-adolescent/pubescent, and you're right, it's absolutely terrifying, but in & of itself part of natural processes. I guess I "grew out" of it, but once in a blue moon, I'll wake suddenly for some reason out of order, and have no ability to do anything but breathe. It passes pretty quickly, but it's still scary. And the perspective shifts, "crawling ceilings", and other hallucinations that went with it passed on their own as well.

Seeing a doc is an absolute must, but I believe that you're going to be fine on the back end of this. Keep us posted!
 
What about sleeping on a different bed or in a different room? Sleeping on a different side? I'd suggest on your right side.
Do you believe in any religion? Reading some scriptures or saying some prayer might help if you believe.
 
I move around and this happens wherever I sleep, tried every position and it happens the same, I'm atheist and my philosophical views are incredibly depressing.
 
Mord said:
I move around and this happens wherever I sleep, tried every position and it happens the same, I'm atheist and my philosophical views are incredibly depressing.
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perhaps try one of the most soothing things you can do. (shower/read a book/incense/etc) before sleep and see if that helps you relax? yeah i know unlikely, but placebo effect perhaps. or endorphins from the 'good' things.
 
Mord said:
I move around and this happens wherever I sleep, tried every position and it happens the same, I'm atheist and my philosophical views are incredibly depressing.
Click to expand...

I hope you aren't serious about your philosophical views. I too am and atheist and instead choose to celebrate life. Again, different boats for different folks. (I love talking philosophy but I'll leave this thread to sleep stuff.)
 
1. Go to a doctor
2. Ask for a nocturnal EEG
3. If necessary, consult a neurologist or psychiatrist
4. It is possible you are exacerbating the condition by placing your body in a prolonged state of physiologic deprivation of sleep. Doing so causes all kinds of havoc, and undoubtedly can be unpleasant.

I am sure this sucks. I've had similar things happen before, but not in a recurring fashion. Most of the time, I pass out again in about a half an hour, during which time I try to distract myself by thinking about all the women I would want to see naked (or the opposite, which can also be amusing).

While you probably don't think this is funny (I don't blame you), in all seriousness consult a sleep specialist or a psychologist trained in sleep disorders and related counseling. Prolonging the problem WILL exacerbate symptoms and can lead to further torment.

I wish you the best!
 
I would advise against stopping the medicine without talking to a doctor first. That may have adverse affects. I'm not a doctor but I guess I've just heard you shouldn't do that. Your body is relying on that now and it needs to be weened.

I have never experienced anything like you have. Quite frankly, I'm glad that I haven't.

I have had crazy things happen in my sleep. One that rings similar to your experience is one time I fell asleep on a road trip with my family when I was younger. I was consciously awake but I could not open my eyes, move, or breath for like 10 seconds (that is a long time).

Advice wise I would say to stay up if you can and maybe eventually you will fall asleep, if not definitely go see a doctor in the morning (have someone else drive you--probably won't be too alert).

Try not to develop your own Tyler Durden.
 
I had this when i was much younger for a couple days, maybe a week. I could not sleep, but i never went to the doctor for it and it went away after a couple days. I must have just been to tired.

My dream was very hard to describe, sort of me trying to fill like a painting with white, but the harder i tried, the more it filled with black, the black represented like time of my life, the more black, the less time i had to live. It was just pure torture.

That sucks for you, see your doctor, i hope you get better.
 
I knew someone at uni who experienced waking paralysis every day of his life. I'm not sure if it's exactly the same, but he did say it involved a horrible sensation of helplessness and horror.

This was upon waking up, however, not falling asleep. His solution was to arrange for sunlight to be shining on him around the time he wanted to wake. While the sounds from something like an alarm clock were not enough to break the paralysis, external physical stimulation instantly relieved the effect, and the warmth from sunlight was enough.

I wish we could be of more help. That sounds absolutely horrible.
 
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