Adrenaline rush when trying to fall asleep

[Sweetpea0290]

Hi, my partner has been having terrible trouble falling asleep, he complains of feeling a huge surge of adrenaline just as he is about to drift to sleep, this can continue for quite a while until he is so exhausted his body has no choice but to sleep.(this feeling is not associated with any physical twitching or jerking of muscles or limbs)
He has fairly recently stopped taking citalopram which was prescribed to alleviate anxiety which he was diagnosed with many years ago.
Could this problem he is experiencing when trying to sleep be SSRI discontinuation syndrome? If so, is there anything you could recommend to relieve this unpleasant symptom?

[SteveRacer]

I believe this is due to the condition called Adrenal Fatigue, which you can find lots of information about online.

I have this problem, which gets worse and better at times. Lately I'm tapering off klonopin so it's come back.

[Jack77771]

Guys, try these:

1) Do not eat anything 5-6 hours before going to bed, only drink pure water if you want
2) Experiment with your diet, exclude a group of products and see how it works for you. I have felt a lot better without milk and it's derivatives
3) Eat healthy, exclude caffeine and junk food

The most important thing is number 1.


I've visited numerous docs, with no effect at all - they all told me it is stress related thing.
I was trying to find a pattern myself, it took me two years and a lot of trouble to figure it out. One day I took a huge milk protein shake right before going to bed, and powerful rushes & sleepless night followed.
After excluding milk and not eating 5-6 hours before going to bed I am fine, no rushes.


Hope it will help somebody

[MooseKnuckles]

Yes! This is what has worked for me too!
I've suffered from bedtime adrenaline jolts for five years now, and I read an earlier comment about seeing a chiropractor to adjust your neck. There is a chiropractor in the building where I work, so I stopped in to see if there was any truth to this suggestion.
Well, I've been getting my neck adjusted for a couple weeks and the jolts have stopped. I don't know the medical details, but basically there is a nerve that gets out of line or pinched and causes your nervous system to release too much adrenaline. The adrenaline fights your body's natural progression toward sleep - it's a defense mechanism that keeps you from falling asleep in threatening situations. Just like a wild animal won't sleep if it is in danger.
Here is a video I found that shows the adjustment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKgJ3aQ1xA0

Also, the chiropractor told me to sleep only on my back, and that has helped as well.

I've read all kinds of message boards about this topic, and there are lots of  suggestions around medicine, but time after time those solutions turn out to just mask the issue. If you are having these symptoms I highly encourage you to check with a chiropractor.

[Erniworl]

I had this adrenaline surge problem for a long time and FINALLY found the source of the problem and the solution.  Two words: atlas subluxation!  Three more words: upper cervical chiropractor!  I think there is an epidemic that most doctors fail to recognize or simply don't know about that is causing all sorts of unexplainable health problems for people.  If your atlas bone (the topmost vertabrae) is misaligned (mine was due to a past head or neck injury), it puts pressure on your brainstem and affects your nervous system (google it).  Ordinary chiroprators aren't trained to adjust the top two vertebrae, so you must seek out an upper cervical chiropractor.  Most of them offer a free consultation.  Trust me, and look into it!

[dorque]

As to sleep apnea, this happens even if I am sitting at my desk and almost doze off for a split second out of sleep deprivation. No time to even miss a breath in that instance.

[dorque]

I haven't been able to read all the comment but I found this because I was googling the same symptoms in myself. I haven't slept a wink in 5 days. I do suffer from anxiety but I am currently taking an SSRI. Not being withdrawn from it. I have had this problem for many years, before the anxiety and the depression for which I am taking the medication so I think that lack of sleep from the adrenaline rush as I either enter or exit consciousness that is affecting my mental health. Yes, the moment I wake up or drift to sleep my heart starts thumping and I am pumped full of adrenaline, similar to that feeling of speeding past a cop or being about to get into a car wreck.