Dizzy while dreaming

[CrissyM]

Just wondering if anyone can tell me why I often dream of being dizzy?

For years now I have had frightening dreams where I suddenly lose all body coordination while getting the spins. Sometimes this happens during a nightmare when being chased making it impossible for me to get away and at other times it happens during a simple harmless dream.  I suddenly get dizzy in the dream and start falling all over the place. I try to focus on something while the room spins (In the dream) and I try to find (feel) the closest object to me in order to pull myself up. With all my effort I fail to gain my balance back. These dreams are really frightening at times and very frustrating. These dreams eventually wake me up and upon waking I'm fine. No dizziness present once I'm awake.

I should note that I have been diagnosed with Social Anxiety in the past. Could these dreams be a symptom?

Adding to this, I have had one episode where I thought I was awake listening to my husband come home from work late at night. I heard the usual sound of his car pulling in the lane way. I heard the keys in the front door. I heard the door open then close, and then I heard him drop his keys on my glass table in our foyer which is a part of his daily routine. At that point no lights came on in my house so I got a little worried and I then called out to my husband from my bed "Honey?". I got no response but then heard someone walking down my hall towards the bedroom. Again I said "Hun?"  I could hear little details like the sound of someone’s pant legs rubbing together and footprints on hour hallway floor until they approached the side of my bed in the dark. I could hear someone breathing while standing over me..

I froze solid. I was paralyzed with fear, I wanted to reach out to see if I could feel someone standing beside my bed but I couldn't. My body was simply frozen and I couldn't even scream or whisper for that matter. I must say I was awake for the paralysis and I had freaked myself out enough that I figure I was experiencing a panic attack which I have experienced in my adulesance but not to the capacity that I couldn't move. Usually I took seizures of past out followed by vomiting.

This episode did not feel like a dream. It didn't feel like a nightmare. It fealt real. I didn't think I had even fallen asleep before hearing everything I heard. After 5 minutes I talked myself down finally gaining control of my body and was just able to roll over enough to reach my bedside lamp. Once I switched the lamp on I realised there wasn't anyone standing over me. Talk about a horrifying nightmare or was it?  If it wasn't a nightmare then what else could cause my mind to play tricks like this on me?

Could these dreams of being dizzy and this paralyzing episode be linked to my social anxiety? I just assumed everyone had "Dizzy" dreams until I asked my husband if he gets them. What other disorders or illness can cause these if not my anxiety?



This discussion is related to Trouble during sleep.

[ILADVOCATE]

People's bodies are normally paralyzed during sleep. If a person wakes up while this is happenning it can be frightening but its the opposite of sleep walking where your body isn't paralyzed but you are asleep and you walk as you do in the dream. I would speak to a neurologist and have a sleep study and EEG. They could determine what is wrong. I did note you said something about seizures where you passed out followed by vomiting. If you that's something you experienced even once you should see a neurologist right away. That would be of immediate concern. If you have social anxiety disorder in addition that could be part of it but clearly a consult to a neurologist is waranted and if you had seizures followed by vomiting then I would see one as soon as possible and if one is not available see your doctor for a general exam and they will give you a referral.