sleep disorder?

[estellerox]

Approximately once a month I experience this very weird phenomenon when entering sleep.  When I'm just about to fall asleep I get this extremely loud ringing sound in my ears and I feel as if I'm falling into the bed. From that point my entire body becomes paralyzed I can not move anything not a finger , a toe, blink nothing.  I get this extreme sense of fear and panic and try desperately to move but can not.  I then sometimes get this sensation of falling or rolling that is continuous as if I'm just rolling indefinitely.  I am conscious throughout this or at least I think I am. I try to speak or scream to snap myself out of it but no sound comes, I try to move a finger or toe but cannot.  I don't understand what this is or how to prevent this from occurring as it is very distrubing  for me to go through.  I would also like to mention that I do suffer from occasional seizures and wonder if perhaps this is somehow related although I doubt it considering it doesn't follow the pattern of my seizures but thought the info might be useful. Thank you for your advice.

[emadilemma]

Thanks for the suggestion. I will attempt one more week of sleeping on my own before changing my primary physician and revisiting my old doctor who I should have never left in the first place.  I do have a stressful job but unfortunately reducing my stress level is next to impossible certain days and the last three months have been full of one bad situation after another. I'm sure the combination of stress and my sleep schedule  changing drastically back is June of 2007 are the root of my recent sleep issues.

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

Sad to hear about the reaction you got from the professional.

Most people do grow out of sleep paralysis. But let me tell you there are still a good number of people who continue to have it. You should focus more towards having a sound sleep. If there is a lot of stress at work, reduce it. Sleep medication will help you in the initial phase. You can try some non-benzodiazepine drug to avoid the risk of addiction.

Regards

[emadilemma]

I have read that sleep paralysis usually goes away as you get older. I am 30 yrs old and still have this problem. It comes and goes. last week it occurred three nights sometimes happening back to back.What is especially disturbing is that i feel like someone is touching me (not in an inappropriate manner) and think they want to hurt me. although they never seem to. I have had other variations of this dream since I  was 5.  I sometimes have a difficult time sleeping because I work midnights and sleep during the day. But, the last couple of weeks have been pretty bad in the sleep department. I have tried to talk to my doctor (i'm a new patient) about my problem but he responded very rudely when I asked if he could prescribe something. He said I was not a rock star and sleeping medication was highly addictive. I explained that I understood that but I was really exhausted and just wanted to get a couple of nights of sleep and did not intend on taking sleep medication everyday. He suggested melatonin which would be great if it was proven to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. from what i understand it hasn't. I felt it was a lost cause to explain my problem in its entirety and  left with a sense of being attacked and in no so many words called a hype.

[Deuce22oz]

WOW, I had this problem really bad. I started taking Amitriptyline for it and now it doesn't happen anymore. Amitriptyline is a Tricyclic antidepressant. It is perscribed to me for sleep not for depression. My doc told me that it can be caused by a chemical inbalance. So if you have depression or anxiety taking meds for that can help also.

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

I completely agree with lumbarworry. There's nothing more really one can add. I would say, the best part is now you know that you have sleep paralysis. And you also know what to expect the next episode. Some people find it helpful to move their eyes rapidly to come out of the paralysis. You can try that.

Sleep paralysis usually goes away as you grow older.

You should find out if you have some stress or worries which are bothering you. Reducing those can help reduce the condition. Also, maintain sleep hygiene, eat healthy and relax. You do not need any medication for this, although clonazepam is a good one.

Regards

[lumbarworry]

Nobody but sufferers appreciate the absolute horror of sleep paralysis.  A lot of us get it very occasionally.  I sympathise with you fully as I get it most nights sometimes twice a night, and it is always terrifying.  I just get the paralysis, but the other sensations are also very common in many people.  What has happened is that your mind has woken or continues to be awake as your body enters a sleep state.  Our muscles become paralyzed in this state probably to prevent us sleepwalking and acting out our dreams.  For some reason this mechanism doesn't work properly in some people, and the paralysis starts before the mind goes into a sleep state, or continues after the mind wakes up.  Hallucinations and strange sensations can accompany this, as the dream state intrudes on the awake mind.  I always read advice about trying to relax and wait for it to pass, but the terror of being paralyzed with reduced ability to breathe has never been a recipe for relaxation for me! The good news is the state ALWAYS passes, even though your mind tricks you into thinking you are paralysed for all eternity.  You will wake up or you will fall asleep, you won't be stuck in this horror permanently.  Keep this in mind while you are panicking.  There are such things as sleep seizures, and this may explain the ringing in your ears etc.  In your case it is definitely worth raising this with whoever is controlling your epilepsy.  For some reason sleep paralysis is not taken seriously, unless it is associated with daytime uncontrolled sleepiness (narcolepsy).  I think it should be researched more, as this is such a powerfully negative experience for so many people.  There have been rare cases of people dying from cardiac arrest due to the panic caused by this, but extremely rare, don't worry.  Just mentioned it as this is not always a harmless condition.  Some things that can help are not sleeping on your back, not getting over tired,  maybe trying sleeping on another side eg. I get less attacks if I sleep on my left side, and making sure you get enough darkness when you sleep.  There is a theory that sleeping in light inhibits the production of hormones generated while we sleep, and it is the lack of these hormones which can initiate an attack.  Also mild antidepressants have been known to help, but may not be suitable for you as you have epilepsy.  I don't take them myself as I am on excessive pain medication.  Let's hope some bright young scientist willl one day do some amazing research on this problem and put thousands of us out of our misery.  Wish I was clever enough!