Aa
sleep disturbances
the first one happened when i was taking a nap (post op 2 days). everytime i'd draft off to sleep, i'd get this pounding in my head and i wouldn't be able to move. i wasn't asleep but i still couldn't wake up or move. understand that i wasn't asleep yet so i wasn't dreaming but i kept drifting off and couldn't stop myself meaning i couldn't snap out of it. the second one i took a nap (post op 3 days) i thought this was all a dream. i "thought" i had woken up from my nap but i couldn't move. i thought i was dreaming that i was having electrical shocks throughout my body, mainly in my head and in my face. i woke up scared but figured it was just a dream or from the swelling in my face since i had TMJ surgery. well about 20 minutes ago, post op 3 weeks, this happened to me again. it happened a total of 3 times. that's 3 times in one nap. i know it wasn't a dream because when i eventually snapped out of it the 2nd time. i wrote down the times of the last 2 on a piece of paper. but still each time i awoke i thought i was dreaming. but my little piece of paper with the 2nd and 3rd disturbance reminded me otherwise. each time i felt waves, i'm gonna say electrical waves because i have no other way to explain it, throughout my body but again mainly in my head. i could hear a thumping noise and what seemed to sound like water swooshing around in my head. maybe i was hearing the waves, whatever they were, themselves. or maybe my heart beat. i know my body was frozen and perhaps even my mind. what's going on with me? can anxiety cause this? and if so why the heck do i have it?
Its Sleep Paralysis...not being able to move or scream?! Feeling as if someone or something is beside you? My hubby has this often and was so scared....until he was reassured that is (lol) so dont worry...its nothing serious....
i don't walk in my sleep or talk in my sleep. i'm a very very light sleeper... a whisper in my ear will wake me up.
i didn't see anything while this was going on nor did i "feel" anything in my room.
i had this same surgery in 02 and didn't have this problem. and its happened while i was lying on my belly, side, and back. (3 times, 3 different positions).
i've been having a whole list of problems lately, some i've mentioned to the doctor. well, needless to say i was told i have anxiety so i'm afraid to bring this up during my next visit. if its normal, i won't. should i?
i didn't see anything while this was going on nor did i "feel" anything in my room.
i had this same surgery in 02 and didn't have this problem. and its happened while i was lying on my belly, side, and back. (3 times, 3 different positions).
i've been having a whole list of problems lately, some i've mentioned to the doctor. well, needless to say i was told i have anxiety so i'm afraid to bring this up during my next visit. if its normal, i won't. should i?
curiouskid85,
I had very similar experiences to yours. When I was a young child, I experienced severe night terrors; also I did and still occasionally do suffer from sleep-walking symptoms. It wasn't until I was a teenager that I started suffering from what you described.
What you are going through is called Sleep Paralysis and it's very frightening. I would awaken to a buzzing sound in my head, often feeling strange sensations and seeing wispy shapes hovering above me. It was absolutley terrifying and even after I learned what was really going on. It is little wonder that legends of creatures like the night hag (a being that would sit on your chest at night and try to choke you to death, sound familiar) came from it. Basically what's going on is, when you sleep, your body is paralyzed during REM sleep. What is happening to you is that you are being awakened prematurely, before the paralysis wears off. So you are experiencing not only a waking nightmare but you are locked in place and unable to act.
I more or less stopped it by sleeping on my side. Today, I occasionally suffer from it, but I think i t's only been when I have rolled over onto my back while sleeping. If you find that you sleep in a different posture while napping, maybe you should try moving to your regular sleep posture and see if that helps. Of course, it sounds like this is related to your recent surgery, so hopefully it will wear off with time.
I had very similar experiences to yours. When I was a young child, I experienced severe night terrors; also I did and still occasionally do suffer from sleep-walking symptoms. It wasn't until I was a teenager that I started suffering from what you described.
What you are going through is called Sleep Paralysis and it's very frightening. I would awaken to a buzzing sound in my head, often feeling strange sensations and seeing wispy shapes hovering above me. It was absolutley terrifying and even after I learned what was really going on. It is little wonder that legends of creatures like the night hag (a being that would sit on your chest at night and try to choke you to death, sound familiar) came from it. Basically what's going on is, when you sleep, your body is paralyzed during REM sleep. What is happening to you is that you are being awakened prematurely, before the paralysis wears off. So you are experiencing not only a waking nightmare but you are locked in place and unable to act.
I more or less stopped it by sleeping on my side. Today, I occasionally suffer from it, but I think i t's only been when I have rolled over onto my back while sleeping. If you find that you sleep in a different posture while napping, maybe you should try moving to your regular sleep posture and see if that helps. Of course, it sounds like this is related to your recent surgery, so hopefully it will wear off with time.
Yes, I read the posts. Since you have no actual question, I answered you to tell you that what you are experiencing is normal. Perhaps I was too technical in my answer and need to make it more simple: You are having nightmares. They are normal. If you don't like them see a "shrink" for drugs that make them go away. The end
no more replies? guess i shouldn't worry then. well whatever it was, it's happened only when i take a nap during the day. believe me, i took a nap 3 times in the past 3 weeks and its happened every time. i take remeron before i sleep for the night and never have this stupid problem otherwise.
a nightmare? i know i wasn't dreaming, i was awake and couldn't move and i was being shocked. that's normal? but yeah, that's what i wanted to know; if i should bring it up to my doctor or not. also if anyone else has had this problem. thanks.
There is a place in the subconcious brain that is between awake and asleep. You are sleeping, but you know what is going on around you like you are awake. Since you are in REM sleep, you have no control over the body or your movements, yet you wake to stiffness, exhaustion, muscle cramps, and other discomforts that you can connect to the dream. Often in the dream you are paralyzed or tied up or something that can explain to the mind why you aren't able to move. This introduces fear into the dream and a nighmare or terror may occur. When you wake, you remember everything like it just happened and the memory doesn't fade like most dreams do. These dreams always interact with reality and seem so real it is hard to believe that they didn't actually occur. One part of the brain is in a dream and the other part of the brain is interacting with reality and they both get mixed up. The results are often fearful and scary like a living nightmare. This is where the monster in the closet lives, where movies, fears, books, myth, and reality intermix with the imagination. Night terrors are often in this state of mind. Sleep walking occurs in this state of mind. Here is where the mind visits with the dead, or God, or places that only exist in memory or fantasy or religion. Here are the religious meetings with God where He tells you what to do with your life, or maybe the devel tells you to kill. Anything goes. Here is where reality and imagination mix to become "real" in the mind. These dreams are more common than you would imagine. Most people don't discuss them, or they have pleasant dream sequences and don't want to share the feelings with anyone else. When you are getting ready to sleep, often the last thoughts on your mind tell you where you are going. If you are thinking about the last "dream" you may revisit that subconscious place again. Try thinking about something pleasant or making up something to think about as you are drifting off to sleep. Try to direct your concious mind to a pleasant place, one that gives you comfort. good luck
furthermore, i think it would be appropriate for me to mention that as a young child i would have night terrors. i would fall asleep, but shortly after, i'd awake scared to death. its been a long time since i've had this type of nightmare but i can remember saying that 1) my room was blowing up 2) my fan exploded in my head (yeah, i have no idea why i would say this) or 3) my mom's head was blowing up. I describe it this way because i remember hearing loud rumbling nosies.. as if something was exploding. this happened between the ages of 5-8. possibly younger, but i really can't remember when it began. the one thing that makes me suspicious that i do remember and my mother can vouch for is it would happen very shortly after i had fallen asleep.
other than the above post and this, i rarely ever dream.
other than the above post and this, i rarely ever dream.
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