Afraid to fall asleep

[cici2]

I'm 24 and had several times when i jerk involuntarily while asleep (since dec 2007), mainly on the arms, back of neck and legs. Sometimes my whole upper body jerks. This only happens just when I fall into a deep sleep. One time I was startled because I felt like my lungs stopped working. I'm not sure how to explain it. Last night my lungs felt so heavy I actually worried they might collapse, and I was breathing so slow. Just before I went to bed I yawned every minute for hours, literally, and would feel I could not get enough oxygen. As a result I feel dizzy and like fainting. I wanted to just sleep, but couldnt of fear of not being able to wake up. I ended up sleeping in the morning because of exhaustion.

I spoke to my doctor abt this before and she said i must have anxiety problems. She prescribed sleeping pills to take for 10 days, it helped me go to sleep. ive finished the prescription but then abt some weeks later my symptoms came back, and much worse. I admitted myself to hospital because i was feeling numb and couldnt breath properly. I told a different doc at the ER abt my symptoms, and he said the same thing, that i must have an anxiety problem?? He prescribed these anxiety pills, which i was to take only when necessary. Yes, they help me go to sleep but they actually scare me more since i have problems fully waking up. I dont feel sleeping or anxiety pills are helping me in the long run. I'm really confused, i've never had "anxiety" before, maybe nervous, but i wouldnt call it "anxiety attack", or at least its not what i percieve it to be.

meds im taking now are just iron supplements for my anemia (recently diagnosed). Sometimes i do feel it aggravates my breathing symptoms. pls help. any info would be great, thank you...

[TheCuriosity]

I wrote this before looking at the dates.. but I'll post it anyway!

From what you wrote, it seems to me that the anemia my be at the root of your problem.

From this link: http://www.healthscout.com/ency/416/112/main.html#SymptomsofAnemia

“Symptoms of Anemia
The symptoms of iron deficiency anemia (if any) are:
Paleness
Weakness
Tiredness
Chest pains (in severe cases)
Shortness of breath (in severe cases)
Heart palpitations (in severe cases)
An increased heart rate especially during exertion (in severe cases)
Rapid breathing
Low blood pressure”

Now with the low blood pressure, that is probably contributing to the jerks you get when falling asleep, “Hypnic jerks” . I read somewhere long ago that as you fall into sleep, the brain sometimes gets confused and mistakes the lowering of your bodily functions (heart rate, blood pressure etc) as that the body is shutting down and sends out a zap to the muscles to boost you to make sure you are okay, so to speak.

Possibly why it is more common in some than others is some people’s blood pressure is already low to begin with, so it gets much lower than it should when you go to sleep, leading the brain to react to what it thinks is an emergency and zaps you unnecessarily. (I didn’t read this anywhere, just my theory.)

Now the funny part is, with the anemia (and its symptoms) and the hypnic jerks have led you to to being afraid to fall asleep, which, in turn has given you anxiety attacks, which in turn, makes the whole situation worse.

Keep up with your iron supplements. If you still have anxiety attacks and don’t want more prescriptions, I would suggest St. John’s Wort as a supplement. There has been studies on its effectiveness with anxiety and with mild-moderate depression and it held up well when compared to the pharma drugs (I had to do a on it in the past for work) . Of course, make sure it doesn’t contradict with any meds you may be on (St. John’s Wort is considered an MAO-inhibitor, so if a med you are taking says not to take MAOs while using it, then don’t do it...). Also take some time and read up on it yourself.

[caaber01]

I am experiencing almost exactly the symptoms you described.  I see it has been a long time since you posted this.  Could you update and let me know if you found a way to help your sleep?  

Christina

[Suri123]

.  Hi John, how are you? I hope you are doing well now and able to get a good sleep? Hypnic jerks/sleep jerks or twitches which are normal. Those seen while falling asleep or while waking up are also normal. You might be probably too stressed due to personal reason or lack of sleep. Try to relax and keep physically active by doing regular walks, stretches, and yoga/meditation. It is better to consult a neurologist for an evaluation and also a sleep specialist for better care. Take care and share your thoughts.

[KatEyes]

Hope you revisit and see this post.

You mention anemia - low storage iron (ferritin level below 60) can cause some movement disorders.

You have symptoms that could be attributed to a limb movement disorder and/or Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Anxiety meds won't help either of those. At the risk of seeming too assertive, I can't understand why you haven't already been sent for a sleep study. What better way to not just guess what's happening while you sleep?

Good luck.

[John_33_2008]

Hi.

I´m experiencing the same sympthos you have (hypnic jerks).  I´m also afraid to fall asleep now, because of some event I went through before.  If you wanna share experiences, please answer.

John.

[Suri123]

Hi, how are you doing, you could probably be having Rhythmic movements like banging head, moving neck or sometimes limbs during sleep. These movements tend to occur during the stage just prior to falling asleep and typically increase along with stress levels. These are most common among very young children; rhythmic movement disorder is usually followed from a comforting habit, might be one similar to thumb-sucking. Children often outgrow the behavior, it is better to consult an Neurophysician soon to get an evaluation and also to rule out any other possibilities. Obstructive sleep apnea could be another reason for you to wake up frequently in order to regain your breath—sometimes resulting in number of awakenings per night, many  times you may not even be aware of it ending up having excessive daytime sleep because of fatigue, feeling unrefreshed after sleeping, and daytime sleep attacks (nodding off at inappropriate or unexpected moments) at your workplace. Added to all these the stress you are going through can be a trigger. Modafinil is a central nervous system stimulant used for the treatment of narcolepsy. It is also used for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness caused by obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome and shift-work sleep disorder. Do morning-evening walk, stretches, have nutritious diet with lot of water or other liquids, have hot shower and listen to soft music before going to bed, these can be soothing to mind and body so it may be of some help. Mild dose of alprax also can be tried. It would be better to consult your doctor before you chose to take any drug for an evaluation. Keep updating your thoughts in this section. Take care.