Night Terrors

Frank OJ

Hey,

I was just wondering if anyone here suffers from Night Terrors??

I have been suffering from them for a few years now. Can hit at any time for no specific reason. Basically its when you wake up in the middle of the night and you feel panic all about you, and the need to escape from wherever you are (normally your bedroom!). You suddenly come about your senses once you have left the facinity in which you were in, and realise that it was just another night terror. Sometimes you remember them when you wake up again in the morning, other times your friends or family tell you that you got up out of bed screaming and shouting, and you dont remember. i have often been locked out of my apartment etc before because of it.

just wondering does anyone else suffer from them and what you do to stop them. ive read that its almost impossible to be cured from it, but you may go prolonged periods (few years) without having any. also so a tv program on UK documentary on them where some people turn violent if someone happens to be in the surrounding areas when a person has a night terror

any thoughts??

frank

BossArky

Yeah I get them every now and again - most recently yesterday when dozing on the sofa after a late night on Saturday.

I usually find that they come with a really deep sensation of sleep which is rather pleasant, whilst feeling awake at the same time - kind of contradctory I know.

The annoying thing I find about them is the "trapped" or inability to move sensation which comes with the night terror. Yesterday my girlfriend was lying beside me and I wanted to scream or shout at her to help me but I couldn't move!! The same thing happened the weekend before when we were in Oslo - I was half awake and said something to her... then rolled over and went into a night terror and couldn't move or say anything else! I was sure that she was looking at me and waiting for a reply but I couldn't do a thing!!

Very strange feeling, but fun too in an odd way. Just hope I never swallow my tongue or am caught in a house fire whilst being frozen solid.

Pink Bunny

Yes, I get them once in a while and when I do it's very bad. For me it only happens when I take a nap or go back to sleep in the morning after having been awake for a short time. Also the other factor is that I must be completely alone in the house. I don't know why, but that's what I have discovered.
I found this site interesting, hope it helps shed some light one what you are experiencing.
http://watarts.uwaterloo.ca/~acheyne/S_P2.html

the_syco

The closest I've come to what you say, is waking up in the middle of the night, thinking I was surrounded by lobsters... but lucky I knew where in the room I was in, and was able to turn the light on, by flicking the switch.

Best advice I can give you, is to get a "clap lamp". Then, if this happens again, you just have to clap, and PUFF, the terror should end.

breadmonkey

the_syco wrote:

The closest I've come to what you say, is waking up in the middle of the night, thinking I was surrounded by lobsters... but lucky I knew where in the room I was in, and was able to turn the light on, by flicking the switch.

Best advice I can give you, is to get a "clap lamp". Then, if this happens again, you just have to clap, and PUFF, the terror should end.

OT: That very same thing happened to me with spiders. Odd.

Jumpy

the_syco wrote:

The closest I've come to what you say, is waking up in the middle of the night, thinking I was surrounded by lobsters... but lucky I knew where in the room I was in, and was able to turn the light on, by flicking the switch.

Best advice I can give you, is to get a "clap lamp". Then, if this happens again, you just have to clap, and PUFF, the terror should end.

Sorry to sound like I am laughing at your pain, but the idea of waking up surrounded by lobsters is hilarious to me. Just think Homer Simpson 'Under the Sea' if you get it again.... eat them all...

SPiders though..... ok thats a bit nasty.

Jumpy

I get 'Sleep Paralysis' which is the feeling you guys are describing. That term should give you a better answer when googling for it.
The trick is 'Dont Panic' the best way to get out of it is to go a limp as you can while remaining calm, and wiggle your big toes. I dont know if that works for everyone but if you know you can move one part of you, the rest follows very quickly, and the big toe doesnt seem to be affected.

PixelTrawler

Jumpy wrote:

I get 'Sleep Paralysis' which is the feeling you guys are describing. That term should give you a better answer when googling for it.
The trick is 'Dont Panic' the best way to get out of it is to go a limp as you can while remaining calm, and wiggle your big toes. I dont know if that works for everyone but if you know you can move one part of you, the rest follows very quickly, and the big toe doesnt seem to be affected.

search wiki for 'Sleep Paralysis' theres an article on it

tinkerbell

I sleep walk, sleep talk, have night terrors and also get sleep hallucinations! As you can imagine, my poor boyfriend has to suffer the torment since he has to listen to the screams, yells and shouts I come out with in my sleep.

My night terrors would be spiders, I'd wake up screaming, or more like shrieking. I also then hallucinate thinking I see spiders on the ceiling, it's so bloody freaky.

Someone once suggested on this board that it may be your social life habits but for me it couldn't possibly - I don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs, so it can't be caused by any of those things. It happens quite a lot to me, and I can never figure out why, but it's bloody scary that's for sure.

I think I scared the crap outta my poor boyfriend the first time he experienced what I'm like when I'm having a night terror, thankfully it didn't scare him away from me though

Gator

This is a topic that really frightens me...I remember a story in the states about a guy who woke up one morning to find his wife beside stabbed to death...the whole room covered in blood....

He had killed her in his sleep..simply was sleep walking..went to the kitchen and got a knife, went back to the room and proceeded to stab her...something like 200 times...

Of course the jury had to convict him because if you let him away you would everybody claiming that they were "asleep" when they had commited the crime.

The womens family believed him and stood by him..

His parents had claimed that while he was growing up he was a regular to the night terror scene...Getting into his parents bed..having full conversations while asleep.

Il never forget his closing statement..he basically said that why would he kill the best thing that has ever happened him..his soulmate etc

it scared the **** out of me as im a sleepwalker and have been known to do crazy things

Frank OJ

hey thanks for all the info guys......

on the last post, i would probably believe it could happen. saw a program on night terrors before where this guy would turn violent on his wife when he had night terrors. it ended up he would have to sleep in a room by himself and they would lock the door so he couldnt get out. this only tormented the bloke though cause when he suffered from a terror and couldnt find his way out of the room he would go biserk.

there was another one about a truck driver who when sleeping in the cabin in the truck would have a terror. next thing he'd find himself standing outside in a field wondering what the hell he was doing.

all really bizarre. thing about it is once it happens once you always have it in your mind will it happen again. then it get stuck down there sub-councenous, and bam, then it happens again. i reckon thats what happens with me anyway, doesnt matter if im by myself or in a house with 10 other people.

has anyone tried anything specific to stop them happening??

Pink Bunny

The link I gave in my firdt post here explains a lot about Sleep Paralysis and this link from that same site gives the index page. http://watarts.uwaterloo.ca/~acheyne/S_P.html#tabcon
Please read the section marked "Prevention & Coping".
I think the best tip is to sleep on your side.

Frank OJ

thanks pink bunny. read that article. quite interesting , and must agree with alot thats said. im under alot of stress and i think thats what brought about my recent terror 2 nights ago. hadnt had one for quite some time though so i was hoping i had gotten past them. anyway heres hoping

thanks again - frank

Pepe LeFrits

Jumpy wrote:

I get 'Sleep Paralysis' which is the feeling you guys are describing. That term should give you a better answer when googling for it.
The trick is 'Dont Panic' the best way to get out of it is to go a limp as you can while remaining calm, and wiggle your big toes. I dont know if that works for everyone but if you know you can move one part of you, the rest follows very quickly, and the big toe doesnt seem to be affected.

Night terrors and Sleep Paralysis are not the same thing at all.

Night terrors are not an illness, have no long-term effects and therefore don't usually require any specific treatment. During an episode keep calm - it can be distressing to see your child upset, but try to remind yourself that they won't remember any of it the next day.

Trying to wake the child up or talk them out of it rarely has any effect. Instead, stay with them (lying down next to them often helps), soothe them and protect them from injuring themselves until they settle back down into sleep. A few days of regular early bedtimes usually gives the child proper rest and resolves the problem. It's also worth checking if the child has particular worries that need sorting out.

If problems persist or night terrors become very frequent, talk to your doctor. Occasionally, in very severe cases, medical treatments are suggested.

MW

I would agree that the feeling the original post described is Sleep Paralysis, I got really scared I kept getting them the night after a drinking binge, it's like you are being help down by a spirit or something, I also see shadows and dark figures standing over my bed, I couldn't scream or move a muscle, another time I was sure I saw my flat mate standing at my door but I couldn't call out to her when I eventually came around she wasn't there. I try to concentrate on something in my room like my wardrobe and then I would also try to wiggle my toes or move my fingers. It is scary stuff though, it's very hard to sleep again in the same night.

LegacyUser

Why do some people get night terrors?
My boyfriend gets them and has very violent dreams which scares me sometimes. He has a very stable background and is a very happy person.
But twice he has punched me in his sleep, he has headbutted me. Then another time, he jumped on me and bit me on the neck!
Its funny now thinking back on it, but at the time its very scary.
He jerks in his sleep too sometimes which always gives me a fright.
And its always awful when we wake up then, cos we dont know what the hell just happened.
He feels awful about this and we are both worried that he might accidently hurt me in his sleep. And who would believe him if he were to?

Pepe LeFrits

MW wrote:

I would agree that the feeling the original post described is Sleep Paralysis, I got really scared I kept getting them the night after a drinking binge, it's like you are being help down by a spirit or something, I also see shadows and dark figures standing over my bed, I couldn't scream or move a muscle, another time I was sure I saw my flat mate standing at my door but I couldn't call out to her when I eventually came around she wasn't there. I try to concentrate on something in my room like my wardrobe and then I would also try to wiggle my toes or move my fingers. It is scary stuff though, it's very hard to sleep again in the same night.

The original post does not refer to sleep paralysis, at least from the description. See the differences below:

Night Terrors: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_terrors

Sleep Payalysis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis

I frequently had night-terrors for years when I was younger and being treated for Crohn's disease. As the Crohn's became inactive, the night-terrors dissipated (probably a coincidence). I don't recall my doctor providing any treatment for them, other than a bit of advice to my parents on how to deal with them when they occur.

Quite glad I don't get them anymore, very unpleasant stuff altogether!

xzanti

Yeah I get that every now and again.. Particularly if Im very tired or iv been maybe over doing it on nights out etc.. when I say over doing it I mean maybe going out 3 or 4 nights on the trot.. I seem to go into a really deep sleep very fast and thats when it happens.. Its like feeling of weight on top of my chest and I feel like Im awake but paralised.. Quite scary at times..

BossArky

the_syco wrote:

The closest I've come to what you say, is waking up in the middle of the night, thinking I was surrounded by lobsters... but lucky I knew where in the room I was in, and was able to turn the light on, by flicking the switch.

Best advice I can give you, is to get a "clap lamp". Then, if this happens again, you just have to clap, and PUFF, the terror should end.

This only works if you can move. I usually get frozen solid in bed and cannot move!

elscorchiodude

I often suffer from "Night Terrors" too. Quite often, maybe twice a week or more I wake up and jump out of bed in complete distress. It used to be mostly a choking type feeling and I would run straight to the tap to get a drink of water. I would imagine I was after swallowing something large or sharp (random objects each time). Sometimes I could go for weeks at a time without episodes, but then have it 10 days in a row. Its VERY frightning and takes a few minutes to calm down after. I often start trembling in fear after it happens.

Lately, its turned from choking to being convinced my throat is slit, or im brain damaged and im gonna die, stupid, but very scary stuff. Then the other day I had a short nap lying flat on my back and woke up to a totally dead arm, on comes the freak attack again and eventually I could move it after maybe 30 seconds or so.

I would love to know the causes of this, I asked my doctor and she hadn`t a clue and just asked me if I did E, coke or something :rolleyes: (I dont use drugs)
It does cause me to have very bad sleep problems too, and I end up with no energy whatsoever the next day.

BossArky

elscorchiodude wrote:

Lately, its turned from choking to being convinced my throat is slit, or im brain damaged and im gonna die, stupid, but very scary stuff. Then the other day I had a short nap lying flat on my back and woke up to a totally dead arm, on comes the freak attack again and eventually I could move it after maybe 30 seconds or so.

I would love to know the causes of this, I asked my doctor and she hadn`t a clue........

Wow that sounds pretty intense.

I think the reason for the not being able to move is due to waking up before the body has gotten rid of a fluid which the brain pumps around that stops us moving and acting out our dreams... e.g. sprinting in a race.