"Adrenaline Rush" sensation as I drift off- Sleep Apnea? Need Relief

Hello,

I am experiencing the same thing. Please let me know if you have found a solution for this.

This is very frustrating

Thank you,

Kevin Peacock

Hi, i have been struggling with this for around 2 years now, and as you know is absolute nightmare.

My experience was this. I go to bed and i can feel myself drift of to sleep, then slowly my brain is bringing me back to alert state and i can feel the (what is suppose is) cortisol being released in my system. My body gets red hot for a brief period and after that there is no sleep for a minimum of 3 hrs until the chemical wears off i guess.

It has been i think two weeks so far and i go to bed and fall asleep in 15 minutes with nothing like that happening, even if someone awakens me somehow during the initial drifting off i can still fall asleep after, even if i get awaken during the night im able to fall back asleep. What happened in my opinion is this. Someone have mentioned pancreas, insulin and sugar levels, i havent been to the doctor so im not claiming that what i have changed has anything to with those things etc. But what i have tried is cutting off sugar after 18:00 assuming that you will be in bed by 12:00 . As i said so far so good. Recenty i had two bananas at around 20:00 and i had mild symptoms again. So my advice is this, first and foremost try cutting of any added sugar for a week, no chocolates, no sweets, no flavoured drinks, no honey, absolutely nothing sugar related. Also a good 40 minutes of no screen time before bed will help you greatly to fall asleep fast. Avoid any brain stimulation before falling asleep! I have made account here just to share this as i am so grateful that i have found this thread and the ideas to solve this! Thank you so much again and i hope you get rid of this ASAP as it is complete terror!

there are few studies that shows those with sleep apnea have a higher tendency to have adrenaline rushes throughout the day and especially during sleep apnea events. the Obstructive Apnea or Central Apnea affects your fight or flight parasympathetic aka Central Nervous system. The medulla oblongata controls breathing and the heart. You should see a cardiologist to get a heart monitor, and a sleep study done from a sleep doctor specialist from either neurology or lung departments.

Its reassuring and interesting to see so many other people get this, i felt so alone!. I've had it for over 2 years now. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and now have a cpap machine, but I still get these adrenaline rushes as I drift off to sleep so don't think it's apnea. I get a horrible feeling in the chest and dizziness too it can be scary. my hearts fine I have had a stroke in the past and have various health issues for such a young age, but none are responsible for these adrenaline rushes. My doctor is pretty much.....not taking it too seriously. story of my life and a running theme of why bad things happen to me tbh. maybe I'll ask for my pancreas to be checked .

I have this same exact feeling. I have no idea what it is. I was told it can be GERD. that chest drop feels like a heart Palp and ill feel like I can't breathe.

I'll add my story as well since many of you are experiencing the same symptoms that I have. This is a long story, but I think it's worth telling.

Back in June 2015 I suddenly awoke out of deep sleep gasping for air. This had never happened to me before, and I thought it would be just a one-time occurrence. Well, I was wrong. For the next year I could not fall asleep until my body was completely worn down. Whenever I would close my eyes and start drifting off to sleep, my heart would start racing and I would be jolted out of sleep, eyes wide-opened, and sometimes it felt like I just stopped breathing for a few seconds. And like so many of you, this would happen repeatedly until finally my body had enough. But, also at times I would wake up earlier than normal, try to fall back to sleep, and it would start all over again. Next will be a complete list of everything that happened over the course of the year.

1. Saw my general practitioner and he sent me to a cardiologist.
2. The cardiologist put me on a heart holter overnight and performed a stress test --- nothing abnormal.
3. Next, I saw a pulmonologist because prior to the sleep episodes, I saw my GP for upper-respiratory wheezing that would not go away. And since the sleep episodes seemed to be related to breathing, I went to this specialist.
4. He performed multiple breathing tests and referred me to a sleep specialist who tested me for sleep apnea. The results of the breathing tests showed that I had acquired adult on-set asthma. I could barely make it through the sleep study, though since I kept waking up from those sudden jolts (keep in mind these were not hypnic jerks). The results showed that I had "a little bit of sleep apnea." Also important to note, I have never had an issue with fatigue throughout the day and I don't snore (my partner can attest to that. He on the other hand...)
5. So I went for ANOTHER sleep study with a CPAP, but I kept experiencing the same episodes. Regardless, I was then set up with a CPAP machine for home. Well, if I had sleep apnea the machine certainly did nothing since I continuously woke up from those "rushes." And at one point, I even shot up in bed trying to catch my breath. I tried to stick with the CPAP, but it did nothing to correct the issues.
6. After that I went to see an allergist who thought I might have GERD, and so I was sent for an endoscopy --- again, nothing abnormal there.
7. At this point this is when I returned the CPAP machine since I had to rent it through my insurance and it was just a waste of money. The technician, however, recommended that I go see a different sleep specialist and he suggested a specific doctor who was younger and was trying different techniques with patients.
8. I went to see this doctor who was incredibly empathetic and he prescribed Ambien for me. Admittedly, I was very nervous to take it since I felt like there were times when I couldn't breathe. He assured me that it was safe, low dosage and that if anything serious were to happen, the brain would still wake me up. And hallelujah for the first time in I have no idea how many months, I finally slept through the entire night without any issues.
9. I was sent for a brain MRI but the results showed nothing abnormal.
10. He followed that up by sending me for another sleep study but this time I would be on the Ambien and I would wear a BiPAP machine (CPAP provides continuous airflow but the BiPAP adjusts according to your breathing). Well, I ended up leaving early because the technicians kept waking me up to fix the nodes that kept falling off.
11. After that, I picked up the BiPAP and tried it without taking Ambien, but again, same episodes. The BiPAP did nothing to prevent those initial "jolts" so I returned the machine and took an Ambien every night and it worked. I never had any issues when I was on Ambien ---I was finally able to sleep.
12. HOWEVER, after a few months of being on Ambien (we're in December 2015 now) I developed an allergic reaction where I would wake up with swollen lips. After seeing a dermatologist and another allergist, it turns out (due to my OWN research) it was the Ambien. And so my neurologist told me to cut it in half and after that, no reactions, and I was still able to sleep.
13. My neurologist suggested that the sleep episodes were being caused by the newly developed asthma and that my brain was detecting my congested airwaves which is why I kept waking up.
14. I continued taking the Ambien for the next four months and then I decided I would try to sleep without it one night. And I even recited the mantra that was suggested here, "I am at peace" as I laid down for bed and I slept with no more episodes until now...SIX YEARS LATER.
15. I need to add that within those six years I had a heart-attack at 38 years old...completely abnormal for my age. It was probably about four years since my last sleep attack. Being that I had all of those cardiac tests done at the onset of my sleeping issues, I don't think they contributed to my heart attack. It was most likely high cholesterol caused by genetics (thanks, dad).
16. Earlier this week I suddenly developed those sudden jolts that would happen as soon as I closed my eyes. Tuesday night was the worst and I couldn't get to sleep until 2 a.m. Last night I could feel the episodes coming on, but I willed myself to sleep (I also think my body was exhausted from the night before).
17. Today, I saw my GP who doubts I have sleep apnea due to my history of tests and machine-use. Plus, he said people with apnea rarely wake up because of it which is why most people have no idea they have sleep apnea in the first place. He doesn't understand why my condition subsided for six years, but he said it sounds like I'm having panic attacks at night. So I'm back on Ambien for at least a week to see if I can get my body back on schedule.
18. Adding something else...has everyone looked into Central Sleep Apnea? This sounds more like what everyone is experiencing, including myself. I always told my physicians that it felt like my brain was forgetting to breathe. I find it odd that none of my physicians mentioned this to me, though.

i experience the same thing, very frustrating. sometimes working our pretty hard during the day will make them not show up at night, but they have shown before regardless of what i do. usually if i start having them i will get up, drink water, take a trip to the bathroom or go for a small walk, then try going to sleep again. it alteast brings me comfort seeing these comments and knowing that im not alone with these adrenaline rushes. Doctors have offered to prescribe me beta blockers for the symptoms but i refuse because im only 24 and i dont want to go on a medication with the potential side effects that come with beta blockers. i feel love for anyone experiencing the same, it can be difficult especially on bad nights when it takes so much sleep, hell the reason im typing this right now is because its 1am and im having these damn rushes. i dont think theres a specific answer to why these happen, were just unlucky and have to find a way to adapt, like any problem in life. much love to all.