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Electric/Energy surge to brain when trying to fall asleep.

Posted , 373 users are following.

GD10
GD10

Hi guys, I'm new to the site but glad I found somewhere to share my symptoms.

I'm getting a sort of electrical shock when trying to fall asleep. This electrical shock seems to be described on other sites as 'jumps' or 'zaps' or 'surges of energy'. It happens not when I'm sleeping but the moment I am about to fall asleep. Its like a sort of butterflies feeling in the stomach and then a rush/surge of energy to the brain which gives you a 'jump' and electrical feeling in the head and sometimes upper body. The more extreme they are sometimes produce a twitch in maybe the arm or leg. Its not painful but I guess is quite scary when it happens. These can happen numerous times a night.

Many friends/family I have spoken to say this is normal and they are familiar with the symptoms (I understand what they mean as it can be quite similar to when you suddenly wake from a bad dream) but mine seem to be a lot more often and extreme. I know my symptoms don't seem to be normal.

I've been having these for about 5-6 weeks now (some nights are worse than others) but generally its been more or less every night. This has turned into a vicious cycle because when you actually close your eyes at night to go to sleep you are actually waiting for the 'shock' to happen instead of trying to sleep. Obviously the less sleep you have, the less functional you are the next day and so on and so on. You then get sleep deprived which I believe also may trigger this.

The only other thing I can add to my symptoms is sometimes during the day I get a spaced out/empty/dizzy/cloudy feeling in the head (hard to explain). Sometimes this can turn into a sort of brain/head sensation where you feel you need to kind of 'shake it off'. Again, its hard to explain, something like if you have restless feet and you need to kick out of it but its in the head so you need to give yourself a shake to snap out of it.

I have read quite a bit about anxiety/stress and these symptoms may fall into this category but the issue I have with this, is that I have nothing to be anxious/stressful about! All is OK with job, money, house, relationship etc so I'm not sure how this all started. Could I be anxious about this illness? Again, a vicious cycle?

About me - I'm a fit and healthy 35 year old guy. I actually exercise quite a lot (go to gym/swim 4 times a week and have run numerous marathons over the past year). Although this fitness regime has stopped since I have started having these symptoms as I am feeling quite weak/tired due to not getting much sleep due to it. I have no major prior illnesses and I am not on any medication. I don't want to get in the habit of taking sleep medication.

I have been to the hospital and spent the night where they performed numerous blood tests/Heart ECG/X Rays/Urine and all came back OK. The only issue I had was slightly high blood pressure (but not high enough to be put on any medication). I have also been for an MRI scan and EEG epilepsy test. I will find the results with these in about 5 weeks time.

Anyway, that's my symptoms and hopefully someone might feel at ease that they are going through something similar.

Reading similar posts on the internet I don't think anyone has come to the conclusion on what in fact is causing these problems, even though a lot of the people actually been for tests and seen doctors. Has anyone experienced these issues?

Thanks guys, feel free to get in touch smile

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  • y85411
    y85411 GD10

    Edited

    I know this is an old post but wanted to see if my experience can help anyone. I started having those exact brain zaps right when falling asleep a while back and sometimes even just randomly during the day. I used to be a very healthy person. I only really ever suffered from acid reflux. I would take antacids a lot. PPIs on/off but tums almost everyday for many many years. 5 years ago I got a UTI and took antibiotics (Bactrim) and this was what triggered those brain zaps along with many other symptoms that I have not fully recovered from. I always tried to search why I got those brain zaps but would only find research related to SSRIs and how some people coming off of it get those. However, I had never been on SSRIs so nothing ever related to why I was having them. I have done lots of research and here is my theory although I know not every will be able to relate. But here goes…

    In short words, I believe it has to do with an imbalance in the gut. At least for me. The gut is very closely related to the brain. I just so happened to have the perfect recipe for disaster when this happened to me. Not everyone will know their triggers but I knew and I feel lucky to know that. For years, I impaired my stomach acid production with the PPIs and tums not realizing the damage I was causing. That stomach acid is what helps break up food mainly protein. Protein is basically amino acids which get converted into neurotransmitters (in the gut i.e. tryptophan/serotonin). If your neurotransmitters are off-balance this can really affect our nervous system. Neurotransmitters are like the hormones to your brain.

    Also, when you impair the stomach acid production, you also impair the signals to your brain to release bile so not only is your stomach acid production impaired but also your bile production. It’s a whole messy situation. So now you are not able to break down proteins but also not fats and you know how important fats are for the brain! Another thing is that stomach acid is like the barrier to the rest of your body, not only does it break down food but it also sterilizes it. So now you have pathogens not being killed upon entry setting up camp throughout your digestive tract. You also don’t absorb many nutrients and minerals that are crucial for nerve health and overall health for that matter. You won’t absorb vitamins, minerals like calcium or magnesium, amino acids… the list goes on and on. Your health can deteriorate quickly.

    Many people have acid reflux which means many people have experienced impaired acid production due to our terrible lifestyles and the western diet. Also, our acid productions is reduced the older we get.

    This is what I have concluded so far. I guess what I am suggesting is to get your diet under control first this is basic stuff. Take betaine hcl with meals until you can rebuild your stomach acid. It’s like retraining your brain to start producing more of it again. Work on your bile production as well, meaning work on your liver/gall bladder. Many people have bile sludge. Thin it out. Take digestive enzymes to help your body break down food. I don’t have suggestions on supplements, Google is free. Anyway, with time your body will start to function properly again. Might take a while, might not. It’s all up to you and your consistency.

    Also an FYI, PPIs and antacids aren’t the only thing thing thar causes impaired stomach acid. Age, diet, even stress. Why do you think we get butterflies in our stomachs when we are nervous? It’s all connected.

    Hope this helps people.

  • nunyabisness
    nunyabisness GD10

    Posted

    hi, i have experienced what i would also describe as sort of power surges mainly in the brain but sometimes radiates down into my upper torso or possibly as far down as my abdomen or legs if i just let it happen rather than shake out of it. its happened to me before in my sleep or as im falling Sleep and usually opening my eyes or shaking my head brings me ouut if it, but its also happened to me before when was awake sitting down or even standing up occasionally. im 27 year old female , not on any prescribed medications but may or may not have a history of recreational drug use. i dont usually go far out of my way to see a doctor unless i got to and dont much mention these types of things to people because they would probably think i was crazy or just have no idea what im talking about or they would try to take me to the er or nut ward, both of which im not trying to do lol. also never been checked for lime disease either but others in my area have fallen victim to it so i supposed that could be a possible culprit

  • KGS90
    KGS90 GD10

    Posted

    i used to get these every night a good few years ago, i know exactly what you're talking about and it's very unsettling. mine have just started to happen again out of the blue. when it first started happening to me, after a couple of weeks if it happening i had an experience I'll never forget. i actually managed to fall asleep but then i was awoken this time by a bright light, my body was paralyzed and i couldn't speak but my eyes were open and i could move my eyes. then i saw and angel or some kind of being of light at the end of my bed out the corner of my eye, and it wasn't scary i felt calm and relaxed. i feel like these electric shocks to the brain are God preparing you for something very spiritual to happen, if you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ yet you should begin praying to him, he is real and so are angels and demons, i believe they try to warn us and protect us and also comfort us when they know something big is about to happen.

  • tom35687
    tom35687 GD10

    Posted

    just came to say i have been experiencing the exact same thing! i have been in a period of long term stress however. I have whats called Depersonalisation which is a dissociative condition alongside chronic fatigue syndrome.(brain and nervous system related) Yesterday when i was laying down i had around 3 intense brain zaps where it felt like my brain 'reset'. Before this i felt the exact same odd head sensation where it felt i needed to shake it off, felt like a constant pressure in my head (felt it for months). Since the zaps i feel like my memory is off and im unable to generate mental imagery (or its not very clear). I feel numb, and almost like i dont exist, just extremely vague and distant. I'm quite concerned tbh. Anyone relate to the after effects of the zaps? im concerned there has been damage.

  • christophe48983
    christophe48983 GD10

    Posted

    hello, i have been getting these for a week and a half now. cant sleep, cant eat. buzzing in my brain. every single time i am about to fall asleep this bzzzzt happens in the back of my head and i wake up. every single time sometimes 50 times a night before i just give up. went to an urgent care, ER, and 2 different doctors and no one can find anything worng with me except anxiety. like ya i have anxiety but its cause of this problem i am having. any helpwoukd be appreciated

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