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

Oh my god this is so similar to what happened to me last week! I was on holiday in Bulgaria, and to be fair my friend and I had been partying all week, drinking and lack of sleep was a regular thing the entire time. One night I just had to go to sleep, I was so exhausted, and as I lay in bed, just as I was about to go to sleep it felt like a massive surge of energy hit me in my chest and all I wanted to do was run laps of our apartment. This lasted about 2 seconds and then my brain sort of shut down? I couldnt move my body for about 2 minutes and my brain was like it was dead, all I could think was 'oh my god what is happening to me?!' but nothing else. Then I snapped out of it and woke up my friend and I was quite frankly a bit scared to go back to sleep after that!

I am a healthy 21 year old woman, I eat cleanly and go to the gym 5 days a week. I dont take drugs or drink often (with the exception of that holiday). The only thing I could put it down too is dramatic lack of sleep?

Hi guys, 

I've dealt with the same awful sensations quite a lot in the past, and while I don't know what it's called medically I can definitively say that it is caused by stress and lack of sleep (for me at least). 

It got really bad at one point, so if it’s to the point of really interrupting normal sleep here are some things you can try:  

-Put on soft music that's easily audible but not disturbing…it's hard for the brain to get into that exited state when soft music is playing. I usually listen to an album from Deuter called "Atmospheres" which you can get on Spotify or Amazon.

-Sit up straight in bed and do 10-15 minutes of meditation in the correct pose. This is a bit tougher because your eyes will naturally want to close, but stick with it. Afterward the sensations usually have dissipated. 

-Some exercise can help, such as jogging in place, sit-ups, etc. 

-Get a shoulder/head massage if you have a partner or somebody who can do so.

There are also some drug options:

-A combination of inositol and valerian root worked well for me. I used close to a dozen OTC sleep aids but this cocktail was best and had the least sides.

-Sertraline (Zoloft) is also effective, but only after 2-3 weeks of use

-Benzos such as Xanax and that family can also be used, but they can be highly addictive. Use only in extreme cases!

This is not professional medical advice and you should talk to your doctor before taking any substances J

Cheers

Hi guys, so its been approx 9 months since my original post which started this discussion.  Apologies for not coming back sooner.....I felt in order to try to combat these issues I wanted to 'get away' from reading these forums.  But I also understand it is a good place for people to talk about their issues which can ease peoples minds.

So let me give you an update:

Firstly, DO NOT WORRY.  These symptoms are not life threatening.  I have had every test available and all results came back OK.

I admit it is quite confusing/scary as I still to this day do not know what brought on these symptoms and how they actually went away (but they do go away!).  I was given no medication to combat it.  I had a couple of weeks off work and was told just to rest up, also wasnt allowed to drive and basically I just need to put my feet up and relax (you will all agree that that is easier said than done).  There was a slight chance that it could have been minor epilepsy but this was not the case.

The only advice I can give and what has worked for me was some basic lifestyle changes (apologies if these seem a bit obvious but they do actually work).  I dont take any medication.

- Morning ritual.  I now spend an extra bit of time in the morning when I get up and leave for work.  I dont try to 'rush' out of bed and into work.  Take your time having breakfast, have a shower, watch some TV.  I now dont tend to leave the house until I am 'ready'.  I might be late for work but I dont try to combat the day until i feel i am awake and ready.  Try and get into a routine.

- Change of diet.  Eat plenty of fruit and veg.  I have cut down a lot on caffiene and now drink natural drinks like green tea.  Some porridge or muesli for breakfast.  Bananas in the afternoon and some fish for tea.  Changed to Skimmed Milk.  Stay hydrated throughout the day with water.

Must admit that I still drink alcohol quite a bit on weekends (cut it out in the week).

- Meditation and breathing exercises.  I find this helped a LOT.  I bought a basic/beginner guide off Amazon for a couple of quid.  A 5-10 minute breathing exercise just before bed relaxes the mind.  This really helps and I still do some of these exercises when i'm getting a bit stressed out.  I also found that using an extra pillow so my head is higher when trying to get to sleep helps.

- Music, i found some soothing tunes can help with sleep.  You can download some stuff from iTunes.  These can be used with the breathing exercises just before bed.

- Exercise.  I was quite fit when these symptoms started happening so not sure how big a part this plays in the recovery.  I find that fresh air helps.  Have a good stretch and go for a walk in the evenings.

In general, I just had a new outlook in life and learned to chill out a bit more.  Try hard to not get stressed about things which are not important in life.

I think thats it from me.  Hopefully trying some of my advice above will help you guys.  I know they sound very basic but it does help.  I do still get days when i'm spaced out (especially in evenings) but again following some of my tips above seem to help.  Dont worry about these symptoms and be happy this is nothing serious.

Any questions i'll be happy to help.

I'm not going to lie, reading these posts made me feel a lot better.

At first, I had a minor spasm in my left foot, and being the hyponchondriac that I am, I thought I was developing some sort of neurological disease. After about a month of constant twitching and nothing else, I just sort of shrugged it off. But just two nights ago, I was woken up by "surges" in my head. Almost like that feeling you get when you "fall" while you're sleeping, but they were more consistent. Last night, I could not fall asleep because this "tingling surge" sensation kept going to my head/stomach/and chest region. After reading these posts, I put on some soft music and it did help me fall asleep. But this morning, I was woken up by the same sensations. Also, during the day there is almost this anxious tingingling sensation in my chest/stomach. I wonder if all my symptoms could be related

About me- 19 year old male who started college a month ago. Work out regularly, so I don't believe lack of excercise could be the cause. I have been playing with my dosages of anti-depressants and ADHD medications, which I read could possibly be a reason for these symptoms. I am going through the most stressful time of my life trying to adjust to college and all of the work. Hopefully I'll fnd some answers somewhere! Good luck to you all, as well!

This is going to sound crazy but here's how I've dealt with it. The surge, I think, is a physiological response to your awareness of yourself being between the physical and spiritual realm. When you get these, you are very tired and your body has issued the chemicals that prevent you from moving. You're paralyzed and you feel like you're completely vulnerable as you become aware and these surges come. At first they are scary and you might even cry out for help - not physically of course but within your 'state' - like a desperate prayer. I actually started taking advantage of these states to pray, not in desperation, but in peace and with sincere inquisition because it's in this place I think we're out of the physical and into the spiritual world, a little closer to God.

Hello. I've had these symptoms in varying degrees since starting and then stopping a course of anti-depressants about 18 years ago. I was taking Paxil (Aropax) and used them for just over a year before deciding to come off them. Clearly this has caused some latent neurological side effect which manifests itself in brain zaps. For me it starts with a whooshing noise from within my head that intensifies until the jolt. The whole process lasts only 2-3 seconds. Sometimes it gives me a fright but it doesn't worry me in general. I'm back on another SSRI as of December 2013 and experience a very mild version of this if I've taken my tablets late - although these happen in the day. They are more annoying as it feels like I'm going to pass out for a split second and they happen frequently, every 5 minutes or so, but I use them as a reminder to take my medicine. They stop once the tablets have been absorbed. 

In short, I wouldn't  stress about it if you've had tests and been diagnosed healthy otherwise. 

I have experienced both falling asleep zaps and the brain zaps of antidepressant withdrawal. They are not the same thing! Not by a long shot. They feel different, and I wanted to let you guys know before you try to fix it with meds.

What the falling asleep zaps are is kundalini. Does it bolt out the top of your head, the point where the skull fissures meet? That's the crown chakra. Yes, it sounds hooey gooey, but the eastern religions have been musing over and documenting this phenomenon for years. If you want to learn more, look up kundalini and OBEs. You can learn some exercises to do that will make you look forward to these zaps instead of dreading them. They signal a shift between stages of sleep, and if you relax and listen after one, letting the shift happen, vibrations and sounds will start. Give it a chance, feel into it.

You are not sick! There's nothing wrong with you. These zaps will come and go throughout your life randomly. I would even say you're one of the lucky ones, in that you get to experience this often enough to experiment with it. If you'd really like fewer of them, wait until late for bedtime and do not take naps. Lighter sleep makes you more aware of that shift into the deeper sleep level.