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Feel like I’m dying when falling asleep

Posted , 81 users are following.

shabbychic
shabbychic

Hi everyone, I was diagnosed in 2017 with CFS after having glandular fever in 2016. I've found it difficult to get my sleep pattern in order because I cant seem to manage staying awake more than 12hours, I'm usually completely shattered after 6-8hours. Anyway, every time i struggle to get some sort of good pattern going when I'm falling asleep i feel like I'm dying and it terrifies me. So I try to stay awake a bit longer. I Just wondered if anyone else gets this?

8 likes, 110 replies

110 Replies

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  • elaine_9632
    elaine_9632 shabbychic

    Edited

    Hi Shabbychic

    I have been experiencing something similar to this, which has become more frequent lately. It's been 5 years for me now having Cfs . I get this strange almost electric shock in my head/ chest which is just as I am falling asleep or very soon after and once it happens I also tend to try to stay awake as it is a scary sensation. I have tried to explain it to gp but no one seems to have an answer. As Charlie19 said.... there is no pattern to it !

    • Pathtonowhere12
      Pathtonowhere12 elaine_9632

      Edited

      It's fatigue and stress. When the subconscious thinks you're in danger, sleep isn't a good idea and tries to give you a warning. You need rest and just to pull through. It just happens and you can't do anything about it short term, just try to wait for it to subside without getting alarmed.

      Also, doctors don't work with this kind of symptoms, they only deal with things that incapacitate you in a serious matter, there's no course of action for symptoms like this, caused by exhaustion, psychological stress, aftermath of various infections, illnesses or emotional traumas.

  • guzz73
    guzz73 shabbychic

    Posted

    Hi shabbychic, could you describe how you feel as you try to fall asleep? physical symptoms or mental? i've had cfs for many years and i fall asleep all the time, usually if i sit down i'm gone. when it comes to sleeping at night i only get about 4 hrs and i never feel rested after sleep. it's a tough illness to deal with, and for me it just leaves me feeling drained and can cause anxiety and depression.

    My advice would be to try and find a doctor who is more open to the idea that cfs is a real and debilitating illness and go from there. Don't hold back with letting them know how bad you feel and that you need help.

  • charlen
    charlen shabbychic

    Edited

    Hi

    Yes I too get this feeling every time I lie down, feel like my inner being is trapped in my body and trying to escape. Feeling of dread comes over me, shuddery insides. Only sleep every other night

    • jennifer47021
      jennifer47021 charlen

      Edited

      I relate to this feeling. And sometimes I feel that my consciousness is being pulled into some dark void and trying to leave my body even though I am still awake. And it feels like if I don't fight that pull, I am going to die. SO scary.

    • Nasteha85
      Nasteha85 charlen

      Edited

      I'm on here trying to find out what's going on with me. Every time I start to drift off to sleep, I start to feel a sever and overwhelming feeling of fatigue and weakness. It's terrifying and makes me not won't to sleep. Could you explain a bit more what these episodes are like for you? I do not have CFS, so I don't know what's going on.

      -Nikki

    • leigh82792
      leigh82792 jennifer47021

      Edited

      I'm so glad I've seen this. Exactly how I feel, that void pulling you in!! I also wake with my heart pounding as if I've stopped breathing and if I didn't wake it feels as if you are going to die. Find myself waking and running out of bed trying to get away from it.

      Reading other comments it could well be a PTSD, CFS or gastritis thing, wish I knew as its debilitating.

      I had a terrible episode the weekend and still feel awful four days later.

    • kamrynbailey25
      kamrynbailey25 Nasteha85

      Edited

      i feel the same way! its scary sometimes even after i do fall asleep, that next morning when i wake up and then try to go back to sleep it still happens and then i cant fall back asleep because its too scary. and i also dont have CFS either im just looking for answers):

    • Nasteha85
      Nasteha85 kamrynbailey25

      Posted

      How long have you been dealing with this issue? have you spoken with a doctor about it?

    • NotLivingTheDRM
      NotLivingTheDRM leigh82792

      Posted

      i don't know if anyone replies to this post anymore but i feel the same exact way. Its been 2 weeks straight and now seems to hit during the day while i'm alone. scary thing.

    • shan17173
      shan17173 jennifer47021

      Posted

      this is probably the best description that I could find. It is hard to explain this feeling as my symptoms just started about a month ago. I lay down and can be very sleepy but as I drift off, these thoughts of dying just rush over me. then as I drift closer to sleep, I feel myself going into that black void and I wake up (even though I wasn't fully asleep) because of the fear...but it's not really fear, but it's like...I have so much to do so I can't die right now kind of thing (if that makes sense). Then I have all of these thoughts about what my family would have to go through and then wonder as to why I am feeling like this. I usually do go to sleep but it's usually hours from the incident or after it happened a few times. I am so glad I found this thread because I was really scared and this makes me feel a tiny bit better in getting at least SOME direction of what is going on with me.

    • v13149
      v13149 shan17173

      Posted

      YES. I get enveloped into the "settled" phase which is what i think is just sleep but i swear i feel like im dying. like my heart will just give out. so i wake up try again and it still continues to happen.. then i go down rabbit hole thoughts.. what if my boyfriend has to wake up to me dead or would he need to save me. ugh. i take spironlactone for acne and it lowers my blood pressure but idk whats happening anymore.

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