Night terrors and sleep walking
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi, I have been having night terrors usually consisting of people in my house or room for 2-3 years, I am 24 and currently live alone.
?Before I moved out of my parents house I would shout a lot in my sleep usually yelling for people to get out of my room, and on two occasions absolutely bolting out of the house waking everyone and not realise what I'm doing until I got outside.
?I have lived on my own for a year now and things have gotten worse. I am still yelling for people to get out of my room (I notice myself doing it quite often so God knows how much I am actually doing it, I can't imagine my neighbours are happy). But once a week at least I am going to grab knives out of the draw convinced there is someone in my flat, searching under beds, bathroom etc. I am semi conscious when doing this, I can remember little bits such grabbing the knives or searching around with them. The dreams that trigger this I can not remember except for one or two times I remember numerous people stood in my room looking at me which set off my panic. Since I have moved out I have also started hiding things (again remembering only a few times actually doing it) in my sleep, such as my laptop, wallet or car keys. Also maybe 5 times I have woken up in my spare bedroom having no recollection of swapping beds.
?I am just wondering if anyone has ever experienced this, knows anyone who has or has any advice, it seems a bit of a trivial matter to go to the doctors with (although I am concerned about grabbing knives) and am unsure as to what they could offer.
?I am not an overly paranoid person, maybe a bit self conscious and a bit untrusting of strangers until I get to know them.
?Hope to get some replies, thank you.
0 likes, 2 replies
lily65668 james49157
Posted
Hi James,
Yes, I have suffered from this in the past, and still get minor attacks now, though they've decreased with age. I can really sympathise with you.
It's not actually a disorder of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is the phase in which dreaming occurs, but arises from the non-dreaming part of the cycle. For a few years my episodes were extremely severe, including coming to my senses when standing on the bedroom windowsill about to jump from the first floor (that's second floor if you're in the US). As I was living alone, like you, I became very concerned - to the extent that I nailed the wooden window frames shut in the bedroom.
This phenomenon is closely related to sleepwalking, and most sufferers will have sleepwalked during childhood and adolescence. I know I did. It can be triggered - though not actually caused - by stress and anxiety, so it might be a good idea to take a look at your life at the moment. Remember, anxiety doesn't necessarily mean you're running around in a panic all the time. It can often lie hidden from consciousness, while silently gnawing at us.
All the usual sleep-wreckers can also make night terrors worse, such as recreational drugs or alcohol taken too late in the evening, and too much screen-time before bed. It's a good idea to try and maintain good sleep hygiene in general. (You can google this.)
Night terrors are notoriously difficult to treat. You should try and get yourself referred to a sleep clinic, but there's no guarantee you'll have an episode in the sleep lab. Fewer than half of night terror sufferers have an attack while under observation - possibly because they feel safe in the sleep lab.
Once diagnosed, it's usually treated with the benzodiazepine drug clonazepam (Klonopin) though CBT can often be helpful too.
I never sought treatment for my own attacks. They were only very severe for a few years (around the menopause). In females, hormonal changes are a known trigger for night terrors. I realise that doesn't help you, but there may be women reading this post too.
Once I got over that, the severity and frequency of attacks declined sharply - which is often the case for both sexes after middle age. Now, at age 74, I still have a couple of attacks a week but they're very mild and short-lived, and I come to my senses after only a few seconds, before I've had time to get out of bed.
Given that you're still very young, your first step has to be getting a referral to a sleep specialist. It's certainly not "a trivial thing", as you say. Most doctors are quite knowledgeable about night terrors, so you'll be taken seriously. Don't be afraid to tell your doctor just how serious the episodes are. He/she won't think you're crazy. Even if you don't succeed in producing an attack in the sleep lab, you can still get a diagnosis. In the meantime, try not to get too anxious about the attacks (though I know that's easier said than done!) as worrying about further attacks is another trigger.
parijatak27 james49157
Posted
Sleepwalking probably occurs because the brain's ability to regulate sleep/wake cycles is still immature. Most children outgrow the symptoms as their nervous systems develop. Sleepwalking that begins later in life or lasts into adulthood may have psychological causes. These include extreme stress or, rarely, medical causes such as epilepsy.