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Tactile Hallucination Before Sleep

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Every night for the past two weeks I have been experiencing tactile hallucinations. Before I fall asleep I feel pressure on my toes as if a rodent is pushing or nibbling at my feet (that is my perception). This is BEFORE I fall asleep. I kick at what I perceive is causing it and it stops only to resume in a minute or so. Eventually I fall asleep. I am 64 and use no drugs, other than prescribed, and I don't drink alcohol.

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2 Replies

  • lily65668
    lily65668 Guest

    Posted

    Hi Seamus,

    That sounds like some kind of peripheral neuropathy. I have something similar, due to an autoimmune condition.

    Another possibility is that these are tactile hallucinations connected with sleep paralysis - which I also happen to have! However, I find it very easy to distinguish between the two, and this isn't what yours sounds like to me. In any case, it's highly unlikely (though not impossible) that sleep paralysis would start at your age. Normal age of onset is mid-teens to mid-twenties, as was the case for me.

    I'm wondering whether you've consulted a doctor about this. Unfortunately, there's not a lot you can do about peripheral neuropathy, other than taking medications which have potentially unpleasant side-effects, but at least getting a diagnosis would reassure you. It's a symptom of ageing in many people. When I started getting it, 23 years ago, my doctor dismissed my symptoms as "old age" for several years - even though I was only 51 at the outset. It took another 10 years, during which I developed a whole ragbag of apparently unrelated symptoms, to get a diagnosis of Sjogren's syndrome. However, there are many other causes of peripheral neuropathy. It doesn't have to be down to either ageing or an autoimmune condition.

    The bottom line is that you need to see a doctor about this, and preferably insist on referral to a neurologist. It's not likely to be anything serious (I'm a former neuro nur se btw) but it should be looked into.

  • lucy1969
    lucy1969 Guest

    Posted

    I agree with lily65668

    It does sound like it could be peripheral neuropathy.

    Have you seen your doctor about this?

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