Torturous Sleep Disorder

Have you tried a cpap machine it will give you constant oxygen at night worth a try xx

I agree with Poppys123 you should request a special test to establish if you have sleep apnea. If you have it they should prescribe the use of a CPAP machine and this should stop you suddenly waking up in the night. You will also feel a lot better during the day.

It's a shame it doesn't work for my problem xx

It's a shame it doesn't work for my problem xx

Sorry for the late reply.

Thanks maureen87 and Poppys123 for the suggestion. I haven’t tried the CPAP machine, though I did experience sleep apnea-like symptom such as difficulty in breathing during sleep a few times in the past. I’m not sure if my sleep disorder is really caused by sleep apnea. I discussed it with my neurologist once about the possibility of me having sleep apnea, but he wasn’t convinced.

What I have been experiencing so far doesn’t seem to fit entirely the general description of sleep apnea. My many “symptoms” as described are far too strange and completely incomprehensible to me, or even to my doctor for that matter. They seem completely random and yet there is a pattern. I just don’t know what they really are and how they happen. It is probably a lot more complicated than I can imagine……

I have been suffering this same thing that started with hot irons on the head and went to someone grabbing my leg all this upon falling asleep ..lately upon falling asleep i saw myself suspended on a iron rack and was being electrocuted and when i woke instantly the shocking followed me over into my waking state and i was soo tired it was like i was still kind of asleep and the shock kept grabbing me and locking up my arms until i put my hands together in a prayer fashion and called out to God and lately i have been finding sleep in the grass ir on the sidewalk ....plz reply

I also have experienced the attacks of feeling electrocuted while falling asleep. During these attacks, the electrifying pain is excruciating and I am fighting with all my willpower to open my eyes are move my hand, because once I am able to do so, the attack ends.  But I am left so drained from the physical pain of the feeling of being electrocuted, that I battle to resists falling back to sleep. Usually I am only able to resist closing my eyes for 1 second. The night that was the worst for me, was experiencing these episodes six times in a row and the pain did not diminish. The days following these attacks, I experience extreme fatigue. I have slept 36 hours straight following a  night of multiple attacks. 

Last night after experiencing 2 attacks for the first time in a year, I experienced for the first time, that the electric shock feeling was hardly there, but to take its place, the paralysis I experienced led to me gasping for breath and my chest hurt. I decided to go to the ER hoping that they would order differential diagnostic tests other than the routine tests. I had been dizzy for 4 days before the attacks this time. The ER doctor focused on my "chest pain" and "dizziness". After I was discharged with instructions to see my PCP within the next two days, I arrived home with a headache and feeling nauseous. I called the hospital back and asked them if they would contact the ER Dr. that saw me and ask him to order a brain scan since it was mentioned by his nurse and him that further workup would be outpatient MRI. I was told to come back in if I was feeling worse. Well, it being 4 a.m., I decided that it was pointless to return to the ER since they wouldn't do the MRI anyway. I told them I would return to the hospital in the next 24 hours. When I did return the next afternoon, the Dr. that saw me had his mind-up made up about my complaints before I even opened my mouth to share my concerns. He walked in with his arms crossed and begrudgingly extended his hand for a stiff handshake to introduce himself. He summed up his interpretation of my chart from last night and the reason for my return visit and said that none of it made medical sense to him and I should schedule an appointment to see my PCP. I felt like he had no intention of trying to help me. He made that clear by saying that he has real emergencies to attend to and walking out of the room. I walked out and asked for a complaint form. I was told by the check-out desk that I needed to go back to my room to be discharged by the nurse. I told her that I had never met the nurse, the Dr. came in first (which is not standard operating procedure) and he dismissed me and my concerns. I was directed to the nurses's desk and then to back to my room to wait for my nurse. The Dr. re-entered the room to try and save his ass by providing me with instructions to try breathing into a paper bag the next time I have one of my attacks because it sounds like episodes that occur from hyperventiliating. I told him that I have hyperventiliated before and it is not that. He said, "Well if you're not willing to listen to a doctor's advice, then I there's nothing anyone can do to help me." I left that hospital with a complaint form in hand that I will attach this post to and turn in to the hospital.

@bc2013 I have had the CPAP test and that yielded no results for me. You are not alone in this. 

I too for nearly 10 years have been experiencing pain at the baseof my skull upon falling asleep. It is more right sided. I have this any and every time I try to sleep. I also experience it upon waking. Sometimes my whole body will jerk. Other times I feel numbness and tingling down my arms as well. It is very painful to the point where I get a headache. I was on lyrica for years, but it hasnt helped. I finally went off of it. I now just take over the counter sleep aids. They help some, but not much. Sometimes I need ibuprophen too. I've had many mri's, and a sleep study. Ive been to Mayo. They said expoding head syndrome. It is not. I do not hear any "explosion" and there is pain. With exploding head there is supposedly no pain. I've tried many meds to no avail. I've tried different chiropractors, acupuncture, neuromuscular therapy. Ive changed my diet. Nothing. Im 57 and going through menopause, so now I have night sweats as well!

 I feel this in my sleep too.  For many years now! Very annoying 

I have had very similar symptoms, and am still getting them from time to time, it all started in 2010, I was in a place in my life where I had so many dreams but I felt like my life was standing still, and I wasn't achieving anything like I wanted to.. at the same time I was working a lot and trying to make things happen, but everything just got worse and ended with some kind of mild depression, all the same symptoms as you, plus swollen eye lids,

now I'm allmost symptom free, I still occasionally have a bad night with mild symptoms but nothing like before, to get better I started focusing a lot on diet in a healthy way not to lose or gain weight, but to get everything I need also multivitamins and minerals, I changed my diet into only eating meat, vegetables, egg, milk and cheese, nothing man made only basic food without additives and all the s**t they put in everything man made, then I started going to the gym 5 days a week, and started figure out how to become independent and start my own buissness, so I can controle my work hours, 7 years later I don't have symptoms anymore because I'm making progress towards my dreams, I work less hours so it goes slowly but steady, I have a master's degree in biochemistry, and a pharmacy technician on the side, and I work in a pharmacy,

I believe that you program your own brain, if you think "my life is s**t, my life is s**t" all the time you will feel more and more like s**t, and the chemistry in you brain will become out of Ballance, you can do the same to make restore Ballance by constantly repeat "I feel good, I feel good"

The only reason the system is symptom treating is because that's where all the money is, but instead of treating a symptom it's important to find the root of the problem, and that more often then any other things is unhappiness, processed foods, too little stimulation of the primal instincts (sports, martial arts), ohh ya and stay away from gluten it's a protein not made for the human stomach everybody has gluten allergy just not everyone get symptoms, the gluten has become much more complex by modifying the genetics to produce larger quantities, it causes you infection levels to rise, some feel it some don't, but there's a direct link between infection levels and mental disorders, heart disease and cancer, people getting sick have followed the wheat production all the way up through the 19th century, it's even known that autisme is a brain tissue oxygen disorder, caused by infection in the colon in fact the same area as where infection is caused by gluten, alzheimer everything is caused by minor infections and development of scar tissue. Ohh ya and low cholesterol is much worse than high cholesterol, new science prove that high cholesterol is healthy and that the experiment on harvard university in the 50's was tampered with to cover for the fact that sugar has similar effects to the body as gluten when it comes to rising the bodys infection level, Which is essentially what causes most of all sickness on the planet, I hope I got it all covered, without causing confusion, it just important to know the root problem, and all the factors that play a role in our health, it's not like any doctors give very good guides to healthy living, so you won't know unless you study it your self, this message is the result of me having a sleepless night, I'm a bit stressed these days

So conclusion,

Stay away from all processed foods,

Back to basics meat, vegetables, egg, milk and cheese.

Exercise it dosent matter if it's just half an hour swinging a dumbbell up and down at home or it's all in bodybuilding in the gym,

find out what would make you happy, make a plan and set a goal, positive thoughts, no self pitty

Don't work your self into an early grave life is long, you'll make it !

Be creative save up money enough to start a business, start small

I hope this helps, all the best

Ohh ya if you really need something to help you get a better sleep, try melatonin, good stuff it's a sleep hormone, it helps you go into rem sleep and stay there if you buy the slow releasing, I would recommend 3 mg slow releasing for people under 40 years old and 5 mg slow releasing for people over.

It also helps you produce more growth hormone in your rem sleep which is just pure gold, it makes you feel good and less stressed.

I also used to have horrible shaking sensations when I sleep.

I saw a naturopath who told me that my nervous system was damaged from my constant "fear-based" living, and from all the drugs and alcohol I used to do which she claimed had burnt out my adrenals.

So, not saying this will work for you, since everyone is unique.  But she claimed that I should give up wheat, since gluten will make my adrenals even worse.  And also to give up sugar, dairy, and caffeine.  (Yes, it is possible and you can still eat delicious fooods).

She also suggested eating four times a day, to help nourish my constant over-thinking mind, and to learn meditation to overcome my mental chatter, restore my adrenals.  She advised eating plenty of dark green vegetables and meats, and also take a mineral supplement.

Might be different for you, but if it helps you she was an "Intuitive Naturopath". 

I'm normally a skeptic, but Since I made those changes I have NEVER had shaking sensations, i'm a lot calmer, and I can actually have a normal day.

Failing that, i'm sure you've considered this, but take a look at any possible allergens in your room and also make sure your room is regularly vacuumed, sheets are regularly cleaned, and that you have a mattress that feels comfortable for your body.

Summary: good diet, lifestyle, healthy room and comfy bed, and I have no doubt you will be sleeping better if not wonderfully. 

Be patient, methodical, and don't doubt yourself in the meantime.