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[allosaurus]

Now, as a few of you may know, I have EXTREME trouble sleeping.  It takes me hours at a time to get to sleep and I often end up taking an Advil just to help me sleep.  No matter what breathing exercises I do, I just can't sleep right.  It also concerns me that when I breath, my breathing is shaky as if crying (especially when lying down).  But that's not the main matter.

If I end up getting to sleep, I always wake up REALLY early in the morning.  And when I wake up, I normally try to get back to sleep if it's not too late.  Often though, I end up getting this really weird sudden jolt up and down my spine!  I have never gotten heavily electrocuted, but I must say that the only thing I could compare this sensation to is an electric shock!  I even hear a "bzzzt" noise when it happens!  It's so sudden and often painful, and it only happens when my eyes are closed.  And if it happens once, it's bound to happen again.  I'm partially afraid of trying to get back to sleep if I wake up, because I hate that sensation so much.  This has been happening for several weeks.  When it happens, I tend to arch my back and clench my teeth, often accidentally biting my tongue, and tighten up all my muscles.  On release, I have a "fizzy" feeling all throughout my body.

I've researched what I could, found nothing that sounded exactly like my own problems.

Has anyone ever experienced this, or can anyone identify what it is?




edit: Please keep in mind that I am very young, therefore this strange phenomenon is not because I am an old woman!

[shadowmice]

That sounds very unusual. I wouldn't even want to hazard a quess what could be causing that. I would recommend seeing a doctor to get it properly diagnosed, especially if it something new that has developed.

[RedwoodsMama]

DEAR ALLO, FIRST OF ALL, I AM SORRY YOU ARE GOING THROUGH THIS, ,I KNOW HOW TERRIBLE IT MUST BE TO FEEL LIKE THIS, ESP THE WAKING UP JOLTING PART. I have gone through something similiar a few years ago, but I am not a young girl like you Have you talked to your parents about this? If not, you need to Now, and I do mean right away . There is no reason to suffer like this and you need to go see a DR. as soon as possible and have this evaluated. I think what helped me and could very likely help you is a sleep Study analysis. This is a Place where you go to spend the night and they hook you up with different electordes on your body to evaluate , respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, etc. They allso have cameras watching you while you sleep so they can see what is happening to you, There are also DRS. or other trained  emergency medical staff on hand to be there for any possible situation. There are lots of people that have problems either falling asleep, or once they fall asleep, they cant go back to sleep.
        another common sleep problem ( though more common I think in older persons) is wshat is called Sleep Apnea, which means that a person can not get enough oxygen when sleeping, and it makes the person often wake up suddenly gasping for breath. You didn't mention ( I think ) how you sleep, what position, on your back, side, etc. though it sounds like your back which is typical of Sleep Apnea. You can google Sleep apnea and read info for yourself and see what it sounds like.Often the people who suffer from it are overweight, or are smokers, or have heart problems, or some other physical ailment which prevents enough oxygen from circulating in the blood properly. You sound awfully young to suffer from any of these problems, but I do not know your Physical or Medical history, which I why it is important to mention this to your parents and then your family dr. at once.
           Do not feel embarrased by what is happening to you, it is your body's way of tellling you that there is something going on and it is ALERTING YOU TO DO SOMETHING. My problem is alsmot the complete opposite of yours. I used to hardly sleep at all, even when I was in my late teens and twenties, I sometimes slept only every two or three days after being up formore than a day. ( I worked double shifts at a hospital.) NOw after  terrible back problem, I have have been taking heavy dutey Opiates, Pain meds since 2003, I take Methadone as well as other pain meds. I cant have back surgery as I have too many levels of my back that have degenerated to fuse. Pain meds are my only option. My sleeping problem is such that I can fall asleep anytime of the day, if sitting still at computer, on the couch, etc.I took my son to a show for his birthday , an afternoon matinee, and fell asleep while watching it, woke up because I was snoring! Can you imagine how embarrasing that was... :(the final straw was while on the bus to go to a Dr. appt and waking up to find out I was in another town,,I had missed my bus stop...and was 8 Miles too far.that is when I went to a Sleep Center to have my sleep distrubances evaluated and they were able to put me on a med to counteract the extreme drowsiness caused by the Methadone.
 It sounds like you have done all the traditional things to try to help you get to sleep such as , breathing exercises, yoga, taking a hot relaxing bath, not drinking beverages that contain caffeine late in the afternoon or at night, even eating a heavy meal or snack late in the evening can make it more difficult to fall asleep.
there are lots of other possible things that can be contributing to your sleep problems but only a dr. can or shoudl try to diagnose your problems,the longer you go without seeing a dr. the longer it will be before you can be helped. Please talk to your parents today if you haven't already, and please make a Dr. appt so you can get some answers. Please let us know how you are doing. We do care and thank you for asking for advice/ help.
                                                 RedwoodsMama and Team NOva

[shadowmice]

Yes, as RWM says, and I did not emphasize enough in my initial post, it is important to have this looked after ASAP.  You may be feeling you are fine otherwise but as RWM says, your body is trying to tell you something and it is best to listen to it now instead of waiting and potentially have more serious issues arise as a result.  Not trying to scare you as it could very likely be something very simple to treat and by getting it diagnosed now you would save yourself a lot of anxiety.

Hope you feel better soon; please keep us posted how you are getting along.

[allosaurus]

Thanks for the concerns

I seem to have found SOME people online who are going through it, but there's no good explanation for it. 

Both explanations I've found seem quite far-fetched:

1. It's from our primitive ape ancestors who slept up in the canopy; it was to make sure they were aware of their surroundings and would not fall out of the tree, get caught by predators, etc.
2.  Your body interprets falling asleep as dying and tries to keep you alive.

......

Neither sound very convincing.

I will continue my research and try to talk to my parents about this.

[RedwoodsMama]

 HI, as long as you are looking at other possible reasons, and one I did not mention because it is not medical, is something that a lot of people expereince including myself, is what is called, " out of body expereinces, or Astral projecton or travel. Simply put, it means when you go to sleep, when you are in "REM", rapid eye movenment, the dreaming sequence, is you leave your body, and travel to other areas, ( just google Astral Projection", ) and the jerking movement you describe is what some people describe is a Jerking movement, Imagine that your body is attached to a lifeline, or like a silver cord. and when comming back into your body, this lifeline jerks, as people want to come back into their body, afraid that if this silver cord is cut , that they can not get back into their body, and there comes into play, " the dying primitive emotion", that you mentioned.
Also the strange popping or buzzing sound in your head you mentioned, is comming back into your body. I have experiened this many times and it used to scare me to death, till I learned how to get out of my body, but I will not get into this here, I am only mentioning it because you mentioned the one primintive dying theory, and this is similia and connected the same way.
       LIke I said before, regardless of what it is, it is something that I am sure you will admit that you need to talk to your parents about and talk to a dr. to rule out any serious conditon and to make you feel better. Keep us posted.
                        RedwoodsMama and Team NOva

[Crewella]

Hi allo - sounds most unpleasant, and I wish I could help but the best I can offer is to go and get it checked out by a doctor.  It could be a sign of so many things, best to get it all checked out if only for peace of mind.

[allosaurus]

Of course.  Mum was no help.  Should've expected.  She implies I'm lying with all the "little things" that happen to me (a few weeks ago, I was getting sudden terrible headaches that would disappear in a matter of seconds, my knee was hurting a few weeks before that, I have quite some wrist problems, etc.) and says that we need a brain scan. >.<

And RWM, I must notice that I normally feel this after dreams, but when it happens, I'll lie there dazed for a few minutes with my eyes open.  Then I'll eventually close my eyes again, and-- BZZT!  It happens again.  This often happens many times a morning, and normally when I'm almost back to sleep, rather than only upon waking.


edit: Judging by all the different site resources, my strange electric shock happens when I am sleep-deprived.  Funny, that would explain why it hasn't happened in the past few days!  Upon waking up super-early for the past few days, I have not put any effort into falling back asleep, and just brought myself to a point where my body put itself to sleep without even trying, I was so tired.  And last night, I slept great, all through the morning.  So it would appear this is some sort of sleep deprivation sign, but I'm still curious as to EXACTLY what it is and if there's anything else wrong with me.... It also (judging by the site resources) looks like it's normally coupled with some other symptom, perhaps my shaky breathing?

[fancyfont]

Allo, as everyone is saying , it is very important to discuss this with your doctor. Just being concern about what is going on can bring on anxiety. For your relief of mind, go see your doctor for advice.

[InmemoryofRomeo]

It is perfectly normal Allo Although few people experience these odd 'shocks'. I am one who does however and it is indeed caused by insufficient sleep. It is caused by the body trying to drop in a deep sleep too rapidly which sends a warning to our brain to wake us up, hence the jolt. Whether this is to stop us falling out off trees or whatever I don't know but you can do a few things to help improve the situation.

If you can't sleep get up and do something for a little while even just walk around your room for ten minutes, do a jigsaw puzzle or read a book, preferably something you find peaceful and relaxing. If you feel stressed about something try writing it down somewhere and either planning the ideal (even if impossible) solution, just to get it off your chest. You could also try playing some white noise on an mp3 player.

Edit: I like to do puzzles on my iPad (you could use a puzzle book though) because it requires you to think and redirects your brain waves to something more useful.

[shadowmice]

Now I've learned something new. I've had the experience of jolting awake suddenly too - it feels like I'm falling and my body reacts with a jerk that wakes me. I don't recall it hurting ever though otherwise I would have been worried about it. I never thought much about it figuring it was just a trick of the mind although it is very disconcerting when it happens. The fact Allo said it was sometime painful for her had me concerned it was more than this type of reaction. Now at least, the next time it happens I'll know why it's happened.

Glad you were able to help provide an explanation for Allo, IMR.  It's nice to be able to find someone who can relate to what you are going through.

[Crewella]

I'm another one of those people that lie awake at night with 'stuff' going round and round in my head.  Reading is definitely no good for me - I just get too into the book and end up reading all night!  As IMR says, just getting up for a little while and doing something relaxing can be helpful - both my OH and I can be found pottering about in the small hours most nights!  I have found certain relaxation exercises helpful in getting to sleep - concentrate on relaxing every muscle in your body, one at a time, starting from your toes and slowly working up from there - really take the time to feel each muscle relax and turn into a dead weight, and breathe slowly and steadily as you do all that.

Not sure how helpful that might be, but thought it might be worth posting, just in case.  Hope something helps.

[allosaurus]

Wow, thanks for the explanation IMR!!!


Crewella, I have tried EVERY relaxation and meditation technique there is, including that one.   Are you familiar with the "you must relax your feet" version of it?

[fancyfont]

Ii have heard that is is very difficult for some people to sleep because of the lighting from the computer screen. It has been recommended that you not be on a computer at least a half hour before you go to bed just because of the glare still stays in your eyes for a period after you turn off your computer.  I have a mirror that lights up and is magnified many times over. When I use it, I see halos when I close my eyes for about ten minutes after. Very weird!
As far as that moment when you first are jolted up from the beginning of your sleep, I can sympathize with you. I always seem to bite the inside of my cheeks. Ouch!
Still recommended to talk to your parents and doctor about this.

[Crewella]

Hi Allo, yep - like you, I've tried most of 'em!

I think different ones work for different people - that's the one that works best for me.  Hope you get to the bottom of it.

[barrettgazzy]

Hello Allo
just been reading through everything that people has wrote and everything you have wrote , i hope you have now took a visit to your doctor to get to the bottom of it  , about 5 years ago i had all sorts of weird things going on with my body and 1 that is a little like yours is i would suddenly just wake up with 1 big gasp and moments of panic it was a feeling as if i had stopped breathing or something and would have a very weird feeling happen in my chest and neck , this would all happen very quickly But it did worry me a bit . 1 time it happened twice  1 after the other,  i fell asleep then suddenly woke up and then a little after when i fell asleep again it happened 2nd time .
i never did get to the bottom of it and it has not happened recently ( touch wood ) but i do have to say i was ( diagnosed by doctor ) as suffering from Anxiety and kept going back and forth to the doctors during early stages of suffering from Anxiety as i would keep thinking stuff in my mind about what could be wrong with me etc and they would send me away with different tablets to take and this went on for about 4 yrs then i just decided to stop taking these tablets as i was sure they were making me worse and it did help i felt better after that  , i still get the odd feeling of Anxiety but am much better these days ( touch wood )
Any way my point to you is do not get your self worried and worked up about this as your mind is a powerful thing and can play a lot on how you might feel and i would not want you to go through Anxiety it was not a nice thing believe me  .

[gucci_boi7782]

Edgar Cayce's Self Hypnosis always helps me...