To be frightened that my night time confusion might be a brain disorder?

[TooGoodyTwoShoes]

For quite a few years now I have panicked in the middle of the night that the doors are not locked downstairs. It was put down to anxiety.

For the past year or so I have woke up terrified that I'm naked in public. I actually fully wake up and think to myself "ooh shit I'm naked, how the fuck did this happen???" and I think I'm at work (I work in hospital so think I'm in a patient bed totally naked and everyone can see) and it takes me a while to come around and realise I'm at home. I also get where I wake up suddenly and think "oh my god I'm naked and there is a bloke in my bed, who the fuck is it?!" and it takes me a while to come around and realise it's ok, it's just DP who I live with.

Last night was awful. I woke up in a sudden terror thinking "oh jesus I'm naked at work, I don't know what to do" and I DIDN'T come around. Instead I freaked out more that there was a "strange man" next to me and so I crept out of bed and grabbed a hoody, put that on and then got back into bed before anyone "saw" me and then DP put his arm around me in his sleep and I started freaking out that it was all so innapropriate, this man would realise I was naked, I'd get the sack, everyone will think I'm a freak ....

it took me AGES to come around and realise I was at home with DP and then I realised I was laid rigid in bed with a hoody on.

I'm starting to get paranoid that I might have a brain tumour or something. I am honestly starting to worry that I'm going crazy.

Has ANYONE experienced anything like this before?

[sosotiredagain123]

I have this to I am naked at work or doing school run and can not find anything to cover up with

[AmantesSuntAmentes]

I was just about to suggest what Hamiltoes has brought up - sleep paralysis! I've had it quite severely since my teens and have medication which helps control it, otherwise, I get no restful sleep. There are definitely elements of typical sleep paralysis in what you describe

[AmantesSuntAmentes]

I was just about to suggest what Hamiltoes has brought up - sleep paralysis! I've had it quite severely since my teens and have medication which helps control it, otherwise, I get no restful sleep. There are definitely elements of typical sleep paralysis in what you describe

[AmantesSuntAmentes]

I was just about to suggest what Hamiltoes has brought up - sleep paralysis! I've had it quite severely since my teens and have medication which helps control it, otherwise, I get no restful sleep. There are definitely elements of typical sleep paralysis in what you describe

[Hamiltoes]

I find sleep issues so fascinating!!

A lot of what other posters have described is actually known as sleep paralysis and is where the term "nightmare" comes from. You usually see an "old hag" in the corner of the room/ behind a door, and sometimes people can't move or feel a heavy weight on their chest. Utterly terrifying until you come around.

Op, I wouldn't go and see a doctor about this as it sounds pretty common. I get this at least a few times a month except I always hear a train screeching really loudly towards me and think its coming. It can be deafening and i'm always panicked/ shocked/ terrified until I fully come too. When I was a child it was always a massive tsunami/ tidal wave coming for me and a few times I can remember looking out the window to see the dormant volcano spewing lava that was coming for me. Its always something coming for me and i'm still trying to work out where this strange notion reflects in my daily life!

[mumscuppa]

Are you sleep deprived that sort of thing used to happen to me when I worked nights and my sleep pattern was all over the place .

[CharleyFarleyy]

Just remebered that when I had just brought DD home from the hospital after having her I would wake up crying and shouting and hitting DH cos I thought he was rolling onto DD and smothering her... she wasnt even in bed with us she was in her moses basket the whole time I definitely think it is stress and anxiety related!

[CharleyFarleyy]

Ive had this, or something like this a fair few times.

I think mine is to do with social anxiety.

It ussualy happens when I have been to a social gathering (FIL's birthday was the last one I remember it happening at) I get home and go to bed. Then I "wake up" and Im exactly where I was when I went to sleep and wearing the same thing but everyone is there no-one seems to notice or care that im semi-naked! it is usually when I've had a few 's as well...

not nice but I dont think its anything to do with your (physical) health...

probably worth a visit to GP though if your worried.

[GourmetGold]

If you ask for a test, make sure they do the (I think they are called this, was a while a go!) T3 &T4 tests.

[GourmetGold]

Have you had your Thyroid tested? I had symptoms of extreme anxiety and paranoia (like thinking people were secretly spying on me), would wake up at night shaking with fear, imagining all sorts of weird things and sweating like mad, turned out my Thyroid was very over active.

Other than that, sometimes people can react badly to medication that they are taking, sometimes hallucinating.

[ozymandiusking]

Last year we had been away stayed in a hotel with an ensuite. Then 3 days later stayed overnight with friends on the way home. I woke up in the middle of the night needing the loo, and I couldn't for the life of me remember where the bathroom was!It wasn't ensuite. I was definitely awake, must have been about 10 minutes lying there.
Just I was about to wake up my DH to tell me, I remembered.
I do think that a change of places stress, state of mind can have very strange
affects on the brain, especially when sleeping. and on just waking up.

[CurlyhairedAssassin]

I'm another one who has these night terrors. I'm having them every night at the moment. Dh is not impressed because they usually involve me being Ina state of pure panic about either not having fed the animals so they were suffering and starving because of me (we don't have any animals so god knows what that's about), or shouting that something bad is happening (ranging from an intruder in the house to Armageddon happening ). I always shout him to help me and run about the room or look out the curtains apparently. If I can't wake him up I have been known to hit him to get his attention.

Poor bloke, he must be fed up of it. It gives HIM a massive scare, too, and I'm a bit worried that I'll become a bit of a "boy who cried wolf" and if anything bad really DID happen and I had to wake him up that he would think it was just me sleep walking again and tell me to get lost, like he usually does!


I do hate it, if DH does manage to make me realise it's a dream then I usually am just all confused to find myself at the window or wherever and just come back to bed of my own accord, but it's not before I haven't felt my heart absolutely racing with fear; it's a wonder I haven't had a heart attack yet.

I sometimes have a vague recollection next day that I've had one of my "episodes" last night but rarely remember exactly what I did, unless till DH tells me. I usually just remember being up out of bed, scare and shouty, then confused.

[Nextchapterabouttostart]

Namechange - glad my theory has a bit of evidence -

OP - see if clothes/pj's help...then let us know

[ginmakesitallok]

I get them too, usually they consist of me seeing people in the bedroom. One night when I was staying over at my mum's I was sure there was someone hiding behind the bedroom curtain, I got out of bed, went to her room at the other end of the house and made her come back with me to get rid of them. I'd been sharing a room with dd1, so made sure id told curtain woman to stay where she was until I got back with mum. God knows what my mum thought was going on when a half naked me burst into her room

[pinkhousesarebest]

I have just shown this to my husband who bears the brunt of my night terrors/wrath. Mine started years ago after the shocking death of a close friend. I have noticed that they are worse pre-period and lessen during the holidays but the only time they disappear completely is when I am staying in my parent's home.

They are a source of great amusement to my family, but I do wake up in a state of extreme fear/agitation so can't share their hilarity. But it is reassuring to realise I am not alone.

[TheHermitCrab]

OH and why sleep naked if you have uncomfortable dreams about being naked... first step for me would be to get some clothes on and see how that pans out :)

[namechange2468]

nextchapter I find exactly the same - if I sleep naked I can have the most horrendous dreams about waking up next to a stranger. I have gone as far as the OP and crept out of bed to put PJs on, before realising it was DH in bed!

It is really frightening and can be quite upsetting. I'm convinced it is related to anxiety too - I definitely suffer from more nightmares like this when I am stressed about something.

At least lots of us have experienced this, so hopefully you can discount the concern of a neurological problem.

[TheHermitCrab]

Seems like stress/worrying about something subconsciously. I don't think it would be a brain disorder that only comes to the surface at night but then I'm no doctor

I have OCD so the door thing/switching things off/checking things numerous times before bed/setting my alarm clock 20 times is just something I put up with.

When I was going through a lot of stress I was convinced koi carp were swimming on the ceiling, took ages to get away from it, and there was a man stood on the stairs. In fact when I was a kid I used to stand at the top of the stairs so my parents put a gate there! Haven't had it in year.

My OH is is the same, last year it took ages to get him out of the situation there was a "monster in a cave" I was physically fighting him in his sleep! He'd get out of bed and still be in the dream.

We've just had our first child (3 weeks old) and it's kicked him with him again. He's woke up to take nappies to the bin in the dark (no nappies and no bin) and he woke up last night shouting "she's being sick, oh no!" scared the shit out of me, then realised the lights were all off and he was just asleep/awake again! (he also suffered night terror as a child)

we sound like a right pair haha

[Fcukfifa]

Excuse the typos, typing through a shattered phone screen

[Fcukfifa]

I've had the same thing happen for as long as I can remember.

But strangely enough have had the waking up naked thing happen twice in the last week.

The first one I had my two dc in bed with me and I was panicking that I was naked with random children in a random bed. Was planning how I was going to explain it and slithered out of bed I grab a pj top. That's when I came round.

The second time I thought I was in a dark rugby locker room with no clothes on. I remembered dropping my phone off the bed earlier so I scrambled around to get it and shone the torch. Oh the relief to see my bedroom!

I'm sure thousands of people have these episodes and probably down to anxiety.

I also have hallucinations mostly when I'm dropping off but also throughout the night, mostly of spiders, laser lights etc.

Speak to a go if you are particularly worried, it could be a case of the more worried you are about them the higher chance of it happening.

[TooHasty]

It sounds like night terrors to me.I have had them (but not now as much as I used to ) for about 30 years but ONLY if i fall asleep awkwardly downstairs watching tv . My DS now 20 has had them from about 7 to 10)and his we related to getting too hot in bed.

[Suzannewithaplan]

sounds to me like REM intrusions/hypnogogia certainly not any kind of brain disorder.

I really enjoy that sort of thing and have had some interesting experiences, I wish it happened more often.
I understand that it's not too everyone taste though!

[wanttosqueezeyou]

I've had this but only when I've been incredibly tired (which usually coincides with stressful times so hard to distinguish which).

Do you feel sleep deprived? Do you do night shifts? Are you on any medication?

[Nextchapterabouttostart]

Don't sleep without clothes on - (sorry if I have missed this) but I can relate to your dreams/thoughts - would wake/dream that I am asleep at work - etc - but always always worse if I was undressed or not wearing PJ Bottoms. I can't really explain why - but layman explanation would be something about being vulnerable/exposed etc.

Try Pj's & I also noticed worse when lots on at work & super tired.

I don't think you need a GP -