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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think waking up like this is not normal?

43 replies

Celestia26 · 24/10/2018 22:47

For the past few months I have been waking up in a panic every night.

I will often wake up and find myself desperately scrabbling to get out of bed in a panic. Usually screaming and sometimes will hit my husband when he tries to calm me down. The panic on waking is usually accompanied by an intense feeling of malevolence in the room, usually standing over me or next to my bed.

This is really starting to affect us, and physically I have hurt both of us on more than one occasion. I sometimes wake up with pain or bruising where I have fallen out of bed struggling to get away.

The thing is that there has been no catalyst for this, no traumatic event or anything.

My husband and I have stresses and difficulties but nothing out of the ordinary.

I went to the doctor and it was brushed off with a recommendation to meditate and try to calm myself before bed. But it's not working, and I'm starting to dread going to sleep now because of the panic of waking.

Not sure what I'm after, perhaps wondering if anyone else has dealt with something similar and what you found helped?

OP posts:
user1471462428 · 24/10/2018 23:28

Do you snore? Sleep paralysis is very common in people with Sleep apnoea.

UseditUpandWoreitOut · 24/10/2018 23:29

Paranormal Activity!!!
She could stand for hours that lass, should have been in the Army.
Or was it Poltergeist 'They're here!'
What was her name?
Carol Anne!!!
She was trapped in the telly.
She used to wake at night too.Halloween Shock

Fuck! Don't watch a screen! It's a portal to the other side!

P.s. DON'T GO IN TO THE LIGHT!!!!

dolorsit · 24/10/2018 23:32

The feeling of malevolence is classic for sleep paralysis and night terrors. I've had them since puberty. I was also a sleepwalker.

Things that help - good sleep hygiene, sleeping on side and meditation.

However, the biggest thing was realising what they were. It means that when it is happening I can try to wake up/ move. Knowing that the bad feeling isn't real has made a huge difference to me and now even when I'm having the worse "sucubus" experience I tend to be more irritated than scared.

Bowerbird5 · 24/10/2018 23:38

🤐

I’ve had them but it has been after an accident where I relive the accident and have been known to scream. My GP was more sympathetic and I ended up on a mild anti d for a while. Mainly to help me sleep as I was down to 2 1/2 hrs a night.
I would try another GP. Try a radio on low too as I found this helped.
I hope you get some relief soon it can be quite frightening.

keepondreaming · 24/10/2018 23:44

Omeprazole does this to me! Every time. I've had to stop taking it.
Hope you get sorted soon, it's really horrible.

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 24/10/2018 23:50

I sympathise. I get frequent night terrors, but I think it’s actually more scary for my DP than me. I’m possibly unusual in that I can pretty much go straight back to sleep once he’s calmed me down, but I wake myself up screaming the house down. Mine are mainly stress related, but another trigger is DP coming to bed later than me - my mind must think he’s some sort of intruder, although I had it when I lived alone too. In times of high stress I can be nightly with it, during school holidays (teacher) I can go weeks without an episode.

My sleep hygiene is actually good, and according to my Fitbit I am usually asleep in less than ten minutes, so I just try to manage my stress levels as best I can.

ReanimatedSGB · 24/10/2018 23:55

There are various sleep disorders that can cause this. It's definitely worth having a thorough check up in case it's hormones or a vitamin deficiency. The other thing that might be worth looking at is: do you have any family history (or personal history) of epilepsy/seizures? There are some types of illness in that group which can cause night terrors.

But, like others have said, knowing that it's a physical problem, even if it's just basically a kind of brain fart, can help make it less alarming. Do not engage with any buckethead who tries to tell you that your house is haunted.

pandarific · 25/10/2018 00:13

I believe there's a link between magnesium deficiency and night terrors - worth looking into op?

Ngaio2 · 25/10/2018 00:18

Have you got silent reflux? I’ve woken panicked because I feel I’m choking.

TheWiseWomansFear · 25/10/2018 00:25

Night terrors. I had them for a period when I was 7 and again earlier this year.

Mine stopped when I was 7 with the use of a bedside fan and taking away my night light.

Making to-do lists whilst lying in bed and eating anything high-sugar in the hour before bed can sometimes cause mine too.

Also underlying stresses, like nothing much is going on but your brains just ticking with constant stuff to do even if it's just work/kids/call mum/car insurance needs doing/ must remember to get that recipe from NaN etc etc etc

Fatasfook · 25/10/2018 00:25

I get this if I fall asleep on my front. It’s horrible

stopgap · 25/10/2018 00:42

I go through periods of this and it’s related to my thyroid and my insulin resistance (I had diabetes in my last pregnancy, and have been treading a fine line with my A1C ever since). Avoiding carbs in the evening sometimes helps, but I know all too well that feeling of waking with a racing heart and sitting bolt upright.

QuackPorridgeBacon · 26/12/2018 18:15

Did you get it checked out op?

Oliversmumsarmy · 26/12/2018 18:17

I know this sounds strange but check out your boiler.

Sometimes carbon monoxide poisoning can present like this

Slavica · 26/12/2018 18:38

Yes, it's night terrors. I think I've always had them (remember this from childhood, but the adults called them nightmares - they are not the same thing). Most kids outgrow them, but I never did. I seem to have a cluster of them in about a month, then one a month approximately, then a cluster again. But they've never gone away for me.
I see malevolent men in my room, snakes... but mostly men, intruders. My eyes are open when I scream, but I am not fully awake. It takes some time to "come to", as it were. I had one last night, and though I knew what it was within about 10 minutes of waking, and it wasn't a particularly bad one, I had to go check on my DD... that the intruder had not hurt her.
I hurt myself once by jumping out of bed headfirst to escape the intruder. I had a huge bruise on my forearm, but nothing more serious. I'd also woken up my DH and DC on multiple occasions with the screaming.

Tell your DH not to hug you or try to restrain you. He needs to speak to you calmly. In your panic, you might hurt him by not realizing who he is, as you are not awake though your eyes may be open. Hopefully you won't have another one, though.

TruckLoadOfSubtleGlitter · 26/12/2018 18:42

VERY important to make sure your room is not too warm. No heating on in the bedroom, nice and cool in there before you go to bed.
This can make an enormous difference to night terrors.

I was stuck in hospital for a few days recently and it was hot AF and I woke several times a night panicking, freaking out, unable to breath and gasping for air until I came round and realised I was ok. I would constantly get that 'falling' feeling as well.

All because of the heat.
Bloody horrible.

TruckLoadOfSubtleGlitter · 26/12/2018 18:43

And I agree - big difference between night terrors and nightmares.

Night terrors physically take over your body.

DangoDays · 26/12/2018 18:50

The nightmare by Henry Fuseli captures the horror of a night terror. I had the most vivid of these while there was an exhibition on at the tate and would see ads with his painting on the tube everyday.

No advice but just symapthy. I remember feeling like it was so real and frightening yet when it was light outside which seemed to make it worse.

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