Anyone else suffer from night terrors?

[Crazyladee]

I just need some kind of comfort that I am not alone in this.

I will try and describe what is happening to me but its really hard to put into words.

It started about a month ago. I'm not having them every night but I've noticed they are getting more and more frequent. What I will say though is that it is nothing like having a bad dream or nightmare. This is on another level.

Okay so to describe it. I guess it starts off as a normal dream. Then I get a weird rumbling sound in my head which gets louder and louder and things start to speed up really fast. (I would imagine my heart is beating fast too)
This is the part where something awful happens, where its all speeded up. The other night, my dog ran out into the traffic. I was screaming his name and running after him but in my dream I couldn't scream or run. I thrashed around in bed screaming but when it was all over I was still in the same position and DH (who is the world's lightest sleeper) was sound asleep next to me. When I woke up when it was all over, I looked at the clock and it was only half an hour after I had turned the light out.

Last night I had another one. Again the rumbling sound started and I subconsciously knew something bad was going to happen. A man came from nowhere and grabbed my arm (rumbling getting louder and things speeding up) and tried to get on top of me. I screamed for him to get off but I was kind of paralysed with fear. I sounded at the time like I had a gagg or tape over my mouth. I woke up immediately and again I had only gone to sleep about 20 mins earlier. I was so terrified of going back to sleep I got up and went downstairs. I started googling what had happened and it sounds like it's something called night terrors.

Anyone else in the same boat?

Not now but did at one time, actually more than one time. It was horrible. I was very unhappy and stressed. Now I sleep like a log, hope I don't ever 'go there' again.

You have my sympathy but this will pass, I promise you.

You have sleep paralysis

Night Terrors are awful. Used to have them very badly when I was under stress and being bullied at work. Difference to you OP was that I screamed the house down each time.

It does pass, best thing to do after if you wake up feeling dreadful is make a cup of tea (as long as won’t disturb Sleeping Beauty next to you).

Posted too soon. It’s scary, I sympathise. Don’t lie on your back (that’s the only time most people get it.)

Have you recently moved house? Do you take drugs (no judgement) I used to get it a lot as a clubber in my youth.

When I get it I wake up and watch something light, like friends

My brother used to get them he went to a sleep therapist which was a load of rubbish he thought but that might of just been him. He got this through the GP incase you did want to see if you can get referred, it didn’t work for him but might for you. With his they just stopped after a while and now not much would wake him up. Hopefully the same will happen with you op and they will just stop.

You have my sympathies, these are horrible.

I used to get them when I was at Uni (lifestyle related as I was going out drinking and partying a lot). I thought I was being haunted as I used to think I was waking up and something was lifting me out of my bed and carrying me around near the ceiling, it felt malevolent. Hasn’t happened since my wild child years ended.

I’ve read that it happens when you’re over tired, maybe not sleeping properly. I hope they go away soon as mine were terrifying.

Yes, I suffer quite badly with night terrors. They are horrific and I really sympathise with you.

Usually when I am stressed or anxious it all comes out in my sleep. I can either shout and thrash about as you say, or I can be still and scream so loud it will give me a real sore throat the following day and puts my DP in a real panic (first time it happened he ran up the stairs expecting there to be someone in our room murdering me!!). The worse ones are where I 'wake up' but the dream is just continuing in my bedroom. Also that 'paralysed' feeling is horrendous.

Really scary stuff - tried googling for advise loads of times but can never find anything.

No changes whatsoever to my life. Not on any medication except the odd migraine tablet when a migraine strikes which I have been taking off and on for years. Not under any stress or moved house.

Glad to hear I'm not alone though!

I'm 37 and have suffered with night terrors since my teens. Its not the same as what you are experiencing, it usually happens fairly soon after falling asleep and its not like I'm dreaming, more like I'm dreaming that I'm awake/dozing in my bed and that there is a spider (its almost always spiders but has been shadowy figures/crabs and even mice which I'm not scared of) on me or near me and I leap out of bed in a blind panic and race out of the room. Leaves me with my heart pounding out of my chest and takes me a few minutes to calm down and realise what is happening. I used to get them several times a night every night but it is improving with age somewhat. I've been to the GP many years ago and have been prescribed various medications to try to help such as antidepressants and even epilepsy meds at one point but these did nothing. I was referred to the hospital and had a sleep study done, but of course I didn't have a night terror when I was there - didn't really sleep at all! So that was no help either. Only thing I've found that helps is smoking cannabis to wind down and switch off.

@picklypickles this describes my experiences really well too, the spiders and the jumping up and racing out the room. I see all sorts of things though, people, dead animals, snakes, knives coming through the wall... it’s horrible.
I get sleep paralysis too, where I am awake but I can’t move. I have to kind of bounce myself out of it.
Occasionally I scream in my sleep and scare the shit out of my DH

I did have a period of what I used to term 'night terrors' but my experience was slightly different to yours. My husband was working permanent nights and I was quite young (before DCs) and I used to get a bit nervous at home on my own at night. I would go to sleep, but then I'd sort of half wake, fearing there was someone in my room. I would lie there, unable to move a single muscle, terrified I was about to be attacked. It took every bit of effort to force myself to move any part of my body. I realise now I was still in a semi-awake state and not fully conscious, but goodness it was terrifying at the time!

My son gets them.

Do they happen the same time every night? (Roughly).

If so it will be something to do with your REM sleep and you can try resetting your sleep by setting an alarm about 20 minutes before they are due to happen.

Yes I get them

But I’ve now trained myself to recognise them in my dream and not to wake myself up, but to turn them in to lucid dreaming

I can do all sorts of stuff now - mostly I go flying above the houses, sometimes I’ll have an erotic dream etc etc

It’s terrifying but as you know it’s just a dream it’s amazing to turn them so you enjoy them

I get them - but different to yours and similar to some PPs. Mine happen not long after falling asleep, and I 'wake up' convinced that something is in the room trying to harm me - sometimes its things flying at me, or falling from the ceiling on to me, other times its someone in the room. I've been known to throw my pillow across the room or lash out to try and get the 'thing'.
Mine nearly always happen when I'm stressed. I went to the GP years ago, and his suggestion was just to take some herbal sleeping pills to try and 'reset' my sleeping pattern. I don't think they really helped and I stopped taking the pills, but I don't get the night terrors as often now (possibly because I'm less stressed!)

@Shirleyphallus I have been trying to train myself as you have said, but am finding it very hard. So far I can recognise it's happening and wake myself up, that's when it manifests into my bedroom. Any tips?

intheendgamenow

Yes they are happening the same time every night. Approximately half an hour after I've gone to sleep. If I set an alarm to wake me up after 20 minutes, won't I just go through the whole thing all over again?

Yes and they are absolutely horrible. Mine usually manifest as a being looming over me in bed or standing in the doorway - although I have also has giant spiders and lobsters crawling up the walls. They are so realistic and usually end with me screaming my head off and jumping out of bed. That wakes me up and I’m usually a mess for 20 minutes or so afterwards. DH hates it as he gets so freaked out being woken up by me screaming. I always get them within the first hour of falling asleep so in REM. I can go months without having one and will then have one every night or so for a week or so.

As silly as it sounds I find saying a quick prayer or blessing before falling asleep can help to put my mind at rest and stop it for the night.

Well I'm trying a little experiment tonight. I am going to drink a glass of milk before I go to sleep. I normally have lots of caffeine at night as it doesn't affect me from sleeping but I thought the caffeine might be causing the night terrors.

Fingers crossed for tonight

Yes they are happening the same time every night. Approximately half an hour after I've gone to sleep. If I set an alarm to wake me up after 20 minutes, won't I just go through the whole thing all over again?

It was what we were advised to do for my son and it worked. Seemed to break the pattern. We did it for about a week and then left him to sleep and there were no more night terrors for several months. He gets them now when he's over tired and we do the same.

Well I'm happy to report I slept soundly last night.

As I didn't get them every single night I won't know if the glass of milk worked to stop the night terrors just yet. But I'm definately keeping going with it as you never know it could work.

I'll keep updating..

@PotatoBreadsticks I think it’s recognising the bit of knowing you’re in a dream and trying to relax as much as possible, fighting the instinct to wake yourself up. Does that make sense?

Once you’re there it’s quite easy to think of something nicer instead

No experience with night terrors in the sense of being asleep and waking up like that, but I have had an episode of sleep paralysis when I was a teenager. I was lying on my front, just relaxing, I must have been just about to doze off because I don't remember being asleep and waking up, just suddenly a deep, cold feeling of horror sweeping over me, as if some demon just manifested in the room behind me. There was an overwhelming feeling that something was standing at the foot of the bed watching me, I've never felt anything like it, but I couldn't move to look. I was just frozen there, I could move my eyes but that was it. Then it just... Stopped. Left me quite shaken. Sympathies OP.

I have suffered from night terrors since my early twenties.

Like PPs have said, it is usually related to stress or anxiety. I got them a lot during Uni exam times and get them now during times of stress in work.

Also like PPs have described, mine occur not long after falling asleep and usually involve spiders, bees or wasps, things falling on me from the wall or ceiling or someone standing over me. I generally start screaming and thrashing or at times jump out of bed. I have occasionally ran to other rooms in the house to ‘get away’ from the threat.

Terrifying sometimes. And equally frightening for various partners experiencing it for the first time. My DP is now very used to it and barely reacts. Although he did once grab my arm when I was screaming and it made me so much worse because I thought it was the thing in my dream.

I tend to fall asleep pretty quickly again after a night terror.

a deep, cold feeling of horror sweep over me

This

For me plus the rumbling or some people describe it as a buzzing noise.

Bloody awful