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Thread: The Night Terrors are Terrible

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    Banned Katrine's Avatar
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    Default The Night Terrors are Terrible

    Its been occurring more and more frequently. Early, in the first phases of sleep, I am overcome by fear, horrible, paralyzing, debilitating fear.

    I am sure there is someone in my home, in my room, standing over me, about to rape, torture, and kill me.

    I try to reach over to my nightstand to get my stungun, but I can't move. I have to hide under my sheets. And I'm soaked with sweat, but if I get out from under the sheets and expose a body part, I'm toast.

    My therapist says its likely damage caused from substance abused withdrawals, aka delusional paranoia. So ladies, drugs are bad, m'kay. Thing is, I've had these for years, even before all of the abuse.

    I'm scared to go to bed and its too late for me to take anything to help me sleep. Pills make me super groggy. I have been in a horrid mood all day due to having it last night, and have had to load up on caffeine and naps. Now I can't sleep!

    Anyone else have these? What can I do, besides take pills? Tomorrow night I will try and remember to take melatonin and Valerian Root early....

    "Have you ever been to American wedding? Where is the vodka, where's marinated herring?" - GB
    "And do the cats give a shit? No, they do not. Why? Because they're cats."-from The Onion

    Quote Originally Posted by Mia M
    If a cupcake was tossed at me... well, I'd only be upset if it missed my mouth

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    Default Re: The Night Terrors are Terrible

    I've had these and still do from time to time. Take the pills, sleep deprivation will drive you insane, from first hand experience. It fucks with your brain, which is why it's a popular torture device. I'd maybe see a doctor for a prescription for something like Ambien or something else for more long term. It sucks and it sucks not being able to sleep. Feel free to PM me for more personal experiences/solutions.

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    Banned MissTaylor's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Night Terrors are Terrible

    Hey Katrine,

    Have you considered talking with someone who does dream interpretation? We have a patient who does this and she's awesome. I had the same night terror you are having for several months and after speaking with her I felt SO much better. Let me know if you want her number.

    I would wake up in the middle of the night from what I thought was a nightmare....I would lay there thinking "gosh, I'm glad that's over" as I stared at my closed bedroom door. I could see the outline of the door from the hallway light shining through. I would think to myself "what if someone really is in my house" and all sorts of other paranoid thoughts....

    Next thing I'd know the whole room would go black and it felt as if someone was smothering me with a pillow. I couldn't breath or move and would be in a panic. I would somehow talk myself down and relax and everything would come back in to focus and I'd be ok.... for the most part. I'd immediately burst in to tears and be freaking out. I would be hysterical. It was awful....

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    Default Re: The Night Terrors are Terrible

    I hope this doesn't sound preachy, but that's another one of those things that would be consistant with childhood abuse. Not that you definitely were abused or anything.

    Have you tried asking yourself/your body what's up with the night terrors? I know it sounds wierd, but sometimes it works.

    Also... valarian, when taken daily for more than two weeks, can cause depression. Try alternating with a skullcap tincture (start with half the recommended dosage, expect wierd dreams but not scary ones. Like one time I dreamed I died and went to dog training heaven and the agility people and the schutzhund people were all getting along, but the INS was there and they were kicking the buddhists out.)



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    Banned Katrine's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Night Terrors are Terrible

    Quote Originally Posted by sc0101 View Post
    I'd maybe see a doctor for a prescription for something like Ambien or something else for more long term..
    Noooooooooo Ambien. I can't wake up when I take that, even in small doses. And I've abused it as well, so its out of the question. No more pills that aren't natural and mild.

    Lena, I did start a thread about this once, in reference to it being a part of childhood abuse. There is no evidence that I had any sexual abuse as a child, none at all. If it was and its blacked out, there has never been a single memory uncovered, or anything related.

    Meh, still can't sleep. Can't sleep with the lights on, too scared to sleep in the dark. Have to be up at 7am.

    "Have you ever been to American wedding? Where is the vodka, where's marinated herring?" - GB
    "And do the cats give a shit? No, they do not. Why? Because they're cats."-from The Onion

    Quote Originally Posted by Mia M
    If a cupcake was tossed at me... well, I'd only be upset if it missed my mouth

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    Default Re: The Night Terrors are Terrible

    Quote Originally Posted by Katrine View Post
    Noooooooooo Ambien. I can't wake up when I take that, even in small doses. And I've abused it as well, so its out of the question. No more pills that aren't natural and mild.

    Lena, I did start a thread about this once, in reference to it being a part of childhood abuse. There is no evidence that I had any sexual abuse as a child, none at all. If it was and its blacked out, there has never been a single memory uncovered, or anything related.

    Meh, still can't sleep. Can't sleep with the lights on, too scared to sleep in the dark. Have to be up at 7am.
    Have you tried pills like Lunesta that show no abuse/addiction effects?

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    God/dess Jenny's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Night Terrors are Terrible

    nightterrors.org recommends St. John's Wort.
    I have taught that the sky in all its zones is mortal and its substance was formed by a process of birth

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    Default Re: The Night Terrors are Terrible

    Yes, I've had similar things.

    I'd feel like something or someone was sitting on my chest, crushing me, and I couldn't breathe. (The Chinese called this phenomenon a "sitting ghost"; in the Phillippines, it's called a kapre, and in Europe it used to be attributed to "night elves" who would ride the sleeper through her dreams.)

    Sometimes I'd be dreaming that I was choking on coffee grounds, or that my throat was full of hair, and I'd try to pull it out but it would just wrap tighter and tighter around the back of my tongue. Often I'd feel awake but paralyzed. Sometimes I'd know I was dreaming and I'd be fighting as hard as I could to move or to open my eyes because I knew it would stop if I could do that....

    I used to get this quite a lot. Not so much anymore.

    I noticed that there were certain conditions under which it was more likely to happen. The main thing I noticed was that it almost always happened when I was sleeping on my back--In fact, I don't remember it ever happening when I was sleeping on my stomach. I've heard that the sensation of smothering might be due to having your tongue fall back into your throat while you're in the paralysis of REM sleep....so that might make sense.

    Another thing that seemed to trigger it was sleeping in a silent room--to this day, I usually sleep with the radio on.

    Do you notice any triggers like this?
    "Doc still loved true things, but he knew it was not a general love and it could be a very dangerous mistress." - John Steinbeck, Cannery Row


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    Banned Katrine's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Night Terrors are Terrible

    Silence, I usually need silence and dark to get to sleep at night. But I can nap in light and noise during the day if tired.

    But no prescription meds, won't do it. I'll sleep eventually....

    "Have you ever been to American wedding? Where is the vodka, where's marinated herring?" - GB
    "And do the cats give a shit? No, they do not. Why? Because they're cats."-from The Onion

    Quote Originally Posted by Mia M
    If a cupcake was tossed at me... well, I'd only be upset if it missed my mouth

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    Default Re: The Night Terrors are Terrible

    Katrine, it sounds like you suffer from sleep paralysis rather than night terrors. I have suffered since I was a teen and it sucks. Currently, it is usually triggered when I have stayed up all night, overloaded my system on caffeine, too much alcohol, etc. I will have repeated episodes during a night. When I have a "paralysing attack" I will try to scream, hit myself, cry, fall off the bed until I eventually pull myself out of it (awaken). I will feel a force trying to suck me back into sleep so I have to literally get out of bed. A cold shower always helps.

    And yes, the shadow man is always hovering in the room but it has never harmed me, but it is truly terrifying... Frankly, not to get too para-psychological but I think the shadow man is me...




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    Default Re: The Night Terrors are Terrible

    Caffeine!! That might be a trigger! But I didn't have any last night. I've been sucking it down all day though and have a feeling its going to happen again, so up I stay...

    "Have you ever been to American wedding? Where is the vodka, where's marinated herring?" - GB
    "And do the cats give a shit? No, they do not. Why? Because they're cats."-from The Onion

    Quote Originally Posted by Mia M
    If a cupcake was tossed at me... well, I'd only be upset if it missed my mouth

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    Featured Member Lola Lee's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Night Terrors are Terrible

    Quote Originally Posted by Katrine View Post
    Caffeine!! That might be a trigger! But I didn't have any last night. I've been sucking it down all day though and have a feeling its going to happen again, so up I stay...
    So lack of sleep could also be an issue....
    Also, I will sometimes change my sleep environment, ie. go from bed to sofa. Turn the a/c on to make it cold, sleep on tummy, etc.




    "Go Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams...Live the Life You Have Imagined" -- Henry David Thoreau

    "You Will Be Successful in Business and Married Life" -- Fortune Cookie

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    Default Re: The Night Terrors are Terrible

    Quote Originally Posted by Lola Lee View Post
    Katrine, it sounds like you suffer from sleep paralysis rather than night terrors.
    Yes, that's my understanding of this, too--Night terrors are something different.

    Do you usually sleep on your back, Kat?
    "Doc still loved true things, but he knew it was not a general love and it could be a very dangerous mistress." - John Steinbeck, Cannery Row


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    Default Re: The Night Terrors are Terrible

    How about trying some relaxation exersises / tapes or hypnotherepy?

    If youre using any medication, check that the side effects arent nightmares or sleep disturbances. (For instance some asthma medication can do this aswell as various other drugs.) And even check what foods and drinks your eating close to bedtime.
    I hope the problem is sorted soon though, it sounds lke hell!

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    Default Re: The Night Terrors are Terrible

    Hey, Kat.

    Did you get any sleep last night?

    Check out this page on sleep paralysis. It's cool. They have a questionnaire you can fill out for their research--I did it.

    http://watarts.uwaterloo.ca/~acheyne/S_P.html

    Here's a neat article from Science News:

    http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20050709/bob9.asp
    "Doc still loved true things, but he knew it was not a general love and it could be a very dangerous mistress." - John Steinbeck, Cannery Row


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    Default Re: The Night Terrors are Terrible

    Yeah, I've had night terrors and sleep paralysis. I normally only get sleep paralysis about an hour or two before I'm supposed to get up anyway, and as scary as it is, I force myself to go back to sleep. My therapist said it's common considering some of the things I take, I just have to close my eyes, because I can't make any noise or move anyway, so it's pointless to fight it.

    The night terrors IMO are worse than the sleep paralysis. No matter where I'm at I *have* to sleep with a light on. If I wake up at night and it's dark, it makes my fears a million times worse. I think people are in my house, there's a guy that won't let me out of my room, people are in my closets hiding, etc. There was a time that I had to sleep during the day, because no matter what, I could not sleep when it was dark.

    I remember you asked about Depakote a while back, did you end up taking it, or anything like it? I remember that Tegretol and Risperdal made my night terrors much worse.

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    Default Re: The Night Terrors are Terrible

    I'm tired as hell and have to wake up early to go to podunk Texas to visit clients. I will read all of this info. Thanks for the advice ladies!

    Sometimes I sleep on my back, not sure. I'm on my stomach when I have these, and I can't remember if they occurred last night, but I think they did....

    "Have you ever been to American wedding? Where is the vodka, where's marinated herring?" - GB
    "And do the cats give a shit? No, they do not. Why? Because they're cats."-from The Onion

    Quote Originally Posted by Mia M
    If a cupcake was tossed at me... well, I'd only be upset if it missed my mouth

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    Default Re: The Night Terrors are Terrible

    Try Unisom. It is an over the counter sleep aid and is gentle enough that when you wake up, there is no lingering grogginess. Theyre at most every grocery/pharmacy.
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