Weird stuff happening preventing me from sleeping

[anytimesoon]

Hi everyone,
     I know about hypnic jerks, but they are not supposed to be all that bothersome, but for me something weird happens EVERYTIME i try falling asleep.

I can be so tired, at the point of passing out, and WHAM, I'll get these jolts, electric shocks, hypnic jerks etc... but the problem is, they PERSIST, and I have to resort to sedatives(clonazepam) and then they will recur in the morning making it IMPOSSIBLE to fall back asleep.

One of three things seem to happen. Just as I'm drifting I will get a sensation in my head(as if my brain jolted), and it is accompanied by a loud noise or a sometimes a milder "swoosh" sound. It startles me, I ignore it and it will happen again and again for hours, and only as I'm falling asleep.

I also get hypnic jerks and shocks felt in different areas of my body (again only at sleep onset).
Other times my throat shuts very briefly, startling me back awake.

I've been on paxil for 10yrs(off in June 2010) and recently off celexa (7 days counting). I take clonazepam at night and it actually makes it worse until I get knocked out. I'm exhausted and very scared that this will not go away.

Docs think it is anxiety related.
I do not have sleep apnea, hence I don't understand the throat closure

I have no symptoms during the day, or even if I just lay there. It happens at the border between wake-sleep. Hopefully this is med -related and will subside on its own. Sorry for the book guys, I'm just so tired.

[sarahxxx]

hi sorry to hear you get them i get them every night jast as i falling asleep i dont sleep very well so dont know if its im overtired also i am a coffee lover so not sure about the coffeee i have been under a lot of stress for a couple of years and they seem to have started then always happens just s im about to drift of i got to the stage now i know when they start that i will fall asleep byut sometimes they happen a few times so i stay up till im exausted now im getting them in the morning if i try to get back to sleep thats why im up so early if you tell anyone they look at you as if youve grown another head so i stopped saying anything about them i done some googling on them and it came up with its a adrenaling thing when your going to sleep your brain jolts you awake and as i thought aboutit it couldbeasiamaworrierhope it help to know othersget them x

[usmcgf1225]

I dont know if this will help you but i have a horrible time sleeping too.  When i cant sleep at all I take Sleepy Time Tea with Valerian Root. It doesnt taste all that great however, i put honey and lemon in it and chug it down.  In about 30 min i am out.  Sometimes thought it doesnt help me STAY alseep but thats on occassion.  Also, I tried to meditate(I youtubed some stuff) I also pt on waves or a shound that I know I calms me so my mind wont drift.  FOr the jolting, i get it all the time..still havent figured out how to fix that. Hope i helped a little bit

[pauly j]

I get those hypnogogic jerks, too!  Mines sometimes feel like a hypnogogic jolt! It is a pain in the butt!  When I am tired and drifting into sleep and, "KABAM", jolted to attention!  I do know this is not dangerous in any way, however it is uncomfortable to say the least!

pauly j

[HopefulGirl]

Hey there! Some hopeful words :) I have the EXACT same issue! And you know what? It only happens when I'm having a hard time with anxiety. One of the most horrible problems I've encountered with my anxiety is the trouble I have sleeping. I remember the first time this happened - I was so terrified! And it kept happening for like 3 or 4 nights. It was around the same time of my first really bad anxiety scare. I feel the same 'jerks' you are describing, and they only seemed to happen when I was just on the brink of slumber - SO annoying, not to mention terrifying! I would have those jerks as well as a feeling that I would stop breathing and wake up in such horror that I wasn't breathing! Also, I would just get this random feeling of intense fear that came over my entire body, and it almost seemed like slow motion, like I felt it and then my body responded shortly after by waking up in fear! Those 3 things were so scary to me, especially never experiencing them before. But once I was able to get a handle on my anxiety, especially before bed, the symptoms stopped! They will return every once in a while when I am having anxiety issues, but it's very minor and doesn't even nearly keep me awake the entire night like it used to! The way I fought these feelings was by learning deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and guided meditation to help get me to sleep. Do a youtube search for 'deep relaxation' or 'guided meditation' and listen to that right before you go to sleep! Also, research progressive muscle relaxation, and do that before bed too. Good luck!!

[JCWest]

I get the exact same thing you describe. has yours gone away?

[anytimesoon]

Dear JC WEST,
   I cant seem to message you back, so I thought I would mention here that my sleep problem still persists to this day leaving all the specialists baffled. I tried resuming the SSRIs, but it only aggravates the problem, hence I believe it was caused by being on them in the first place. Thanks for asking. I'm still on clono, and am trying not to take any other meds, such as, suggested anticonvulsants. how are you?

[dAViD96]

If I fall asleep feeling anxious, I'll have that "jolting" feeling. Also, when I stopped taking paxil (about 7 years ago) I had this horrible feeling in my head, like someone had a hand on it and was just squeezing the crap out of it. It was very weird and scary to say the least. It happened off and on for about 6 months, until it "almost" went away. I still get both of these symptoms from time to time, but not as bad now. I often wake up feeling as if I can't breath, gasping for air. Almost always happens when I sleep on my back for whatever reason...

[*GiRL_21*]

I'm
Having the same problem. Jolts
Been on zoloft for 2 days

[butterfly22]

I find this all so interesting as I have the exact same thing happening to me from time to time.   I will be just about to fall asleep when my brain jolts and keeps me awake.  The other night it happened about 5 times in a row and I panicked that maybe I would never fall asleep again.   I didnt know if I should go to the emergency room since it was happening again and again.  Instead I got up, did a few web searches and found this thread.   

All my life, I have had sleep issues.  I was a sleep walker as a kid...as I got older, I would wake up in a panic thinking that I had something stuck in my throat and couldnt breathe.   I am on Celexa and have been for many years but I am not the best at remembering to take it and wonder if my missing it or taking it at irregular times effects how often I have these brain jolt incidents.   I also will wake up in a total panic in the night, sit up and think I am dying from something...sometimes a limb is asleep, sometimes not, but my heart is always racing.   My husband tries to be nice about it..as I sit up in a total panic and wake him up as well.....but I know it has to be pretty irritating since it is irritating to me as well! 

I've wondered if I should go to a sleep clinic or talk to my doctor about whether my brain is having seizures when it does the weird brain jolts.    It is reassuring that my sleep issues are not mine alone though I dont wish this on anyone...It is scary and puzzling.   

So, do you think it is a side effect of the Celexa (and my sometimes irregularity in taking it) or is the Celexa not keeping me from having these panic attacks?   I know nobody can really diagnose this for me, but I am just wondering in your cases if you have figured out what you think is causing this bizarre thing....

Thanks!