Hypnagogic jerk or ..?

[Ell27]

Hello  :)

I have been experiencing sleep disturbances for some time now and decided to use video to try to understand what exactly is happening. This is the result:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y06-sVteeno

Subjectively, it feels like I have stopped breathing and when I jolt awake, my face and upper body feel numb. I do not feel as though I am falling, or being 'shocked' like many people tend to...but rather like I am dying or am leaving my physical body or something. These happen as I am about to fall to sleep and on one of the clips, I can see that I have literally just entered REM sleep when the jolt occurs. I have suffered with mood problems and anxiety for many years, and take Venlafaxine, Sodium Valproate and Quetiapine daily - could my medication be causing this? These attacks can really frighten me and I have to get myself up and walk around for a while to calm down and then invariably it will happen again when I attempt to return to sleep - I also suffer with daytime sleepiness. I must also mention that when I finally manage to get into a deeper sleep, I snore loudly and it sounds like I am breathing through a very small gap in my throat. Is this just a harmless hypnic jerk or perhaps indicative of a kind of sleep apnea or noctural panic? I would appreciate any thoughts  Thanks, Ell.

[Ell27]

I was wondering about the breathing irregularites just before the 'jolts' occur too - and like you say, I think only a formal sleep study will reveal whats actually happening.

One of the medications I take is very sedating and would certainly be a suspect for relaxing the throat muscles. Also, even during the day, I find that I can become overly aware of my breathing and this partly explains why I sleep in such an odd position too - I feel like a cannot get enough air when my head sinks into the pillow which is why I place my hand underneath etc. I need to try to change that though, because like you say, it wont be helping matters.  

Thankyou for taking the time to watch and comment - it's appreciated :)

[Ell27]

Thankyou for taking the time to watch my video and comment.

I am actually being investigated for PCOS and Adrenal Gland problems at the moment as my hormone levels are out of whack, so you got me thinking if its possible it may have something to do with that. Well, I suppose the adrenal gland is responsible for the release of Adrenelin and Noradrenaline which could play a part in my episodes, i guess.

I tried taking a diazepam before sleep last night but it seemed to make it worse and I had a couple of severe episodes. This makes me think its more likely to be related to the medication I take causing my throat to relax, and the diazepam only compounded this.

Could be so many things, i will be sure to arrange an appointment to discuss this with my doctor. Thanks again for your thoughts :)

[KatEyes]

I watched your video. Keep in mind I'm not a medical professional, it just appeared to me in some of your episodes the few seconds before could be as revelatory as the wakeups alone. In one you appear to have some sort of an irregularity a breath or two before. In most of them your breathing appears quicker and more shallow than I would expect to see in someone sleeping. Your self description of snoring makes me think a formal sleep study could give you the kind of detailed information you need to truly figure out what's going on with you. I am not familiar with your meds. Some meds can relax the throat muscles more and worsen obstructive sleep apnea. If you do have OSA, the position you are in is putting your neck in an unnatural position, so I would at the very least be sure to not crook your neck while you sleep until you figure this out..

[DreamNaut]

This could be many different things. I would definitely consult with your doctor. I have thyroid disease and I have experienced sleep paralysis, waking up gasping for air, hypnic jerks ( I still get these ). Alot of my symptoms resolved with treatment though. When I came down with major depression, my dreams became very vivid leaving me very tired upon awaking. Could also be medication, or a sleep disorder. If you are physically well and the doctors cannot find a sleep disorder, they will put you on sleeping meds/ativan to help  you sleep better.

Good luck and God bless.