Quote:
Originally Posted by evilglamcaitlin  Every so often I seem to suffer from bouts of this but lately it has become more consistent with at least three cases this week, and that’s only the ones I remember in the morning. Last night I had another episode, and to be honest it can be pretty scary. Last night was made worse by the fact the my duvet was pulled up over my mouth so I had the feeling that I couldn’t breathe properly, and it’s really frightening and frustrating trying to either move or shout for help and being completely paralysed and unable to speak. I’m worried that one night it might happen and I won’t be able to stay in control of the situation and end up having a panic attack or something, which is bad enough at the best of times, never mind when you’ve lost the ability to speak or shout for help.
Does anyone else suffer from this? I’ve never had it so regularly before and I hate that I’m beginning to become scared of going to sleep. I’ve no doubt it’s probably brought on by stress, and I do seem to be having quite a number of nightmares lately as well. Should I bother going to see my GP, or should I just wait and see if it passes? |
I suffer from this with varying degree on and off. It's awful and can be terrifying whether you're alone in the bed or not. There's quite a lot of research surrounding what causes it and how to treat it, but nothing terribly convincing or conclusive. If you've been drinking alcohol or overdoing it more than usual it can make the attacks more frequent. I also used to be really bad with them during pregnancy and for a few months after, but again that was probably stress and hormones.
It's the same old advice trotted out I'm afraid; less stress, eat better, etc. Personally, I find that if I am worrying about something, there's a higher chance I'll have an episode but I can pre-empt it with a few techniques that work for me - 10 minutes yoga, listening to calming music before I go to bed and no food within an hour of bed. They might not work for you tho'.
