Sleep disorders and disturbances. I start with the science, you bring in the alternatives

reply to post by CuriousAchilles


Thanks for sharing your theory. I am leaning towards the same conclusion as you. But because sleep disorders create problems, I did originally want this thread to be for "Health & Wellness." But there's no harm in discussing deeper and more lateral explanations and theories. Deny ignorance, right? That means examining both sides of the coin.

You'll notice that many of the scientific explanations in the OP begin with phrases like "Doctors are speculating..." or "Researchers aren't sure..." and "No study is being done in this area..."

Although there is a good grasp of the chemistry behind many sleep disorders, I think there are still a lot of people who are reluctant to admit that there is a much bigger picture than we're currently seeing.

(Love Futurama avatar. It's a brilliant show.)

I have sleep paralysis and it sucks. Not a fan at all. I guess there are ways to kind of treat it, but in the navy being a nuke I cant tell anyone. Turns out psychiatrists and sleep therapists will define it as a form of insomnia. In my experience there have been more eerie sides to it. I'm not saying anything definitive, but I feel like there have been times where I have seen something.

Awesome Thread NB! You have written and very informational and detailed post of information on all this Sleep stuff. It is rather interesting and has brought back some memories.

I have had Night Terrors, Insomnia and Sleep Paralysis. I have also been caught Sleep Walking and Sleep Talking.

Night Terrors:
Me and my twin sister had those really bad when we got sick. I think my sister started with
the terrors and then almost as if it was contagious I started having them too. It was awful... I remember we were afraid to sleep it got so bad for a few weeks there.

This is the worst night terror I ever had. I will never forget it. I wake to see this demon face right next to my head. I was sleeping on the top bunk at the time. & oddly enough tonight I was looking online at pictures of Night Terror after reading your thread and walla... I see this ugly picture staring at me and it looks eerily similar to this demon thing that was staring at me. Ooh my gosh ! So when I saw this thing as a child (similar to image below) I let out blood curdling scream that brought my Momma running. The pic below is the best image I've seen that could compare. Imagine seeing that as a child. I honestly thought I was awake and not sleeping when I saw it...





On my sleep walking episode... my Momma found me standing in the living room doing some weird maneuver with my hands and I was bending over as if picking something up. When asked what I was doing my reply to her was "I gota stuff these pillows". "I just gota get this pillows stuffed !" So my Momma told me to go back to bed and of course I obediently did as I was told. The next day when she relayed the story of what I had done... I hadn't remembered a bit of it and was kinda surprised. To my knowledge there has never been another Sleep Walk occurrence.

On the Sleep talking episode... this time I called out to my Momma from my bed. She woke and asked what I wanted and I asked her about the paper. So my Momma replies "what paper?" & I go on to tell her "that paper in the living room". So this conversation goes back and forth a bit until she tells me to go back to sleep. The next day my Momma tells me about this occurrence too and I didn't remember it either.

Here is the scientific word/explanation for Sleep Talking:

Sleep talking, or somniloquy, is the act of speaking during sleep. It's a type of parasomnia -- an abnormal behavior that place during sleep. It's a very common occurrence and is not usually considered a medical problem.

So I have had a few of the weird things happen revolving around sleep. It's good to have scientific explanations cuz some of the other implications can get kinda creepy if ya know what I mean ?

Ok well... I'm off to LaLa Land for the evening.. Gnite !

I'm convinced my husband is narcoleptic, he falls asleep dangerously quick, I mean I've seen him fall asleep at the wheel. It really sucks how easy it is for him to just pass out whenever he's ready for bed, when I have to really work at it.

My youngest daughter is just like him. We put her to bed and she's out like a light before we've even left the room. Our oldest daughter, poor thing, she inherited my family's screwed up sleeping problems. She's had the sleep paralysis thing, night terrors, slept walked, insomniac, nightmares, among other things things...

My mom had night terrors as a kid and so did her dad. Not sure if they had any other symptoms.

Most of my problems are with insomnia. Or once I finally get to sleep, I'm am rudely awakened by a presence. Sometimes it's just my daughter, sometimes it's something else.

reply to post by ChuckNasty


I dunno when i get up from laying down the pressure in my head overwhelms me so much that i have to pause from walking and hold my head it feels really uncofortable

Lets see i have.
Sleep apnea.= I am on a C-pap for this.

Hypnagogia.= I am always hearing what sounds like people knocking on the door. (even though i have a door bell.)

Restless Leg Syndrome (or RLS)= I take gabapentin for this

Nocturia= I am a diabetic and have to take Diuretics for edema. and have to get up 3 to 5 times a night to pee.

REM Disorder= “alpha-delta sleep”, also sometimes called the “alpha-EEG anomaly”. It describes the intrusion of rapid alpha brain waves (associated with wakefulness) into the period of sleep which should be dominated by the slower delta waves.

Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Syndrome = my days are 34 to 36 hours.

Tinnitus

I also have fibromyalgia and one or more peripheral nerve disorders caused by sarcoidosis.

No Sleep Hygiene program has ever worked and has always made things worse

In two days i am going to a insomnia clinic at the VA run by a psychiatrist(because that is the only insomnia clinic offered by the VA.) even though i KNOW that my problem is caused by a neuro chemical or Endocrine problem because of the cause Sarcoidosis.
If i get another sleep Hygiene handout i am walking out.

reply to post by B1rd1nFL1ghT


The symptoms you described can either be caused by narcolepsy or sleep apnea. Only a polysomnography test can reveal for sure what the cause is. Sleep apnea is treatable. Narcolepsy is not effectively treatable (in my personal opinion.)

However, narcolepsy is genetic and tends to run in families. There is a spectrum for this sleeping disorder. For some, the symptoms are only minor annoyances and it can make it difficult to diagnose. For others, the symptoms are completely debilitating.

When in doubt, ask a doc to run a test. The question you have to ask is, "are my sleep disturbances affecting my life?" If yes, then get the sleep study done.

Originally posted by ANNED
No Sleep Hygiene program has ever worked and has always made things worse

Tell me about it! But I still had to mention it because it must obviously work for some. Why else would neurologists and sleep specialists emphasize it so much?

Personally, I could never get on a good sleep routine no matter how "hygienic" my sleep was.

It sounds like you've been through a lot, as have I.

Hang in there, friend.

Awesome thread. Just replying so I can finishing reading it tomorrow, will offer a fuller reply later.

reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha


I am convinced as I'm sure others are, that sleep issues just come under the long list of ailments and symptoms suffered by people who are being exposed daily to toxic environmental factors - In fact I am of the belief that most of the big killers are totally preventible.

Me and my partner changed ours young sons diet to dairy (casin) and gluten free, there is a belief (among parents of children in the autistic spectrum) that these compounds provoke a reaction from the body, leading to bowel hyperpermeability (leaky gut syndrome) wiki link

This means essentially that the body treats gluten and casin as toxins and reacts by attacking body tissues trying to purge gluten and casin from the body.

This results in a thinning of the intestinal tract and causes toxic peptides to leak into the bloodstream, travel to the brain, and cause an awful lot of bother.

Mainstream science (or medicine should I say) has not accepted this "theory" for lack of evidence (there have been profound changes reported from parents of autistic children (and adults) after cutting casin and gluten from their diet.

I bring this up because I am sure I read that melatonin (or the precursor) is produced in the gut, and is essential for sleep.

Its believed that roughly one in 10-15 people are sensitive to gluten or casin, and could contribute to the vast amount of health issues in society.

That's without considering fluoride (in your toothpaste if not your water) calcifying the pineal gland (biggest conspiracy in my opinion).

Reading through your list of diseases linked to sleep problems, I cant help noticing that the list looks similar to the suspected problems caused by fluoride ingestion.

Its a bad bad world (or manipulated by some bad people).

And sorry phage but I am convinced again they are spraying chemtrails and that probably is responsible for some of these sleep problems too.

reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha


Hi, I recently joined and commented on a similar thread regarding sleep paralysis. My belief is that it is the first stage of an Out of Body experience or OOBE/OBE for short. In brief, as we fall asleep our body shuts down (sleep paralysis) which activates the pinneal gland in the brain.. kundalini energy..3rd eye opens..chakras..all of that stuff, (hearing a wooshing or a popping sound) which then becomes an out of body experience - you can achieve this state by opening the third eye chakra and practicing mind awake body asleep. Its nothing special in the sense that we all do it every single night, I can say this unequivocally because I have tried it..and in some cases in life, you can read all the text books you like, but unless you physically 'give it a go', then you have a blinkered, one sided opinion on that subject. Personally, a year ago, I thought all this OOBE stuff..meditation..chakras..third eye stuff was a load of old b*******..then I gave it a go and it literally opened my mind.

So it's all down to what resonates as the truth to you I guess.. we read stuff and say yeah..I'll buy that for a dollar..and other stuff..saying man what are you on !? and dismiss it as bull..

If you are interested in trying to have an OOBE and 'understand this further' then check out a guy on youtube called Rich2150x he's really down to earth, a funny guy and explains everything! He's got loads of videos..but here is just one.. www.youtube.com...

Originally posted by vivid1975
sleep paralysis. My belief is that it is the first stage of an Out of Body experience or OOBE/OBE

Me too, buddy. I have been experiencing sleep paralysis so much, so often, for so long that it's practically just a normal part of my daily cycle. I suspect that it's actually just a normal function--as normal as any of the other things our bodies do.

Naysayers gonna say nay!

But for anybody who has ever transitioned from sleep paralysis to OOBE both voluntarily and involuntarily, there can be no doubt. It requires direct experience, repeatedly, before anyone can be convinced of these connections. (I am convinced through years of personal, direct experience.)

But as the popular internet meme goes these days, "Ain't nobody got time for that!"

Indeed, we as a species have lost something of our heritage, eh? I can't help but wonder if the shamans, the yogis, the sufis, the saints, the lamas etc. all knew about this, and this is what they spoke of when they spoke of things like "dream time" and other states of consciousness.

Thanks for your input.

No problem.

Alot of it is getting past the fear. Fear of dying, fear of some ugly scary entity pulling faces at you. The reality is people..you can't die..and if you do happen to meet any malevolent entities..they can't harm you..and if they try to..imagine a massive gun and blow there heads off..! Cause we are the most powerful things to ever exist. You just have to believe it. (My personal thing is to transform them into a load of butterflies and watch them fly away..or if they really piss me off then transform them into atoms and spread them across the galaxy).

Anyway, that side apart, there is alot of cool stuff you can do..visit different dimensions..visit the astral plane..talk to passed relatives..talk to your guides..talk to ET's.. fly like superman..visit other planets..access the akashic records.. endless amazing stuff. But you have to get past the fear and relax. And as soon as you want to get back to your body..just imagine your body and you'll snap back into it. Usually accompanied by a feeling of falling and a jolt as you merge.

Alot of people, all over the world are waking up.

Why aren't we taught about these things? Why are we fobbed off by supposed experts.. "Yes yes..the world is definitely flat..and planet Earth is the centre of the Universe..no there is definitely nothing smaller than the atom..etc etc etc"!

awesome thread.

looking forward to hearing peoples thoughts on the incubus and succubus myths and how they might play a role in alien abduction theories.

Originally posted by NarcolepticBuddha
reply to post by CuriousAchilles

 

Although there is a good grasp of the chemistry behind many sleep disorders, I think there are still a lot of people who are reluctant to admit that there is a much bigger picture than we're currently seeing.

Agreed. Sadly, closed-mindedness seems to be just as inherent in "Science" as it is in religion, these days.

reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha


I think you're snoring, and for some reason you're hearing it.

I can be semi-conscious and be snoring like a freight train. I've had my gf reach over and smack me on the elbow to stop my snoring while I was listening to the TV show she was watching. I swear I didn't hear or feel it. It's happened several times.

i have had strange sleep patterns all my life, i have been to 4 sleep clinics back in the uk for it and they all said the same thing 'we dont know' i sleep 3-4 hours every 12 hours, i have done it pretty much for as long as i can remeber, it drove my parents potty when i was a kid, the closest i could come to explaning it was a thing called the paleo sleep pattern where you would sleep for 4 hours, wake and do some chore for a few hours then sleep another 3-4 hours.

other than the occasional sleep paraylsis and exploding head syndrome (but it is ususally someone shouting my name loudly rather than an undefined noise) i sllep fine and have no trouble maintaining wakefullness

Is this a re-post? I read this a few months ago, or am I dreaming?

I was surprised not to see apnea . I have central apnea which was caused by head trauma from a motorcycle crash,(2000) so the experts say. Something to do with the brain not asking the body to breath when CO2 levels get to a certain point. Basically I stop breathing every couple minutes,wakeup,fall asleep,stop breathing so on so forth .O2 sats usually fall below 80% per each episode. Bi-Pap machine fixed that. Another problem I have is hearing soft talking and ballroom music playing while I fall to sleep. Strange I only hear this at my house and so does the wife. Easy enough to fix,I use my IPOD she uses ear plugs

I worked rotating shifts for 17 years, different shift every week, 1st,2nd,3rd then midnights to noon and noon to midnights, want to talk about being messed up. Restless leg syndrome kicked in after the crash as well, only Tramadol stops it.

I feel for anyone that has sleep problems. I realized that I was having sleep problems and I finally did something about it. I now work days and use my fixes at night. I feel like a human again, cholesterol has gone down from 280 to below 100, lost 30lbs, I can think,feel and have energy like when I was a kid.

All of you that have problems have a sleep study done, if they find nothing keep pushing and have another sleep center follow up. Don`t give up, it`s your life and your sanity!

As far as what the wife and I hear...well I`ll leave it up to the scientist to tell me I have an old time crystal radio buried in my wall that only picks up old ball room music and only works at night

Bill

Thanks for the great post NarcoBuhdda S+F!

I've just recently (well about 4-6 months ago) found out about "exploding head syndrome", and was happy to hear other people reporting the same thing I get very often. It can be VERY startling. Not painful, but can scare you a great deal. I've been suffering from it for over a decade now and have told many friends about it, but none seem to understand what I'm talking about.

Reading through the opening post though I've picked off a couple more sleep disorders I didn't know had clinical names, that I also suffer from regularly.

Those "hypnic spasms" I get quite often, and as with EHS it occurs just as I'm about to fall asleep. It feels as if every muscle in my body tensesup for about 1/2 second. It's also very frightening but not painful.

I also suffer from night eating. I keep snacks next to the bed and often wake up the next morning shocked at how many are gone, that I don't recall eating. Well this I've seen on TV before and well kinda knew it was common and know other people who do this as well.

I talk in my sleep as well. So badly that I'm afraid to fall asleep when I am with someone else. Because I can rattle on for minutes on end saying full coherent sentences. This usually occurs in the early morning after I've been asleep many hours and am having my last dream of the night and sort of waking. Sometimes I'm in a half sleep/dream state and am aware of it (meaning some very small part of my brain knows i'm sleep talking) but I just continue going on and on. It's usually humorous things and I often wake up laughing, which is one of the creepiest things to me for some reason.

But reguardless I love sleeping, always have. I just enjoy the entire dreaming experience, and can often manipulate my dreams, knowing I'm dreaming and have great fun. I also have dreams within dreams, but it's very rare, but VERY interesting when it does happen.

Anyway great subject again nice post OP'er