night terrors

My friend sent me this message this morning. I didn't know what to tell her so I'm going to post it on here to see if anyone else has answers.


"oh my god im losing my mind. its passed 7am and i cant sleep! i have to be to work in 5 hours. Ive been having this weird problem for three days straight, i some how am just about to fall asleep or barely just asleep when i continuesily wake up either gasping in fear or horror screaming. now i..ve had the tipical night terrors before waking up unable to move seeing a dark figure in the corner me the room screaming but its never happined more than once in one night this is happening so many times that i cant sleep at all not only that but sometimes im convolsing beyond my control. it litterally feels like im being ripped out of death when i come out of it and in really starting to get freaked out. Wtf is wrong with me??"

I would tell her to see a psychiatrist asap. She may need some medication, at least temporarily.

I'd suggest self-protection rituals, mantras, sigils, whatever. They maybe aren't real, but they are the most effective placebos I've ever encountered. It helps with nightmares, but this sounds a lot worse than that. Going to a doctor may be appropriate.

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Originally Posted by Halocuber

Sounds likes have Narcolepsy . Because she is waking up during sleep paralysis(I guess ). But Im not sure , but yea she should see a doctor.

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Nah...Narcolepcy is when you go into SP, making it look like you're asleep. This definatly sounds like Night Terrors. Tell your friend to have a sleep study done to confirm.

why does everyone immediately jump to the doctor nowadays?if it doesn't stop or it gets worse yes i would suggest a doctor or sleep study performed.i used to have night terrors as a child and this certainly sounds like them.i spent more than a couple sleepless nights but my dad helped.he said they were due to an extreme amount of stress that built up and spilt over during the dream cycle. your mind exaggerates your fears so when you would normally go to sleep and dream instead of dreaming your mind creates all kinds of scary shit because you are still focused on the stress when you go to bed.i would recommend trying to sleep in at least a different room if not a different place altogether.it may be best her taking a break from her work if possible for a short while and trying to calm down and slow her pace possibly.i have no garentee it will work but relaxation never hurt.

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Originally Posted by ray

why does everyone immediately jump to the doctor nowadays?if it doesn't stop or it gets worse yes i would suggest a doctor or sleep study performed.i used to have night terrors as a child and this certainly sounds like them.i spent more than a couple sleepless nights but my dad helped.he said they were due to an extreme amount of stress that built up and spilt over during the dream cycle. your mind exaggerates your fears so when you would normally go to sleep and dream instead of dreaming your mind creates all kinds of scary shit because you are still focused on the stress when you go to bed.i would recommend trying to sleep in at least a different room if not a different place altogether.it may be best her taking a break from her work if possible for a short while and trying to calm down and slow her pace possibly.i have no garentee it will work but relaxation never hurt.

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I suggested professional help based on her job being at risk, plus the was a sense of urgency in the last few sentences.

Being unable to move and seeing a dark figure is sleep paralysis (SP) not night terrors. Don't know what she's experiencing now though.

What are her sleeping habits like? Has she been getting less sleep lately (before this started)?

well... from my humble amount of knowledge it seems to me, night terrors are usually more of a "well i was asleep and i had this fucked up dream and woke up and blah incubus sat on my chest blah couldn't move," situation.

i've never heard of someone not even getting to sleep before drifting into a night terror.

it does usually happen after they've been asleep for a bit right??? correct me if i'm wrong please... i hate being ill informed.

i don't really know what to tell you. i would suggest a sleep aid but i'd be scared it'd make it harder for your friend to come out of the night terror if she still had them despite being SUPER knocked out. also they tend to give me very vivid dreams. which isn't what she's looking for at all. i'd say some old fashion chillaxin would help her out most. if she lives close to you maybe you could suggest she spend a weekend at your house. i'm guessing she knows your knowledgeable about dreaming and what not so that would comfort her and also being with friends helps just about anything. seriously.

yes... upon writing that down i feel it's your best option. if she lives close to you. doctor prescribes a girls night out.

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Originally Posted by ray

why does everyone immediately jump to the doctor nowadays?

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I guess because we're really not doctors or trained to deal with this.

In crappy magazines a friend of mine used to get there are self diagnosis quizes. Stuff like "are you pregnant?" "do you have cancer?" etc. It doesn't matter how you answer those quizzes, they always tell you to see a doctor.

As long as you tell someone to see a doctor, then they can't blame you if they are seriously worried about a problem but don't seek medical help.

I know the perfect solution! Its a basic human instinct to scream when scared, its meant to scare the enemy, so tell your friend next time these dark figures seem to be there, she has to get into a act of rage and anger, tell her to really feel furious. Adreniline will be pumped around the body due to a primeval instinct, this should make her get out of SP asap. Sleeping with the light on will help as our cavemen ansestors feared the dark.

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Originally Posted by lucid4sho

I suggested professional help based on her job being at risk.

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WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? Your answers are always horrible and irrelevant. Anyways, yes, she thinks its probably due to stress. Its happening every night now. Hopefully with knowing this she can try to figure out how to release stress before bed time.

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Originally Posted by toxicsunsets

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? Your answers are always horrible and irrelevant. Anyways, yes, she thinks its probably due to stress. Its happening every night now. Hopefully with knowing this she can try to figure out how to release stress before bed time.

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I meant that had her job not been at risk and there wasn't a sense of urgency I may have suggested some alternatives to professional help. When help is needed immediately I feel it makes sense to see someone trained and educated on the subject. I think most would agree my suggestion is less horrible and irrelevant than your face is. :madtongue:

Ok people, let's not turn this into a flame match.

I still say she should have a sleep study done.

I have these from time to time. I had a bunch one night last year. I couldn't see, but I was being swallowed by dark mass of nothing, just constricting me, holding me, I would open my mouth and nothing would come out. I've never been more terrified in my life. I kept waking up with my mouth opened with nothing coming out. Even though I was awake, it still felt like the evil was there, like it wasn't a dream. This happened a few times later that year. Also my house doesn't have a very good history with all creepy things that happen in it. But no one had died in it. Not until later when my grandma passed away. Then creepy but kinda cutesy things would happen, because it would be something my grandma would do. Like open the door for you when you come home and hide behind it to make it appear as if no one was there. This happened to my brother after school one day two weeks after my grandmother passed away. She did it all the time while she was here. She also did some things on mother's day a little later.

Also screw doctors and medication.

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Originally Posted by Cipher_Floe

Also screw doctors and medication.

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, said the person hallucinating ghosts.

ok maybe your dream or experience is trying to tell you something. See if you have had this experience in one night, and now you have it continuous nights. Your subconsciousness maybe trying to tell you something that it's on your mind so much that your mind is having trouble going to sleep. IF something is bothering you then you should comfront it or get around it to have a comfortable sleep.

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Originally Posted by lucid4sho

, said the person hallucinating ghosts.

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, said the person who doesn't know me or my experiences. I just think getting medical treatment and help for night terrors is laughable. Be strong and just get through it. People need to learn to help themselves more, we're way to dependent on others. Also, I really don't think that a common thing should be treated with medication. It's not healthy. Especially if you're using anything else...remember Heath Ledger? Took two different medications and turned out deadly. Night terrors pass, just deal with it.

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Originally Posted by Cipher_Floe

, said the person who doesn't know me or my experiences. I just think getting medical treatment and help for night terrors is laughable. Be strong and just get through it. People need to learn to help themselves more, we're way to dependent on others. Also, I really don't think that a common thing should be treated with medication. It's not healthy. Especially if you're using anything else...remember Heath Ledger? Took two different medications and turned out deadly. Night terrors pass, just deal with it.

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Just because you've had some night terrors doesn't mean you know anything about them. Their intensity, duration, and frequency can vary greatly from person to person. Chronic intense night terrors are not common.

Would you insult someone who has constant dangerous seizures for relying on doctors and meds? Or a type 1 diabetic who needs insulin everyday? You cannot determine when someone needs a medication because you don't know anything about diagnosing diseases or the meds that treat them, thats why we have doctors.

When a doctor has someone come to them in tears complaining they haven't slept in weeks from being constantly tormented with long periods of paralysis, unbelievably intense fear and horrible hallucinations every time they try to sleep, do you suggest they just say "well really its not serious, you should just be strong and get through it on your own, stop being so reliant on people." In reality the doctor would likely run test to try and determine underlying causes, and to rule out serious possibilities like a brain tumor. Depending on the findings the person could very likely be prescribed a medication to try and reduce the instances of night terrors. Without a doctors assistant people with serious sleep disorders are at a high risk of losing their job which can start a domino effect of problems in their life.

Your experience with night terrors sounds tolerable without treatment, but how can you say that you know this is the case for everyone?

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Originally Posted by lucid4sho

Just because you've had some night terrors doesn't mean you know anything about them. Their intensity, duration, and frequency can vary greatly from person to person. Chronic intense night terrors are not common.

Would you insult someone who has constant dangerous seizures for relying on doctors and meds? Or a type 1 diabetic who needs insulin everyday? You cannot determine when someone needs a medication because you don't know anything about diagnosing diseases or the meds that treat them, thats why we have doctors.

When a doctor has someone come to them in tears complaining they haven't slept in weeks from being constantly tormented with long periods of paralysis, unbelievably intense fear and horrible hallucinations every time they try to sleep, do you suggest they just say "well really its not serious, you should just be strong and get through it on your own, stop being so reliant on people." In reality the doctor would likely run test to try and determine underlying causes, and to rule out serious possibilities like a brain tumor. Depending on the findings the person could very likely be prescribed a medication to try and reduce the instances of night terrors. Without a doctors assistant people with serious sleep disorders are at a high risk of losing their job which can start a domino effect of problems in their life.

Your experience with night terrors sounds tolerable without treatment, but how can you say that you know this is the case for everyone?

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Dude, you just went way somewhere else with that. You just compared having scary dreams to seizures and diabetes. WTF? And why did you say I was insulting her? I would never insult someone for anything like that. I was insulting your idea of going to get medication. Medication will f*** you up a lot worse than you were before. Great you won't have night terrors anymore but now you've got a dozen other problems. Like death.

If anything she should seek a psychiatrist. Not medication. There is nothing wrong with her physically or mentally, some people just have night terrors and nightmares. It's likely that talking about the night terrors will help her. And maybe even see as to why they are happening.

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Originally Posted by Cipher_Floe

Dude, you just went way somewhere else with that. You just compared having scary dreams to seizures and diabetes. WTF? And why did you say I was insulting her? I would never insult someone for anything like that. I was insulting your idea of going to get medication. Medication will f*** you up a lot worse than you were before. Great you won't have night terrors anymore but now you've got a dozen other problems. Like death.

If anything she should seek a psychiatrist. Not medication. There is nothing wrong with her physically or mentally, some people just have night terrors and nightmares. It's likely that talking about the night terrors will help her. And maybe even see as to why they are happening.

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I mentioned the other serious diseases because you won't realize that mental disorders are also potentially very serious. You are insulting anyone who takes a med for their night terrors because you are claiming that they are no big deal and you should be able to over come them by yourself. You can't claim to know that a person with night terrors suffers any less from their disorder then someone with a different disease that is not mental.

"I've never been more terrified in my life."

Thats a quote from you describing your night terror. You admitted you don't experience them frequently. Try to imagine having multiple night terrors on a regular basis, plus they are 5 times longer than the ones you've had. Would you still think it was no big deal.

It is not normal to be plagued by constant horrifying night terrors, and there has to be a physical cause for that to be happening. Mental illness can be difficult to diagnose because the brain is so complex, so its understandable that you would assume there is no physical cause for night terrors. I understand why you want to avoid reliance, I think most people do, but its also important to be able to look for and accept help from a professional if you really need it. I am usually the first to say that drugs are over prescribed, but I also admit that they are a necessary part of society and without them we'd have a lot of people unable to live/function.

My first post,
"I would tell her to see a psychiatrist asap. She may need some medication, at least temporarily."

Seeing a psychiatrist was my initial suggestion, so I agree with you there.

I just noticed you mentioned Heath. I of course sympathize for him. I admit the doctors may have been negligent, but sadly all the evidence suggests that it was Heath's decisions that lead to his overdose. I cannot judge as to whether he genuinely needed to be on such strong painkillers and anxiolytics, but what matters is that he was seeing multiple physicians without admitting he was on previous medication. I don't know what symptoms he was suffering so I can't say how much his actions were based on drug addiction/abuse or actual pain, but regardless he decided to take the dangerous combination he accumulated. I don't know if he was suicidal at all, but when you take that many drugs it should be obvious that death is a risk.

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Originally Posted by Cipher_Floe

I have these from time to time. I had a bunch one night last year. I couldn't see, but I was being swallowed by dark mass of nothing, just constricting me, holding me, I would open my mouth and nothing would come out. I've never been more terrified in my life. I kept waking up with my mouth opened with nothing coming out. Even though I was awake, it still felt like the evil was there, like it wasn't a dream. This happened a few times later that year. Also my house doesn't have a very good history with all creepy things that happen in it. But no one had died in it. Not until later when my grandma passed away. Then creepy but kinda cutesy things would happen, because it would be something my grandma would do. Like open the door for you when you come home and hide behind it to make it appear as if no one was there. This happened to my brother after school one day two weeks after my grandmother passed away. She did it all the time while she was here. She also did some things on mother's day a little later.

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Most like this is due to particles resident in your home.

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Originally Posted by toxicsunsets

My friend sent me this message this morning. I didn't know what to tell her so I'm going to post it on here to see if anyone else has answers.

"oh my god im losing my mind. its passed 7am and i cant sleep! i have to be to work in 5 hours. Ive been having this weird problem for three days straight, i some how am just about to fall asleep or barely just asleep when i continuesily wake up either gasping in fear or horror screaming. now i..ve had the tipical night terrors before waking up unable to move seeing a dark figure in the corner me the room screaming but its never happined more than once in one night this is happening so many times that i cant sleep at all not only that but sometimes im convolsing beyond my control. it litterally feels like im being ripped out of death when i come out of it and in really starting to get freaked out. Wtf is wrong with me??"

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I can totally identify with your friend. I suffered from night terrors for over a year. The feeling of helplessness is horrible beyond words. I would go to bed totally exhausted, but every time I fell asleep, I'd almost immediately feel like a 400 pound rock was pushing against my chest, and I'd wake up screaming in horror... After 3 or 4 hours of this, I would just get up. At the time I was dealing with a lot of stress.

I was actually able to cure myself (yes, CURE myself), using a combination of energy medicine and what I call "therapeutic lucid dreaming" (facing my fears during my lucid dreams).

If I can be of any help, please feel free to PM me.