General Nightmares

[Toria]

Good morning all - well, it would be good if I'd had some sleep!!!

Husband is a very restless sleeper, if he sleeps at all. We've always been lucky in that he does not seem to suffer from particularly violent nightmares - I can tell that he's having a bad dream and if I hold his hand or stroke his arm it seems to bring him out of it. But last night was different - it's happened once before too, earlier this year but last night I was quite fast asleep so it took me longer to wake up and realise what was happening.

Basically I woke up to find him rigid next to me and making a coughing / choking sound as if someone was strangling him. As I say, I was fast asleep at the time and it took a few seconds to realise what the noise was, then it seemed to take an eternity for me to shake him awake - I have no idea if that was the right thing to do or not. He didn't wake fully, but came out of the dream and went back to sleep. He was incredibly restless for the rest of the night - twitching, groaning, thrashing etc but seems to remember none of it this morning and wanted to know what I'd been doing to make myself so tired?!!!

Did I do the right thing in waking him? Is there anything that I can do to help him sleep better? I've got a geranium pillow spray but he says it smells awful. Lavender can be a bit sickly. He wont take medication of any sort - not even things like Calms or Nytol (UK herbal sleep aids). Thank you.

 

[ISupportHer]

Maybe I am completely off base here. You say he was rigid and choking sound and that doesn't sound like a dream to me. Frankly it kind of sounds like seizure activity in a way. When you say rigid, were the arms fully extended or were they both abducted and brought up? Head and neck rigid? Any jerking at all? Even small jerking while rigid. People who have had a seizure usually have a period of time after it called a post-ictal period when they slowly recain consciousness. It can last from a few minutes to 20-30 minutes.

ISH

 

[amethist]

Toria my husband twitches and argues most nights in his sleep, but not the rigid coughing and choking you described here.

This may have been something like what ISH described above, or could it have been him reliving something from his past, as in a flashback. They can be real to them, though they can wake up from them, and know this is what it was.

Lavender can be a bit harsh, you could try Sandalwood for him instead, as this has a warming kind of aroma, not too strong or too sweet, and it is used as a base note for many men's fragrances. 2 drops on his t shirt is all that should be needed.

Hope this helps a bit.

Amethist

 

[ISupportHer]

Not saying it IS a seizure, it's just that the original description makes me consider it. There are many types of seizures, not just the tonic/clonic "grand mal" type. Some can be just "tonic" with the rigidity and maybe not the "clonic" jerking we all probably associate with a seizure.

Anyway, just throwing it out there.

ISH

 

[Toria]

Thank you for the suggestions. I hadn't actually considered a seizure, but I will have a Google and see if it comes up with anything. It was more as if he was being held down somehow - I did manage to ask him about it last night and he said he remembered waking up from it and remembered a choking sensation but didn't remember dreaming anything; which isn't unusual. Thank you again and I will certainly try sandalwood x

 

[BigBear]

I don't suppose that he snores. My understanding of my snoring is the the palat drops and partially occludes the airway. Apparently, to some people it feels like they are choking. I don't know why I mention it. Something like that doesn't suddenly change...

Bear

 

[ISupportHer]

Yes, what BigBear says can be true too. The only thing is that that choking usually wakes you, or at least you spontaneously change your airway position a little. Sleep apnea could possible be something too.

Toria, look on YouTube and maybe do a search for tonic seizure. Mostly tonic/clonic comes up and many are videos of kids by their parents, but you could maybe see if it is similar at all. It would rule it out if it is NOT similar. Well, kind of rule it out, LOL.

Oh and there have been some threads in the past on suggestions for sleep. Like Amethist says, aroma therapy and other ideas.

ISH

 

[LAA]

Before D went into the hospital, he had begun to snore and had not before. He also has nightmares and sometimes wakes on his own. Other times it is like you described Toria, I try to wake him and although he doesn't appear to wake things change after that. I do not recall him ever being stiff though and he always wakes feeling he has had a restless night.

My child that is 13 now had a seizure disorder when he was younger. I had NO idea until they did a 24 hours EEG, that he was having seizures all night. I knew before they would even listen to me that he had tonic clonic seizures but I had thought he was sleeping well at night. He finally had a tonic clonic seizure and aspirated his breakfast, requiring an ambulance thus they finally listened and did the EEG.

If it wouldn't upset your husband, it wouldn't hurt to mention this new situation to his doctor.

Blessings, LAA

 

[Toria]

Thank you for all the suggestions - I have looked on You Tube and the seizures on there don't look to be the same, although it was dark so I could only really sense what he was doing. The good news is that I've managed to persuade him to go to the doctor about it as I think he could tell I was worried about him. He's going to tell them about that and his digestive troubles - I raised that as well after LAA's post - and he says it's time he had it looked in to. Fingers crossed!

 

[ISupportHer]

OK, good on 2 counts. That you don't think that it's seizures but also that he will go to the Doctor. I trust all will go well!

ISH

 

[Toria]

lol - it was never going to be that simple was it? He got home early from work today so I suggested that he call and make an appointment... I think there's a snowflake's chance in a hot place of him doing so!

 

[Toria]

We have progress! Husband went to the Doctors last night and by all accounts saw a really nice lady who took the time to go back through all his medical records and actually asked him if his "choking" could be due to his PTSD. I could go in there and kiss her!!!

Anyway, she is undecided as to whether it is a form of sleep apnoea (hope I spelt that right...) or whether he is having some sort of flashback-type nightmare. So, I have to monitor his sleeping for a week and if he does it again we have to go back together and they will talk to me about his symptoms. If it sounds like apnoea then he will go for sleep tests BUT if it sounds like flashbacks / PTSD nightmares then she's going to refer him back to the Psychiatrist!!!!! YAY!!!!!!! I love this woman!!!!!

He also has to take poo samples to try and get to the bottom (ahem!) of his digestion problems - but that's a whole different story :roflmao: