Feels Like My Heart Stops, I Jolt Awake. Extremely Terrifying

[Cliff.P]

They went away for awhile but sadly they've come back harder than before. I feel like it takes longer to breath each time an it scares the living shit outta me.

 

[MandyCerismum]

Thank God it's not just me.

I used to get this years ago, it scared me so much I would be too scared to sleep.

Then it went away and only happened every now and then.

My daughter unfortunately committed suicide 2 and a half years ago..so yup I have PTSD... and this blimmin sleep thing has come back with a vengence. It drives me nuts.

It happens most nights... like a pattern...

Get ready for bed
tell brain to shut up
force flashbacks to go away
Start falling asleep
bladder screams at me
get up, empty bladder
lie there awake
tell brain to shut up
bladder yells again
deal with that
tell the flashbacks to go away
start falling asleep again
feel like I am being choked
have the not breathing jolty thing
swear
turn over
start falling asleep
choking feeling again
jolty thing
get very irritated
lie on back and tell myself to relax
eventually fall properly asleep
wake up exhausted

I wonder if, because my daughter well.. hung herself, if the choking feeling is part of the flashbacks.

It drives me nuts

I want bed to be my safe haven..not my place I avoid.

I actually hate going to bed..

I found it didn't happen when I had a partner though.

 

[Crayon]

What you're describing sounds like a skipped heart beat during sleep.

 

[franciemarnie]

I vote cortisol surge. I get them thru out the day and in jolting awake at night. Poor little body. Still thinks there are 24/7 emergencies 40 years after the original scenario.

 

[jake2014mills]

Hi all, I haven't read all the replies so i dont know what has been said and i probably won't read the replies after this post lol
But just to let you know you are not alone with this problem, I have suffered it for about a year after a serious episode with my heart, everytime I close my eyes my heart jumps, jolts, flutters, thunders and lightenings, but i have over come it

All your suffering from is anxiety cause palpitations, i didnt believe it at first and thought it was a genuine problem the nurses and doctors couldn't find but it is only anxiety and palpitations and there is nothing to worry about, I used to get it everynight and needed to be worn out to fall asleep, now i can comfortably close my eyes and fall asleep! Still get them some nights but that's due to my anxiety levels, when it occurs reassure your self it's ok it's just palpitations take your mind of it for a few mins, do abit of deep breathing and lay bk down comfy and not anxious, wich u will be anxious as I was unbelievably anxious, hope this helps as it took me a quite a while to figure out the doctors were right and infact you can control it, maybe still get the odd blip but more certain it's a phycological not physical, tried posting my email so u can contact me but it wudnt allow it, work on relaxing, RELAX RELAX RELAX ino it's hard because it's frightening but it's not seriouseee it will not kill you, deep breath and close your eyes, carry on deep breathing while your eyes are closed, it's not the easiest thing to control at first but u can definitely control it, jake Mills on Facebook if u want a convocation over inbox, hope your learn to relax as relaxing is the solution to the problem :) jake

 

[jake2014mills]

Honestly people, relax iv almost cured it you could say, used to get it every night a good 15-20 times now iv been max of a week and a half without it doing it, that's with closing my eyes to get to sleep not due to lack of sleep and passing out, I'm actually closing my eyes and going to sleep as normal, check out CBT could help you loads, RELAX RELAX RELAX n get some bloody sleep ;)[DOUBLEPOST=1401758852,1401758609][/DOUBLEPOST]Anddd... If u still suffer from it after trying to relax request at the doctors a weeks prescription of diazipam, max two weeks worth of pills, works wonders and will also prove it's only anxiety causeing these problems, u need to mental accept it's caused by anxiety, control the anxiety, control the problem :)

 

[Buford B. Garrett]

I have this, too. I think it's brain-related. I don't think it's anxiety-related, or sleep apnea. You can clear your mind and be totally relaxed and at peace, consciously and subconsciously, and it'll still happen, right? You've got clear airways, right?

I got poisoned by sewer gas for 13 months, and it really messed with everything about me. One of the many problems I'm left with is this bizarre problem with falling asleep. Never had it before the poisoning, have had it ever since. My theory is that the nerves or impulses that regulate my transition from wakefulness to sleep have been compromised.

Because it's the brain, and because it's such an unusual problem, you won't find any answers anywhere, from any doctor on the planet. They'll resort to naming conditions and diseases that are in the ballpark, but they'll be wrong. We just don't know the brain well enough yet for doctors to know what you and I have, and I really don't think there's any treatment for brain stuff like this.

I would advise against going down the path of frying your brain with "let's try this" drugs that won't do anything but harm you. Think back -- before you got this, did you have any brain trauma? Any exposure to bad chemicals or gases? For now, if you're otherwise healthy, try this: I find that when I fall asleep, if I make a conscious effort to breathe deeply and let my brain know I'm going to visit the Sandman as I sink into sleep, I may be able to avoid the jolt-or-you'll-die, "re-start your heart or die" event. Good luck, brother.

 

[Ar05]

Important!
It usedbto happen to !e as well. One day a friend told me it was the beginning of an out of body experience.
He said that we all do it every night but we are at sleep so we don't remember, however this was happening before I fell asleep. He told me to relax and let go next time it occurred. And I did.
Felt scary, very scary as if I surrender to death
But is was the most amazing thing ever.
Just let go. Trust your body. You are doing g so etjong normal

 

[Talha Noor]

I've the same problem my friend, You are not alone! just before I got asleep a kind of jerk occure in my heart, and I awake with my heart beating very fast and totally sweat. I don't know what to do with this.

 

[Faithh1]

I have this same problem that's why I looked it up & found this. I really would just like to be able I fall asleep without feeling like I'm going to die ! It used to only happen very rarely but now it's happened every single night when I try to sleep & I sit straight up & gasp for air ! I hate it so much.

 

[JustBe]

This used to occur nightly but with the comforting pressure of my SD curled up warm against my back each night, most nights are better now. When I do wake with a jolt in a panic, she is there to ground me so my recovery time over the years has decreased and I am able to go back to sleep.

 

[Fadeaway]

Yes, I have had this all my life. Multiple times a night. Usually a thought enters my my while asleep like "I forgot to turn the oven off" Or a memory of something I said years ago that was embarrassing (I associate that with my trauma) and I wake up with a start and panic.

The ones that happen just before I fall asleep while i am in that in between stage don't bother me, had them since I was a kid, and i am just so used to them. It is the ones that happen after I have been asleep for a while that scare the crap out of me no matter how frequent they are.