Has Anyone Been To A Sleep Specialist / Clinic For Night Terrors?

[barefoot]

I have night terrors. I can go weeks or even months without having one then have a spate of a few in one week. There are some things that seem to help (and other things that are more likely to trigger them) but they are generally quite unpredictable and hard (impossible really) to control.

They do have an impact on me when I have them. I rarely recall them and often don't know it has happened but the next day I often have a sense of...almost like having a mini depression. It is a difficult feeling to describe. I have learnt to recognise that when I feel that feeling, the likelihood is that I'd had a NT the night before. I have also injured myself having them - nothing serious but I've given myself a black eye and torn ligaments in my leg, fallen over and badly bruised/cut my knees etc. Not medical emergencies by any means but still...it hurts! I have also, on a couple of occasions, grabbed or hit my partner. Not to do serious damage or cause serious harm/injury. But it's horrible for her and I feel very guilty when that happens. And, even when she doesn't get hit, her sleep is still significantly disturbed as the NT wakes her up with a fright and then she has great difficulty getting back to sleep again.

I went into hospital recently and expressed concern to the doctor about the possibility of me having a NT during my recouperation phase because if I had one, leapt out of bed, started running then fell over, I was worried I'd do some damage. I asked if there was anything he could give me to knock me out at night, which would hopefully make a NT less likely (I've no idea if that would work or not - I was just throwing it out there!) Anyway, the doctor looked shocked and asked what I had done to seek treatment for this "sleep disease" and asked if I had seen a specialist or attended a sleep clinic. I said I hadn't. He looked totally incredulous as if to say "why on earth not?!" and he suggested that might be an idea I wanted to consider.

It has got me thinking that maybe I should do this. I think I don't give it much thought because it is my normal. I think I started having them as a teenager. But whenever I tell anyone else about them, they always look horrified and then, like the doctor, look shocked that I've never spoken to a professional about them to try to get properly diagnosed/treated.

Has anyone here seen a sleep specialist or gone to a sleep clinic about NTs? What happened? Was it useful? Did they come up with any effective treatments for you? Did you just go in for a chat or did you have to go in and sleep there and be monitored? Not sure if it could work, me going in for observation, when I can't be confident that it will even happen while I am there. The most useful thing for diagnosis that I can think of would be for them to speak to my partner as she knows far more about what I do than I do. How do referrals work? Is it best to go via GP? Wondering whether bupa would cover it...or whether you can do this through NHS...?

Any comments, knowledge or experiences very much appreciated!

 

[J'qel]

My husband had night terrors, sometimes combined with being semi awake, so he'd be effectively draeming while still speaking and responding to it. I've been clocked a few times because of it :P

He did go to a sleep clinic, and what they found out was that he was a strange kind of waking narcolepsy, where part of his brain stayed asleep. They didn't have much for him as a result.

*HOWEVER* (big however :P ) he is now using a CPAP device and has been for almost two years now, and he doesn't have them anymore. No more flailing in his sleep, and he sleeps solidly. Even on the rare occasion he doesn't use it, he's still usually okay-I think there's been one instance since. I think his may have been brought on by his mind panicking when he wasn't breathing well, and that fear response creating the night terror.

Most companies can offer a take home sleep test to try out and some let you try the machine for a month or so before you have to pay up. Be aware that they can be pretty expensive if your insurance won't cover it, but if you can get coverage it could make a lot of difference.

Pardon-I missed some of your questions-in the clinic he had to go in and sleep there. Electrodes and monitoring and the whole shebang.

The take home is for sleep apnea, and it's a machine you belt around your chest (it's about the size of an ipod) with a heartrate finger monitor and a tube that goes under your nose. You turn it on before you go to bed at home and (try) to sleep normally. The information is recorded and analyzed and then they call you in for a chat about the results and try to find something that works.

The CPAP if you need it is much bigger, but sits on the table and has a variety of oxygen masks you can try for what feels best for sleep. It has a tube that runs with a tank of water to keep the air moist and attaches to the mask which attaches with straps around your head. Apparently it takes a week or two to get used to.

In the meantime, I would suggest your partner wake you with rubbing your arm instead of getting close, and maybe think about a bigger bed and leaving your laundry piled up next to it-makes for a softer landing :P

 

[barefoot]

Thanks @J'qel - that's all really useful and interesting to learn.

I didn't realise waking narcolepsy was a thing! So, it does make me think it's worth me seeing someone to try to get to the bottom of what's actually going on.

And it's useful to hear more about the process in terms of what I might realistically expect if I do end up visiting a clinic.

So glad that your partner (and therefore you too!) has found a solution and some relief. It's good to hear that restful, peaceful, non-eventful (!) sleep is potentially possible!

I hadn't ever thought about putting soft things on the floor beside my bed! I might try that :-)

Thank you!

 

[J'qel]

hehe I was half joking but yes, having some soft stuff if you're falling out of bed is a practical solution until you can get some help. Getting injured from your sleep must really suck and while taking precautions isn't ideal-keeping you from getting hurt should be rather top on the list :)