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I’ve been having sleep problem EVERY SINGLE night for more than ten years now. I have no understanding and no cure for it. I had no previous illness and considered myself a healthy person prior to it. It all started one night in early 2003. As I was trying to sleep what felt like an intense and focus jolt of vibration struck the back of my head and shook my entire skull inside and out. It felt very much like an electrocution. It then went on sporadically throughout the entire night. It kept me from falling asleep at first, and when I did fall asleep it hit my head again and woke me up instantly. It kept happening for four or five times during that night, which made me utterly exhausted the next morning, worse than before I went to bed in the previous night. That was when and how it started for the very first time more than ten years ago.
What had changed gradually during the long decade were the frequency it happened, sensation it gave me and where on my body it struck. The strong vibration it began with had changed into a new sensation that I could only described as being poked by a solid blunt object like a pencil tip, a stick or something similar, a strong pulsation. It got stronger as it dragged on. This sensation in various intensity lasted for five years. Then it took a devastating turn one night in 2008 just couple days before Easter. It got much stronger and more brutal than I could take as it struck me relentlessly and mercilessly.
Instead of the usual pattern as described above, this time it struck me continuously every ten minutes or so at almost the exact moment when I fell asleep. So I dosed off and got hit immediately, dose off again and got hit immediately again. Apparently it had effectively prevented me from falling asleep at all. It dragged on for more than an hour. Worst still was that the sensation that night had suddenly changed from being poked by a pencil to being struck by a hammer in full force to the back of my head. The physical pain was excruciating. It caused me severe headache and my head felt like it was going to explode. It was like being physically tortured by an invisible man but only I was all alone in the room. My mind was desperately trying to make sense of it but did so in vain. I tried to scream but no sound came out; I tried to hide from the pain but there was no where to go. I had absolutely no clue as to what was happening to my body. I even thought that I was struck by some supernatural force coming from below my flat even I knew for sure that it was empty all along. I couldn’t think straight and literally lost my sanity that night.
The sensation this sleep disorder gave me had changed again since then. It went back to become a powerful “poking” like before. But Instead of focusing on my head it began to spread out all over my body to include my limps and torso as well. Sometimes the poking was so powerful that my arm would fly up voluntarily as if I were having some kind of convulsion; other times it became more like “twisting” which caused my neck to jerk voluntarily. The pattern in which it happened remained unchanged. I still got woken up numerous times during sleep and felt utterly exhausted even after spending more than ten hours in bed. Monday to Friday was my worst days since I got the least amount of sleep. Weekends were slightly better since I got a little bit more broken sleep, but they were equally horrible, definitely my bad days.
In addition, a new needle pricking-like sensation was also developed which hit my eyes sporadically. At times I would be woken up by a sharp pain in the eye, sometimes left, sometimes right and sometimes in both of them. It felt like someone stabbed the inside of my eye with a needle. It was very painful and it lasted almost the entire day that followed. It happened frequently. I had been to the doctor few times for treatment and examination. He thought that it was simply caused by dryness in the eyes and nothing else. So he prescribed eye drops to me and sent me away. I really disagreed with his diagnosis but I couldn’t offer any other explanation. I did use the drops as instructed but evidently it didn’t work. In addition to eye pain, I also got frequent ear-pops during sleep which is very strange considering people usually got that during flight.
So there were three different sensations that got me woken up at night: the poking, eye pain and ear-pops.
As if it wasn’t enough, I also got symptom that closely related to sleep Apnea in which I was choking in the middle of my sleep. One night I was slowly waking to a terrible choke and found that my jaw was wide open, my throat was closed, and I just couldn’t breath. I was suffocating for no apparent reason. I had to shut my mouth right away and grasp for air. It took my body a while to calm down before I could sleep again. It was horrible. It had happened few times so far. Other times I just found my jaw wide open during sleep but without the choking part. It must have stayed open long which caused severe dryness inside my mouth and on my throat. Couple times my jaw had snapped shut voluntarily. It snapped so hard that I bite through the lower left corner of my lip and tasted blood in my mouth immediately. It was really painful. I couldn’t believe I injured myself that way in the middle of the night during sleep.
Oddly enough some of the symptoms had started to occur during day time as well when I was working in the office. So I didn’t even know if I could still consider it as strictly sleep problem any more. I went to visit a neurologist few times couple years ago in search for a cure and had gone through examination like the EEG. It turned out fine but offered me no explanation as to how and what caused all these terrorizing symptoms I had been experiencing. It puzzled him a great deal. All he could do was prescribing me some powerful sleeping pills. So I gave up after a few visits but the problem persisted to this day.
Until recently, the symptoms have become somewhat less powerful, but the pattern and frequency are pretty much the same as before. I still suffer from it every single night and feel exhausted almost from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed. I barely have enough energy to get through the normal working day. I’m so extremely tired that sometimes I can’t even speak properly; it takes me an extra effort just to carry a normal conversation. Sometimes I’d feel my blood pressure suddenly going up with blood rushing through my head, my eye and ears as if I were working out. My ability to digest food has also diminished among other things. Night life and normal social life are definitely out of the question.
In addition to suffering from the most immediate outcomes such as sleep deprivation, chronic fatigue, frequent migraine and eye strain, etc., I’ve also been suffering from depression like symptoms which sometimes makes me unable to go to work in the morning. I also find myself shying away from all social gatherings. The negative effects of my sleep problem have certainly gone beyond physical. This same torturous pattern has been continuing to this very day, more than ten years later. It will surely strike me again tonight, tomorrow night and the night after as I have absolutely no control over it and there seems to be no end and resolution in sight.
I’m terribly sick and tired of being sick and tired all the time, day and night. What kind of inhuman illness sleep disorder is? It robs and denies the most rudimentary human needs and basic condition for continuation of life, which is to rest up and restore one’s strength and to carry on one’s life in a normal way on a daily basis. It really is the terrorist of all illnesses. It is most cruel and most evil. I sometimes think the devil is riding on my back and torturing me just for kicks. It doesn’t matter where I’m in the world it just follows me around like a bad tattoo. For a long period of time I’ve been suffering it in silence. I don’t know how to deal with it, but I know I have to live with it everyday. My life has been held hostage by this horrible illness. I am no longer a young guy like I was decades ago. This sleep disorder illness has put a serious toll on my health and my whole being. What should I do? How could I get better? This suffering is too much and too long. Can anyone help? May God have mercy on my poor soul and body for I’m exceedingly frail.
Have you seen a doctor for your condition? Had an MRI to see if something's going on in your brain--like a mass that shouldn't be there?? What about a naturopathic doctor to assess your need for more or different vitamins and minerals?
That would be the first order of business, I would think. Are you taking any drugs, prescribed or recreational? or drinking much alcohol??
Meanwhile, you might try supplementing with some magnesium. It's the most important mineral in our body and 80% of us are short due to soil depletion. Stress, drinking caffeine and alcohol deplete our magnesium. A shortage can cause chronic or acute nerve inflammation--and also sleep disorders...
Thanks LittleDolphin for your kind concerns and suggestions. The article on magnesium is very informative and useful. I’ll certainly give it a try.
I consider myself a very healthy person. I don’t do drugs, I never smoke and I rarely drink. I even quit coffee long ago. I also exercise regularly. I was perfectly healthy and normal in every way prior to 2003. There wasn’t any indication beforehand that warned me on the upcoming illness. It struck me rather unexpectedly. I still can’t believe I have been sick with the same illness day in and day out for more than a decade. There are so many symptoms happening at the same time all over my body; I don’t even know what doctor to see. I had been to a neurologist and an ophthalmologist so far, but they are not being very helpful unfortunately.
I think you would get offered more comments/help if you condense your post. No one on forums ever want to read that much information.
I too have what I call brain zaps when I'm drifting off to sleep. I rarely get into a restful sleep and when I do fall asleep it's typically at dawn. I suffer body aches,chronic migraines, insomnia, the choking while sleeping sensation,etc. I wish you the best of luck in determining how to handle all the symptoms. Neurologist should be the best place to find and answer. If one doesn't help, try another but take your records with you so hopefully tests won't need repeating.
I'm thinking of trying a chiropractor before I go the neurologist route.
Sorry for the long post, but my illness is so complicated and it’s lasted for so long. There are so many different symptoms happening to my body at the same time. I thought I would keep as accurate a record as possible so that those who might be able to help would know precisely what is wrong with me.
I haven’t tried any sleep study yet. Do you mean the one that requires you to hook up with a machine while sleeping? I’d like to do that in my own bedroom but apparently my insurance doesn’t cover it.
I think you would get offered more comments/help if you condense your post. No one on forums ever want to read that much information.
I too have what I call brain zaps when I'm drifting off to sleep. I rarely get into a restful sleep and when I do fall asleep it's typically at dawn. I suffer body aches,chronic migraines, insomnia, the choking while sleeping sensation,etc. I wish you the best of luck in determining how to handle all the symptoms. Neurologist should be the best place to find and answer. If one doesn't help, try another but take your records with you so hopefully tests won't need repeating.
I'm thinking of trying a chiropractor before I go the neurologist route.
Good luck. I do feel your pain.
ALL these symptoms of yours can be attributed to a magnesium shortage...it controls our heart and nerve health:
"Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include: hyperexcitability, dizziness, muscle cramps, muscle weakness and fatigue.[1] Severe magnesium deficiency can cause hypocalcemia, low serum potassium levels (hypokalemia), retention of sodium, low circulating levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), neurological and muscular symptoms (tremor, fasciculations, muscle spasms, tetany), loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, personality changes [2] and death from heart failure.[3] Magnesium plays an important role in carbohydrate metabolism and its deficiency may worsen insulin resistance, a condition that often precedes diabetes, or may be a consequence of insulin resistance.[4] Deficiency can cause irregular heart beat."
Why not buy some at any drugstore, take 450-650 mg daily and see if it helps? Why not? It's a cheap fix for many. and something like 70-80% of us are critically short of this essential mineral that regulates so many of our body's functions.
"Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include: hyperexcitability, dizziness, muscle cramps, muscle weakness and fatigue.[1] Severe magnesium deficiency can cause hypocalcemia, low serum potassium levels (hypokalemia), retention of sodium, low circulating levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), neurological and muscular symptoms (tremor, fasciculations, muscle spasms, tetany), loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, personality changes [2] and death from heart failure.[3] Magnesium plays an important role in carbohydrate metabolism and its deficiency may worsen insulin resistance, a condition that often precedes diabetes, or may be a consequence of insulin resistance.[4] Deficiency can cause irregular heart beat."
Why not buy some at any drugstore, take 450-650 mg daily and see if it helps? Why not? It's a cheap fix for many. and something like 70-80% of us are critically short of this essential mineral that regulates so many of our body's functions.
good information.
I'm now taking 250 mg magnesium daily per my doctor's orders.
I think magnesium deficiency could be at least part of the cause of my illness if not the root cause. I would certainly give a try. I’m just wondering how much is enough and how much is too much. How can I or my doctor determine the proper dosage?
From what I've been reading, and my own personal experience in ending my insomnia, a good dosage would be around 600-750 mg a day.
I take three 250 mg capsules broken up into three doses, with the last capsule taken an hour before bedtime.
It's impossible to overdose with magnesium. The worst effect from taking too much would be loose stools. For that reason, it's best not to take too much at once.
My magnesium is Magnesium Citrate, and I found my capsules at my local chain drugstore. It's not expensive.
Your physician would have to order a special test to determine if you're short on magnesium--it's called a red blood cell test. A regular blood test doesn't work as only 2-3% of your magnesium shows up in blood serum--it's inside your cells, doing its job.
So far, I've not had the test. My insomnia was so sudden and so abnormal for me, I knew I had some sort of biological chemical imbalance and my research pointed toward the magnesium as it's depleted by the BP medication I take.
After a week or two weeks of magnesium supplementation, my sleep has returned to normal. I don't have to tell you what a relief that is!
I will continue to take it, especially while on the BP meds.
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