startled awake

has anyone experienced this weird symptom .. last night I was going to bed and right as I dosed off I was suddenly startled awake like you do when your falling in your sleep. Crazy thing though I wasn't asleep yet? it was accompanied with a slight chest pain like when someone covers their chest after being scared really bad. It happened 7/8 times within hour everytime I tried to go to sleep, I would get right to the inzone of falling asleep or tipping point and "BAAAAAM"!!! I was instantly jolted awake like someone just pounced on me. makes no sence but wouldn't stop for over an hour.. And chest pains weren't funny.. thought I was gonna have to get up and take something but I finally went to sleep.. I also think I had stopped breathing aswell because I gasped each time.....

I have this constantly and have for many years. It really sucks, it feels like your body is doing everything it can to keep you awake. I had one doc tell me that it's dysautonomia and when you drift off, your body thinks it's dying so it jolts you awake. I personally haven't found anything that helps this, taking sedatives only makes it worse.

Maybe Girlie is right about it being babesia

Insomnia is pretty common, the dysregulation of sleep pattern, cycles. However, it is one of the most debilitating things, as your mind and body break down quickly from lack of sleep, it is disabling.

Eat or buy some leftover turkey breast, has tryptophan which I think converts to 5htp and serotonin. Pineal gland doesn't make enough sleep regulation hormone, needs help, low dose of 1-3 mg Melatonin may also help your pineal.

Or if you are like me, with Dx'd sleep apnea and they'll put you on a breathing machine at night, and no it's not fun.

I sadly need this breathing machine to sleep more than the shaky exhausted usual 3-4 hours a night.

The few things that knock me out, I had to cajole several impatient doctors to prescribe them, I take:

Hydroxyzine Pamoate 50 mg capsule
Trazodone 25 mg (1/2 50mg pill)
Doxepin 10 mg capsule

then like clockwork I can (with machine + 3Rx Meds) get 8-10 hours of sleep

I use a Sleep Apnea mask and machine and also wear earplugs, otherwise everything wakes me up. After much time, energy, expense and paperwork I'm thankful for any sleep I get, and lucky to dream again because of what the Trazodone and Doxepin do to my HTP/Serotonin.

And this hardly takes care of all my symptoms but I'm thankful for any relief or moderate difference it makes, as sleep notably heals and reduces inflammation.

Quin said...
That's a sleep jerk. It's pretty common, and unrelated to Lyme or babesia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hypnic_jerk

Mine was from the infections. Never had them before lyme...and they went away with treatment.

I have to agree with Girlie on this, Quin, yes normal folks may occasionally get this, restless leg syndrome, the sensation of falling and quickly waking, etc.

But the presence of infections can manifest these on a whole new level; severe insomnia, unrefreshing sleep, hormone dysregulation, HPA axis problems, adrenal, cells and mitochondria starved of oxygen and waking up in a sweat, gasping for air; I most definitely never had these worsened symptoms before my Lyme and co-infections.

And emphasis on co-infections here, because like you Quin, seeing from your posts about co-infections, I'm not sure if it's Bartonella, Babesia or possibly even Tularemia or Toxoplasmosis that I'm also dealing with...it's kinda a nightmare lol because one of my meaner relatives woke me suddenly and I growled scarily at them like a wild animal. (!)

I've had this a lot off and on. These electric jerks came back with a vengeance this week. I was awake for 82 hours straight. It's like someone is poking me with a pin in random places and then a burst of electricity goes through me and I jerk.

I finally broke down and took two ativan, hydroxyzine, two sleeping pills and washed it all down with codeine cough syrup. I also put the tens unit on my back hoping that would interfere with the jerks. It worked and I fell asleep (cue choir singing hallelujah ). That was last night, we'll see how tonight goes. That's by far the worst episode of those that I have experienced. I also have a bug that's been going around my house so maybe that contributed to it.

Mine are just like yours whitetail. Some, but not all, it feels like I can't breath and I gasp. Lyme and co, 1 step forward and 2 steps back. Frustrating stuff.

Funny part about this is I posted last week about how great I was sleeping. Jinxed myself I guess.