Desperate for help

[PositiveThinking!]

Hello everyone, this might be a bit long so bear with me please.

I have a very long history of anxiety and other conditions (such as depression) and once in a while I hit these points in my life where I just become desperate, it feels like nothing could ever get worse than last time but guess what, it actually did/does.
So, I'll try to explain the issue I'm having right now without going too much into detail in order to keep this post relatively short.

A few months ago, I had my first experience of what I would call "Repeated Sleep Paralysis" . Just like the name indicates, experiencing Sleep Paralysis repeatedly within short periods (and by short periods I mean every time I try to fall asleep, so if I try to fall asleep 20 times it will happen 20 times) of time and in my case, right before falling asleep after a long night of not being able to sleep. I was obviously terribly scared of this since Sleep Paralysis by itself is already a very scary thing, having it happen constantly as one is trying to sleep is definitely what I would call "torture" , and at the time I remember having it trigger by having horrible sleep patterns and abusing Ritalin / Coffee. So, a few months have passed and I sort of learned my lesson, I still take Ritalin once in a while but I try to keep it at the recommended level or even lower and the same goes for coffee, yet, lately I've been extremely anxious about something (I'm not quite sure what) .
So yesterday, I went to bed at midnight, woke up around 3AM which is the usual and I tried to go back to sleep because it has been quite a long time since I had a good night of rest. It didn't work, even though I used all my known "techniques" to successfully go back to sleep, and only this morning I was able to finally get some rest... but before I fell asleep, I had massive headaches (on top of my head which is really weird and feels horrible) and all of a sudden as I fall asleep, I wake up right after because of Sleep Paralysis but I couldn't breathe, I had put my face against the pillow and there was just no way I could move my body and got into a massive panic state, after a bit I managed to finally get rid of it and catch a breath, ended up with some heavy chest pain which was probably due to the fact that I couldn't breathe. After that, it took my several attempts of trying to fall asleep because this time I had the same happen as what happened months ago, several Sleep Paralysis episodes, every time I would try to fall asleep I would enter that state, my body would turn numb instantly, my ears would start ringing way more than they did before and my eyes would become very heavy even though I could still open them. After "triggering" a few of these, I was no longer terrified by the experience and I remembered that I read somewhere before "If you ever have this experience, try to relax and just sleep through it" , which is what I did eventually but it took me a lot of attempts, and it really feels like torture.

I didn't mention a lot of things that could be important (such as my heavy allergies having a big impact on my breathing, the weird heat I've been feeling lately, etc) but if anyone out there, even if it's just one person out there who can either relate to this or can give me a few tips on how to finally get some peace please, do let me know, thanks a LOT in advance!

[Nowuccas]

Hey PositiveThinking!

You could try learning and employing Progressive Muscle Relaxation, as shown at http://www.drcoxconsulting.com/managing-stress.html just before sleep.

On the next day, the following relaxation / meditation technique:

Practise a relaxation method, daily, and when needed, such as: http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/mindbody/a/Meditation.htm or http://www.wikihow.com/Meditate

They will enable you to emotionally centre yourself, when practiced regularly, and are valuable methods of helping you through life's bad patches. Learn them at least a few hours apart, and preferably on different days, in the morning, or early afternoon. Use the one you find most effective. A minimum of 10 mns is recommended; 15 is better, and 20 is ideally preferred, as you are learning to become proficient, or if practising them during the daytime hours for their anti-anxiety effects.

If you are in a relaxed state as you fall asleep, you may be less likely to suffer from sleep paralysis.

A previous answer follows:

"Sleep paralysis is caused when hormones produced by the body to help you sleep do not wear off as you wake up.

This means that you remain temporarily paralysed but conscious.

The paralysis is thought to occur to prevent you acting out the actions in your dreams". - http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Sleep-paralysis/Pages/Causes.aspx

My opinion on how it came to be: Many millions of years ago, our common ancestors were tree dwellers. Those of them which moved around in their sleep at night had a much greater chance of falling and killing or injuring themselves, or being attacked by larger predators, which could not reach the higher and thinner branches.

In some of those ancestral forms, however, a form of paralysis of the voluntary muscles evolved, and was positively selected for, evolutionarily, as it conferred a survival advantage, which has been passed down the generations to modern humans, where it is no longer functional.

The best advice I can give is to understand that, although your mind may be fully functioning, after passing the hypnopompic state between sleep and wakefulness, muscular control will take a while longer to return. Realise that you are safe; Perhaps use this time to plan your day's activities, or what to do on your next weekend, vacation, leave, or holiday.

Read: Sleep Paralysis: A Guide to Hypnagogic Visions and Visitors of the Night by Ryan Hurd, &
Sleep Paralysis: Night-mares, Nocebos, and the Mind-Body Connection (Studies in Medical Anthropology) by Shelley R. Adler, & Sleep Disorders For Dummies by Max Hirshkowitz, Patricia B. Smith and William C. Dement, from your bookstore, or amazon.com
View: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/sleep-paralysis & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis
Try moving your eyes from left to right, and up and down, then modify your breathing. Then try to wiggle toes and fingers.

Things you can try to help reduce, or prevent them: 1) Adopt a regular sleep schedule. 2) Sleep on your side.

For ways to cope with sleep paralysis, see: http://www.wikihow.com/Cope-with-Sleep-Paralysis Also view http://www.lauriloewenberg.com/rem-cat-experiment-1304

"Tips for improving your sleeping habits include:
creating a restful sleeping environment that is quiet, dark and not too hot or cold
ensuring your bed is comfortable
exercising regularly (but not too close to bedtime)
cutting down on caffeine
not eating or drinking alcohol before bedtime
giving up smoking (if you smoke) because nicotine is a stimulant"
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Sleep-paralysis/Pages/Treatment.aspx Sometimes tricyclic antidepressants such as clomipramine are prescribed, but see drugs.com & mediguard.org about risks & side effects.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You could also try avoiding caffeine 6 hrs before bedtime; decaf only has a small amount of caffeine.

There are non-stimulant type ADD / ADHD medications, such as Intuniv, Kapvay, and Strattera that are even approved for teens. Check them out at www.drugs.com & http://mediguard.org

If continuing to use Ritalin, I suggest taking it early in the day, so its stimulant effect will be reduced by bedtime.

[Davit]

Have either of you looked at narcolepsy? I don't think it is but there are some similarities.

[PositiveThinking!]

Have either of you looked at narcolepsy? I don't think it is but there are some similarities.

Well I don't really feel sleepy at any time so this would definitely seem like a wrong diagnosis :/

[PositiveThinking!]

Hey PositiveThinking!

You could try learning and employing Progressive Muscle Relaxation, as shown at http://www.drcoxconsulting.com/managing-stress.html just before sleep.

On the next day, the following relaxation / meditation technique:

Practise a relaxation method, daily, and when needed, such as: http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/mindbody/a/Meditation.htm or http://www.wikihow.com/Meditate

They will enable you to emotionally centre yourself, when practiced regularly, and are valuable methods of helping you through life's bad patches. Learn them at least a few hours apart, and preferably on different days, in the morning, or early afternoon. Use the one you find most effective. A minimum of 10 mns is recommended; 15 is better, and 20 is ideally preferred, as you are learning to become proficient, or if practising them during the daytime hours for their anti-anxiety effects.

If you are in a relaxed state as you fall asleep, you may be less likely to suffer from sleep paralysis.

A previous answer follows:

"Sleep paralysis is caused when hormones produced by the body to help you sleep do not wear off as you wake up.

This means that you remain temporarily paralysed but conscious.

The paralysis is thought to occur to prevent you acting out the actions in your dreams". - http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Sleep-paralysis/Pages/Causes.aspx

My opinion on how it came to be: Many millions of years ago, our common ancestors were tree dwellers. Those of them which moved around in their sleep at night had a much greater chance of falling and killing or injuring themselves, or being attacked by larger predators, which could not reach the higher and thinner branches.

In some of those ancestral forms, however, a form of paralysis of the voluntary muscles evolved, and was positively selected for, evolutionarily, as it conferred a survival advantage, which has been passed down the generations to modern humans, where it is no longer functional.

The best advice I can give is to understand that, although your mind may be fully functioning, after passing the hypnopompic state between sleep and wakefulness, muscular control will take a while longer to return. Realise that you are safe; Perhaps use this time to plan your day's activities, or what to do on your next weekend, vacation, leave, or holiday.

Read: Sleep Paralysis: A Guide to Hypnagogic Visions and Visitors of the Night by Ryan Hurd, &
Sleep Paralysis: Night-mares, Nocebos, and the Mind-Body Connection (Studies in Medical Anthropology) by Shelley R. Adler, & Sleep Disorders For Dummies by Max Hirshkowitz, Patricia B. Smith and William C. Dement, from your bookstore, or amazon.com
View: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/sleep-paralysis & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis
Try moving your eyes from left to right, and up and down, then modify your breathing. Then try to wiggle toes and fingers.

Things you can try to help reduce, or prevent them: 1) Adopt a regular sleep schedule. 2) Sleep on your side.

For ways to cope with sleep paralysis, see: http://www.wikihow.com/Cope-with-Sleep-Paralysis Also view http://www.lauriloewenberg.com/rem-cat-experiment-1304

"Tips for improving your sleeping habits include:
creating a restful sleeping environment that is quiet, dark and not too hot or cold
ensuring your bed is comfortable
exercising regularly (but not too close to bedtime)
cutting down on caffeine
not eating or drinking alcohol before bedtime
giving up smoking (if you smoke) because nicotine is a stimulant"
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Sleep-paralysis/Pages/Treatment.aspx Sometimes tricyclic antidepressants such as clomipramine are prescribed, but see drugs.com & mediguard.org about risks & side effects.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You could also try avoiding caffeine 6 hrs before bedtime; decaf only has a small amount of caffeine.

There are non-stimulant type ADD / ADHD medications, such as Intuniv, Kapvay, and Strattera that are even approved for teens. Check them out at www.drugs.com & http://mediguard.org

If continuing to use Ritalin, I suggest taking it early in the day, so its stimulant effect will be reduced by bedtime.

Sorry for the short response but I have tried all of that, when it comes to meditation well, I just can't do it. I have tried it several times but I just can't...

[Davit]

Trying to think if that has ever happened to me. I can remember a few times falling asleep in my chair typing and not being able to move on waking, but only for a second or two. Still it was unpleasant. I sleep sound unless I'm cold. Cat can walk on me and I don't really notice. Six hours sleep last night so I'm almost falling asleep here typing.

[greightful]

Has anything changed in your life over the past few months, including but not limited to, diet or medication? I've only had that happen to me a couple times. I agree, it is very unpleasant. Have you talked to a doctor about it?

[PositiveThinking!]

Has anything changed in your life over the past few months, including but not limited to, diet or medication? I've only had that happen to me a couple times. I agree, it is very unpleasant. Have you talked to a doctor about it?

A few things have changed actually, 2 of which were my diet and the medication. A few months ago I went back to eating a lot of junk food and have been doing so until now which has a quite noticeable impact in my energy (both mental and physical) , and lately I've also been trying a lot of medication for sinus infection because for a while now I haven't been able to breathe properly.

[Nowuccas]

Have you tried Yoga Nidra? The vast majority of people who can make a voice recording, and follow the instructions can benefit from it.

For those who have, in the past, had difficulty meditating, I suggest trying Yoga Nidra, (actually a meditative process; no bodily flexibility required, just the ability to make a voice recording, and follow the instructions) because it operates on the principle of occupying, and tiring the "chattering monkey brain" until it seeks relief in the meditative state. It is best done in a comfortable sitting position in the mornings, when refreshed, as many people may otherwise fall asleep.

Make a voice recording of the set of instructions below; you can replay them alone, or with company.

The mind can be like a naughty child: what we tell it to do; it won't! So sit, or recline comfortably in a room, which is neither cold nor too warm, in dim light, but not in pitch darkness, with fingertips pointed upwards, not touching anything. Take plenty of time with each section: to hurry in this exercise is to completely miss the point. If others are involved, take even longer (ask later whether they felt hurried, and adjust).

"Focus all your awareness on your right big toe .... .... then the other toes of the right foot ... .... then that foot ... .... the ankle............. the calf.............. the knee... .... the thigh ... .... Then left big toe...........then other left toes..........then that foot...........the ankle.............the calf.............the knee............the thigh...........

Then the right thumb...........then other fingers of the right hand............then the right wrist............the forearm...........the elbow............the upper arm............the right shoulder. Then the left thumb..............then the other fingers of the left hand............then the wrist..............the forearm..............the elbow..............the upper arm................then the left shoulder................then the head................then the chest.................then the abdomen.... ....Then, focus your attention on any sounds you can hear; aeroplanes, traffic noise, children, or dogs barking in the distance................. Then refocus your awareness on your right big toe....................the other toes, and repeat that sequence exactly as before. Next, focus your awareness on the thoughts which come into your mind. Now is not the time to follow those thoughts; just be aware of, and note them.

Then refocus your attention on your right big toe, and go through that sequence again..................... Next, refocus on anything you can hear.................. Then, once again, on your right big toe, and repeat that sequence. Then refocus on the thoughts coming into your mind..................... Keep repeating this process for around 20 minutes, at least. Eventually, the mind will tire of this, and reach a state of calm. If you are tired, or physically fatigued, you may find yourself falling asleep. You may then go through the process again. If it occurs regularly, however, ensure you are getting adequate sleep, and not running a "sleep deficit", like so many people in modern Western society, who are materially rich, but time poor. Try practising it earlier in the day, when you are alert, and rested. Otherwise, it should be regarded as an attempt by the negative part of your mind to resist change, which it regards as moving into unknown territory: a frightening prospect, for some people. Exercise determination, and persevere with the process".

Note: ................ denotes pauses.

[PositiveThinking!]

Have you tried Yoga Nidra? The vast majority of people who can make a voice recording, and follow the instructions can benefit from it.

For those who have, in the past, had difficulty meditating, I suggest trying Yoga Nidra, (actually a meditative process; no bodily flexibility required, just the ability to make a voice recording, and follow the instructions) because it operates on the principle of occupying, and tiring the "chattering monkey brain" until it seeks relief in the meditative state. It is best done in a comfortable sitting position in the mornings, when refreshed, as many people may otherwise fall asleep.

Make a voice recording of the set of instructions below; you can replay them alone, or with company.

The mind can be like a naughty child: what we tell it to do; it won't! So sit, or recline comfortably in a room, which is neither cold nor too warm, in dim light, but not in pitch darkness, with fingertips pointed upwards, not touching anything. Take plenty of time with each section: to hurry in this exercise is to completely miss the point. If others are involved, take even longer (ask later whether they felt hurried, and adjust).

"Focus all your awareness on your right big toe .... .... then the other toes of the right foot ... .... then that foot ... .... the ankle............. the calf.............. the knee... .... the thigh ... .... Then left big toe...........then other left toes..........then that foot...........the ankle.............the calf.............the knee............the thigh...........

Then the right thumb...........then other fingers of the right hand............then the right wrist............the forearm...........the elbow............the upper arm............the right shoulder. Then the left thumb..............then the other fingers of the left hand............then the wrist..............the forearm..............the elbow..............the upper arm................then the left shoulder................then the head................then the chest.................then the abdomen.... ....Then, focus your attention on any sounds you can hear; aeroplanes, traffic noise, children, or dogs barking in the distance................. Then refocus your awareness on your right big toe....................the other toes, and repeat that sequence exactly as before. Next, focus your awareness on the thoughts which come into your mind. Now is not the time to follow those thoughts; just be aware of, and note them.

Then refocus your attention on your right big toe, and go through that sequence again..................... Next, refocus on anything you can hear.................. Then, once again, on your right big toe, and repeat that sequence. Then refocus on the thoughts coming into your mind..................... Keep repeating this process for around 20 minutes, at least. Eventually, the mind will tire of this, and reach a state of calm. If you are tired, or physically fatigued, you may find yourself falling asleep. You may then go through the process again. If it occurs regularly, however, ensure you are getting adequate sleep, and not running a "sleep deficit", like so many people in modern Western society, who are materially rich, but time poor. Try practising it earlier in the day, when you are alert, and rested. Otherwise, it should be regarded as an attempt by the negative part of your mind to resist change, which it regards as moving into unknown territory: a frightening prospect, for some people. Exercise determination, and persevere with the process".

Note: ................ denotes pauses.

Thanks a lot, I'll be trying this out.