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Hi. I Have This Strange Thing Happening To Me Just
Question: Hi. I have this strange thing happening to me just as i drift off to sleep. Its like my brain is awake but my body is sleeping. I cant move or speak for what feels like a couple of minutes then i am able to jolt myself to wake up. Not sure what it is. I have had it before and am worried it might be a sign of a stroke or something like that. Thank you.
Hi. I have this strange thing happening to me just as i drift off to sleep. Its like my brain is awake but my body is sleeping. I cant move or speak for what feels like a couple of minutes then i am able to jolt myself to wake up. Not sure what it is. I have had it before and am worried it might be a sign of a stroke or something like that. Thank you.
Brief Answer:
Sleep paralysis is possibly occurring
Detailed Answer:
Your description of an inability to move for speak for several minutes before having to "jolt" yourself is consistent with a condition known as SLEEP PARALYSIS and this condition can be part of a bigger type of sleep disorder itself. Therefore, I believe a sleep study is in order to better define the entire picture.
The only thing that is not perfectly in line with the concept of sleep paralysis in this case is that you describe this going on as you're drifting to sleep. Sleep paralysis is generally something that occurs in people who have already FALLEN asleep and been asleep for some time but then, upon awakening they go through the things you talk about.
There is something that happens to just about EVERYONE as they're FALLING ASLEEP and this is a sudden body jerk and brief moment of disorientation or confusion as they JOLT and awaken from dozing off....and this is considered a NORMAL phenomenon that usually occurs in those who are just very, very, tired. What I just described is called a HYPNOGOGIC JERK. The same thing can happen upon awakening when we are in somewhat of a twilight state of alertness and there is a sudden jerk or jolt of the body as we begin to awake. If it happens at this end of the sleep cycle then, it is referred to as a HYPNOPOMPIC JERK......I can't quite tell which of the 3 phenomenon you may be talking about.
If you are definitely FULLY AWAKE after having slept for some time....and know for sure that you are not dreaming or in some type of hallucinogenic fog or disoriented at the time of believing you are awake then, the inability to MOVE YOUR BODY OR SPEAK (BTW, people can move their eyes but everything else is out of commission) then, you are likely talking about SLEEP PARALYSIS which could be a symptom of some other wider sleep problem such as NARCOLEPSY or something similar.
If you are having suddenly BODY JERKS or JOLTS that occur upon falling asleep and you may be in a light transition form of sleep or if you have already been asleep and are now starting to awaken but have a sudden jerk or jolt happen at that time accompanied by a momentary lapse in orientation (seconds in duration) you may be describing HYPNOPOMPIC OR HYPNOGOGIC JERKS. These are not considered abnormal or pathological but do seem to occur when people are just excessively tired and sleepy from being just plain tired.
In no case of either sleep paralysis or anything else I've talked about would the possibility of stroke, seizures, or aneurysms come into play because they simply don't present the way you've described so I'm rather confident you DON'T have any of those entities to worry about.
A sleep study GOOD SIR following a solid NEUROLOGICAL EXAMINATION and appropriate laboratory analyses will bring more focus to this problem and quite likely a diagnosis if the neurologist gets the same story from an in person examination as you're presenting to me at this time.
If I've provided useful and helpful information to your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY and be sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel so inclined? Again, many thanks for submitting your inquiry and please let me know how things turn out.
Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others. I'm also very interested in knowing how things turn out for you if you get any testing or evaluations done so drop me a line please :0
This query has utilized a total of 20 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
Sleep paralysis is possibly occurring
Detailed Answer:
Your description of an inability to move for speak for several minutes before having to "jolt" yourself is consistent with a condition known as SLEEP PARALYSIS and this condition can be part of a bigger type of sleep disorder itself. Therefore, I believe a sleep study is in order to better define the entire picture.
The only thing that is not perfectly in line with the concept of sleep paralysis in this case is that you describe this going on as you're drifting to sleep. Sleep paralysis is generally something that occurs in people who have already FALLEN asleep and been asleep for some time but then, upon awakening they go through the things you talk about.
There is something that happens to just about EVERYONE as they're FALLING ASLEEP and this is a sudden body jerk and brief moment of disorientation or confusion as they JOLT and awaken from dozing off....and this is considered a NORMAL phenomenon that usually occurs in those who are just very, very, tired. What I just described is called a HYPNOGOGIC JERK. The same thing can happen upon awakening when we are in somewhat of a twilight state of alertness and there is a sudden jerk or jolt of the body as we begin to awake. If it happens at this end of the sleep cycle then, it is referred to as a HYPNOPOMPIC JERK......I can't quite tell which of the 3 phenomenon you may be talking about.
If you are definitely FULLY AWAKE after having slept for some time....and know for sure that you are not dreaming or in some type of hallucinogenic fog or disoriented at the time of believing you are awake then, the inability to MOVE YOUR BODY OR SPEAK (BTW, people can move their eyes but everything else is out of commission) then, you are likely talking about SLEEP PARALYSIS which could be a symptom of some other wider sleep problem such as NARCOLEPSY or something similar.
If you are having suddenly BODY JERKS or JOLTS that occur upon falling asleep and you may be in a light transition form of sleep or if you have already been asleep and are now starting to awaken but have a sudden jerk or jolt happen at that time accompanied by a momentary lapse in orientation (seconds in duration) you may be describing HYPNOPOMPIC OR HYPNOGOGIC JERKS. These are not considered abnormal or pathological but do seem to occur when people are just excessively tired and sleepy from being just plain tired.
In no case of either sleep paralysis or anything else I've talked about would the possibility of stroke, seizures, or aneurysms come into play because they simply don't present the way you've described so I'm rather confident you DON'T have any of those entities to worry about.
A sleep study GOOD SIR following a solid NEUROLOGICAL EXAMINATION and appropriate laboratory analyses will bring more focus to this problem and quite likely a diagnosis if the neurologist gets the same story from an in person examination as you're presenting to me at this time.
If I've provided useful and helpful information to your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY and be sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel so inclined? Again, many thanks for submitting your inquiry and please let me know how things turn out.
Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others. I'm also very interested in knowing how things turn out for you if you get any testing or evaluations done so drop me a line please :0
This query has utilized a total of 20 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Brief Answer:
Sleep paralysis is possibly occurring
Detailed Answer:
Your description of an inability to move for speak for several minutes before having to "jolt" yourself is consistent with a condition known as SLEEP PARALYSIS and this condition can be part of a bigger type of sleep disorder itself. Therefore, I believe a sleep study is in order to better define the entire picture.
The only thing that is not perfectly in line with the concept of sleep paralysis in this case is that you describe this going on as you're drifting to sleep. Sleep paralysis is generally something that occurs in people who have already FALLEN asleep and been asleep for some time but then, upon awakening they go through the things you talk about.
There is something that happens to just about EVERYONE as they're FALLING ASLEEP and this is a sudden body jerk and brief moment of disorientation or confusion as they JOLT and awaken from dozing off....and this is considered a NORMAL phenomenon that usually occurs in those who are just very, very, tired. What I just described is called a HYPNOGOGIC JERK. The same thing can happen upon awakening when we are in somewhat of a twilight state of alertness and there is a sudden jerk or jolt of the body as we begin to awake. If it happens at this end of the sleep cycle then, it is referred to as a HYPNOPOMPIC JERK......I can't quite tell which of the 3 phenomenon you may be talking about.
If you are definitely FULLY AWAKE after having slept for some time....and know for sure that you are not dreaming or in some type of hallucinogenic fog or disoriented at the time of believing you are awake then, the inability to MOVE YOUR BODY OR SPEAK (BTW, people can move their eyes but everything else is out of commission) then, you are likely talking about SLEEP PARALYSIS which could be a symptom of some other wider sleep problem such as NARCOLEPSY or something similar.
If you are having suddenly BODY JERKS or JOLTS that occur upon falling asleep and you may be in a light transition form of sleep or if you have already been asleep and are now starting to awaken but have a sudden jerk or jolt happen at that time accompanied by a momentary lapse in orientation (seconds in duration) you may be describing HYPNOPOMPIC OR HYPNOGOGIC JERKS. These are not considered abnormal or pathological but do seem to occur when people are just excessively tired and sleepy from being just plain tired.
In no case of either sleep paralysis or anything else I've talked about would the possibility of stroke, seizures, or aneurysms come into play because they simply don't present the way you've described so I'm rather confident you DON'T have any of those entities to worry about.
A sleep study GOOD SIR following a solid NEUROLOGICAL EXAMINATION and appropriate laboratory analyses will bring more focus to this problem and quite likely a diagnosis if the neurologist gets the same story from an in person examination as you're presenting to me at this time.
If I've provided useful and helpful information to your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY and be sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel so inclined? Again, many thanks for submitting your inquiry and please let me know how things turn out.
Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others. I'm also very interested in knowing how things turn out for you if you get any testing or evaluations done so drop me a line please :0
This query has utilized a total of 20 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
Sleep paralysis is possibly occurring
Detailed Answer:
Your description of an inability to move for speak for several minutes before having to "jolt" yourself is consistent with a condition known as SLEEP PARALYSIS and this condition can be part of a bigger type of sleep disorder itself. Therefore, I believe a sleep study is in order to better define the entire picture.
The only thing that is not perfectly in line with the concept of sleep paralysis in this case is that you describe this going on as you're drifting to sleep. Sleep paralysis is generally something that occurs in people who have already FALLEN asleep and been asleep for some time but then, upon awakening they go through the things you talk about.
There is something that happens to just about EVERYONE as they're FALLING ASLEEP and this is a sudden body jerk and brief moment of disorientation or confusion as they JOLT and awaken from dozing off....and this is considered a NORMAL phenomenon that usually occurs in those who are just very, very, tired. What I just described is called a HYPNOGOGIC JERK. The same thing can happen upon awakening when we are in somewhat of a twilight state of alertness and there is a sudden jerk or jolt of the body as we begin to awake. If it happens at this end of the sleep cycle then, it is referred to as a HYPNOPOMPIC JERK......I can't quite tell which of the 3 phenomenon you may be talking about.
If you are definitely FULLY AWAKE after having slept for some time....and know for sure that you are not dreaming or in some type of hallucinogenic fog or disoriented at the time of believing you are awake then, the inability to MOVE YOUR BODY OR SPEAK (BTW, people can move their eyes but everything else is out of commission) then, you are likely talking about SLEEP PARALYSIS which could be a symptom of some other wider sleep problem such as NARCOLEPSY or something similar.
If you are having suddenly BODY JERKS or JOLTS that occur upon falling asleep and you may be in a light transition form of sleep or if you have already been asleep and are now starting to awaken but have a sudden jerk or jolt happen at that time accompanied by a momentary lapse in orientation (seconds in duration) you may be describing HYPNOPOMPIC OR HYPNOGOGIC JERKS. These are not considered abnormal or pathological but do seem to occur when people are just excessively tired and sleepy from being just plain tired.
In no case of either sleep paralysis or anything else I've talked about would the possibility of stroke, seizures, or aneurysms come into play because they simply don't present the way you've described so I'm rather confident you DON'T have any of those entities to worry about.
A sleep study GOOD SIR following a solid NEUROLOGICAL EXAMINATION and appropriate laboratory analyses will bring more focus to this problem and quite likely a diagnosis if the neurologist gets the same story from an in person examination as you're presenting to me at this time.
If I've provided useful and helpful information to your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY and be sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel so inclined? Again, many thanks for submitting your inquiry and please let me know how things turn out.
Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others. I'm also very interested in knowing how things turn out for you if you get any testing or evaluations done so drop me a line please :0
This query has utilized a total of 20 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
I get both. The way you described it is right. I have fallen into a light sleep and woken and then when awoken an only move my eyes. The first time it happened it was extremely scary. Now that it has happened a few times its almost come to a point of acceptance and almost enjoyable but still scary at the same time. I do in fact when extremely tired get the jolt when trying to sleep. As i am dozing off i get the that jolt you mentioned. It is hard to describe sometimes doctor. When the sleep paralysis happens i am in two minds weather to wait it out and wake up or try to fall asleep.
I get both. The way you described it is right. I have fallen into a light sleep and woken and then when awoken an only move my eyes. The first time it happened it was extremely scary. Now that it has happened a few times its almost come to a point of acceptance and almost enjoyable but still scary at the same time. I do in fact when extremely tired get the jolt when trying to sleep. As i am dozing off i get the that jolt you mentioned. It is hard to describe sometimes doctor. When the sleep paralysis happens i am in two minds weather to wait it out and wake up or try to fall asleep.
Brief Answer:
You will find out more information with a sleep study.
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for clarifying that you have both types of situations going on.
Again, to recap my thoughts from the previous response. Nodding off and being in a transition between very light sleep and deeper sleep which then, results in a sudden BODY JERK or JOLT that causes you to awaken and be slightly disoriented is known as a HYPNOGOGIC JERK. It is generally not felt to be indicative of any type of sleep pathology. Rather, it is generally associated with excessive fatigue or physical exhaustion which probably happens to everyone from time to time. The jerk happens in that twilight moment of falling into a deeper stage of sleep before normal sleep cycles begin.
Knowing that you are awake but being entirely unable to react to your environment, contract any of your large muscle groups, or even vocalize but being able to move the eyes about for anywhere from seconds to as long as minutes is highly descriptive of SLEEP PARALYSIS and this is considered to be indicative of a sleep disorder or pathology which often times is part of a larger spectrum of disease such as NARCOLEPSY or other sleep disorder which should be addressed.
The way to do this is to seek out a SLEEP SPECIALIST which could be either a NEUROLOGIST or a PULMONOLOGIST. They will run a series of tests, labs, perhaps imaging studies of the head, and may even choose to suggest getting some spinal fluid taken for analysis. They may run electroencephalograms on your (EEG) in order to come up with the final type of parasomnia but usually the condition is treatable so it's worth the effort to get the diagnosis.
If you work on making sure you do not exhaust yourself by getting too little sleep by staying up too late at night or getting up too early....or even OVERSLEEPING thinking that you need to catch up then, you may improve the HYPNOGOGIC JERKS. The sleep paralysis will likely require more aggressive interventions and medication but that remains to be seen following examination and testing.
Cheers and here's to finding the right doctor to help you identify exactly what the underlying diagnosis may be. I believe it is highly likely that you have SLEEP PARALYSIS as part of a larger sleep disorder entity such as NARCOLEPSY and possibly some form of OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA. There's also a very small chance that part of what you're describing could be REM BEHAVIOR SLEEP DISORDER but I don't think that's a high probability diagnosis. I much rather like the first 2 I told you about.
Once again, could you do me a solid favor by CLOSING THE QUERY being sure to include some words of POSITIVE feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel that my responses are worthy? It would be wonderful to get some followup on you at some point down the road so please drop me a line at:
www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi
and tell me about the SLEEP STUDY or send the report ahead for commentary.
This query has utilized a total of 78 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
You will find out more information with a sleep study.
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for clarifying that you have both types of situations going on.
Again, to recap my thoughts from the previous response. Nodding off and being in a transition between very light sleep and deeper sleep which then, results in a sudden BODY JERK or JOLT that causes you to awaken and be slightly disoriented is known as a HYPNOGOGIC JERK. It is generally not felt to be indicative of any type of sleep pathology. Rather, it is generally associated with excessive fatigue or physical exhaustion which probably happens to everyone from time to time. The jerk happens in that twilight moment of falling into a deeper stage of sleep before normal sleep cycles begin.
Knowing that you are awake but being entirely unable to react to your environment, contract any of your large muscle groups, or even vocalize but being able to move the eyes about for anywhere from seconds to as long as minutes is highly descriptive of SLEEP PARALYSIS and this is considered to be indicative of a sleep disorder or pathology which often times is part of a larger spectrum of disease such as NARCOLEPSY or other sleep disorder which should be addressed.
The way to do this is to seek out a SLEEP SPECIALIST which could be either a NEUROLOGIST or a PULMONOLOGIST. They will run a series of tests, labs, perhaps imaging studies of the head, and may even choose to suggest getting some spinal fluid taken for analysis. They may run electroencephalograms on your (EEG) in order to come up with the final type of parasomnia but usually the condition is treatable so it's worth the effort to get the diagnosis.
If you work on making sure you do not exhaust yourself by getting too little sleep by staying up too late at night or getting up too early....or even OVERSLEEPING thinking that you need to catch up then, you may improve the HYPNOGOGIC JERKS. The sleep paralysis will likely require more aggressive interventions and medication but that remains to be seen following examination and testing.
Cheers and here's to finding the right doctor to help you identify exactly what the underlying diagnosis may be. I believe it is highly likely that you have SLEEP PARALYSIS as part of a larger sleep disorder entity such as NARCOLEPSY and possibly some form of OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA. There's also a very small chance that part of what you're describing could be REM BEHAVIOR SLEEP DISORDER but I don't think that's a high probability diagnosis. I much rather like the first 2 I told you about.
Once again, could you do me a solid favor by CLOSING THE QUERY being sure to include some words of POSITIVE feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel that my responses are worthy? It would be wonderful to get some followup on you at some point down the road so please drop me a line at:
www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi
and tell me about the SLEEP STUDY or send the report ahead for commentary.
This query has utilized a total of 78 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Kampana
Brief Answer:
You will find out more information with a sleep study.
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for clarifying that you have both types of situations going on.
Again, to recap my thoughts from the previous response. Nodding off and being in a transition between very light sleep and deeper sleep which then, results in a sudden BODY JERK or JOLT that causes you to awaken and be slightly disoriented is known as a HYPNOGOGIC JERK. It is generally not felt to be indicative of any type of sleep pathology. Rather, it is generally associated with excessive fatigue or physical exhaustion which probably happens to everyone from time to time. The jerk happens in that twilight moment of falling into a deeper stage of sleep before normal sleep cycles begin.
Knowing that you are awake but being entirely unable to react to your environment, contract any of your large muscle groups, or even vocalize but being able to move the eyes about for anywhere from seconds to as long as minutes is highly descriptive of SLEEP PARALYSIS and this is considered to be indicative of a sleep disorder or pathology which often times is part of a larger spectrum of disease such as NARCOLEPSY or other sleep disorder which should be addressed.
The way to do this is to seek out a SLEEP SPECIALIST which could be either a NEUROLOGIST or a PULMONOLOGIST. They will run a series of tests, labs, perhaps imaging studies of the head, and may even choose to suggest getting some spinal fluid taken for analysis. They may run electroencephalograms on your (EEG) in order to come up with the final type of parasomnia but usually the condition is treatable so it's worth the effort to get the diagnosis.
If you work on making sure you do not exhaust yourself by getting too little sleep by staying up too late at night or getting up too early....or even OVERSLEEPING thinking that you need to catch up then, you may improve the HYPNOGOGIC JERKS. The sleep paralysis will likely require more aggressive interventions and medication but that remains to be seen following examination and testing.
Cheers and here's to finding the right doctor to help you identify exactly what the underlying diagnosis may be. I believe it is highly likely that you have SLEEP PARALYSIS as part of a larger sleep disorder entity such as NARCOLEPSY and possibly some form of OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA. There's also a very small chance that part of what you're describing could be REM BEHAVIOR SLEEP DISORDER but I don't think that's a high probability diagnosis. I much rather like the first 2 I told you about.
Once again, could you do me a solid favor by CLOSING THE QUERY being sure to include some words of POSITIVE feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel that my responses are worthy? It would be wonderful to get some followup on you at some point down the road so please drop me a line at:
www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi
and tell me about the SLEEP STUDY or send the report ahead for commentary.
This query has utilized a total of 78 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
You will find out more information with a sleep study.
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for clarifying that you have both types of situations going on.
Again, to recap my thoughts from the previous response. Nodding off and being in a transition between very light sleep and deeper sleep which then, results in a sudden BODY JERK or JOLT that causes you to awaken and be slightly disoriented is known as a HYPNOGOGIC JERK. It is generally not felt to be indicative of any type of sleep pathology. Rather, it is generally associated with excessive fatigue or physical exhaustion which probably happens to everyone from time to time. The jerk happens in that twilight moment of falling into a deeper stage of sleep before normal sleep cycles begin.
Knowing that you are awake but being entirely unable to react to your environment, contract any of your large muscle groups, or even vocalize but being able to move the eyes about for anywhere from seconds to as long as minutes is highly descriptive of SLEEP PARALYSIS and this is considered to be indicative of a sleep disorder or pathology which often times is part of a larger spectrum of disease such as NARCOLEPSY or other sleep disorder which should be addressed.
The way to do this is to seek out a SLEEP SPECIALIST which could be either a NEUROLOGIST or a PULMONOLOGIST. They will run a series of tests, labs, perhaps imaging studies of the head, and may even choose to suggest getting some spinal fluid taken for analysis. They may run electroencephalograms on your (EEG) in order to come up with the final type of parasomnia but usually the condition is treatable so it's worth the effort to get the diagnosis.
If you work on making sure you do not exhaust yourself by getting too little sleep by staying up too late at night or getting up too early....or even OVERSLEEPING thinking that you need to catch up then, you may improve the HYPNOGOGIC JERKS. The sleep paralysis will likely require more aggressive interventions and medication but that remains to be seen following examination and testing.
Cheers and here's to finding the right doctor to help you identify exactly what the underlying diagnosis may be. I believe it is highly likely that you have SLEEP PARALYSIS as part of a larger sleep disorder entity such as NARCOLEPSY and possibly some form of OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA. There's also a very small chance that part of what you're describing could be REM BEHAVIOR SLEEP DISORDER but I don't think that's a high probability diagnosis. I much rather like the first 2 I told you about.
Once again, could you do me a solid favor by CLOSING THE QUERY being sure to include some words of POSITIVE feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel that my responses are worthy? It would be wonderful to get some followup on you at some point down the road so please drop me a line at:
www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi
and tell me about the SLEEP STUDY or send the report ahead for commentary.
This query has utilized a total of 78 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Kampana
Answered by
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