Top 10 Bizarre Sleep Disorders
Published on July 19, 2008 - 178 Comments
Sleep is something we all do - mostly every day (except on all nighters reading Listverse or studying) and for most people it is one of the great pleasures in life. But sadly, for many people, with sleep comes problems - some of which can be extremely serious. This is a list of the 10 weirdest sleep disorders.
In this disorder, a person loses paralysis which is normal for the Rapid Eye Movement period, causing their body to freely act out their dreams. These behaviours can be violent in nature and in some cases will result in injury to either the patient or their bed partner. RBD is a treatable condition. The standard therapy is the anti-convulsant drug clonazepam, and this is generally received very well. The reason for its effectiveness is unknown, but it restores the natural paralyzed state of a person in the REM stage of sleep.
A night terror is a parasomnia sleep disorder characterized by extreme terror and a temporary inability to regain full consciousness. The subject wakes abruptly from slow-wave sleep, with waking usually accompanied by gasping, moaning, or screaming. It is often impossible to fully awaken the person, and after the episode the subject normally settles back to sleep without waking. A night terror can rarely be recalled by the subject. Night terrors are distinct from nightmares in several key ways. First, the subject is not fully awake when roused, and even when efforts are made to awaken the sleeper, he/she may continue to experience the night terror for ten to twenty minutes. Often times it’s extremely dangerous for the person, for it can cause trauma, and even hurting someone (e.g. trying to kill “the murderer” and in fact injuring someone else).
Bruxism is the disorder in which a person grinds or clenches their jaw during sleep. It is one of the most common sleep disorders with up to 40 million Americans suffering from it. This disorder can result in serious damage to the teeth so treatment is well advised. It can lead to facial pain and headaches, and in severe, chronic cases, it can lead to arthritis of the temporomandibular joints. Most bruxers are not aware of their bruxism and only 5-10% go on to develop symptoms such as jaw pain and headache. While there is no cure for this disorder, doctors either recommend mouthguards or botox injections.
While this disorder can effect a person who is awake, it is at its worst during sleep or periods of non-movemement. Restless Legs Syndrome is a condition that is characterized by an irresistible urge to move one’s body to stop uncomfortable or odd sensations. It most commonly affects the legs, but can also be in the arms and torso. Moving the affected body part modulates the sensations, providing temporary relief. For relief of this disorder, some doctors prescribe anticonvulsants, opioids (such as methadone), or Benzodiazepines. Medicating a person with Restless Legs Syndrome is currently a controversial practice.
This odd (and extremely rare) disorder consists of a person’s body not recognizing the 24 hour sleep cycle. Consequently, the body will not allow itself to sleep in a regular day/night pattern. Left untreated, non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome causes a person’s sleep-wake cycle to change every day, the degree determined by how much over 24 hours the cycle lasts. The cycle may go around the clock, eventually returning to “normal” for one or two days before going “off” again. In many cases it can take up to a week for the body to complete one cycle of its disturbed pattern. To add even further weirdness, this disorder takes place almost exclusively in blind people (though there have been one or two accounts of a sighted person suffering from it).
Sleep apnea is characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. Each episode lasts long enough so that one or more breaths are missed, and occurs repeatedly throughout sleep. Clinically significant levels of sleep apnea are defined as five or more episodes per hour. Individuals suffering from this sleep disorder are rarely aware of having difficulty breathing, even upon awakening. It is usually recognized as a problem by others witnessing the individual during episodes or is suspected because of its effects on the body. Symptoms may be present for years, even decades without identification, during which time the sufferer may become conditioned to the daytime sleepiness and fatigue associated with significant levels of sleep disturbance. The most common treatment treatment for sleep apnea is the use of a positive airway pressure (PAP) device. The PAP ’splints’ the patient’s airway open during sleep by means of a flow of pressurized air into the throat. Other treatments such as surgery and medication also exist.
Kleine-Levin syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by the need for excessive amounts of sleep, sometimes for up to 20 hours a day, and is normally accompanied with excessive food intake (compulsive hyperphagia) and an abnormally uninhibited sexual drive (hypersexuality). While some researchers speculate that Kleine-Levin syndrome is the cause of a hereditary predisposition, others believe the condition may be the result of an autoimmune disorder. There is no definitive treatment for Kleine-Levin syndrome. Stimulants, including amphetamines, methylphenidate, imipramine and modafinil, administered orally, are used to treat sleepiness. Because of similarities between Kleine-Levin syndrome and certain mood disorders, lithium and carbamazepine may be prescribed. Responses to treatment have often been limited.
Somiloquy refers to talking aloud in one’s sleep. It can be quite loud, ranging from simple sounds to long speeches, and can occur many times during sleep. Listeners may or may not be able to understand what the person is saying. Sleep-talking usually occurs during transitory arousals from non-REM sleep, which is when the body does not move smoothly from one stage in non-REM sleep to another, and they become partially aroused from sleep. Further it can also occur during REM sleep at which time it represents a motor breakthrough of dream speech, when words spoken in a dream are spoken out loud. There are no medical treatments for this, but in order to prevent sleep-talking a mouthguard may be worn.
Narcolepsy is a neurological sleep disorder that is commonly associated with falling asleep at random times. Narcoleptics tend to fall directly into REM sleep, when most dreaming occurs, and less commonly enter deeper and more restful stages of non-REM sleep. As a result, they are unable to stay awake for extended periods of time, and upon falling back asleep, they still are unable experience sleep’s more restorative stages - - causing a vicious cycle of extreme sleepiness and inability to stay awake after having slept. Another symptom can include cataplexy, the sudden collapse of an individual into REM sleep upon experiencing strong emotions. Sleep paralysis and hypnogogic hallucinations (hallucinations which accompany sleep paralysis) are also known to be symptoms. The cause of narcolepsy has not been determined. It is widely believed to be an autoimmune disorder, but it may also be genetic. Treatments include stimulants, anti-depressants, or hypnotic medications such as Xyrem.
Sexsomnia is a sleep disorder which causes people to commit sexual acts while they are asleep. It is considered to be a distinct variant of sleepwalking. In some cases, sufferers are aware of their behavior for a long time before they seek help, often because they lack information that it is a medical disorder or for fear that others will judge it as willful behavior rather than a medical condition. However, the reality of sexsomnia has been confirmed by sleep disorder researchers who have made polygraphic and video recordings of patients with the condition while they are asleep and observed unusual brain wave activity during the episodes. Treatments are similar to those of other non-REM parasomnias such as sleep walking, which may involve specific interventions. By avoiding precipitating factors and ensuring for the safe environment, the condition could be brought to high level of control with a minimal effort. Sexsomnia is not always problematic or extreme for those who experience it or for their partners. There is a great variety in both the frequency and levels to which people are affected by this disorder.
This article is licensed under the GFDL because it contains quotations from Wikipedia.
Contributor: TonyR and JFrater
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1. ohrmets - July 20th, 2008 at 3:14 am
Sexsomnia? I’m pretty sure I saw that in a porno once, j/k
2. Ro - July 20th, 2008 at 3:17 am
Doesn’t everybody have #6 at some point in their lives?
3. Ro - July 20th, 2008 at 3:20 am
Ohrmets, good one. I couldn’t resist laughing.
4. jfrater - July 20th, 2008 at 3:20 am
Ro: I have never had it. And as it says in the comment - it is EXTREMELY rare and happens mostly to blind people.
5. pdxstargazer - July 20th, 2008 at 3:23 am
Great list! I think i suffer from 3 of those: Restless Legs Syndrome, Sleep apnea, and Sleep talking.
6. jake ryder - July 20th, 2008 at 3:27 am
#6 I might have this just from being a shift worker.
7. meow - July 20th, 2008 at 3:34 am
wow I have two or three of these.Definitely no.7, maybe n. 8, I dont know and a bit of no. 4
8. Sherrie - July 20th, 2008 at 3:38 am
Thank-you for including Restless Legs. I have suffered all my life and as a child was never able to adequately explain the symptom/sensations and still cannot now. I found out the name of the condition later in like(thank you Google!!)
9. Charmie - July 20th, 2008 at 3:40 am
No. 7 for me. I’m always doing it, even when I’m not asleep. :/
10. Danni - July 20th, 2008 at 3:42 am
I remember when I was youger that I would try to get my mom to talk in her sleep. I’d ask her questions, then bug her until she gave me an answer that made no sense. Mean, I know. Well, I guess Karma has finally come back, because now I talk in my sleep. I’ve been told that I ask questions and argue while I’m asleep. Hehe, I also have hallucinations right after I wake up sometimes, dreaming with my eyes open I guess. I saw a pink Tweety Bird engraved in our floor once, then got mad because nobody else could see it. I guess these sleep things are hereditary.
11. Kora - July 20th, 2008 at 3:58 am
I have sleep apnea. Before getting my machine I’d fall asleep whilst driving (in heavy slow traffic), at my desk at work (the only thing which woke me up was my head falling foward toward the desk at a great pace) but the thing that finally made me seek help was when I fell asleep whilst standing. I was walking to the loo and fell against the wall and slept for a couple of seconds. The sleep clinic said that even though I was getting 8 hours sleep, I was only getting about 2 hours restful sleep. My machine has honestly saved my life.
12. romerozombie - July 20th, 2008 at 3:58 am
I have 3/10. Just the other night I woke myself up thrashing about in bad because I was surrounded by people I didn’t like in my dream.
13. romerozombie - July 20th, 2008 at 4:01 am
The worst thing that happened to me was I woke up still dreaming or something, paralysed in bed. It felt like someone was sitting on my chest. But then I was able to turn my head and saw a red-eeyd rottweiler growling at me from across the room. O_O
14. astraya - July 20th, 2008 at 4:21 am
I read an article about a young man with no 4 and they timed his sleep patterns to the phases of the moon. He was blind, and never saw the moon.
I often dream that I’ve “woken up”, then bizarre things start happening, and I semi-consciously think “hang on, this isn’t right”, and then I wake up properly. This is called “false awakening”.
15. Sickophant - July 20th, 2008 at 4:37 am
What’s the condition called when you realise you’re in a dream and can actually take some control of it? I have had this happen twice in my life and it was absolutely brilliant.
16. lola - July 20th, 2008 at 4:53 am
15. It is called lucid dream
17. ciunas - July 20th, 2008 at 5:27 am
Interesting list — thanks.
I can have conversations — surreal conversations — with my partner while she’s asleep.
She’s also prone to hypnagogic jactitation, which means she twitches abruptly as she’s falling asleep.
18. ringtailroxy - July 20th, 2008 at 5:43 am
astraya~ I do this often enough to remember it upon waking, as well!
I was going thru a lot of stress very recently-and my boyfriend told me he could actually HEAR me grinding my teeth at night. I went to my Dentist and she said she could tell I was wearing down the “tarsi” of my molars on my left side of my mouth. (tarsi are the unique projections on your teeth)so I wore a mouth guard, like a boxer, for a few weeks and it went away.
also- now I know there is a name for what I’ve always called “sleep sex” I have been with my BF for 13 years, and on more than one occasion, I have awoken to find myself doing things of a sexual nature… and sometimes, even full-blown sex (on top), without realizing how I got there! It’s rather nice to awaken that way…and he has no complaints… the crazy thing is, the dreams that accompany these little acts are rarely of a sexual nature… mostly colors or forests and trees! or of being an observer of a race…
ringtailroxy
19. Sickophant - July 20th, 2008 at 5:43 am
lola: Many thanks.
20. caboose - July 20th, 2008 at 5:50 am
Good list, I wouldn’t really call it bizzare though otherwise I’m one bizzare person.
Number six intrigues me, I suffer from an unruly sleep cycle but I’m not sure if its the same thing when I read “(and extremely rare)” and “this disorder takes place almost exclusively in blind people”.
21. Scar - July 20th, 2008 at 5:56 am
I talk in my sleep. A LOT. I’ll yell peoples names, burst into tears, shout obscenities, yell, beg people to stop, or just talk.
I used to think I had night terrors when I was younger, because at sleepovers and such people would tell me that I sat up in the middle of the night, yelled, and went back to sleep.
Then I started remembering the ‘terrors’ myself, sitting up, yelling, rapid heart beat, heavy breathing. But they went away.
I think I should get treatment for number 10!
If I sleep in a bed with anyone, it’s miserable for them, I smack them, kick them, punch them, I shoved my grandma off a bed once. I don’t realize doing it though. And I’ll have a really good dream, and in my dream I’ll be like, “WOW, I HOPE THIS ISN’T A DREAM!” And smash my hand against something, and whilst doing that in my dream I do it in real life.
22. Glowbug - July 20th, 2008 at 6:07 am
I find it disturbing that I suffer from seven or eight of the ten you’ve listed!
23. Fat - July 20th, 2008 at 6:23 am
I have suffered from ‘Sleep Paralysis’ in the past, not sure how it didn’t make this list as i’d think it is bit more bizarre to be concious while still ‘asleep’ (technically), then have a demon rape/attack/suffocate you while you can’t move anything other than your lips/eyes… more bizarre than it would be to grind your teeth or talk. =/
I’ll just assume the OP didn’t research enough disorders, or has been attacked by demons in his concious sleep for so long that he thinks it’s normal.
24. Glowbug - July 20th, 2008 at 6:27 am
Fat - You raise a very valid point. I’ve never thought grinding my teeth was that unusual compared to some sleep disorders. Do you still suffer for paralytic fits in sleep? I don’t mean to be forward or anything, I’m just a nosy son of a gun
25. Marie - July 20th, 2008 at 6:36 am
I’m going to have to agree that some of these disorders are quite mundane and do not deserve the title “bizarre”, other than that, good list! I have night terrors, at least I’ve been told i do, freaked my roomate out.
26. Teapixie - July 20th, 2008 at 6:57 am
I used to be married to a sleep talker (And now….heeeeerrrreees Edna! One of my favourites.), and now I have a hubby with restless leg syndrome. I soon have to be tested for sleep apnea, and I used to grind my teeth as a kid. Man, I am really, really tired. Might go to bed now.
27. dangorironhide - July 20th, 2008 at 7:05 am
Very interesting list, I hadn’t heard of most of these & it was good reading about them.
My sleep problems are all my own doing, though, this list hasn’t given me any excuses!
28. Brian - July 20th, 2008 at 7:28 am
#4 Kleine Levin Disease is very tough to deal with. I have had it for about 6 years. Stanford University Dr. Minot is the highest regarded specialist in this area. I have had some success with lithium - but still have attacks from time to time. My employer is very understanding as one year I missed 65 days of work - and they still paid me and I did not lose my job. This is a very debilitating condition that may last a few days to a few weeks at a time. Please check out Stanford University if you think you have this condition.
29. kiki - July 20th, 2008 at 7:30 am
i hope my fiance develops number 1 soon. i’d enjoy that. =)
my brother talks in his sleep. i recorded it in my phone. then i blackmailed him.
30. Twinkle - July 20th, 2008 at 7:35 am
how about sleep paralysis? it’s just simply annoying. when you’re dreaming ur awake but you can’t move yourself. or can’t fully wake yourself up. i always experience that.
31. jake - July 20th, 2008 at 7:39 am
if my girlfriend had sleep sex with me id never tell her any different id let her do her thing can u blame me i dont think theres a guy one here that would say “oh baby wake up!” all off them would enjoy the ride
32. Ro - July 20th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Mr.Frater(#4)
Well yes, it wasn’t the exact thing, but after staying up all night to watch the Euro, my 24 hour sleeping pattern went haywire. And often during the day I would doze off only to wake up after 1 or 2 hours.
33. Ghidoran - July 20th, 2008 at 8:36 am
I used to suffer from no.5
34. Kreachure - July 20th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Intersting list. But I, too, expected to see sleep paralysis (as an item, not only a symptom).
You realize you’re sleeping, you want to wake up, but you can’t open your eyes or move your body at all.
It takes me an incredible effort to wake up from this. I always wake up gasping and scared.
It’s horrible.
35. warningdontreadthis - July 20th, 2008 at 9:04 am
I just have insomnia and sometimes I’m hypersomnic, and I tell ya thats shit…
36. warningdontreadthis - July 20th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Kreachure: It sounds horrific.
37. Mom424 - July 20th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Very cool list gentlemen, Good Job!
One of my kids suffered night terrors, generally I just talked softly and reassuringly, and made sure he was ok and in his bed. He had them until he was 6 or 7.
Isn’t the non-24 hour #6 day/sleep cycle related to daylight and the pineal gland. If born blind you’re body would have a much more difficult time getting in synch. When doing your research did they specify born blind? or was there no such distinction?
I have listened to my two older kids have grand old conversations with each other while sleeping, the subject matter did not match, just the timing. For example the eldest would say something along the lines of “We whooped St. Joe’s last night” and Ian would respond with “Eggs for breakfast is good”. High hilarity in the middle of the night.
A fellow here in Canada was found not guilty of murdering his in-laws because he suffers from #1. They were able to prove he had no knowledge of the crime until he woke up the next day covered in blood.
38. Catty - July 20th, 2008 at 9:15 am
I suffer from number 9. It really sucks because even with the medicine that I am on I still fall asleep without any control. Before being treated I slept through all my classes, I am in college, so now I am really behind in school when I should be graduating this spring. I have been dealing with this since I was young, it just gets worse as you grow older. Great list, being a sleep disorder patient I also suffer others on the list as well.
39. ohrmets - July 20th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Ro,
I know what you mean about irregular sleep cycles. I’m currently working on my PhD, in the summertime with no other job or time commitments. I wake up and go to bed whenever I want/need to. But because I don’t have to get up early for work like everyone else, my cycle gets all screwy. Waking up at 9pm a couple days in a row gets kind of depressing, haha.
40. toolnut - July 20th, 2008 at 9:44 am
We studied most of these disorders in my psychology class. I find them all very interesting. My sister is a sleep walker and a sleep talker. I used to try to stay up and wait for her to start talking so I could tease her about it later. My mother use to have to block the stairs and lock all the doors so my sister couldn’t get out. aaah, good times, good times.
Very nice list!
41. Rylan - July 20th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Antidepressants can cause vivid and even lucid dreaming. Ten to fifteen times on any given night I will be convinced that it is the morning and I am awake going about the day, only to be “slammed” back to the reality that I am still in bed. I take Lexapro, Elavil, Tofranil, and Remeron; if I also take an antihistamine the intensity and realism of the dreams are magnified.
Bruxism is awful, even with a mouth guard I have headaches everyday that resemble symptoms of both tension and migraine headaches.
42. infallibleangel - July 20th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Hee hee…. #7= “Jimmy Legs”
43. Mark - July 20th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Sleep paralysis???
44. Sarah - July 20th, 2008 at 10:25 am
I grind my teeth, sleep talk, sleep walk, and get the occassional night terror…would be interesting to know if there is a correlation with epilepsy, especially since a lot of the treatments include anticonvulsants (I’m epileptic- febrile grand mals as a child, petit mals now)…they finally gave me a mouth guard, since I’d worn the points off my eye teeth, without even realizing it! Very cool list- I like stuff like this. Keep ‘em coming, guys!
45. Eve - July 20th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Jfrater: I think there is a grammar mistake in #7
“While this disorder can effect a person who is awake, it is at its worst during sleep or periods of non-movemement.”
It should be affect.
46. segue - July 20th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Yikes!
Sleep disorders are a horrendous fact of life for those who suffer them, and for their partners.
*I suffered, for a time, with # 10, Rapid Eye Movement Behavior Disorder. Sadly, I lived alone, and would do things like cooking, driving, cutting…it was, in my case at least, brought on by the use of Ambien, but continued even after the drug was withdrawn.
Clonzazepam, which I still take 9 yrs later, saved my life.
*#8, Bruxism, was another gift of my illness. So severe was the bruxism (the nighttime grinding was due to extreme pain) , that I finally had to have a complete mouth/jaw reconstruction…22 crowns and 12 porcelain veneers. My latest drug regime should prevent further recurrence (I hope!).
*#5, Sleep Apnea. I had both central core and obstructive sleep apnea. Being slim, no one could believe I had obstructive apnea until they saw my dental x-rays, and what the bruxism had done. The obstructive issue has been dealt with, but the central apnea, the part where my brain forgets to tell my body to breathe, is, and always will, be with me. So I sleep with a BiPAP and and Oxygen Concentrator (my O2 levels, without it, fall into the 80% range).
The apnea may be due to the treatments I receive for my major, underlying, disease.
Fat and Kreachure, I have had countless experiences with sleep paralysis myself since childhood. Kreachure, your description of horror is absolutely spot on!
Oh, how I hate the noise of dread which seems to permeate the room! And the feeling of complete evil, just out of eye sight, waiting to pounce. Unlike you, my eyes are open, but unmovable, and the air in front of me is filled with strange, glowing symbols of different colors in different “levels”, unreadable, but somehow important.
Whenever I find myself in that situation, I concentrate on moving my right pinky. I put every effort, every ounce of concentration, on moving my right pinky. I never know how long it takes, but the instant I can move that little finger the entire spell is broken!
Waiting for that pinky to move is like waiting for geologic time to pass.
47. dave4248 - July 20th, 2008 at 10:59 am
#1 sounds….interesting.
/////video recordings of patients with the condition while they are asleep/////
Boy, I’d like to watch that,…a female patient that is.
////Sexsomnia is not always problematic or extreme for those who experience it or for their partners./////
You got that right. I can’t imagine a husband saying..”honey, we must get you to a doctor and cure this horrible affliction.”
48. mavis - July 20th, 2008 at 11:34 am
hahahhah…. sexnomia… i think some pple use it as a lame excuse to get funky with their partners at night.
49. Momopuff - July 20th, 2008 at 11:40 am
…I have Restless Legs Syndrome. It’s kinda annoying to be kicking everything in your sleep.
50. Namowal - July 20th, 2008 at 11:49 am
I have the restless leg syndrome. Sometimes bad enough to kick the sheets loose. It’s crazy.
I get sleep paralysis sometimes too. I’ve seen the strangest things.
51. AnnaLeo - July 20th, 2008 at 11:50 am
How about that genetic disorder that stops sleep at a certain age? I can’t think of the name of that disorder now :S
Anyone?
52. jake - July 20th, 2008 at 11:50 am
what do u call it when u wake up and ur eating your pillow?
53. jake - July 20th, 2008 at 11:51 am
and no one say hungry
54. Relaxed - July 20th, 2008 at 11:55 am
I too have suffered with alot of these. Too many of them. It’s not pleasant. I went off meds and use a wellness oil that works for me. So now I just have to use the CPAP with no side effects.
http://relaxed-wellnessoilsfor.....ogspot.com
55. AnnaLeo - July 20th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Fatal Familial Insomnia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F.....l_insomnia
56. Spence425 - July 20th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
i wouldn’t qualify sleep apnea or bruxism as “bizarre”.
57. segue - July 20th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
****
#56. Spence425
i wouldn’t qualify sleep apnea or bruxism as “bizarre”.
****
You don’t think that having your brain forget telling you to breathe is bizarre?
58. Mr.Graves - July 20th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
70-90% of sleep paralysis occurs when the person is sleeping in the supine position. Want it to stop? Stop sleeping that way. There are two forms of sleep paralysis: hypnapompic and hypnagogic. 90% of the population experiences hypnapompic sleep paralysis at some point in their lives, but it is extremely rare to have any memery of it. The remaining experiences of hypnagogic sleep paralysis occur on the other end of the REM spectrum- when the subject is moving from stage 4-5 of REM sleep to the final stage and then slips ‘back’ to the previous. This ‘hiccup’ in the cycle allows for cognitive understanding of the experience while the REM safety paralysis (that stops you from acting out your dreams) is still in place, thus allowing you to be partially awake and lucid inside the process of awakening but still having your brain tell you it’s not safe to move.
Your experiences with ‘demons’ ‘ghost hags on your chest’ the ‘black men made of shadow’ and ‘the essence of evil inside the room’ are purely physical and scientific phenomenon. I know, I’ve suffered from it since childhood, sometime 5 or 6 nights a week. These experiences, inflicted on an ignorant and primitive society, are one of the hallmarks of the creation of dichotomous religion and silly superstitious beliefs.
Trust me, I know that scream you make when you thought you’ve awoken and the absolute most terrifying presence you can imagine is reaching for you and you can’t move. But it isn’t the devil. It is a biological function that evolved to shock your system into rejecting the state it is trapped in- without it your brain might literally wreck itself. Could you imagine what would happen if there was no impetus for you to reject the state and you had no idea you were asleep?
With enough knowledge and experience, you don’t need to be afraid; with enough practice, you can even make it happen, and it isn’t scary anymore. Now when it happens, I just think, ‘huh, so I’m still asleep? Alright, dammit, time to wake up.’
I also know that someone who has never experienced it full on can ever understand the absolute depth of terror it illicits when you have it happen and you don’t understand it- it feels like something is being ripped out from inside of the very essence of who you are.
Put your trust in science, not boogeymen or angels, fallen or otherwise. Then you can really have fun when you push past and get into the lucid dreams. (Hint: when you have an HSP experience, focus on ‘rolling’ from one side to the next, and pulling yourself upwards at the same time).
Cheers.
59. Vera Lynn - July 20th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Astraya (14)I have false awakenings, too. Pretty weird
Kreachure(35)That happens to me, too. So scary. I feel like I’m coming up from under water, clawing to the surface.
I’m a lucid dreamer also. I can completely control my dreams. Even “rewind” and go back so that my dream goes in a different direction if it gets too scary, or something bad happens.
60. Vera Lynn - July 20th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Sleep cycles. I would rather be up from 6PM to 6AM and sleep all day. I am such a night owl.
Also,I can sleep 18 hours without getting up, even to go to the bathroom. I love to sleep and dream.
I’ve mentioned this before, but I read in my sleep. Books. I have even dreamed I was reading lists on ‘Verse (Man, I need to get out more).
61. Namowal - July 20th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Mr Graves is correct about sleep paralysis usually happening when you sleep in the supine position (on your back). At least that’s how it works with me. I wonder why that is?
62. Toni-M - July 20th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Yea sleep apnea is bad. My dad has it, luckly they caught it cause he wouldnt be alive today. but yea if you think you have it get it checked out, stopping breathing in ur sleep isnt exactly good for you.
63. Spanner in the works - July 20th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
segue,
I know you are here. See 10 Top Presidents Postings 407/408.
I’m leaving. Smell a hacker risk we dare not take. I doubt I’d be left alone now either. This one is nasty.
So, so sorry. I’ve enjoyed your compapy so much for this short interlude, and other LV regulars too.
All the deepest wishes of Anita and myself for your health. Love.
64. jake - July 20th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
damn glad ur dads ok too thatd be some freaky shit if one of your loved ones just stopd breathing
65. antlyon - July 20th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
No sleep walking?
When I was young I was a sleepwalker. Woke up several times while doing it. Several times I woke up eating in the middle of the night and others caught heck from Mom for messing up the kitchen and had no memory of being there. Once I woke up and was taking a leak down the stairway. One other time I woke up got dressed and was walking to school when Dad pulled up beside me in the car and asked where I was going, I guess I told him school but he drove up there and showed me it was Sunday morning.
66. rearden - July 20th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Who’s the artist on #9? Escher?
67. SarahJ - July 20th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
nice list. I think most people have some sort of sleep disorder at some time in life!
68. macabresoren - July 20th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
As somebody who’s had sleep paralysis and panic attacks from the fear it brought on, I think it definitely deserves a mention.
69. Gecko - July 20th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Wow. That’s a pretty cool list.
70. Csimmons - July 20th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
sexmonia? probably made a good porno, jk
great list
71. Frankie Di - July 20th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
As a medical student, let me point out (in case it’s been already stated, pardon me but i didn’t read the full list comments with people saying “i have number x, y and z :)), that while many of us experience one or the other symptom for a period of time, most of us are far from suffering from these disorders. People who do witness these to such a great extent that it disturbs their sleep (if any) so much that they feel weak and unable to function the day after. It’s much like personality disorders, for example. Many of us have character traits like attention to detail, or the need to check if we locked the door again and again, but that doesn’t really qualify as an obsessive-compulsive disorder
Nice list, well chosen disorders!
72. Mom424 - July 20th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Spanner-In-The-Works: Do not abandon just yet if your reason for doing so is that you think other regulars believe that the behavior on the list you mentioned should be tolerated. Most do not of this I’m sure. It would qualify as damn near stalking and definitely has a threatening feel.
Had I seen it before just now I certainly would have come to your defense. Both your’s and Randall’s. Nasty practices should be stopped. Or we’ll be no different than all the other sites out there.
JFrater - please review the situation.
73. segue - July 20th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Spanner, if I catch you!
Come back under another name!
74. Seven - July 20th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Frankie Di - Thank you for mentioning that so many people “self-diagnose” and they just make it harder for people who legitamately have the condition to be taken seriously.
You might be clever, but only a doctor can diagnose you. Even doctors go visit other doctors when they are sick!
75. deepthinker - July 20th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
I love reading about disorders! My husband, son, and I all suffer from Restless Leg Syndrome, and it can be annoying. When I tried to quit smoking cold turkey, I got restless leg throughout my entire body. It was agony. When I was prescribed Paxil, I developed Bruxism. That was the main reason I had to stop taking the medication. It was such an annoying side effect. Not only would I do it at night, but my jaw would never relax. Some of these disorders sound really terrifying. Sleep Paralysis is another honorable mention. Some people believe it is to blame for people who think they have been abducted by aliens. Crazy stuff.
76. nikki - July 20th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
hmm. . .i didn’t know that “teeth grinding” had a name. so apparently i have Bruxism and RLS.
77. Getoffmahlawn - July 20th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
I suffer from #5 sometimes. D:
I get close to falling asleep and I have to end up gasping for air about 5 times before going back to sleep again with no problems.
And about sleep paralysis, that’s happened to me twice.
Once, I woke up and I just looked around the room, then eventually I snapped out of it and I was able to move again..
The other time, I felt like I was actually trying to move. I kept trying to lay on my side, it was painful and slow. And when I snapped out of that, I woke up in the same position, as if I hadn’t moved at all.
78. Blogball - July 20th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
I suffer from all of these disorders except for #1.
Talk about bad luck!
Seriously though, this was an interesting and educational list.
79. Spange - July 20th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
My stepdad has that first one, odder still he has this thing called micturitic syncope, which means that if he wakes in the night to go to the bathroom, it can make him faint. I was such a git and laughed when he told me cos I thought he was kidding.
Very apt list I thought, this site being great to peruse in the long, wakeful hours of the night. If you can’t be asleep, might as well be learning. Keep up the good work peeps =)
80. pwnstar - July 20th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Restless Syndrome is sooo stupid
81. milky - July 20th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
One time I slept over at my friends house, and we were sharing a bed. I had a dream that there was a bee on my hand, and so I tried to shake it off (in my dream). I accidentally smacked my friend across the face!
Funny thing was, she never even woke up
Is that REM behaviour disorder or Restless Legs Syndrome?
There’s a history of these sleep disorders in my family.
My brother talks in his sleep all the time, and my Dad and his Dad used to sleepwalk.
82. Cedestra - July 20th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Everything is bold to me…
My husband and brother talk in their sleep. I remember my brother once saying “Harry Potter…you have to make him green”. My husband just mumbles.
I clench my jaw when I sleep- I hold a lot of tension there and recommend craniosacral therapy to those who have it.
83. Kathryn - July 20th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Eeep. I used to have a boatload of sleep disorders. I have some pain problems (fibromyalgia) and before I finally got semi-diagnosed with that, I had some serious sleep disorders. Some self help and quitting school for home schooling solved that after a few months though. I had Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome along with insomnia. The thing was, I had trouble falling asleep. It would take me upwards of 5 hours to fall asleep. It’s not that I didn’t want to sleep, I just couldn’t fall asleep.
The other thing was, once I was asleep my brain never went into REM cycle, or it did but took a while to get there (basically I wouldn’t go into a deep sleep until it was like a half hour before i was to wake up)… or when I did get into REM sleep my brain had random bursts of activity. So even if I was sleeping, I was never truly asleep.
Best part was when the sleeping pills weren’t working, so a neurologist gave me the highest dose of ambien cr he could… I went psychotic, threw up everywhere, attacked my parents, tried to smash the mirrors in my room because I though there were people in them.. then tried climbing up to the ceiling because there was sand falling out of it. Barely remember it, scared the hell out of my mom and dad though..
84. ericxdravenx26 - July 20th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
after reading this, i am now less sure i have 6, and more sure i have 4
my sleep cycle is never the same, some nights its 8 some its 3 am, doesnt matter when i wake up or sugar/caffene content either
but i could sleep 24 hours if left unditterred
or like 14-18 a day every day, if left to it
..odd
85. segue - July 20th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
****
71. Frankie Di
As a medical student, let me point out…that while many of us experience one or the other symptom for a period of time, most of us are far from suffering from these disorders…
****
Frankie, thank you for your comments. I was evaluated by an over-night sleep clinic.
Twice!
The Apnea numbers, that is, the number incidents, their duration, and my O2 levels, were so astonishing that my doctors needed a second test to confirm the results of the first.
As a result, I now sleep attached to a BiPAP and an Oxygen concentrator set at 4.5 lps. But at least I know I’ll wake up.
****
79. Spange
My stepdad has that first one, odder still he has this thing called micturitic syncope, which means that if he wakes in the night to go to the bathroom, it can make him faint.
****
Spange, I didn’t know about micturitic syncope either, until it happened to me! When it did, I was unlucky enough to hit my head on the porcelain sink and knock myself silly. When a friend stopped by and found me, black-eyed and covered in blood, he rushed me to hospital.
The young doctor there told me it was actually quite common! Which I proved by doing it again 4 more times over the next two years.
I did it again about a month ago.
Odd.
86. Tyree - July 20th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
I had night terrors until I was about 10 years old, but now they’re just nightmares-once every week or so. I also sleepwalk and initiate conversations with people in my sleep.:/
One time I was in bed with my ex,and I started talking to him. He said, “What was that, babe? I couldn’t understand you.” And I responded with, “Don’t worry Trevor, this is just something I have to do every now and then.” It freaked him out. XD
The worst thing about sleepwalking is when you wake up in the middle of it. Last time it happened to me was about six months ago. I woke up and I was sitting on the couch, in my underwear, with tennis shoes on. No idea if I had already left the house, or was getting ready to go. I just kicked my shoes off and went back to bed. Generally I sleepwalk when I’m really stressed out or depressed.
I assume that the night terrors, vivid dreams, nightmares, and sleepwalking/talking are connected somehow, but I may be wrong.
87. segue - July 20th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
****
86. Tyree
…The worst thing about sleepwalking is when you wake up in the middle of it…
****
Tyree, I had to laugh with you at that event. I used to sleepwalk a lot, and when my first child was a baby, and had just moved from her bassinette in our room into her crib in her room, I was *very* stressed about it.
One night I had finished nursing her and was carrying her down the hallway to her room. I looked down, to take another peek at the most beautiful baby in the world (every baby is the most beautiful baby in the world), and, despite the weight of her in my arms, there was nothing there!
PANIC!
I first ran back to my bedroom, searching the bed, the floor, under the bed…every step I had taken down the hall. Then I went to her crib. There she was, safe as houses, but just waking up and hungry!
I had drempt the entire episode.
My youngest child was a sleepwalker from the age of 8 months. It was almost daily. So I made a game of it with the other children, whoever found her first got to choose the breakfast menu.
She also was ( *is* ) a sleeptalker.
88. Noah - July 20th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Haha.. for some reason i like to yell obscenities in my sleep.. pretty funny when a buddy of mine recorded it
89. goof_ball - July 20th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
hhhmm… some of these are pretty interesting
90. Shani_R - July 20th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Wow I never heard of sleep sex that’s crazy and strange in many ways but I have had a time when I had just woke up one morning and could’nt get up I think that I had what #23 had I agree with you it’s strange and frightening but I have experience.
91. ZAxel - July 20th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
I once mooed in my sleep. I didn’t believe the first person who told me, but 2 other people confirmed the story.
92. ZAxel - July 20th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
I also once started doing karate in my sleep. I woke up during it, and I was confused about how I got in my bathroom.
93. Jenna_Bug - July 20th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
Well I definitely am in the 5-10% of people that have severe bruxism. I have a dentist made mouth guard that I have to wear and my dentist sometimes prescribes me percocet to help when the pain is too severe. I have broken a few teeth because of it.
My brother used to have night terrors as a child, my step dad has RLS, and my grandfather has sleep apnea.
94. sarahenity - July 20th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
oh wow i think i have Restless Legs Syndrome. i always wondered why me and my sister always kicked our legs when we were tired/sleeping.
95. MPW - July 20th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Two of my brothers have one of these conditions. One of them used to act out his dreams, which happened to be sexual, it was hard to get any sleep sharing a room with him, because it looked like he was having sex with an invisible person, funny and weird at the same time. My other brother frequently talks in his sleep, and its usually about off the wall things. I use to grind my teeth when I slept, but thankfully I don’t do that anymore. Awesome list.
96. MPW - July 20th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
And what about those sudden twitches people get right before they fall asleep, those are weird.
97. jazjsmom - July 20th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
I talk in my sleep pretty much all the time. Have been doing it since I was little. I remember I fell asleep in the living room at my grandmother’s house one time when my sister and I were spending the night and it was funny, she said she was going to the restroom in the middle of the night and she heard me yelling, STOP!!!! She said she came in there to see what was wrong, but I was asleep saying stop repeatedly and then yelling for my mother. But, I know I have had whole conversations because boyfriends, family, even my own child will say remember what you told me last night when I woke you up and I have no clue what they are talking about, I remember none of it.
98. Meg - July 20th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
My former roommate talks in her sleep. She was like:
“Oh yeah, she went th—”
and then
“You’ve got to beli–”
and her voice was really loud. My other roommate and I used to stay awake all night studying, so we often hear her. XD
99. carlin - July 20th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
I started having the “leg twitchies” a few years ago and was distressed about it until my husband found a homeopathic remedy that makes it stop (for that night). If I feel it starting, I take the remedy and within about 10 minutes, it stops. The remedy is Zincum Metallicum. I’m so grateful he told me about it.
Many years ago, I lived with a man who would “rape” me in the middle of the night. Maybe a man thinks it would be fun to be woken up by your aroused female partner, but I did NOT enjoy being forced to have sex while I was asleep and not given a choice.
100. Vera Lynn - July 20th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
So you call it quits cuz of some asshole. Tell me again to my face that’s why you quit. I learned from you. I quit cuz of S_R. he’s gone now. Don’t leave me and segue, and even Randall. You both debate well. Please be here with us.
I will never forget when I called you “Spinner in the Works”
101. jackit - July 20th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
When I was around 10, my aunt slept over and noticed I grind my teeth. She’s a psychologist so she thought maybe I was suffering from stress. So my dentist checked it out and there were abrasions on my left side, which was slightly raised. I had no idea that my teeth were a little longer on that side, so it was like my body was trying to balance itself out!
I’ve never had sleep paralysis before but I get the impression that it’s common. My dad got it once, he said he could see perfectly even though he normally wears high prescription glasses. They say that a ghost is squatting on you in Chinese. It sounds really interesting, I’d kind of like to experience it just once!
I think in the guiness book of world records, there’s a vietnamese (or one of those south east asian countries) farmer who hasn’t slept in 30 years or so, and his health is fine. He basically guards his farm at night.
Oh and I definitely sleep talk. I did it on an overnight trip in grade 6, I’m 20 now and my old classmates still laugh abotu it when i run into them.
I really enjoyed this list! Keep em coming
102. Mr.Graves - July 20th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
I don’t believe 90% of the people here claiming to have these problems actually have them chronicaly: the reason being: my sleep paralysis (HSP) was 4-5 nights a week, for years. Everyone has these happen to them over the course of years. Pretty much everyone notices them too. You don’t have a problem if it is in your life to where you can recount the exact situation. It’s chronic and diagnosable when it happens so much you lose track.
103. jfrater - July 20th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Mr. Graves: I tend to agree with you - there is quite a difference between an occasional bad night sleep compared to a chronic disorder!
104. MPW - July 21st, 2008 at 12:35 am
When My brother last talked in his sleep he said something about wanting biscuits and pretty shirts. It was hilarious.
105. Tempyra - July 21st, 2008 at 1:02 am
A really interesting list, although I have heard of many of these before I didn’t know anything about Kleine-Levin syndrome. I also appreciated the concise descriptions.
Regarding item 6 on the list - is there something similar (and not almost exclusively confined to blind people!) that might affect former shift workers?
Over the 2.5 years I changed shift so many times that I’ve lost track - typically I’d work 2weeks + of day (7am - 3pm), afternoon (2pm - 10pm), or night (10pm - 6am) shift and now my sleeping habits are really messed up (they were before I started working shifts, but I think that it’s made it worse). It’s like my sleeping cycle needs longer than 24 hours to complete - I’m usually awake for 16 - 18hours at a time and sleep for 8 - 10, which doesn’t add up to 24hrs and is really quite inconvenient. Does anyone know if there is a physical/chemical reason for this?
Since quitting shift working and starting my own business (hence, no strictly fixed work hours) I have tried forcing myself to wake up and sleep at ‘normal’ hours but the habit just won’t stick - even when I try to adjust my sleeping hours gradually. The one doctor I tried explaining it to was dismissive and pushed me out the door with prescription for sleeping pills and instructions to drink milk before bed, sleep in the dark, and other ‘advice. If anyone else can give me some concrete suggestions I’d be very interested
106. Mr.Graves - July 21st, 2008 at 1:25 am
On a serious note, if anyone is truly troubled or has their life disrupted by horrifying sleep paralysis experiences, please get in touch with me; I promise I can help you. I’ve done it before for others.
107. Clouds - July 21st, 2008 at 1:36 am
I guess I’m pretty lucky I haven’t had any of these sleeping disorders except Gassy Bedcover Syndrome. This results in my wife having Restless Legs Syndrome which gets all the bed covers thrown off my side.
108. Glowbug - July 21st, 2008 at 2:44 am
There IS a kind of sleep-disorder associated with us hardcases who are willing to work nights - Hard to describe, but I say it’s a kinda twitchyness - but I understand what you’re getting at.
109. Glowbug - July 21st, 2008 at 2:55 am
By the way, Mr. Graves - That really must bite. I hope you’re sleeping better now…. If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly did that sleep disorder consist of (symptomatically - I’m not familliar with what you had)
110. kris - July 21st, 2008 at 3:13 am
I often suffer with 6th problem mentioned her… taking help for my doc tho
111. kris - July 21st, 2008 at 3:21 am
Mr. Graves: Do u give medicines?
112. Dan - July 21st, 2008 at 3:36 am
Its not that weird that number 6 happens more to blind people, the sleep-wake cycle resets every morning when the eyes see sunlight (its called a zeitgeber)
Also, Narcolepsy is an awful disorder, but that scene from scrubs is just too funny XD
113. srichards - July 21st, 2008 at 4:59 am
Nice list, I have suffered from restless leg syndrome and sometimes while dreaming i feel like i am suffocating…does anyone experience this?
114. Mr.Graves - July 21st, 2008 at 6:10 am
109: the associated terror with night terros and HSP is based first and foremost in not understanding the process and physical reaction your body is undergoing.
It is very easy to see how people began to believe in the devil or evil spirits when they were ignorant and unknowledgeable in our past history; however, now that we can arm ourselves with knowledge, we can approach the situation more rationally.
I, myself am a buddhist and have found that throughout my life, trying every different approach I can, buddhist mantras and psychology is the only thing that works; I don’t claim, however, that this will work for anyone besides me.
I am at the point now where I have spent so much time meditating and reciting my mantra (Om Mani Padme Hum) that as soon as these experiences occur and I slide into Hypnagogic Sleep Paralysis, I become aware of the ’shadow man evil presence’ in the room and rather than feel absolute terror, I am completely calm and my natural instinct is to recite my mantra while I am asleep and I know I am sleeping.
This has the effect of freezing the ’shadow person’ in place and rendering them completely null; which allows me to push further on into lucid dreaming.
I have been experimenting with this long enough that there are so many myriad dream states I have experienced I can’t even document them all. I have had completem conversations with characters in my dream where I have told them they are just characters in a dream and they aren’t real and they not only acknowledge it but they react knowing and agreeing that they are just figments of a dream and are quite fine with it.
Sleep Paralysis is a gateway to Lucid dreams; a terrifying one. Notice I have not claimed anything spiritual or holy or religious in these experiences; that is up to you to decide.
I will leave you with this, however: It has been established for years that accomplished Buddhist masters have the ability to visit other people in their dreams and carry on conversations with them.
I didn’t believe it either until I was specificaly told when it was going to happen and I was visited in my sleep exactly how it was predicted.
115. Callie - July 21st, 2008 at 6:16 am
I used to baby-sit for a child who had night terrors…she could scream like no other, the poor kid. Scared the crap out of me every time. She grew out if them, though.
116. Ken - July 21st, 2008 at 6:51 am
For more information about Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and treatment options visit http://www.obstructednose.com
117. Sleep Guru - July 21st, 2008 at 8:40 am
Any who thinks they may have one of these disordered is urged to speak to their Physician. Do detect or diagnose, you would undergo an overnight sleep evaluation (Polysomnography), covered by your insurance. For more information about the process, visit http://www.sleepdr.com/
118. Taranis - July 21st, 2008 at 9:26 am
I’ve only had Sleep paralysis once, when I was in 6th grade and since I was under the covers I didn’t see anything, but I heard a little voice saying ‘Sugar Mackenzie’ and it kept getting closer right as the covers started to pull up,I snapped out of it and it was over. I was pissed my science teacher didn’t even believe me when I told her. She thought I was dreaming the whole thing and had no idea what sleep paralysis was. It’s definitly some weird shit though.
119. Joss - July 21st, 2008 at 10:17 am
My husband has Restless Legs Syndrome. It might be one of the most annoying things in the world. Poor husband.
120. Peri - July 21st, 2008 at 10:39 am
My sister has sleep apnea. Her doctor had her go for a sleep study. They woke her after two hours…she had stopped breathing something like 46 times in that two hour period! She now has one of those PAP devices and she said it’s been an absolute Godsend.
121. Randall - July 21st, 2008 at 10:52 am
“Sexsomnia” reminds me of that “sexy learning disorder” that Brannigan claims to have, on “Futurama”…
“What’s it called again, Kip?” He says…
Kip (sighing with hopeless disgust): “Sexlexia.”
122. JayArr - July 21st, 2008 at 11:23 am
I’m pretty sure all cats have Kleine-Levin syndrome…
123. Duckyjem - July 21st, 2008 at 11:47 am
Iv got the first two disorders, lucky me lol
124. Megals - July 21st, 2008 at 12:18 pm
I must say it’s refreshing to hear others have experienced sleep paralysis and it is a true disorder. I rarely experience it now but when I was a teenager I would get it several times a week where I would wake and could not move. When it first occured I thought I had really become paralyzed (again, I was a child and did not know the science behind it). I never felt a “dark presence” in the room but my twin sister had it more severe than I did and would often hallucinate an “evil around her.” At the time no one believed us and thought we dreamt we had woken up…but we knew it wasn’t so simple. As I became more accustomed to the disorder I would focus on trying to open my eyes (usually first by squeezing them shut when I was trying to open them and which was really frusturating - my inability to control my movements) but I found the best remedy was focusing on finger movements or trying to lift my head (which feels like 100 lbs).
I also hear it’s common for adolescents to experience this more frequently than adults.
It was truly terrifying for me.
125. rushfan - July 21st, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Cool list. I used to grind my teeth so bad I would wake myself up. I also have woken up having a full-on conversation, one time with my arm up in the air, I guess reaching for something.
126. Suffered from Sleep Apnea - July 21st, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I used to be very tired and my boyfriend told me that I snored heavily. When I told my doctor, he said it could be something more serious like sleep apnea, so he sent me for a sleep study at Advanced Sleep Medicine Services, Inc. I had a great experience and it turns out that my physician was right. I stopped breathing more than 40 times per hour. I use a CPAP machine now and must say that it has changed my life. They have a website, http://www.sleepdr.com/ Their staff was great and I highly recommend their services.
127. Riya B. - July 21st, 2008 at 3:31 pm
I loves this list, not only because it’s informative, but because I know that some hypochondriac may stumble upon this list and start finding symptons in themselves, thereby resisting the urge to sleep. Anyway, you left out false awakenings, but that’s more dream-related or whatever so I’ll forgive you for that. And as for sexsomnia…
…I am at a lost for words on that one.
128. Polly Odyssey - July 21st, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Sexsomnia, eh? Um…er…I can’t think of anything witty to say for that one…
129. Polly Odyssey - July 21st, 2008 at 6:12 pm
By the way, my brother talks in his sleep. It’s pretty hilarious sometimes. One time he said “I love Jared” and threw a blanket across the room.
130. Sandra - July 21st, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Grinding your teeth is an actual disorder? My boyfriend wakes me up in the middle of the night to get me to stop because i grind my teeth so loudly. He swears my teeth are louder than his snores. I’ve tried mouthguards, but I can’t sleep with them in, they feel like they’re choking me or something.
131. segue - July 21st, 2008 at 7:27 pm
****
130. Sandra
Grinding your teeth is an actual disorder? …I’ve tried mouthguards, but I can’t sleep with them in, they feel like they’re choking me or something.
****
Sandra, get your dentist to make you a person mouth-guard that is specially fitted for you. Do it very soon.
Bruxism is nothing to take lightly. Over time, it can wear down and *break* down your teeth, to the point where your only options are crowns or implants.
Pretty costly.
I know. I finally had to have 22 crowns and 12 porcelain veneers…all because of severe bruxism. Yours sounds severe if it’s loud enough to wake your boyfriend!
132. Carma - July 21st, 2008 at 7:33 pm
I talk during my dreams at least once every couple weeks, in the way that is mentioned at the end of the paragraph. I’ll say something in my dream but it’ll turn out that I said it for real, and it wakes me up. Luckily I can get back to sleep quickly.
I’ve also had dreams where I move my hand in front of me, and I end up hitting the wall beside my bed.
133. Vera Lynn - July 21st, 2008 at 8:19 pm
segue (131) Wow! That’s really severe. What time frame are we talking here? I’m surprised you let it get so bad.
I hope you had dental insurance.
134. Lunatic - July 22nd, 2008 at 7:27 am
I have #1, I am always doing it…even when I’m not sleeping.
135. Ernmas - July 22nd, 2008 at 8:06 am
My ex-husband has #1. It was really disturbing to me because there was basically only a handful of times during our 15 year marriage that he was awake while being intimate with me.
I suffer from hypnagogic jactitation and bruxism. My bruxism was made known to me when my TMJ was diagnosed. This has caused severe problems with my jaw (I only have a partial disc on my right side and no disc on my left as I have destroyed it). Normal days for me I can only open my mouth less than an inch but can’t afford treatment for it right now.
136. segue - July 22nd, 2008 at 8:49 am
****
#133. Vera Lynn
segue (131) Wow! That’s really severe. What time frame are we talking here?
I hope you had dental insurance.
****
Vera Lynn, as far as I can determine, it took 10 years. During 9 of those years I had no dental insurance, and lived alone. No one was there to tell me, “Oh, btw, you grind your teeth at night”.
When I married my wonderful husband 2 years ago, and came under his medical coverage, the dental work was supposed to be covered because it was the result of a covered medical condition.
So far they are fighting us on this, but it is in black and white in their own rules book. I also have backup from my Neurologist and my Pain Management Doctor, attesting to the fact that the pain from the underlying disease caused the bruxism, hence, caused the breakdown of my teeth.
The bill for this dental work is almost $25,000. Which is one of the *main* reasons I recommended Sandra get herself to a dentist posthaste! A $250 personally fitted mouthguard now, is a better deal than $25,000 worth of dental reconstruction later.
137. FifthSonata - July 22nd, 2008 at 3:07 pm
I have bruxism as well - I’ve got to agree with segue on this one, even though I didn’t read all of the back and forth. I have a mouthguard as well that’s really annoying to wear, but keeping my teeth in good shape is worth it, especially because I’m only 24.
I only paid $50 and my insurance covered the rest of the cost - a fitted guard just feels like you’re wearing a retainer (if you ever had braces/retainers in the past).
138. diogenes - July 22nd, 2008 at 6:03 pm
you poor commentors who suffer with any of these disorders.
terrible
i too , but certain ones come and go.
just like my waking hours of sufferage do.
139. Vear Lynn - July 22nd, 2008 at 8:51 pm
segue!!! (136)
I don’t even know what to say. Your ability to fight and persevere and continue to just be is incredulous to me.
When I was a child (9 or 10) I read a book called “Eric” by Doris Lund (his mother). I must have read it 300 times. I went through 4 copies of the book after I stopped getting it from the library. His will to live, and his continued fights for survival remind me of you. The personal strength and determination is super-human. You are amazing. Please read the book. You will not be sorry.
140. samm - July 23rd, 2008 at 3:22 am
I am so happy to see the one about restless leg syndrome. All my life I have had this overwhelming need when I sleep to move my arms and legs. I just thought I was weird but now I know that other people have this problem too. Thank God!
Samm
141. segue - July 23rd, 2008 at 8:50 am
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139. Vear Lynn
…I read a book called “Eric” by Doris Lund (his mother). I must have read it 300 times. His will to live, and his continued fights for survival remind me of you. The personal strength and determination is super-human. You are amazing. Please read the book. You will not be sorry.
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Vera Lynn, thank you, but I honestly am not amazing in one single way.
One gets used to whatever life throws at one (as long as it isn’t all at once, I suppose). Taken gradually, over a span of time, it isn’t as hard as it could be…although, I have to admit, I did have a friend (a big, strong male nurse), with whom I made a pact: When things became overwhelming, and the idea of suicide would creep into my mind, I’d have to go to him - in person - for permission. He never gave it. It only came up three times over the course of seven years, but it did come up.
So there goes my amazing club-card.
However, the book, Eric, I will look for it, and get a copy.
Thank you for the rec.
LOL, I can see the look of bewilderment on the faces of newbies to the site.
“She thought about offing herself over a sleeping disorder? What a wuss!”
What a morning brightener!
Thanks again, Vera Lynn, for everything!
142. Astrolounge - July 23rd, 2008 at 10:21 am
Did anyone else notice that “Kleine-Levin syndrome” sounds a lot like “Clean livin’ syndrome”? I find that kind of funny, especially considering what it actually is.
143. tami - July 23rd, 2008 at 12:33 pm
that’s funny this article came up this week. after years of being tired all the time i finally started seeking professional help in the last few months and i’ve just been referred for a sleep study to possibly diagnose narcolepsy.
i’ve had sleep paralysis since i was about 17, but it’s been significantly waning since i was about 23 (i’m 26 now) and my last episode was probably 9 months ago.
144. dirtyrockerbarbie - July 23rd, 2008 at 3:04 pm
i dated a guy for 6 years who had sleep apnea. plus he snored like a mad man and i kept the earplug business prosperous for that whole time. nothing, not even the $2,000 tempur pedic mattress with the pillows to match helped.
no sleepwalking?
145. JerryB - July 23rd, 2008 at 9:43 pm
I have read medical studies that indicate an increased correlation between restless leg syndrome in adult life and alzheimers disease in later life. This is most likely because of the neuro-muscular connection being overly or deficiently stimulated or could be from a problem with myelin sheathing of the neuron. More interestingly, with the diet that Americans (like myself) maintain we see an increased frequency of neurological problems. The main problem in my opinion is with the balance of fats in the diet as these (lipids) are the main component of the myelin sheath. We have diets low in Omega 3 fats and upset balances of Omega 6’s and 9’s. I thank anyone who spends time to read this comment and leave any remarks to it. I am interested to hear other points on this subject (YOU TOO JFRATER! I would feel special!!) Thanks LISTVERSE!
146. LadyPit - July 24th, 2008 at 3:42 am
#1 doesn´t seem so strange to me. When my dogs are sleeping they arte always acting out their dreams, running, kicking, growling, even barking aloud.
As for sexsomnia word is spreading in pervert circles that it is a nice way to get off the hook when you have been charged with sexual assault. Just say “I only dreamed it”.
147. segue - July 24th, 2008 at 6:57 am
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145. JerryB
I have read medical studies that indicate an increased correlation between restless leg syndrome in adult life and alzheimers disease in later life. This is most likely because of the neuro-muscular connection being overly or deficiently stimulated or could be from a problem with myelin sheathing of the neuron…We have diets low in Omega 3 fats …
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Jerry, interesting connection. I don’t have RLS, myself, but I am always fascinated by all things neurological (I won’t go into why, the regulars all know and I won’t bore them with repeating myself). That our Omega 3 deficient diets are partly to blame is no surprise, I read articles about this factor being important in maintaining many normal body functions 30+ years ago, and have made Omega rich fresh fish part of my families diet ever since. My children grew up on a fish heavy diet.
As to the myelin sheathing. Well, all of the myelin sheathes (as well as other stuff ) on my spinal cord are encased in schwann cell tumors, so I don’t know if the diet does me, personally, any good there or not, but why take any chances?
148. segue - July 24th, 2008 at 7:07 am
Someone, way up above, made a comment that if you could describe something, like sleep paralysis in complete detail, then it had to be because it was a rare event, rather than a common one because a rare event would stick out in your memory…did he ever stop to think that, perhaps, the event could be described so clearly because it happened EXACTLY the same way every time?
No. Of course he didn’t, because he has only his own experience to draw on.
My experience happens to be different. I have the identical experience of sleep paralysis each and every time, and have had since childhood.
I learned my own way of escaping easily, or of lying back and enjoying the “terror” for a while. But even terror gets old when it never changes.
149. LikeItLove - July 24th, 2008 at 7:20 am
Ok I am seriously considering professional help at the moment. I have sleep walked & talked ever since I can remember (well most of it people tell me). Now I share a bed with girlfriend she says it happens every night multiple times including violence (to my partner and to my self usually in the form of scratching myself), screaming, swearing, grinding my teeth, jumping up and down on the bed even a few times recently number 1 which was kinda embarrassing waking up mid session so to speak!!!
I wake up in random places in the house. Plus when I sleep I can be fully asleep dreaming an all more or less straight away. Then I snore and snort like hell as well.
The problem it causes is that I am constantly tired. I can sleep for stupid amounts of time and still be tired. Caffeine seems to have a very low effect on me. When I was in uni it wasn’t as bad because I used to have days where I was free and so slept most of the day. But now I work its unbearable. I sleep wherever and whenever I can (on the toilet is a fav lol).
So any recommendations on help in the UK or suggestions which problem I have (do the disorders tend come together or is one causing the symptoms of the other disorders)???
P.S. Never experienced the paralysis but is sounds horrendous!
150. marianiux - July 24th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Sexsomnia? I’m pretty sure it’s a great excuse for cheating your spouse with the internal cleaner (while the former is sleeping)
151. segue - July 24th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
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#150. marianiux
Sexsomnia? …a great excuse for cheating … with the internal cleaner…
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What is an internal cleaner?
Sounds to me like an enema.
152. Denzell - July 25th, 2008 at 5:01 am
sleepsex isn’t as weird compared to the rest.
153. segue - July 25th, 2008 at 7:38 am
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152. Denzell
sleepsex isn’t as weird
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I agree. All of the others have an aura of weirdness, some can lead to harm, but sex is just good, healthy fun.
154. PagansSorrow - July 25th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Thank you, I’ve seen doctors before but had never heard mention of ‘Non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome’. I think it might have helped me diagnose sleep issues I’ve had for years.
155. Jody Lowery - July 25th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
What happens if you get Bruxism during Sexsomnia? That can’t be good.
156. Sarah At The Disco - July 25th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
I had surgery for sleep apnea.
It sucked.
haha.
But it was worth it :p
157. amanda - July 27th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
I have Lucid dreams pretty much every night. I am able t ostop, fast forward, rewind, pause and completely change my dreams. Because of this, when I am under extreme stress I have an episode of sleep paralysis. My psych told me I should be on medication and tried to send me to a psychiatrist, but I have young children and I don’t want to risk the side effects. My hubby talks in his sleep, too. It’s funny with him becuase he speaks in Russian in his sleep. He only lived in Russia for 4 years, and rarely speaks it anymore, but at least 4 times a week he’s talking in Russian.
158. elnrith - July 29th, 2008 at 4:58 am
i have 10
also i dunno if its just coincidence but iv been told i have night terrors to
maybe its jsut one of those?people usually dont btoher me when i sleep so i wouldnt know
also i suspect i have 6
159. Ella - July 31st, 2008 at 1:24 pm
The thing that really suprises me when it comes to sleep paralysis is how amazingly life-like the impressions you think you are recieving are.
The first time I had one, I remember “waking up” to find that someone had moved the tv in the room all the way up to the bed. Then (I thought) I turned over to my boyfrinds side of the bed, all though I somehow knew that he had allready gone to work, and I could see someone’s arm lying on top of the cover. I couldnt bend my head back to see whoose arm it was, but i just knew it wasn’t his, and when i touched it, the sensation of touching someones skin was so vivid that I still can’t believe it. I think this was the point where I really started to freak out, and just as I heard the threatening sound of someone running really fast towards my door, I woke up, alone in the house, facing the wall.
Luckily, I had allready heard about the phenomenon before this occured, but it was still horrible. Knowing that your brain can create illusions that feels that real, sometimes makes me wonder how much of our other experiences could be false;)
160. Em - July 31st, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Haha, my boyfriend sleep-talks. It’s one of the funniest things ever. Luckily, he’s not loud, so it doesn’t wake me up, but it’s fun to listen to him when I wake up.
161. Akuta - August 20th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
It saddens me to see people make fun of sexsomnia simply because it is sexually related. I have had this disorder for much of my adult life and although it has never been a problem for the partners that I’ve been with, I could understand how someone would be afraid to let others know in light of being ridiculed.
162. Gemma - August 22nd, 2008 at 10:03 am
I suffer from 10, 9, 7, 5 and 3 its horrible:’(
163. ligeia - September 4th, 2008 at 4:47 am
I think I had a night terror once afewyears ago - I woke my boyfriend up because I was screaming. I didn’t wake up and had no recollection of it or any dream which would have made me scream. For a while my boyfriend would grind his teeth in his sleep and the noise would wake me up, it was quite freaky to be honest. My mother has sleep apnoea (I haven’t spelled it wrong it’s just how we spell it over here) and has to wear one of those masks now. Both my boyfriend and I talk in our sleep. Recently I said ‘there’s a shop in Cork for that sort of thing’ and also ‘my arm looks like a duck’. He once told me he didn’t want to go to dance class! Recently he has started doing weird things in his sleep - I woke up to find him pulling books off my bookshelf and last week he turned on my shower and somehow managed to get water (I hope!) on my bed!
164. Davo - September 4th, 2008 at 4:34 pm