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Back to square one.  Haven't worn my mask in over a month.  Had a couple of nights where I woke up feeling entire body was paralyzed & felt like my mask was smothering me.  Trying to get nerve back..

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Hi Cathy,

Have you tried using another mask?  I haven't been using it myself that long to be able to say if this is something that has happened (but have never heard of it happening to anyone I have nursed) but I would think I could try another mask if I thought that the one I was using was smothering me :(.  Sorry I can't be of more help.

Isla

Hope your shoulder's better now.  I've heard of a few people with this and stiff necks - must be the month for it!  Hope you can now get back onto your treatment - as NIKE says "Just Do It" as it might just save your life ;)

Sleep paralysis is a symptom of narcolepsy. This disorder affects 1/2000 persons.

 

Other symptoms:

 

Sleep paralysis

Hypnogognic Hallucinations

Cataplexy

Excessive Daytime Sleepines

Insomnia

Interesting you say this Rock, but I used to have sleep paralysis before I was put on CPAP.  Thankfully, I don't have it anymore as it's rather scary :(

That was never meant to be posted. I was using the board as a way to talk out my thoughts on the subject. Some how I sent it. You are correct in that many people experience sleep paralysis at sometime in their lives. My self included. Almost anyone who attempts to wake up out of REM on occasion will experience this sometimes terrifying event. That in no way excuses the need for further evaluation even if it is self initiated. For you it was sleep fragmentation. For me it's actually trying to pull myself out of a lucid dream. It scares the crap out of me everytime. It could be something slightly more serious yet easy to correct. Definately make sure that you talk to your doc/practitioner about it. If any of the other systems are going on I would push a little harder for a sleep evaluation.

I have spoken to my doctor Rock, who hasn't a clue and nobody I've asked seems to know.  It's not often we are treated by doctors who have been fully educated in sleep - my consultant's a chest specialist really who also now treats OSA.  My own interpretation on why it used to happen is that I was perhaps in REM sleep when the apnoeas happened, and by my body re-starting the breathing, I assumed being suddenly kicked out of REM caused it.  Does that make sense?  It used to be very scary as I couldn't move a muscle or even scream out, but I did get used to it in the end and tried to relax whilst it was happening, knowing I wasn't going to die.  Thankfully, it hasn't happened since I've been on CPAP.

That makes perfect sense. I have heard of people experiencing it on a consistent basis due to their alarm clock waking them out of REM every day.

 

Which brings up another great question. When is the best time to wake up out of a sleep cycle?

Glad I've finally found someone who agrees ;)  If peoples alarm clocks are waking them up out of REM does that not say that they're sleep deprived and waking before they've had their proper sleep?  Makes sense though.  Maybe your shifts are to blame Rock, which will hopefully be resolved soon ;)

Hi Cathy; I have been on cpap therapy for about 9 months now...it certainly took me a while to get used to it but I think I'm getting there at last and use it every night. I believe that I have experienced sleep paralysis over the years.  It happened a few times many years ago, and again 2 or maybe 3 times within the last 5 - 7 years.  I don't recall problems with breathing, but this was before I even knew about OSA so there was no mask involved.  I  would know that I was absolutely wide awake and fully conscious - but I couldn't move or open my eyes. I would struggle to force my hands (one hand pushing the other) up to my eyes to force them open.  I remember how unsettling and really scary it was, but fortunately it didn't happen often. As soon as the episode had passed and I realised that I was ok again I was able to relax and go back to sleep. I know this is easy for me to say as I never experienced it with a mask on. I do hope that you find this was a rare occurrence for you too. Good luck with your next attempt.

I don't have an alarm clock, tv or any other distractions in my room. My very dark bedroom is the BEST part of my sleep. I have trouble sleeping in every other room in the house. Within minutes after hitting my own bed I am out. My wife says I set sleep onset recoreds. Regardless of buiding the perfect sleep environment shift work leaves some quality sleep to be desired. I am constantly paying the vig on sleep debt I will most likely never have a zero balance on. As for my own sleep paralysis issues they are self induced. I am fond of lucid dreaming.

 

The alarm clock issue is a little different. We know that the average sleep cycle last about 2 hours. The best way to get the most out of your sleep is to get 3-4 complete sleep cycles. My studies have taught me that the best time to wake from sleep is shortly after a completed cycle or before we re-enter stage 3 or REM.  So basically no matter what time you go to sleep you are going to want to wake on an odd hour of sleep. For instance: A person goes to bed at 10pm. * hours of sleep would put the time at 6am. By 6am should theroretically have completed there 4th sleep cycle by 6am. The best time to wake up would sometime within the next hour just to be sure that one cycle has ended and the deeper stages of the next have not started. This theory(which is mine alone) works regardless of the amount of time you sleep. I personally won't take a nap unless I have 2.5 hours to sleep. This guarantees that I have finished one complete cycle which would give me the most of my nap.

 

What would happen if I only slept for an 1 to 1.5? Well I would wake up inthe middle of my cycle. waking out of stage 3, which is the deepest sleep, carries the most residual fatigue. Not getting a complete REM cycle will leave us mentally fatigued. So the best time to wake would be during stage 1 or 2.

 

Now the alarm clock. If your alarm clock is set to go off while your are in REM you are more likely to suffer from sleep paralysis. It take seconds to minutes for muscle atonia(loss of muscle tone) to deactivate.

 



Kath Hope said:

Glad I've finally found someone who agrees ;)  If peoples alarm clocks are waking them up out of REM does that not say that they're sleep deprived and waking before they've had their proper sleep?  Makes sense though.  Maybe your shifts are to blame Rock, which will hopefully be resolved soon ;)

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