Sleep disorders, dreams, and other forms of familial insanity.

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CD got me to thinking about the sleep disorders in my family. I'm one of at least three generations of people who have weird, recurring, and sometimes even prophetic dreams. To make matters worse, we talk and move about while sleeping.

My younger brother and I often "listened in" while our older brother talked in his sleep. We'd listen and laugh at our mom if she fell asleep on the couch. Little did we know that we'd get older and do the same thing. Little did I know that MY kids would do this, as well.

My husband thought it was fun [although bizarre] to bump his wife in her sleep and have her start talking about whatever was going on in the dream at the time. I learned then that I could answer a telephone call while I was sleeping and start rambling about what was going on in my dream. [That was the last time we heard from THAT obscene caller.]

I spent half of my adult life "on call", and some days I'd come into the office and the computer operator would say, "I called you last night, Anita, but you never woke up." None of them ever said any more than that, so I've got to believe that many people have this problem. When SO and I started dating, I asked him why he hadn't called the night before as he'd promised. He chuckled a little and said, "I called. We talked for about an hour, but you never woke up." We've moved since, but it seems I was busy telling him about the bones in the backyard. I could have just as easily told him about the 2" giraffe and the other miniature animals that I have around the house, and how he should watch his step lest he crush one of them.

I guess I was about 20 when my mom related to my dad in the morning how she'd dreamt that the car had been stolen. He blew it off. The woman had weird dreams EVERY night. He walked the three blocks or so to the car and it wasn't there. One night when I was married, I dreamt that our house had been robbed. I immediately told my husband in the morning, and he blew it off. Like my mother, I had weird dreams EVERY night. You know the answer. The house HAD been robbed. When my daughter called and said, "I can't believe this happened. I had this dream last night, and..." I just wanted to hang up and call someone who could isolate this weird gene.

My mom sometimes calls me in the middle of the night. I think she's still asleep, but she thinks she's awake. I hadn't really put two and two together until I thought back to some of SO's calls and how he kept repeating, "Are you awake?" It seemed like a stupid question at the time, but I guess it's NOT so stupid when one is dealing with the walking, talking sleepers in my family. My mom's last call was to tell me that my brother was in the hospital. She said she'd seen it on the news, and asked if I'd call to make sure he was okay. I convinced her [maybe] that she'd just had a dream. We haven't told her that he has cancer. We're hoping that he'll survive it and she'll NEVER have to know. She'd had dreams about her brothers dying before they did. I'm not so sure about her sister. As I said, we have so many dreams that we just blow them off.

Sleep disorders, dreams, and other forms of familial insanity. Has YOUR family exhibited any of these symptoms? Is this form of insanity more or less harmful [in your mind] than some others of which you could think? Does your family have another form of familial insanity? Would you admit it if it did?

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), February 10, 2001

Answers

None of our family do any of that stuff but my grandmother when she was awake saw halos around people's heads.The colours ranged from bright to dark & you were not long for this world if you had a dark halo.Mind you she never told you anything unless your halo was bright & shiny.She said it was hell during WW2...Sorry to be off topic but the last bit of your post got me remembering.

-- Chris (enquiries@griffenmill.com), February 10, 2001.

My first guess is that you had the wrong window open and this was intended for a different forum. Still, while sleep patterns that produce alot of dreaming have in the past been linked to "insanity" current opinion is that that just ain't so. Can make you worry about yourself but isn't inasmuch of itself a symptom of bad news brainwise. Your sleep cycle can be altered to produce less REM sleep but pick your physician carefully. It'll probably be a shrink and that makes selection even tougher as they're mostly nuts themselves. Ask around.

-- Carlos (riffraff@cybertime.net), February 10, 2001.

http://www.sleepdisorders.about.com/health/sleepdisorders/library/week ly/aa042099.htm

The Terror of Sleep Paralysis

I applied for the position of Sleep Disorders Guide because my husband suffered from severe sleep apnea and it was a contributing factor in his death. I'm sure that, although it was never diagnosed, my grandfather suffered from sleep terrors. His screaming in the night used to terrify me when I was a child and spent the night at my grandparents' home. My grandfather could never recall his dream when he woke up. My son is almost thirty and he still suffers from the occasional bout with night terrors.

I was quite smug about the fact that I didn't suffer from any sleep disorder. Now, after reading numerous accounts and doing hours of research, I discover that I do indeed suffer from a sleep disorder, albeit not as disabilitating or life threatening as sleep apnea. Furthermore, I have probably suffered from this disorder since I was a child.

Once in a while, I'll awaken from a sound sleep, and find I'm completely unable to move. I seem to be paralyzed and sometimes I feel as though a heavy weight rests on my chest. I have trouble breathing. I struggle and fight, trying to move, but to no avail. Then I finally get a finger to wiggle, or I manage to jerk my leg. I drag in a deep breath of air, and I'm fine again. The paralysis is gone. It's a terrifying experience. I have always thought it was just the remnant of a bad nightmare.

One summer I experienced a floating or flying sensation in accompaniment with the paralysis. At the time we lived in a mobile home. A long hallway stretched from the front to the back of the building and I could feel myself, sometimes drifting slowly along just below the ceiling. At other times I felt like I was hurtling up and down the hallway at break-neck speed. I was suffering from a great deal of stress at the time, and a month later was hospitalized with bleeding ulcers. Possibly the stress caused the sleep problems.

When I was a child, I remember waking up with this same sensation of paralysis, and I would also see a figure crouched beside my bed. I would fight until I could move, and then I'd start to scream. My dad would come in and comfort me. He told me I'd just had a bad dream and he'd sit with me and stroke my head until I went back to sleep. Many times, even though Dad was there, I'd still see that figure crouching by the bed. I guess I was hallucinating. My mother had no patience with my foolishness and swore I was putting it on to attract attention. Not so! I was really terrified.

SLEEP PARALYSIS

Now, from reading recent news clippings, and researching several web sites, I have discovered a condition called sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis, hallucinations and cataplexy are well known conditions associated with other sleep disorders such as narcolepsy. However, sleep paralysis, often accompanied by hallucinogenic dreams, also occurs alone. It is apparently fairly common, but, like so many of the sleep disorders, it goes unreported.

These episodes of paralysis can occur when the body is in any position, but happen most frequently when the sleeper is lying flat on his or her back. Intense fear is common, but sometimes other strong emotions, such as sadness or anger, are present. Often a sensation of pressure on the chest makes it difficult to breathe.

Feelings of floating are frequently present, and there may even be out-of-body experiences. Some people sense a presence in the room, near or even in the bed with them. This presence may even seem to be evil. Occasionally, the sleeper feels like he is being attacked, perhaps strangled or suffocated. Imagined sexual attacks are not unknown. These are all forms of possible hallucinations.

UFOS AND ALIEN ABDUCTION?

Sleep paralysis and the accompanying hallucinations may have led to stories of alien abduction. Loy Lawson, your About.com Guide for UFOs/Aliens has an excellent article on this phenomenon. Other beliefs include tales of witchcraft involving such creatures as Incubus, Succubus, spirits and demons. In fact, one name for the presence sensed in the room is The Old Hag. THE LATEST NEWS

A recent news release from Reuters suggests that 2 in every 100 people suffer from some form of sleep paralysis at least once a month. ABC News carries an interview with singer Sheryl Crow who suffers from these episodes. She says there is often a point where "you are sure you are going to die."

How can you prevent sleep paralysis? Probably in the same way one strives to prevent other sleep problems. Practice good sleep hygiene and avoid stressful situations. For some people this may not be possible however, so instead let's look at ways to escape from the grip of sleep paralysis.

The best remedy is to will yourself to move, even if it's only the wiggling of your little finger. This is often sufficient to break the spell. If you can manage, it, scream! Your roommate may not appreciate it, but it's better than suffering through a long and fear- filled episode. If all else fails, seek professional help. There are drugs that can help you.

-- A piece (in@the.puzzle), February 10, 2001.


http://ebe.allwebco.com/Sections/Abductions/Archive/SleepParalysis.sht ml

Link

Since everyone experiences sleep paralysis 4 - 6 times a night, as they cycle into REM sleep, mere sleep paralysis does not differentiate between those who report Alien Abductions Experiences, Old Hag Attacks, Incubi/Succubi Visitations, Lucid Dream Events or Out-of-Body Experiences, and those who don't report these unusual experiences.

What *does* differentiate between those who do and those who do not report these anomalous experiencers is the presence of Awareness during Sleep Paralysis. Simply put:

Experiencers are Aware during an episode of REM-state sleep paralysis!

Non experiencers are not.

-- A piece (of@the.puzzle), February 10, 2001.


Thank you for that article from about.com. Two things in that article hit home for me.

1) the mention of narcolepsy. My mom is an epileptic, but she has "acquired" epilepsy as the result of an automobile accident, so there shouldn't be a gene associated with this. However, several years ago I had a consultation with her neurologist and he said that he'd never seen a case of epilepsy in someone her age that exhibited the symptoms that she had. I said, "So are you saying she has narcolepsy?" He said, "I really don't know WHAT I'm saying.

2) I've experienced those "frozen" states. I think the first time was when I was staying at my sister-in-law's aunt's house in Houston. I was about 20 at the time. I thought I heard my name being called to dinner and I tried to move, but I couldn't. When I awoke and rejoined the family, I learned that I hadn't been called to dinner at all. It was all just another trick played on the sleeping mind. It's happened several times since, but the "rational" me tells the "frozen" me that there's really no REASON to move, so who gives a damn if you can't?

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), February 10, 2001.



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