Confessions.

Rob the Wop · Post by **Rob the Wop** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:07 am

I guess I suffer from the occasional sleep paralysis maybe. I know that occasionally I wake up almost immediately after falling asleep literally jumping out of bed with my heart beating. I never remember the dream, but I have a vague notion of not being able to breath and usually something about falling. But never twice in a night, and usually it is months between episodes.

Is this night terrors or sleep paralysis?

Nightterror · Post by **Nightterror** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:08 am

Yes -

A nightmare is when you are dreaming about doing your ex-wife while your current wife is in the other room. You wake up and think "holy shit" thank god that wasn't real.

A night terror is when you are dreaming that someone is beating the crap out of you and your children and you can't stop them and it hurts and you want to save your children but you can't and then one by one they shoot your children execution style and you are screaming helplessly as they point the gun at your head. And you wake up screaming and this happens four or five nights in row and sometimes twice a night.

nightterrors.org is a great source of info.

I can go a month without a problem and then every night for week with terrors.

Nightterror · Post by **Nightterror** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:11 am

[quote="Rob the Wop"]I guess I suffer from the occasional sleep paralysis maybe. I know that occasionally I wake up almost immediately after falling asleep literally jumping out of bed with my heart beating.
Is this night terrors or sleep paralysis?[/quote]

That would be a night terror. Sleep paralysis happens at the end of the normal sleep cycle, usually after you have been asleep for some time. With sleep paralysis you wake up but you cannot move. Your eyes are open, you are almost thinking rationally but you are literally paralized.

tonytohono · Post by **tonytohono** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:18 am

I confess that I have 91 hours until I go under the knife, and I intend to make the most of it, beginning in 5 hours and 16 minutes.

Donita · Post by **Donita** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:25 am

tonytohono wrote:I confess that I have 91 hours until I go under the knife, and I intend to make the most of it, beginning in 5 hours and 16 minutes.

I confess I am curious why.

tonytohono · Post by **tonytohono** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:29 am

They think I have a minor hernia... but I have had varying diagnoses on to where, or how serious it may or may not be....

In any case it's bugging me, and I want it fixed, so I have elected to have surgery.

Rian Jackson · Post by **Rian Jackson** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:32 am

so what if i have dreams about people cutting my throat, and i can feel it, or about people being gunned down and heads rolling and dead eyes staring at me and i can't do anything to stop it, and hiding from tanks on the floor of a car and -

but i never wake up actually screaming.

much.

GuinivereElise · Post by **GuinivereElise** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:42 am

Rian Jackson wrote:so what if i have dreams about people cutting my throat, and i can feel it, or about people being gunned down and heads rolling and dead eyes staring at me and i can't do anything to stop it, and hiding from tanks on the floor of a car and -

but i never wake up actually screaming.

much.

I'll take post traumatic stress disorder for 500,alex.

Nightterror · Post by **Nightterror** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:42 am

All afflicitions come in different degrees - And it could be that you have learned control over your body and your mind.

I recently have started yoga and meditation and have seen a great improvement in all aspects of my life including my sleeping.

Rian Jackson · Post by **Rian Jackson** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:44 am

that's what i figured. and actually the website NT linked to (i think it's the same) spells it out pretty clearly.

wondering if there's any link to that sleep disorder and others (says the girl who's still waiting to find out if she'll end up a narcoleptic)

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:52 am

Yoga is totally and completely awesome. You can find some reasonably priced stuff if you look. The YMCA usually has sessions. Now if I could just find a place that does some combination of kundalini yoga, meditation and sex ... oh, wait .... thats tantra ... nevermind.

Nightterror · Post by **Nightterror** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:58 am

What really pisses my off is why can't I have nightorgies instead of nightterros. I've tried thinking about being afraid of naked cheerleaders right as I am falling asleep but that never works out.

I guess that would be the difference between night sweats and nocturnal emmissions.

It helps to laugh about it sometimes - relieves the stress

kundalini? My wife loves oral sex too.

Rian Jackson · Post by **Rian Jackson** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:03 am

interesting, one site i was just poking around on makes a distinction between common thematic elements in nightmares v. nightterrors. it's saying that in nightmares there's often an element of running away, and in nightterrors people often feel trapped.

i wonder if in borderline cases the only way to know for *sure* is to do a sleep study and find out in what stage the dreams/terrors are occurring.

this is all making me wonder about an incident from when i was 14 or so... i was with a friend when he was dreaming that someone was killing him and he couldn't wake up (apparently it is abnormal to go so far as to dream your own death, not just the right-before-death part).

Rian Jackson · Post by **Rian Jackson** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:10 am

oh, GS, i don't know how reputable this guy is, but his description of partial arousals fits well with what you were saying about your chillins.

Nightterror · Post by **Nightterror** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:11 am

For me that is the terror, being killed and never being able to return to the way it was. Thats when it is the worst. Its about not being able to change what has just happened. And it's not always about death, just usually.

gigglesnort · Post by **gigglesnort** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:20 am

Rian Jackson wrote:oh, GS, i don't know how reputable this guy is, but his description of partial arousals fits well with what you were saying about your chillins.

He described it exactly. So she had confusional arousals (I think that's what he called it, damn my short-term memory to pieces) not night terrors.

Nightterror · Post by **Nightterror** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:43 am

I try to only talk about how it is for me and now generalize. Having said that.

When I was a child, my mother would wake me up and I would scream at her and try to get away. I would wake up crying and frantic and not know why.

From age 15 to 25 I had no problems at all. Then it started all over again only worse.

Through my own research and experience my wife and I handle it much differently. She speaks to me softly and tries to make me aware of my surroundings until I snap out of it. Which considering I just woke her up by screaming is incredible to me. She is my saviour.

stuart · Post by **stuart** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 12:17 pm

DSM IV differentiates between nightmare disorder and night terror disorder

it seems as though the primary difference is during what REM cycle the episode occurs and as a result what state the subject wakes in. Either alert and able to relate the details of the dream or dissoriented and unable to relate details of the dream.

in both cases

These symptoms cause clinically important distress or impair work, social or personal functioning.
These symptoms are not directly caused by a general medical condition or substance use, including medications and drugs of abuse.

Donita · Post by **Donita** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 12:18 pm

I confess - on my days off I caught up on 6 hours of MTV's The Battle for Ozzfest.
I confess - not only am I a Deadhead, I am also an OzzyHead.
I confess - Ozzie's #1 Roadie "Big Dave" is one HOT dude with his long hair and Harley. hubba hubba hubba...
I confess - Ozzy Rocks!!!!

Donita · Post by **Donita** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 1:08 pm

I confess - I want a sock monkey.

samtzu · Post by **samtzu** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 1:21 pm

Ask and ye shall receive...

Rian Jackson · Post by **Rian Jackson** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 1:22 pm

i confess that it makes me sad that i never finished the sock monkeys i'd planned to make for the meet and greet 04.

i confess that my feet arm warm as a result, though.

Rian Jackson · Post by **Rian Jackson** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 1:27 pm

Rian Jackson wrote:i confess that it makes me sad that i never finished the sock monkeys i'd planned to make for the meet and greet 04.

i confess that my feet are warm as a result, though.

sigh. feet arm. that would be one malformed monkey.

GuinivereElise · Post by **GuinivereElise** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 2:08 pm

I confess that 'feet arm' made me giggle out loud.

I further confess that, since I did not have to come into work today until 1.00 or so, I spent all day in bed, having fun...

(I further further confess that I think I may have burned out another toy)

I confess that my day has been great, so far.

Rian Jackson · Post by **Rian Jackson** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 2:13 pm

GuinivereElise wrote:
(I further further confess that I think I may have burned out another toy)

sigh. i think i just killed my favorite one. the wire is getting all wonky.

must find my electrical tape...

stuart · Post by **stuart** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 2:32 pm

I confess that from all the talk around here regarding toys that I can only come to the conclusion that this shit is cheeply made. If I had some power tool that burnt out so easily I would be bent.

GuinivereElise · Post by **GuinivereElise** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 2:34 pm

I confess that perhaps Rian and I will have to make a trip to Babeland soon...

which one did you have, RJ??

Donita · Post by **Donita** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 2:35 pm

GuinivereElise wrote:(I further further confess that I think I may have burned out another toy)

Damn. Don'tcha just hate it when that happens?!!

I confess I have not had a boyfriend or lover in quite awhile. It's OK. Really.
I further confess I keep LOTS of batteries on hand.

I further further confess it is fun being a woman.

GuinivereElise · Post by **GuinivereElise** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 2:37 pm

no stuart: the one that I burned out it a couple of years old... most of the batt-op ones aren't meant to last as long, really.

that, and a lotta use, and, well, it happens.

Donita: lots of batteries. Yes.

I confess that I just changed batteries on one of mine, and it suprised the fuck out of me...

Rian Jackson · Post by **Rian Jackson** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 2:38 pm

i confess that i accidentally just imagined donita's monkey playing with toys.