Hypnagogia and panic attacks/anxiety

[skin]

I couldn't find any topics regarding this phenomenon so I thought I would make one myself, to help other users that are freaking out after an experience like this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia

First of all - Hypnagogia is transitional state between wakefulness and sleep (i.e. the onset of sleep). Hypnagogic hallucinations are the result of being stuck (for a very short period of time) in this state (between sleep and wakefulness). To put it in simpler terms, you are awake but you continue to see part of your dreams.

I had one experience in my life. Upon waking up a couple of years ago (during a rough anxiety period), I saw a bunch of spiders creeping up a wall for a couple of seconds, wich made me jump out of bed and have a panic attack, followed by a quick visit to the mental institution, where I was laughed at . The doctors, after listening to my story and laughing at me cuz I thought I was schizophrenic, explained that this is a common ocurrance and every single person will experience something like this, being stuck in between a dream state and an awake one at least once in their life time, but that anxiety sufferers can get them much more often, because adrenaline "squirts" sometimes make them awake very fast.

Upon researching when I got home I found a lot of stories, most of them funny (after you know what caused them), and now, thinking about making this thread I had to google the symptoms again because I couldn't remember what it was called (hypnagogic - not your normal scrabble word) wich made me laugh even more: people awaking to see huge giraffes biting their toes, monkeys swinging from their lamps, old ladies killing themselves (ok this one is not funny but it's cool) etc.


If any of you have stories like this, feel free to share them.

P.S.: Users that have experience with Sertraline or other ADs might have had as a temporary side effect vivid dreams and things like that, wich are quite similar to what I have described.

-IF the thread is in the wrong section I kindly ask the admins to move them to the correct one-

[paula lynne]

Hi Skin, what an interesting post! I used to wake up and be "frozen", awake yet unable to move...is it the same thing? Also, years ago, my boyfriend taught me how to go to sleep, and float up to the corner of the room, and I was able to see myself sleeping in bed!
Im freaked that I could do it now Im a sufferer of panic and anxiety, but I thought it was funny at the time! The brain is so complex isnt it!
I dont know exactly how it worked to be honest, and drugs and drink werent involved. Urrgghh...its freaky thinking back to it!!

[skin]

Yes, it's the same thing! What you experience is called "sleep paralysis". You are completely aware and concious but you can't move... It doesn't last long though. You are actually "stuck" in between the two phases - sleeping and wakefullness.
I don't know what you're boyfriend taught you back then but it sounds scarry, especially for an anxiety sufferer. It sound like some sort of depersonalisation combined with sleep.

When I had my hypnagogic experience I (being a Healt anxiety freak) read alot about this phenomenon and found out about a lot of weird studies and tests. IT seems this subject was very popular during the romantic era, when writers and philosophers tried to get into this state (using drugs or waking up tehniques) in order to have visions, which they considered to be their true thoughts and insights, their "inspirations".

The brain is indeed complex and we just use a tiny portion of it. God knows what we could do if we were to use it in it's entire complexity.

[paula lynne]

Thanks for your reply. I remember seeing a romantic/victorian/etheral film like you describe, where people would eat a type of flower in order to induce this type of feeling.....they would hallucinate for hours....and the funny thing was (or not so funny!) when I was watching the actors in this hallucinogenic state, it reminded me of how I felt during a panic attack...blurred vision, strange smells and colours, things changing shape............well they popped flowers, I can do it all on my own with no stimuli!! haha....a really interesting thread Skin. x

[pollyanna]

hi skin

Im glad that you posted this, not a lot of people know about it , i myself have known about it for a long time, and couldnt find anyone else who had expereinced the same thing, once you know what it is happening it certainly makes you feel you are not going mad, but its can still be very scarey at the time , i still experience this on a regularly basis, probably at least once a week if not more.
thanks for bringing it up, i am interested to see how many others get this

P x.

[skin]

I can do it all on my own with no stimuli!!

I think we can all do it! Those amateurs need plants to get panic! Pfff!

Pollyanna, what do you experience exactly?

[pollyanna]

hi skin,

the things i see are varied, the main theme seems to be people coming into my room, through hatches in the ceiling, through the window, usually the are dressed all in black, and they come up close to me to see if im awake, its terrifying, the lights in my room appear to change into cameras and watch my every move, then there are the spiders and mice running over the bed, i have seen the walls collapsing, and have ran out of bed screaming.
i have woke up punching and kicking my husband, and sometimes i shout out for them to get out.
some of the sceanarios looking back can be so bizare they are funny, but they are definately not funny at the time.

[PanchoGoz]

Wow that sounds pretty frightening...I often see wierd things in my head as I fall asleep, but I am consious enough to reassure my self that its because I am falling asleep; "Right I'm gonna fall asleep in a mo because im having the wierd thoughts again, yipee...". I often see a face which morphs and changes shape, or sudden scary images, usually of faces which are either deformed or just scary. I put this down to the whole face recognition thing the brain has to do every day. I can even see these images burnt on to my retina sometimes, like the after effects of a bright light.

[ridiculouschatname1]

This sounds like something i had a few years back. I was in bed, i had been asleep for a few hours, it was pitchblack. I turn over in bed and open my eyes and i see a dark shape sitting on a weight lifting bench i had in my room at the time. I could see clearly that it was the shape of a man sitting looking down at the ground with his arms folded in his lap as if he was thinking, i could even hear him breathing. So i think..oh god theres a burglar in my room. And i was so scared that i couldnt even move, i was literally petrified. After a few minutes like that, i thought the hell with this, and i sprang out of bed and charged at the intruder. Next thing i know im lying sprawled on the floor with sore shins. Turns out there was nothing there and i had ran into the weight bench hitting my legs pretty hard . The thing is, I'm sure i was in that weird half awake half asleep zone, i was dreaming the figure was there, and i couldnt move because i was still asleep. Then when i woke up and charged at the figure obviously there was nothing there so i fell on my ass, lol. It was terrifying at the time but i can laugh at it now. And at least i know im brave enough to tackle anyone that breaks into my house, even if they are imaginary .

[Tanktop21]

It is something i experience most nights. I will think of a scenario when closing my eyes to sleep and it becomes something similar to a dream but not quite it usually is bizzarre and bolts me right awake. I find myself muttering weird sentences and made up words. Very anxiety inducing