So fed up of this falling sensation

[countrygirl]

I have posted before that for about a month most nights when I am just drifting off to sleep or at least that lovely relaxed mind wandering stage before sleep I get a horrible sensation as if my head has just fallen down a lift shaft - its only a second but once it starts then I get it for ages sometimes hours before I finally fall asleep and when I wake up in the morning I have to not go back to sleep or it starts again,

I am getting to the point of dreading going to bed. This week I had three nights without it and was thinking great its gone then last night went to bed quite happy and just dropping off when I got worst sensation I have every had which left me shaking wreck and then took about half an hour of this happening every few mintues before I fell asleep.

If its not one thing its another and I always have things that the Drs just look at me as if I am doolally and shrug their shoulders:unsure:

[crazyhayz]

these are just hypnic jerks hun. google it. totally harmless, and are linked alot with anxiety sufferers. its the brain becoming confused between being awake and being asleep/unconcious if you see wot i mean. anxiety sufferers are alot more prone become of the stress and adrenalin levels they have in their brains. anxiety sufferers can also get them in the daytime. if you learn to accept these feelings and nor worry about them, u will start to just fall asleep and they wont happen as often.

[Anxious_gal]

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

[joannap]

nothing to worry about at all - its only like when you dream you fall and then wake with a jolt - its a natural sensation most of us have at some point and the more you worry about it - the more it is likely to happen x

[countrygirl]

Can you get the hypnic jerk without any body movement though???
I know how they feel as your body jerks and you are dreaming that you have fallen off something but this seems to be totally different as I am not dreaming that I am falling in any way and I have no body movement at all its just a sinking sensation in my head.
I can accept that it could be hypnog.... or whatever its called but whenever I read about it it always says that your body jerks and mine doesn't.

[countrygirl]

meant to say thank you very much for replying as well!

I am thinking of experimenting and seeing if this happens if I try and sleep sitting up or if I get it while eyes wide open but laying flat:D as this hopefully will tell me if its something to do with the awake/sleep transition or more to do with body position if you see what I mean.

[Zee]

Can you get the hypnic jerk without any body movement though???
I know how they feel as your body jerks and you are dreaming that you have fallen off something but this seems to be totally different as I am not dreaming that I am falling in any way and I have no body movement at all its just a sinking sensation in my head.
I can accept that it could be hypnog.... or whatever its called but whenever I read about it it always says that your body jerks and mine doesn't.


Country girl

I understand exactly what you mean. It is different to the hypnic jerk.
Its a feeling which scares you because it almost feels like you are passing out and your head is goin g right through the pillow, yes ?

I was told that this was to do with muscle tension in the neck and shoulders.Its something to do with with nerves being compressed with tension. Try shifting your sleep position if you find it happens in a certain position that you sleep. Mine comes and goes but I have found definately worse when the tension is tighter.

[Anxious_gal]

I sometimes get a sinking feeling or falling, like the bed dropped from underneath me.

[countrygirl]

Zee and Mishel thanks - Zee I was wondering about my neck as I have herniated disc and arthritis and I had this problem about 8 yrs ago badly for nearly a year ( i almost went cuckoo with it!) and my then Gp kept saying its your neck. My neck has been bad and it all started after I had major panics about heartbeat and feeling faint so was so stressed that I felt as if I was vibrating and it started then. I will try a new pillow as mine are a bit old:blush: and maybe my neck needs more support.

[Zee]

I bought a neck support pillow countrygirl, It did help, I rarely get that awful sensation now.
PM me if you want to .
I do know how upsetting a feeling it is though. My neck always seems to go into spasm when im over anxious.

[dodo]

Interesting about getting it in the day as I have had something similar on the say recently and that is what has triggered some panic attacks for me. Do you have any more info on this?

My neck is very bad indeed at the moment and I did wonder if that is what was causing this in the day.

I have however had it at night and it feels like loosing consciousness and being award of if and it's scary. It's split second and i think you do actually fall asleep gif s split second but your body wakes you again.

[Zee]

Hi Dodo, a GP and a Chiro told me the neck nerves is what caused it.Have you tried a neck support pillow. ?Your last paragraph about feeling of losing consciousness is familiar. It is a scary sensation.

[dodo]

I've tried one of those pillows with the dents in them if that's what you mean. I didn't get in with them personally. I never seem to be able get my head comfy in bed though. At the moment I have a crick neck though as well as it us bad from hunching my shoulders the other day when I had a pa.

[countrygirl]

My neck is a problem as I do have physical damage in a heniated disc and bad arthritis so on top of anxiety its not got alot of chance poor old thing!

With me it was def bad anxiety that set the feeling off and of course once set off its hard to get rid of it.