Anyone have any experience with sleep paralysis and/or seizures?

[Rocky998]

So I know that a fish forum isn't the BEST place to get human medical advice but idk where to go really lol (I mean, yeah, ok, a doctor, but I can't rn).

So maybe it's nothing serious but I've had experiences where I wake up, or start to wake up and it feels like I'm having a seizure... I don't think it's sleep paralysis. My muscles contract. I'm talking, arms, face, and legs. I feel it and I'm conscious, but I can't stop it. I'm completely paralyzed when it happens and my arm muscles will especially contract where one time I was holding a pillow and it felt like my arms were tightening around it on their own and I Har no control.
I couldn't open my eyes, I couldn't speak, I could TRY to open my eyes and sometimes they would flutter open for brief moments.

The contractions in my face feel so weird... There isn't a way to really describe it. It just feels like every muscle is contorting. Idk if it looks like anything as I can't exactly see myself, but it feels like my face changes with the muscle contractions.

I'd say my legs get it the least amount. They feel more paralyzed than anything with minor contractions happening.

Sometimes my body will twitch or something while it happens, but it's not me trying to move even though I WANT to move lol.

Any ideas on what this could be? It ONLY occurs when I'm waking up or if I'm drifting to sleep after waking up

 

[gwand]

Sounds like muscle tetany. Low calcium levels from injury to the parathyroid glands is a major cause. Anyone in your family with autoimmune disorders? Do you have hypothyroidism or diabetes?

 

[Rocky998]

Sounds like muscle tetany. Low calcium levels from injury to the parathyroid glands is a major cause. Anyone in your family with autoimmune disorders? Do you have hypothyroidism or diabetes?

I don't THINK anyone in my family has an autoimmune disorder, but I want to say maybe because I think my parents brought someone up one time who had an autoimmune disorder, but memory on that is very foggy at best.

No, I don't think I have any of those although some of my extended family have diabetes

 

[gwand]

I suggest making an appointment with your family doctor for some blood work. If you can see an endocrinologist in short order that would be great. In the meantime chew several tums twice a day, take 1000 units vitamin D and take magnesium 400 mg daily and see if that helps. It won’t hurt you and could be helpful if you’re having tetany. If it is really tetany the dose of calcium and vitamin D will be larger as prescribed by your doctor.

 

[gwand]

Rocky, I’m going to PM you now

 

[Rocky998]

I suggest making an appointment with your family doctor for some blood work. If you can see an endocrinologist in short order that would be great. In the meantime chew several tums twice a day, take 1000 units vitamin D and take magnesium 400 mg daily and see if that helps. It won’t hurt you and could be helpful if you’re having tetany. If it is really tetany the dose of calcium and vitamin D will be larger as prescribed by your doctor.

I won't do the tums as that can be harmful to take a lot. I already use it more than I'd like with my stomach issues lol.

I can take magnesium and vitamin D though!

I should also add, this doesn't happen to me EVERY morning, but it DOES happen and it worries me when it does.

 

[Colin_T]

Talk to a doctor. Get an appointment with a brain specialist. If they send you for a CT (CAT) scan, tell them you want a MRI not a CT scan. MRIs don't cause cancer but CT scans do and they both show the same things.

Make sure you have a well balanced diet. If you take supplements, stop taking them 48 hours before you get blood tests done. If you take supplements within 24 hours of blood tests they pick up the supplement and the doctor says your levels are fine, when they could actually be low and the supplements are just making them high enough for the test.

Make sure you drink plenty of fluid (no caffeine, alcohol or sugary drinks) each day so you aren't dehydrated. Muscle cramps can be from lack of fluid in the body or low magnesium levels. Most people need between 2 and 3 litres of water each day.

Sorry if this sounds like I don't believe you, but are you sure you're awake when this happens and not dreaming it?

Not sure if you have the ability but if you set up a video camera just before bed it might record it.

 

[Rocky998]

Talk to a doctor. Get an appointment with a brain specialist. If they send you for a CT (CAT) scan, tell them you want a MRI not a CT scan. MRIs don't cause cancer but CT scans do and they both show the same things.

Sounds expensive, lol. Idk if I'll be able to do that although I'm gonna talk to my mom about it once I feel comfortable enough doing so...

Make sure you have a well balanced diet. If you take supplements, stop taking them 48 hours before you get blood tests done. If you take supplements within 24 hours of blood tests they pick up the supplement and the doctor says your levels are fine, when they could actually be low and the supplements are just making them high enough for the test.

This is great to know! Thank you!

Make sure you drink plenty of fluid (no caffeine, alcohol or sugary drinks) each day so you aren't dehydrated.

i try to stsy away from caffeine anyways as it gives me migraines. Ill drink lots of water and coconut water as well!

Muscle cramps can be from lack of fluid in the body or low magnesium levels. Most people need between 2 and 3 litres of water each day.

See, Ive had muscle cramps before and this isn't that.
My whole body stiffens up and freezes and it feels like my muscles contract or whatever. Not cramp, cause it doesn't really hurt, it just feels extremely weird and uncomfortable... It's so hard to just explain tbh lol

Sorry if this sounds like I don't believe you, but are you sure you're awake when this happens and not dreaming it?

oh yes, I'm very much sure of that.
This last time I was holding my pillow and my eyes were closed as it was happening and I was conscious of it. So I tried so hard to open my eyes (I have no control of my body when it happens). I was FINALLY able to flutter my eyes open briefly and I saw my arms on the pillow. Then my eyes shut again and I waited until the episode ended and when I was actually able to move, I looked around and my arms were exactly where they were before.

Another thing is that it happens AFTER I wake up. Directly after. I'll wake up and be very alert, and then I randomly drift off to sleep again, and it's RIGHT when I START to drift off to sleep it happens.
I've only experienced it in the mornings. Never happens when I'm going to sleep at night.

Not sure if you have the ability but if you set up a video camera just before bed it might record it.

Yeah I don't think I'm able to do that really... I don't have something that would record in the dark or have enough video space to do that

 

[Colin_T]

See a doctor asap. Talk to your mum and tell her what is happening and see a doc. It could the be start of a number of things and the sooner you find out, the more chance of successfully treating it.

 

[Naughts]

So I know that a fish forum isn't the BEST place to get human medical advice

Not even a doctor can give advice without more information.
I know you only asked what it might be, but self diagnosing isn't the best strategy, talking to a trained medical professional is the only way.

I can take magnesium and vitamin D though!

Get a doctor's advice first. We have no way of being certain if this is safe for you and your circumstances. A doctor will consider your age, medical conditions, medications, other supplements etc. to decide the potential risks and benefits for you and ensure that you are taking them safely.
They can help you determine which will help and which will harm, as well as whether there's something going on with your health that needs proper and prompt attention.

 

[Rocky998]

See a doctor asap. Talk to your mum and tell her what is happening and see a doc. It could the be start of a number of things and the sooner you find out, the more chance of successfully treating it.

I'll try to! Thanks a lot, Colin!

Not even a doctor can give advice without more information.
I know you only asked what it might be, but self diagnosing isn't the best strategy, talking to a trained medical professional is the only way.

Oh yeah, I wasn't trying to "officially" self diagnose myself, I was just trying to find any sort of thing that would cause these types of symptoms and could be a possible answer.

Get a doctor's advice first. We have no way of being certain if this is safe for you and your circumstances. A doctor will consider your age, medical conditions, medications, other supplements etc. to decide the potential risks and benefits for you and ensure that you are taking them safely.
They can help you determine which will help and which will harm, as well as whether there's something going on with your health that needs proper and prompt atattention.

Yeah, that's why I'm not taking the tums. Too risky.
I will take the magnesium and vitamin D because I have both on hand and there's instructions on the bottle that I can follow.
Vitamins aren't bad to take as long as you're not taking too much.

I'm gonna definitely try to seek more professional advice though, don't think I'm not. In the meantime, I'm gonna try to piece this together with possible causes brought up here or with other research I do

 

[sharkweek178]

So I know that a fish forum isn't the BEST place to get human medical advice but idk where to go really lol (I mean, yeah, ok, a doctor, but I can't rn).

So maybe it's nothing serious but I've had experiences where I wake up, or start to wake up and it feels like I'm having a seizure... I don't think it's sleep paralysis. My muscles contract. I'm talking, arms, face, and legs. I feel it and I'm conscious, but I can't stop it. I'm completely paralyzed when it happens and my arm muscles will especially contract where one time I was holding a pillow and it felt like my arms were tightening around it on their own and I Har no control.
I couldn't open my eyes, I couldn't speak, I could TRY to open my eyes and sometimes they would flutter open for brief moments.

The contractions in my face feel so weird... There isn't a way to really describe it. It just feels like every muscle is contorting. Idk if it looks like anything as I can't exactly see myself, but it feels like my face changes with the muscle contractions.

I'd say my legs get it the least amount. They feel more paralyzed than anything with minor contractions happening.

Sometimes my body will twitch or something while it happens, but it's not me trying to move even though I WANT to move lol.

Any ideas on what this could be? It ONLY occurs when I'm waking up or if I'm drifting to sleep after waking up

That doesn't sound like my experience with sleep paralysis but ymmv.
Basically what happens is this. When you go to sleep, your body goes into a mild state of paralysis. That way your legs aren't kicking when you're running in a dream. Sleep paralysis is when your body and brain don't synch up and the body goes into that state before your brain does. Thing is that your brain doesn't really process it rationally because it's part way into that sleep cycle. So when it happens it feels supernatural and terrifying. Some people hallucinate a demon is sitting on them holding them down. My own experience is that it feels like falling into a pit and if I don't find a way to move, I'll die.
It could be a sign of another sleep related condition like sleep apnea. So you might want to get it checked out.

 

[sharkweek178]

But just to agree with the others. Never ask for medical advice online. Dr Google is a quack. Always always talk to a medical professional.

 

[Rocky998]

That doesn't sound like my experience with sleep paralysis but ymmv.
Basically what happens is this. When you go to sleep, your body goes into a mild state of paralysis. That way your legs aren't kicking when you're running in a dream. Sleep paralysis is when your body and brain don't synch up and the body goes into that state before your brain does. Thing is that your brain doesn't really process it rationally because it's part way into that sleep cycle. So when it happens it feels supernatural and terrifying. Some people hallucinate a demon is sitting on them holding them down. My own experience is that it feels like falling into a pit and if I don't find a way to move, I'll die.
It could be a sign of another sleep related condition like sleep apnea. So you might want to get it checked out.

Yup! I've heard about that and I've experienced THAT before. You just can't move at all and it's a bit scary, but normal in a way.
This wasn't that. It was all my muscles in my body contracting and I would sometimes twitch and I was unable to open my eyes. Fully conscious though because I wanted it to stop and couldn't get it to

But just to agree with the others. Never ask for medical advice online. Dr Google is a quack. Always always talk to a medical professional.

Just spoke to my mom about it. We'll get it figured out. There's other stuff I gotta go in for as well anyways

I was just using google as a sort of helper in finding POSSIBLE things. Not a surefire answer or anything

 

[Jinx_]

I suggest making an appointment with your family doctor for some blood work. If you can see an endocrinologist in short order that would be great. In the meantime chew several tums twice a day, take 1000 units vitamin D and take magnesium 400 mg daily and see if that helps. It won’t hurt you and could be helpful if you’re having tetany. If it is really tetany the dose of calcium and vitamin D will be larger as prescribed by your doctor.

Fun fact: 20,000iu is the recommended dose of D3 daily. We make 25,000iu in full sun in 15-25 minutes.