What disorder do I NOT have... sleep is not my friend.

[scarysari]

My problems:
Sleep walking
Sleep Eating
Snoring (and probably sleep apnea)
Waking every 45 minutes if not sleepwalking
Excessive dreaming
and a few episodes of Sleep Paralysis


So my sleep problems started around the beginning of Jr. High, when life started becoming more complicated and adult stresses started creeping in. I began sleepwalking once in a while and got in the habit of eating a bowl of cereal once a night every night, usually around 3 in the morning. The eating I remember, the sleepwalking was witnessed by my mom and unfortunately, myself after being woke up mid-episode and I about had a heart attack from being so disoriented. (Never wake a sleepwalker!!! Unless they're in danger of hurting themselves.)
At 16, I started my first job while still in highschool, and then in college I was working up to 35 hours a week and taking classes full time... so life just got more and more stressful. And sleep was getting worse and worse. The part that I have struggled with the most in the last 13 years is the constant waking and dreaming, because those things I remember. The sleepwalking can be scary, but most the time I have no memory of it. Just proof the next day of what I've been into.
I have some pretty funny stories (well funny to others) about my sleepwalking. I've woken up in my car, woken up outside my neighbors sliding glass door in only my shirt and underwear... and countless other strange places. I've eaten REALLY strange things in my sleep, things I would never even eat while awake... including dry cat food, a stick of butter, cardboard with cream cheese (yum! ), cornstarch, coffee grinds, cigarette tobacco and you name it. I've destroyed beautiful desserts for family functions prepared the night before because I decided to scoop out the center with my dirty paws. I've put partially eaten hot pockets in the dryer, and ran the dryer... ending up with a full load of meatball stained clothes. I've chopped vegetables, made my son's lunch... I could go on forever about the strange things I've done.
And then my dreams... some are good, most of them are anxiety and the rest horror dreams. Typical anxiety dreams... late for school, can't open my locker, can't find an address. The horror dreams are the worst. They are so detailed. I remember smells, textures, tastes, and pain. I've had to eat my own arm in my dream, been shot multiple times by a firing line of zombies, had my stomach cut open and made to look at it in the mirror and whatever else a good horror movie script could come up with. BUT once in a while, when I'm lucky... I have excellent sex dreams which are just as detailed. Orgasm included.
So that's a little bit of my background. I have been to a sleep clinic but they didn't even want to observe me overnight. They told me that as long as I was falling back asleep right away after waking, that was not a disorder (but who sleeps in 45 minute sleep cycles???). So all they did was send me home with a little monitor that clips to the end of your finger for one night to check my pulse. Apparently they can tell if you have sleep apnea from this. Well it came back in a normal range, so they dismissed that as being the constant waking problem. All they did was prescribe me Rozerum (and then Ambien) to help me fall asleep. Which wasn't even my concern in the first place. All that stuff did was give me a 2-3 stretch of sleep and make me sleepwalk more so I quit taking them within a month. They told me there's nothing they can do for sleepwalking, I just need to lower my stress levels if I can. (sure, I'll get right on that) My boyfriend sleeps with earplugs at night because of my snoring and has told me that I quit breathing all the time during my sleep and is sure I have sleep apnea. There are fixes for that, although not always successful I guess. And living in a small city, there is not as many good doctors around to help.
I have basically given up as far as ever sleeping for rest. I'm just glad there's forums like this where I can read about other people's experiences and feel a little more normal.

[Tracy]

Wow - what a story -
Don't give up! I am horrified at your treatment and think you need to see a sleep doctor who is board certified in sleep medicine....avoid the primary care physician, many are just not trained in sleep issues.

here is a link to a list of acredited sleep centers -
http://www.sleepcenters.org/

find your city/state and then see which is approved by your insurance....then scroll down and not they also list doctors - choose one of them to make an appointment with!

If you have apnea, it must be treated as it can be life threatening and does not get better if left untreated. You might have multiple sleep disorders - which is common believe it or not! But apnea must always be treated first - THEN some of your other symptoms might resolve and those that do not can then be treated.

best to you and KEEP POSTING!
tracy

[scarysari]

thanks so much!