Question:
SSimp10496 (ssimp10…@aol.com) wrote: : Hi, I just newly discovered
this newgroup and want to have contact with anybody : that has to deal with their partner thrashing, hitting and cursing during a : sound sleep? This occurs most oftenly when my husband has been going thru a : few weeks to months of high stress related mostly to his job. : Since the pressure has been turned up in that area, plus there are new stresses : at home he cannot control, the episodes are becoming worse! I haven’t had a : decent night’s sleep in I don’t know how long, always feeling that I need to : be semi-conscious and prepared to jump out of bed. I’ve experienced something similar with my husband’s night terrors. When he has one he will sometimes leap out of bed screaming in terror or roaring angrily, run around the house yelling, and once almost got the front door open, trying to run outside in freezing weather wearing only his underwear. In the milder ones, he just yells. Sleeping apart was part of the answer. The episodes are much less frequent since he’s been taking klonopin but no less severe. Last month he had his first big terror in a few years. He was away from home in an unfamiliar room, and when he started running he fell over a chair and cracked a rib. In addition to the terrors, Eric has nerve damage in his arms/hands/shoulders from RSI, and it’s hard for him to get comfortable in bed because of the way they ache. Sleeping alone makes it easier for him. And on top of everything else, he snores terribly(has been tested for apnea and doesn’t have it), and is a very restless sleeper, thrashing, rolling, and scratching me with his toenails. We miss sleeping together but we’d both rather sleep apart than keep each other awake, and we both sleep much better when apart. Try it. It might help, and if you doesn’t you can always go back to your current arrangement.
Response:
Hi, Sharon, Yes, there are good sleep disorders centers in Michigan, and I strongly urge you and your husband to seek an accredited one which has a board certified (in sleep medicine) neurologist on staff who has an interest in treating parasomnias. (I’m not a sleep expert, by the way, but a medical writer who has written quite a lot about sleep disorders.) For your husband’s safety and your own, as well as a decent night’s sleep, it is important for him to be treated. You can find the closest accredited sleep center at <www.asda.org> — the American Sleep Disorders Assoc accredits sleep centers. There are effective treatments for parasomnias such as your husband displays. They need an accurate diagnosis, as there are several types of nighttime activities like this. Also, stress does contribute to the appearance of parasomnias like this, as does sleep deprivation. And yes, some parasomnias apparently run in families. For a review of several articles on violence in sleep, look up Providence (Seattle) Sleep Disorders Center’s web site, <www.sleep.org>, and find the professional section, and then locate the SLEEP Rx newsletter, and download Vol. 2, No. 1, and an article entitled "Violence in Sleep". Or look up the journal SLEEP, Vol 18, 1995, which was devoted largely to this subject. An eye-opener. Best wishes, Sally in Seattle (JSo…@aol.com) Coauthor, with Dr. Ralph Pascualy, of Snoring and Sleep Apnea: Personal and Family Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment, published in 1996 by Demos Vermande, NY. Available through bookstores, ISBN # 0-939957-82-5.
Response:
Hi, I just newly discovered this newgroup and want to have contact with anybody that has to deal with their partner thrashing, hitting and cursing during a sound sleep? This occurs most oftenly when my husband has been going thru a few weeks to months of high stress related mostly to his job. Since the pressure has been turned up in that area, plus there are new stresses at home he cannot control, the episodes are becoming worse! I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in I don’t know how long, always feeling that I need to be semi-conscious and prepared to jump out of bed. Are there any good sleep disorder clinics in Michigan that I could have him referred to? What do they accomplish there? He hates taking medication, but we’re down to a point in this marriage where he either gets examined and follows the prescribed regimen or we are sleeping apart. Also, does anybody know if this is a possibly inherited trait? I just recently spoke to his father who was in WWII and was like that for years after the war. I love this man desperately but, I NEED SLEEP!!!! Sharon p.s. feel free to E-mail me privately with your own experiences or thru the newgroup. Thanks! Sharon Simpson, R.N.
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