Toxic sleep/naps

[[te...]]

Are there those of you who have toxic naps and/or sleep? I have even tried sitting up to sleep--thinking that perhaps my breathing is labored when laying down. After a few moments, and then drifting off, the toxicity begins, even while sitting up. Anyone know why this occurs?

[[St...]]

I wish I knew the answer to that, I had very toxic naps. Even just dozing for a moment was dreadful. Now I can finally take a nap without feeling so disoriented and awful when I wake up. The breathing thing was so scary too, I'd really like to know the answer to this too. Whatever it is, it went away, thank God.

[[te...]]

    Hi Starbird~

Thanks for posting. Do you recall how long it took for your naps/sleep to become less toxic? Do you think the breathing probs. are from w/d as well? I was thinking possibly sleep apnea. Either one is awful though. Glad to hear from you   T2

[[St...]]

The breathing thing really freaked me out, it does feel like a type of apnea. I would wake up in incredible fear as well... very strange indeed. Because I became fearful of naps after that I didn't attempt a nap for months later, I'd say after about 1 year off I was ok to nap without that horrible feeling.

 

What's strange it that it didn't happen during the night, only the day time. 

[[jm...]]

Taking naps has been very frightening for me. I would feel as if I was not able to breath just before I was about to doze off. Just a horrible feeling. I thought I had a type of apnea. Eventually this feeling has almost went away completely. The bad thing was that it actually made me afraid of my own bed!

[[te...]]

I had read on BB where someone, cannot recall whom, had referred to the bed as 'the rack' Now I know why. :'( Feel like I'm going unconscious and drifting downward--hard to explain. Waking up is horrible! Groggy, losing touch with where I am, what time it is, ..."feeling like a dead duck"...Aqualung/Jethro Tull

[Guest [my...]]

Hi Teach,

I have them too.  They are absolutely horrible.  so afraid to go to sleep but so very tired.  I wake up and it lasts for hours. Just miserable.  sorry you are going through this as well.

 

Love,

Mamie

[[nc...]]

Hi:

 

I to have toxic naps though I don't have the breathing problems most others are describing.  Sometimes when I lay down and start to drift off to sleep I become extremely nauseated and sit right back up again.  I know that if I were to fall asleep I would wake up feeling very sick.  In those situations it's like the handwriting is on the wall.  Other times I will fall asleep without any problem but when I wake up there is usually hell to pay for hours after.  It really all depends on how symptomatic I am on any given day.

 

Nancy

[[el...]]

Well, at least I know I’m not the only one. In the first few months of my w/d, I was becoming terrified to even try to take a nap because I would wake up in terror and gasping for air (after only a few moments of sleep). Sleep was the only escape from the mental torture yet there was virtually no sleep. Through this whole ordeal I have still attempted naps nearly every day so that I am not afraid of sleeping once this is over.  I try to view it as “facing my fears.“ I still wake up during napping with a terrorized body, but my mind knows what is going on so I don‘t freak out about it anymore. It is VERY gradually fading. Very, very unpleasant experience that will not be missed once I am on the other side of this.

 

eli

 

[[Ho...]]

Sorry to hear about your toxic naps. I can relate. I'm now holding my taper so they've gotten better.

 

Btw, I hear many on BB saying their breathing isn't good during a nap and they feel they could have sleep apnea. In fact, i read that a lot.

[[dj...]]

I will add to this thread that I too have wondered if others notice a worsening from napping.  If recall that if I took an afternoon nap, I would wake up feeling absolutely horrible.....foggy, cloudy, dizzy, etc.  All head symptoms.  I know that everyone experiences this to some degree, my wife does and I certainly did before benzos.....a long nap in the afternoon made me feel cruddy when I woke.  But this is much much worse and sometimes I've felt that the feeling brought on by a nap would last more than a day.  In the last few months I've noticed that naps don't do that to me anymore.  Oh, and I recall a few specific times being awoken in the middle of the night by my son and feeling so incredibily dizzy.  That does not happen anymore.  I'm 22 months out. 

[[WT...]]

I know this all to well -- I'm afraid to nap, and I'm afraid of my bed and couch during the day.

[[te...]]

For all of us toxic sleeper/nappers.....guess it's the same as with most of the other atrocities of benzo-use---t.i.m.e. Wishing us all peace & healing!....T2

[[Ho...]]

I know the feeling many of you are talking about...the feeling you have just before you drift off...like you're floating away or can't breath..etc. I've had them all. Currently, I get tremors when I'm falling asleep.

 

Frankly, the whole thing started to piss me off so I decided to get tough with these sensations. Now I lie down to actually feel them. I expect them and when they come, I completely accept them. I don't fight it anymore. In fact, I relax into which ever sensation I'm feeling and I rate how bad it is. I say to myself,"These tremors aren't as bad as the tremors I had last night. These are about a 5 out of ten." Then I let the feeling ride. I let it go to see what will happen if I don't sit up. There were times I thought I would die if I didn't sit up right away. But you know what? Nothing happened. The feeling came...I stayed with it...and it left. I was stunned. So, now when I have these feelings I accept them and tell myself that this can't hurt me...it's just a sensation.

 

I think my examining these feelings has helped. I'm not as afraid of them because I know they can't hurt me. They just feel strange.

[[So...]]

Wow, and I thought I was the only one with toxic naps...and dreading going to sleep at times!  Guess it helps to know that we aren't alone and that it WILL get better!  Wishing all of us pleasant naps...in the near future!  Love, Sophia

[[wi...]]

Isn't it good to know we are not alone.  It never ceases to amaze me how many strange symptoms come from this withdrawal and recovery.  For a while about a year ago I had a full on phobia regarding sleeping during the day.  It passed but I make sure I don't ever try to nap.  Too toxic!!  Waking up is not worth the sleep.  Some how I knew from the start not to try to take a nap in my bed so I wouldn't associate naps with the bed.  Only ever went to my bed at night.  At times I catch a quick nap in a chair, but never sit down with the intention of sleeping.  If I catch just a few winks, all the better.