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Night long inner vibrations...

soxfan

Senior Member
Messages
995
Location
North Carolina
I had been sleeping really well the past 6 months or so. Then over the weekend I wake up in the middle of the night with those horrible body vibrations (from my chest to my abdomen only). I have also been acutely aware of my heartbeat for the past couple years but this time it was much worse. I couldn't sleep on my side as it made the pounding worse. I had to lie still on my back all night.

This lasted the entire night where I ended up with maybe 3 hours sleep. Then again Sunday night I had maybe 3 hours broken sleep. This feeling just makes it totally impossible to sleep. Last night wasn't as bad but when I did wake up I could feel the vibrations in my body (almost like a motor is running).

So my question is how can you tell the difference between this being total anxiety driven...adrenaline surging or high cortisol surging. I want to add that my heart is not beating fast as I have a pulse monitor I can slip right onto my finger. It never got above the mid 70's and mostly in the low 60's and even 50's. I did wake up once drenched in sweat each night.

I have no idea what would have triggered this and what made it even worse is that I had to work the next morning both days so I was like a zombie at work. I would wake up so physically exhausted I am not sure how I even functioned.
Is there a way to tell the difference between anxiety...adrenaline...cortisol?

I had to up my sleep meds to double and even that didn't help with the sleep....nothing works during these times...so discouraging.
 

soxfan

Senior Member
Messages
995
Location
North Carolina
Last time glutamate was checked it was in the normal range.....that was a year ago. Any other ideas....I am so tired today I can hardly function.
 

Misfit Toy

Senior Member
Messages
4,178
Location
USA
It almost sounds like the vegas nerve. I think that's the nerve. It causes that feeling for me. It could be all of those things you mentioned. With CFS, how do you know? It could be a viral situation waking you up, but I am sure it will abate, that's the good thing to know. The Vegas nerve can cause anxiety and a vibration like feeling in the chest and abdomen.
 

soxfan

Senior Member
Messages
995
Location
North Carolina
Isn't that the nerve that runs down the neck? I had an MRI done on that last year because I had a paralyzed vocal cord. It has gone away some but not totally...at least I am sleeping more than a few hours. thanks...
 

L'engle

moogle
Messages
3,200
Location
Canada
I have something like that but not so severe. Since it happens out of the blue from an otherwise sleeping state, I don't think it is anxiety. For me I wake up thinking there is an earth tremor or a truck going by and then I realize it is just me. I always am exhausted so it's hard to tell if this type of event is making it worse. I imagine you are always exhausted too but the severity of the event is making it obviously worse. That is a horrible feeling, shovelling yourself off to work when you feel utterly destroyed. Good luck recovering.
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
I had been sleeping really well the past 6 months or so. Then over the weekend I wake up in the middle of the night with those horrible body vibrations (from my chest to my abdomen only). I have also been acutely aware of my heartbeat for the past couple years but this time it was much worse. I couldn't sleep on my side as it made the pounding worse. I had to lie still on my back all night.

This lasted the entire night where I ended up with maybe 3 hours sleep. Then again Sunday night I had maybe 3 hours broken sleep. This feeling just makes it totally impossible to sleep. Last night wasn't as bad but when I did wake up I could feel the vibrations in my body (almost like a motor is running).

So my question is how can you tell the difference between this being total anxiety driven...adrenaline surging or high cortisol surging. I want to add that my heart is not beating fast as I have a pulse monitor I can slip right onto my finger. It never got above the mid 70's and mostly in the low 60's and even 50's. I did wake up once drenched in sweat each night.

I have no idea what would have triggered this and what made it even worse is that I had to work the next morning both days so I was like a zombie at work. I would wake up so physically exhausted I am not sure how I even functioned.
Is there a way to tell the difference between anxiety...adrenaline...cortisol?

I had to up my sleep meds to double and even that didn't help with the sleep....nothing works during these times...so discouraging.

I don't think cortisol has that effect. It tends to calm things down, e.g. reducing inflammation and immune activity. Maybe adrenaline, maybe low blood sodium/other electrolytes, maybe something you are taking? I think I got the 'vibro' effect with Coenzyme Q10 and/or d-ribose, neither of which I took for long due to adverse effects. Some antidepressants (notably SSRIs) may do it too.

Along with the inefficacy of sleep meds, it sounds on the whole like it could be caused by exertion, maybe 2 or 3 days earlier. Those are some of the kinds of effects I get with PEM.
 

soxfan

Senior Member
Messages
995
Location
North Carolina
Thanks everyone...I am going to stop the CO Q 10 and see if that helps I did have a couple very stressful days that week so now I am thinking it was a bad case of PEM which just happen to hit me in the middle of the night. I think having to work those days as well made it all that much worse...trying to function is almost as hard as the sleepless nights..

I don't think it's anxiety either since I do take klonopin to sleep I am pretty sure that would have helped.
 

L'engle

moogle
Messages
3,200
Location
Canada
CoQ10 messes up my sleep completely. Too bad since I feel a bit better the day I take it but then have sleep trouble, sometimes for several nights. I gave it up. Most supplements that give a sense of vigor seem to interfere witth my sleep. Methyl b12 is the only one so far that doesn't cause insomnia for me. Good luck.