Floating and sinking feelings while in bed

[Michael Archangel]

Last night and the night before, a few minutes after lying in bed, I started having this very strange but real feeling like I was hovering above the bed, and I also had tingling/burning sensations in both my legs. After a few more moments, I would have a sinking feeling in my chest, and a sort of drifting feeling as if I was going to pass out rather than fall asleep. It feels like if I don’t shake myself up I’m going to die! Horrible feeling… Once this starts happening, I will then feel woozy/dizzy as if I’m going to pass out because my heart is not pumping fast or hard enough. Changing positions does not help. Realistically it must be anxiety, but have any of you ever had something similar?

Note: In the past I have had a brief falling feeling just as I drift to sleep which then suddenly wakes me up with a sudden jerk, but this isn’t like that at all, it’s a persistent feeling while I'm still fully awake and it makes me scared of going to sleep for fear I will never wake up…

[Libra]

I think I know what you mean Michael..Its like your dropping through the pillow,falling ? No, its not same as the jerking awake one that you mentioned.I can cope with that but have had the falling one as have quite a few on here.

[Michael Archangel]

Not really... It just feels like I'm dying, like I'm slipping away and I have to jerk myself "awake". Horrible!

[countrygirl]

I get episodes where just as I relax to sleep I feel as if I have fallen right through the bed, I don't physically move as in hypnic jerks its purely a feeling in my head and absolutely horrible as I get a huge adrenalin surge and am wide awake with racing heart. It also feels like dizziness as well.

I have had this on and off for past 12 years and I know without a shadow of a doubt its anxiety related as I always get it if I am in worry mode or feel stressed about say a medical proceedure. All those years ago I had loads of tests including brain mri and sleep studies and nothing showed up and I was told its a sleep disorder that happens when you are very anxious/stressed and its your brain not shutting down properly as it relaxes into sleep.

I now tell myself its not harmful just a sensation and tell it go go away or words to that effect and instead of being awake terrifeid all night I can usually get it to stop and then I go to sleep.

[Emmapony]

Hey.
I've had this all my life! Before my HA started I had already googled it so it doesn't cause me much bother. It's called Hypnic jerk and it's actually incredibly common, i think it happens to like 70% of people! It's nothing to worry about! It's much more common if you've been suffering from sleep deprivation recently, something that if your anxiety is bad you may have struggled with

Emma :):)

[Libra]

Its awful isn't it Countrygirl.. Had it each time my anxiety was about to flare,after prolonged stress.. Makes you catch your breath.. Its not the Hypnic jerks, they are different.They just startle you but the other thing is the most awful feeling .

[countrygirl]

Its awful isn't it Countrygirl.. Had it each time my anxiety was about to flare,after prolonged stress.. Makes you catch your breath.. Its not the Hypnic jerks, they are different.They just startle you but the other thing is the most awful feeling .

Yep totally agree. Even Drs don't always understand the difference between hypnic jerkes where your body actually moves and this sensation where your body does not move at all.

[stk149]

Hello Michael

I have experienced the exact same thing. With mine it feels like I've stopped breathing and I have to literally lift my head off the pillow to check I'm still alive. :blush:

It is definitely the anxiety. I haven't had it so much since I started taking medication (probably because I get awful insomnia on citalopram).

I find I suffer with it more when I'm really really exhausted. Make sure you're getting plenty of sleep at night (difficult with what you're currently experiencing, I know!), and try some breathing exercises when you lay down to sleep (breathe in through the nose for 7 seconds, out through the mouth for 11 seconds usually helps me).

Hope it goes away for you soon! :)

- Therese x

[Michael Archangel]

Thanks guys. I *think* I've figured out what the sinking feeling is: ectopic heart beats...

I've had a few ectopics a day for a while, and I normally feel them as a thud. So I'm not sure why I would suddenly have so many when I go to bed (at some point last night I had a sinking feeling every couple of minutes) and why they would feel different, but whilst I had one of the sinking feeling last night I think I felt my pulse pause for a moment so I believe that's what it is.

I've had my heart checked before and was told it was ok but this is scaring me again due to the different feeling and increase in frequency!

[Libra]

I didn't have ectopics when I went through that feeling Michael..It may have different causes but I know several people who have experienced it and it was anxiety.

[countrygirl]

I had had ectopics for past 30 odd years and with me they are always at their worst just after I get into bed. I never had a night where I don't have multiple runs of ectopics in the first 10 mins after going to bed. Its because you get ectopics when your heartbeat is slower and you are relaxed. A racing heart hugely reduces the number of ectopics.

What helped me cope with ectopics was a cardio who told me they are harmless but horrible and usually only felt by anxious people and cardio's consider them a totally normal variation in heart beat.