near death experience?

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near death experience?

Posted by Claire on January 15, 2002 at 15:07:13:
I am a 29 year old woman and I think relatively healthy. For the past 6 years , at the rate of about once or twice a month I have been having a particularly frightening experience where I wake up slightly and find myself as if blacking out, as if losing conciousness, fading out-and "suffocating" although I don't think my breathing is really affected. It actually really feels like if I don't fight the feeling I will die and I then feel very panicked and helpless and frightened until it goes away after which exhausted and still groggy I usually fall back asleep although the first time it happened I sat up wondering whether to call an ambulance!
Once or twice this feeling has occured when still asleep and trying to wake- combined with a dream or a hallucination (once I "saw" a man standing in my room with the tricks played by the curtains in the dark) and I am aware I can't wake up , that I'm fighting to regain conciousness.
As it's quite rare and that I fall asleep afterwards, I have not remembered to mention it to a doctor until now.
Is this common? What is it? I have noticed that feeling claustrophobic with my friend taking up most of the bed (he only stays once or twice a week) or alcohol and rich food can worsen it but very often there seems to be no particular reason. Also is there any scientific truth in the quality of sleep and type of dream being affected by the orientation or position of the bed (near a window, magnetic orientation...)? I do have this problem a little less since I moved to a new flat (is only 17 M2) but now I have constant nightmares every night for some reason.

Follow Ups:

Sleep paralysis Wonkawoman 10:00 1/17/02 (0)

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Sleep Deprivation due to Sleep Apnea and insufficient sleep are common and can present as insomnia, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersomnia. In infants and children sleep problems commonly present themselves as ADD or ADHD.