Why do I feel like I almost died after waking from a daytime nap?

[Harambulus]

I've had this for as long as I can remember. It doesn't happen when waking from normal sleep in the morning but only these day naps.

Daytime naps for me seem to induce immediate REM sleep as I notice myself dreaming instantly and usually last no longer than an hour.

Upon waking it feels like I am fighting for my life for the 1st few seconds-minutes and indeed I am struggling to recollect being 'of this world' at all.

I will feel really dazed and groggy for 15 mins odd then feel incrementally refreshed through another 15 minutes to half an hour before feeling rather refreshed and awake from the nap.

That first 'window' upon waking is always rather traumatic though and I sort of have a love hate relationship with daytime naps for this reason.

It is like a 'necessary evil' cos I always feel alot better once that adverse effect has worn of but that 'side effect' post nap is rather anxiety provoking.

Any possible explanations for this and/or ways to minimise this NDE like effect?

I really enjoy the rejuvenative effects of a good daytime nap but would like to cut out this side effect crap associated with it.

 

[n3ophy7e]

It sounds like it could possibly be something like sleep paralysis. Sometimes I get sleep paralysis where it's not like the full-on hallucinations and paralysis, but it's more of just a panicky feeling as I'm trying to wake up. Does that kinda sound like what you experience? And yeah when it happens to me, it knocks me about a bit even after I've properly woken up.

Is there any reason why you need to take day-time naps?? I seem to recall something I read somewhere about it actually NOT being a good habit to get in to. I think for the reason that it messes up your daily sleep cycle, which could explain why you pretty much immediately go in to REM sleep as you start to doze off. Sleep paralysis is associated with REM sleep and more specifically whenever our body/brain is not synchronised properly in the first REM phase or the last REM phase of sleep (i.e. when we're first going to sleep, or when we're waking up).

Do you get enough sleep at night? I think (again, if I recall correctly) it's healthier to get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep at night, then stay awake all day.

 

[Jblazingphoenix100]

If you need a daytime nap - consider this -

Do you need to have naps? - if your metabolism is anything but slow, then OK cool.

Daily naps are only for 2/3 of people - as a general rule, they're not for people who have slow metabolisms as they slow it down.

Powernaps/catnaps are the best thing to do - I wouldn't sleep for more than 30 minutes if you just wanna recharge a lil. When you drift into a sleep cycle, the first half hour is light sleep, then REM and deep sleep - so if you wake up at, say, 1:33 hours, you will feel like shit.

Make sure to wake up in the first part of an hours cycle and you should feel OK.

ALso take it easy.

^ n3o is right - 8 hours of sleep is what we should all be getting really, no more, no less.

 

[Harambulus]

Hmm yes what you describe sounds like what happens to me. I will look into the sleep paralysis thing.

I'd love to get 8 hours a night but I've slept shitty for years mainly due to dust mite allergy which causes me disturbed sleep due to nasal discharge.

The knock on effect has also been stress related symptoms and I also picked up IBS somewhere along the line (around exam times when I was at university).

So I gotta get it in whenever I can .

As bitter irony I find all my symptoms are considerably better if by fluke I get a decent sleep.

 

[R.ticle One]

I've almost always found that falling asleep in the daytime leads to a very "busy" sleep. By that I mean that my mind is very active as is, but napping in the day seems to result in a faster onset of mental chatter and dreams than it does even at night. (I have HPPD, too; I think that adds to the "busyness", too.)

I don't nap in the day as a habit, unless particularly fatigued. Though I could probably let myself fall asleep in the daytime more often than I'd care to admit.

The last time I slept in the day, my partner was here. We were both very tired that day and fell asleep. I awoke with a start and was pale as a ghost. I can recall at least one or two other times when, upon waking in the day, I have felt "shocked", or startled and weak immediately after waking, then slowly, refreshed.

I have definitely experienced that "Huh? What the hell? Where the fuck am I?" feeling you described when rising from a daytime nap, too.

So I guess your experience is shared with at least some other people.

 

[Harambulus]

Let us unite in our daytime terrors