Rolling out of bed, night terrors

I was diagnosed about 10 years ago with sleep apnea. I have not been using my cpap for several years.

This past week I have fallen out of bed twice, screamed in terror one night, and knocked over a lamp another night. Could this be caused by sleep apnea? Has anyone ever had this happen before? i have had sleep terrors a number of times since I was a teenager--maybe once a year on average. The falling out of bed is new. I got badly bruised the 2nd time I fell out.


Would love to hear from anyone who has had these problems.

I would think it quite likely that a lack of oxygen could cause extreme reactions in some parts of your system. We are not neurologists or sleep doctors, but many such issues have come up here before and many experienced members have helped patients to adjust to Cpap better than they have in the past, with good results. Not all such problems are necessarily caused by OSA - a doctor would be a better person to ask - but if you know you have apnea and have gone untreated for so long something is bound to change eventually as you get older. If you can give us an idea of why you haven't been using Cpap (problems with masks, with uncomfortable pressure settings, feelings that you're not treated even though on Cpap, etc), we can probably help you to adjust certain things and hopefully feel better in time.

Btw, please do not take anything XXXYZ says seriously - he is a troll, deranged, and while posts notes that can sound knowledgable, most are nonsense but can be dangerous to newbies... others will confirm this and we wouldn't want you to get lost in some 'advice' with him that will only confuse you in the end. THis forum is not moderated in the usual sense so we cannot do much at the moment about him.

Hi Cindy... few threads have gotten to me the way this one did. I'm so sorry you had to be subjected to xxyzx. As was mentioned, this forum isn't moderated, and you need to be careful who you take advice from.

Yes, I think you should see a doctor about your sleep apnea. Unfortunately, sleep apnea tends to get worse as you age, not better. If what you are experiencing is the result of not getting enough oxygen, it's a simple enough fix. Probably some lab work would be in order also. It would be helpful for any doctor you see in the future.

Welcome to the Forum... and be sure to read my signature!

Thanks to all for your replies. I have a sleep study scheduled, but wanted to see if anyone had ever had these experiences due to sleep apnea. I have asthma and cough a lot---herein lies the problem with the masks. If I can be fitted for the smaller type that doesn't cover the mouth, I think it would help me in compliance. It's hard to be compliant when you cough and have to take the mask off all the time!

I have a friend who is in a similar situation. She said her night incidents seem to have lessened now that she is using CPAP, but she still has times when she will cry out or flail during sleep. I do hope you'll consider addressing your sleep apnea and giving your body and brain it's best chance at healthy sleep. Is there any chance you are taking the medication Metformin? Just asking because I recently read that there's some suspicion it can cause sleep and neurological issues. If so, you might want to look that up and talk to your doctor about it. I strongly encourage you to take care of your sleep apnea. It was the best thing I ever did for myself.

It may be uncovered on your sleep study. In any event I dont think anyone here is qualified to speak about this. Good luck-let us know how it goes.

Cindylou67 wrote: This past week I have fallen out of bed twice...

If I were you, I'd immediately buy two bed rails sets and install them on each side of the bed. Falling out of bed, regardless of the cause, can result in a serious injury. I'm speaking from experience.

I used to suffer night terrors all the time before my apnea was treated. Also horrible and very vivid nightmares in general. I would say that it is not a streach to sugest that at the very least having untreated apnea would make your nightmares or sleep terrors worse. If you are experiencing untreated apnea your body is under a great deal of stress. If your apnea is as bad as mine was, you could be suffering from significant de-Sats were the amount of oxygen dissolved in the blood dips to low levels this can cause your brain to go into panic mode and will start dumping all sorts of fun chemicals into your system to try and keep you alive. Adrenalin and other stress hormones to name a few.

If you were officially diagnosed with sleep apnea before and we're treating it but have stopped then I would say it's almost definitively making your sleep terrors worse if not causing them.

After treating my apnea with a machine I can say I have never had another night terror since, at least with the screeming out loud and getting out of bed. I still have the odd nightmare now and then. Not all dreams can be of gum drops and sugar plums all the time. But my nightmares now are more or less "normal" not the life ending unimaginable dread that I was experiencing before when I stopped breathing at night.

As others have said please follow up with a doctor. Preferably one who has exspence working with and treating sleep disorders.

I personally would not bother with seeing a mental health doctor unless you rule out all the physical possibilitys and are still having bad nightmares. If you do go with a mental health doc only do so once you also are treating the physical issues as well. If you have sleep apnea it's not "in your head" and sitting on the couch and talking through your life's problems isn't going to make it go away.

I had issues in the past with seeing shrinks who cared little for assessing what was going on and simply wanted to stick me on meds. This was before my apnea was treated. Would have been nice to know the reason I was depressed was I hadn't had a normal nights sleep in over 20 years. But I digress.

As with any doctor you see. Much as we wish it wasn't so... it's your responsibility to do your "homework" as much as you can. You are your own best advocate. You need to protect your interests and make sure you get the best care you can. If you feel like you are being ignored or pigeonholed you need to walk away and find a new doctor who will listen and work with you to have the best outcome with what ever happens.

If you still have apnea you need to treat it as it usually gets worse as we grow older not better.

Wish you the best.

Rest well.

Gryphon