Most people get a rush from fear. They ride roller coasters, skydive, and watch horror movies. However, for the 40 million people in the United States who suffer from a chronic sleep disorder, fear is always at the foot of their bed — waiting for them to fall asleep, or to keep them awake, ready to push them into the descending darkness of terror. More than 60 percent of North American adults experience some kind of sleep disturbance at least once a week. Nightmares, insomnia, and anxiety are just a few of the causes. It can be quite normal to have trouble falling asleep or waking up, and these problems can often be treated and managed, but other, more serious problems related to sleep can make life a living hell for those who suffer from them. In most cases, sleep-related difficulties range from lack of memory to trouble understanding financial affairs. In extreme cases, they can cause violence to oneself or others, and even lead to death. The following list includes frightening sleep disorders that cause more than inconvenient cognitive difficulties like concentration and memory. They are serious medical and neurological ailments that, despite treatment and medication, may never go away. Sudden respiratory failure, vivid hallucinations, and complete lack of control are frightening even in isolated incidents—but what if they occur night after night, year after year, with no signs of stopping?

7. Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep
disorders in the world. Anyone can develop the disorder, but it is prevalent in overweight, middle-aged adults. It occurs when the throat muscles suddenly open, close, and block the flow of oxygen. Sufferers from obstructive sleep apnea will stop and start breathing intermittently throughout sleep. Of course, people are unconscious, and are not aware this is happening. If the thought of losing oxygen in your sleep isn’t scary enough, sleep apnea can lead to cardiovascular complications, chronic fatigue, and eye problems.

6. Narcolepsy
Sometimes narcolepsy is humourlessly depicted in popular
culture as people suddenly falling asleep in strange
environments. Indeed, that can happen with chronic narcolepsy, but the sleep disorder is extremely serious. Narcolepsy is characterized by extreme daytime fatigue and sudden attacks of sleep. In other worlds, the sufferer may fall asleep without notice and without control. There is no cure for narcolepsy, but it can be managed. However, it can be extremely frightening. Paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations are two of the most debilitating symptoms. For example, suffers may wake up while
still dreaming, and confuse the dream for reality.

5. REM Behaviour Disorder
REM stands for “rapid eye movement.” REM is a specific phase of sleep responsible for deep physical relaxation (slow breathing, paralysis) and the dream state. In this phase, eyes literary move rapidly under the eye lids during dreams. Normally, the body is completely paralyzed during this phase. However, REM behaviour disorder causes suffers to physically act out their dreams often in the form of unpleasant nightmares. People may violently move their arms and legs (as if they might in a dream)
and loudly vocalize situations. REM behaviour disorder can be an early symptom of dementia or Parkinson’s disease. In some cases, sufferers can hurt themselves or their partners with their sudden and violent physical movements.

4. Sleepwalking
Sleepwalking is in many ways an extreme version of of REM behaviour disorder. Instead of people acting out their dreams with leg or arm movements, sufferers of sleepwalking can get up, walk around, and perform normal physical functions as they would while awake—but they are still sleeping. Children are more commonly affected by the disorder. Isolated cases do not usually require treatment, as long as the sleepwalker does not unintentionally injure themselves. However, sleepwalking cases where people run barefoot for miles, perform violent actions, or hurt themselves have been documented. Even if occasional or long-time sleepwalkers are not violent, it is a disheartening feeling to know you have no control of your body.

3. Exploding Head Syndrome
Exploding head syndrome almost sounds like something made up, but it is a very real and serious sleep disorder. Suffers of exploding head syndrome hear very loud noises while sleeping or waking up. These sounds are not always abstract. They can be slamming doors, fireworks, gun fire, or the crack of lightening. Suffers often mistake these sounds as being real when they hear them. The sounds can also be accompanied by visual sensations of the same sounds. It can lead to depression, anxiety, and panic disorders in those who experience exploding
head syndrome for long periods of time. According to the Sleep Medicine Review, the disorder may affect one in ten people during their lives. Hearing sounds that are not really there, especially those that are very loud and abrupt, can be a frightening and scary experience for any person.

2. Night Terrors
Night terrors are by definition extremely scary and
discomforting. They occur in episodes of screaming and intense fear that sufferers can not control. Sleepwalking has been known in some who suffer from night terrors, making this disorder that much more frightening. Suffers can suddenly sit up in bed, scream, kick and punch, run around the house, and engage in aggressive behaviour. Not only can the disorder can be extremely embarrassing or exasperate depression and anxiety, in can lead to injury of the sufferer or their family members.

1. Sleep Paralysis
Imagine waking up and not being able to move any part of your body except your eyes. You are fully conscious and completely aware of your surroundings, but you have lost all control of your physical body. Frightened, you look around the room the best you can. Through the darkness, you see a demon-like figure standing at the foot of your bed. The cackle of an old women echoes throughout the rooms. For people who suffer from sleep
paralysis, this experience can be a debilitating reality. The body is naturally paralyzed during sleep (for example, to prevent you from acting out your dreams). However, with sleep paralysis, the mechanism that causes and releases this paralysis malfunctions when the sufferer wakes up. Many cases of this disorder are marked by extremely disturbing, vivid hallucinations of demons, monsters, and even extraterrestrials.


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Op this is not all na... U didn't include "Sleep Talking"... Peeps who talk in their sleep. This scared d hell outta moi whn i was little. I was like, na so witch ppl dea talk....

spacebooked

didn't read everything tho...
got tired after number one..

my frnd does that sleep walking thing


he walks until he hits something strong

nickz:
my frnd does that sleep walking thing


he walks until he hits something strong

hahahaha!...How old is your friend?

glitest:


hahahaha!...How old is your friend?

21 i guess.....dude wakes up muttering words eyes closed oh and starts walking....if he hits something,he just opens his eyes and comes back to the bed!!

i have this very funny video of him doing it

nickz:
21 i guess.....dude wakes up muttering words eyes closed oh and starts walking....if he hits something,he just opens his eyes and comes back to the bed!!

i have this very funny video of him doing it

pls share the video with us

shugacaneman:



pls share the video with us

ma broda you don't want me to celebrate chrisimas

as i dey post everday for NL e no dey sweet you abi
bros wetin i do you
i snatch your babe



you're asking me to post video of the son of an army general??
i dey madt??
abi bomb dey my head??

my broda no be me you go kill

I don't know whether this is also a sleep disorder but i could vividly still remember one of my colleague during my university days. This guy is a don in sleepology. He slept for 2 days with very little breaks no joke. He can sleep virtually anywhere and even if there is a bomb explosion just 2cm away from him, he just won't wake up. If this guy do sleeping competition with dead body, the dead body go wake up before am. PATO anywhere u dey now,i know say u go still dey break more sleeping records.

REM - Rapid Eye Movement

just came across dz post and I'm marvelled at such indespicable, immature, and scornful comments...someone went through the trouble of bringing these knowledge of sleeping disorders to light, educating the public on da effects of sleep disorders on itz victims and dat da world could understand why they sleep or act the way they do...
*After reading da educational n enlightenment post, someone bragged abt a video of a victim when he ought to be sorry/ guilty he had made it.
*Da other mocks an old friend is obviously a victim, of breaking sleeping recordz...so NOT NICE !!
Sleeping disorders are real, as well as, itz effects on victims and the Nigerian public needs to be enlightened abt it. The world can never really understand what the victims of sleeping disorders struggle with everyday of their lives and da fear they face knowing they are strickened with a life- long disease of no cure, but can at least learn not to mock them but try to support and encourage them through the crazy phases of their life ....tnkz