Throw the shovel - 1

I’ve just come out of a sleep disorder called Parasomnia. The purpose of this post isn’t to bore you with my health report; but having been through the ordeal, I understand that this disorder can strike anyone and the reason for it is self-driven; what I mean is that it can happen to anybody simply because of the erratic lifestyles that we lead.

Studies in sleep sciences haven’t really progressed as much as the other branches in medicine, yet we spend almost two-thirds of our life sleeping. There are many types of sleep disorders known (wiki it for more info.), with insomnia being the famed one. However, many others like parasomnia, bruxism,excessive sleep disorder, sleep apnea etc. are equally predominant. I would like this text to sound as a precautionary note to all those who take sleep for granted, like I did.

On the 2nd of August 2008, I woke up to a cup of coffee in the morning. I was on holiday, waiting to report to my new company for work from the following week. I have loved coffee to the point where I have gotten addicted to it. I know many people are. That day, I was running around the city helping a friend of mine who was to leave to the US to finish his shopping. In the merry, I skipped my lunch, had horrible junk food (like I did everyday) and ended up drinking 7 cups of coffee through the course of the day. I am not the person who goes around drinking a lot of water either which in itself contained the seeds to my disorder.

Later that night, I worked on my computer till about 11 and went to bed. I kept tossing and turning in bed feeling uneasy (like many of us do). And then all of a sudden at around 1:30 in the night, I started having difficulty in breathing. My breaths got shallower, my heart started palpitating, my palms started sweating and they turned red, my legs started getting week and jittery – all of a sudden for no apparent reason. This is a condition known as an anxiety/panic attack. It typically happens to people out of a sudden surge of anxiety or fear in crowded places or theatres. I opened the windows to let in some fresh air. I started moving around the house like a mad man just to keep myself diverted from the way I was feeling. I tried distracting myself by turning on some music, but it wouldn’t help. About 20 minutes later, just when I thought I’m going to collapse, I went and woke up my grandparents (I was statying with them). My throat had gone dry, and I ended up drinking 2 litres of water with no difficulty.

After a glass of lemon juice and lots of prayers, I barely managed to go to sleep at around 3 in the night, hoping to get up alive the next day. And I don’t mean to exaggerate on that note.

When I woke up the next morning at around 8, my body was aching, I felt very tired and I realized that I felt kind of ‘disconnected’ from the world. I don’t know if your have felt this, but it’s very difficult to explain what ‘disconnected’ feels like – it’s like your not plugged into the world. It feels like you’re just moving around in a daze, something like a hangover but not exactly that either! It’s a very scary experience and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. One can perform regular activities, but as your say, taking a bath or even walking around, you can sense that ‘something is not feeling normal here’. My heart was still palpitating.

I went to consult with my physician. I walked into his chamber, and tried explaining what had happened the previous night, but I was lost for words literally. He did his test and declared that I was perfectly normal! He asked me if I had exhausted myself recently, and the answer to that was YES! But I have exhausted myself a lot more before and every single time; it doesn’t take more than a couple of hours of decent rest to overcome it. I wasn’t running temperature either. So my Doc prescribed a cough syrup (to act as a sedative) and told me to go sleep ‘properly’. I wish I could!

(to be contd.)