... Hey guys, This is actually called a "myoclonic shock" or "myoclonic twitch." It's very common, sometimes it can spur a panic disorder, but it's generally a physical thing. I don't know much about sleep apnea, but it is normal (the shock) . I get them all the time, they knock the wind out of me and leave me gasping for air, it takes me almost a half hour to calm down. ... (18 replies)

... or even more a night, if a wake up at 4 or 5am in the morning and get up for a drink, toilet etc when i get back in bed i can go back to sleep fine, it never happens then, only when im falling asleep at night. ... (18 replies)

... did you ever stop to think you may have sleep apnea. Please go to some dr. and see if you have the symptoms. The test is easy and it could save your life and panic attacks. ... (18 replies)

... and the more it happens the more I worry because I know I NEED sleep that night...it's a bit of a cycle. ... (18 replies)

... Have you had a sleep study done to shed some light on your symptoms? ... (18 replies)

... Hey there! The answer to your concern of sheer terror waking with a sudden jolt and instant panic, horror, and feeling threatened? ... (18 replies)

... It is SO scary!! I feel like I am going to die when it happens. I was diagnosed with sleep hypopnea last year but I simply cannot do the CPAP. ... (18 replies)

... one sleeping disorder...undiagnosed sleeping disorders can lead to high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, diabetes, asthma, and other health conditions. In other words, they are nothing to ignore. ... (18 replies)

... Wow do you sound like me. I go through this cycle every couple of weeks. After about 2 weeks I finally was able to sleep without the jumping up. I am usually very tired. ... (18 replies)

... Sleep apnea is not limited to deep sleep. I have severe sleep apnea and so does my son. My husband has hypopnea. My son and I never reached deep sleep because our apnea events would boot us awake and not let us acheive deep sleep. ... (18 replies)

... I thought sleep apnea only happens in deep sleep. ... (18 replies)

... Sleep deprivation when it is chronic and working toward severe can cause this.. thus sleep apnea patients often get it. You should go to a sleep specialist and get a sleep study done. The data they can glean from it is amazing. ... (18 replies)

... I have this problem also. I think it is related to sleep apnea. Before I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, I used to think it was some sort of panic attack. Since I now sleep with a CPAP, I realize this only happens when I fall asleep without the CPAP. ... (18 replies)

... times a year, i have nights where it is very hard to sleep. im generally quite tired, and as soon as i feel myself falling asleep, I suddenly wake up, in a shock. generally my heart is beating fast, im tense, my breathing is somewhat heaving, and i get a rush of panic through my body. ... (18 replies)

... Im not sure what it is. Ill be dreaming and all of a sudden ill wake up from the dream. I feel conscious but i cant move my body. I can breath just fine but its very scary. ... (6 replies)

... Kieran, Yes, I've experienced this for many, many years...about once a month on avg. Each time it feels like there is an evil presence in the room. If you read enough on the subject of sleep paralysis, you'll see that this evil presence feeling is a common one. ... (10 replies)

... from bad Anxiety. I don't go to bed until the early hours because i used to have panic attacks when it was dark at night when trying to sleep, so i didn't go to sleep until it was sunrise and light but now i just cannot get out the habit and it's really effecting me. ... (1 replies)

... Some asthma inhaler can have a stimulant in them, so this may be the cause of your sudden jolts. ... (1 replies)

... I have noticed in the past year or less that I have had maybe 2 or 3 experiences where I woke up choking and not breathing for a split second, then go back to sleep perfectly fine. ... (0 replies)

... I know, it's a crack up!! I thought I was nuttin' up until I posted all my others "symptoms" on this other board and found I was not only normal, but in the majority on it!! ... (6 replies)