Waking up shaking
 

Hi everyone,

I have post concussion syndrome (sorry if I'm posting in the wrong forum) and I've had it for six weeks now. I definitely feel different than I did before it happened and lots of different symptoms has arisen over the past six weeks.

Something that's happened over the past couple of nights is a bit strange though. It's quite hard to explain and I could just be paranoid, but I start waking up in the middle of the night shaking quite vigorously and having strange dreams.

I can't find much online and I was wondering if anybody knows anything that could help?

Thank you! :)

Hello, I moved your post here to our TBI/PCS forum, for best replies.

Watermelon,

There are a lot of reasons for shaking during the night. It can be due to sleep apnea, mini-seizures, etc. I've had both and with the stressful dreams. It is not uncommon to have jerking motions during the transition from almost asleep to sleep.

Have you had any medical care ? Are you taking any meds ?

When did you suffer your concussion ? PCS is not usually diagnosed until 6 weeks or so after a concussion, depending on the doctor.

What was the concussion trauma event ?

Concussion is a process, not a one moment event. Symptoms can get worse even weeks after the impact.

Have you done anything to help with healing ?

What are your daily activities like ?

Watermelon,

I passed through a period like that during my recovery.

I had many months I couldn't sleep and when I started to sleep again I would wake up from crazy dreams really wound up.

I don't have that any more.

Bud

You've Come to the Right Place
 

Welcome.

There is a lot of useful information and fellow souls here, as the previous posts depict. If you can I advise you to read down many of the threads, where you may find what you are looking for and more.

My first thought is try to stay calm. PCS probably produces as many different crazy symptoms as any disorder known to medicine, and in a crazy pattern that is often unpredictable. One thing is for sure: anxiety over one's situation is common and is generally thought to retard recovery. Recovery typically takes months, sometimes longer.

Take what just happened to me yesterday and today. Yesterday I had my third, and second worst, anxiety attack of my 5 weeks, 4 days running since my concussion. I had been feeling so good! My confidence got shattered and I stressed out badly. My blood pressure goes up but, weirdly, my pulse is only marginally affected, maybe 5 or 10 bpm.

That evening I somehow came down and slept very well (I don't remember my dreams but crazy dreams are surely no surprise for a brain injury) . . I didn't want to get out of bed. But, when I did, I found myself kind of trembly and shaky similar to you, though I had to get up first . . I felt like I had just fought in the conclusive battle of World War III when in fact I hadn't done anything. My mind kept trying to return to some of yesterday's awful moments, almost obsessively, and I had to fight that off, because vicious cycle is the heart and soul of an attack. It's better to not think too many negative thoughts.

In my case it seems my pcs is, building on a precondition that runs in my family, creating an anxiety disorcer that I never had before (though I do already have a phobia from years past.) Anxiety can either feed pcs, or be created by pcs.

I know that sleep was one of my major issues. The feeling that I had been in a fight every morning. I was alway tried and felt that I never got into a deep sleep.

The doctor gave me amitriptyline and this went away. It also helps me fall asleep and control my anxiety. I am still taking it and if I forget; I wake up in the middle of the night with that feeling.

Amitriptyline does make you sleepy and I have to drink caffeine in the morning to wake up.