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kangamiller · Oct 23, 2013, 05:04 PM

My husband has had issues sleeping for years. It started with Sleep Paralysis, then he would sleep on his arms and jolt awake yelling and panicking thinking his arm was dead. He has also gasped awake panicking but isn't fully aware and most of the time doesn't remember the event. I tell him he is okay and he goes back to sleep. However, in recent events he has been sitting up in bed and spitting on the floor. I ask him what's wrong and he swears to me that he swallowed something i.e. Screws or something metal. I reassure him he has not swallowed anything and just needs some water, I usually have to repeat myself several times before he comes out of it and fully wakes up. Last night however, his eyes were open, his hands were by his mouth and he was spitting on the floor again. I asked him what happened and he replied that he had to get the screws out of his throat. I told him he wasn't choking on anything he was just very thirsty, but he argued back and said he was and that he heard his alarm go off anyway. I knew there was no way his alarm went off so I asked him what time it was, he checked his phone and said it was 2:16am. I said so is it time to wake up? At that point he was fully awake and aware. He didn't stop spitting and arguing with me until he checked his phone and somehow that snapped him out of it. I worry that this issue is going to continue progressing and he will eventually start sleep walking or doing more dangerous things in his sleep. We have a 4 year old and a newborn 5 weeks away so this is something I would like to help him through sooner rather than later. My question is what type of sleeping disorder is this and how can I help him stop it before it gets any worse?

cdad · Oct 23, 2013, 07:07 PM

Is he on any medication?

kangamiller · Oct 24, 2013, 05:52 AM

No he is against taking medicine if its not life threatening.

CravenMorhead · Oct 24, 2013, 07:31 AM

This might be something you should approach your doctor for. Get a referral to a sleep clinic. Until then... it is hard to what he has.

joypulv · Oct 24, 2013, 07:38 AM

He might need a sleep clinic, with specialists. I doubt that a family doctor will have a clue, or might refer him to an ENT (ears/nose/throat) specialist. His feeling that he is choking on things might come from his soft palate and uvula sagging. Snoring studies seem to be related to that. I snore, and have in years past felt a 'catch' at the back of my throat as I drifted to sleep. It would make me cough and make me wide awake. Hasn't happened in years.
Will he be willing to travel, do you think?
Meanwhile do research online starting with snoring, and just keep typing words into search such as 'night terrors' and other subjects that might provide clues from other people and their experiences.

[I just googled 'snoring sagging uvula' and found out that many people have their uvula removed. NOT saying that is even remotely what his story is AT ALL. Just a place to start!]