u/bigangryburger

After a nervous breakdown, I started experiencing intense insomnia and jolts that would wake me up right after falling asleep. But even after I was able to manage those symptoms through supplements and reducing stress, I still experience a very weird way of falling asleep.

I usually just lie in bed, 100% awake, my brain feels super alert and then after some time I'm out cold. Like someone flipped a light switch, or like my brain just shut off in an instant. I don't know what it's called, but I'm 100% certain it wasn't like this before. Before, I could feel myself winding down and drifting off. Now it's just on, then off.

This also happens when I wake up to use the bathroom in the early morning and go back to bed, I lie there fully awake, not sleepy at all, and then just shut down.

After a nervous breakdown, I started experiencing intense insomnia and jolts that would wake me up right after falling asleep. But even after I was able to manage those symptoms through supplements and reducing stress, I still experience a very weird way of falling asleep.

I usually just lie in bed, 100% awake, my brain feels super alert and then after some time I'm out cold. Like someone flipped a light switch, or like my brain just shut off in an instant. I don't know what it's called, but I'm 100% certain it wasn't like this before. Before, I could feel myself winding down and drifting off. Now it's just on, then off.

This also happens when I wake up to use the bathroom in the early morning and go back to bed — I lie there fully awake, not sleepy at all, and then just shut down.

I had no sleep or mental health issues until a period of intense, uncontrollable stress. It culminated in a severe episode where I felt electrical shocks on the left side of my head. My OCD and panic attacks paradoxically stopped after that — but what followed was severe insomnia and hypnic jerks: I'd wake up less than a minute after falling asleep, up to 11–12 times a night, only finally crashing when my body gave out completely.

This hit during my final year of university. I've since moved back home, removed major stressors, and seen many doctors — but still no clear answers. Symptoms flare immediately with even mild stress.

Symptoms:

Insomnia (up to 3–4 days without sleep), cortisol spike on sleep onset, hypnic jerks, wired-but-tired, inability to fall back asleep, constant anxiety and sense of doom, fight-or-flight state, heart palpitations (especially after oily food), left-sided head nerve pain, hair loss, hormonal disruption, occasional paradoxical insomnia, one recent seizure-like sensation during sleep, mania-like symptoms (while on Omega-3 + Vitamin D only). OCD and panic attacks no longer present.

What I've tried:

Omega-3 — Helped briefly, then made everything significantly worse. Took months after stopping for symptoms to fully settle. Cannot tolerate.

Vitamin D — Same reaction as Omega-3. Causes intense mania-like symptoms despite a confirmed mild deficiency (level 20).

Magnesium bisglycinate — Reduces anxiety well, but worsens sleep onset.

Kava root — Minor short-lived relief. Not worth continuing given liver concerns.

Ginkgo biloba (neurologist-prescribed) — Noticeably worsened insomnia and wired-but-tired state.

Valerian root (neurologist-prescribed) — Minimal effect.

Emoxypine (neurologist-prescribed) — Triggered full symptom relapse. Stopped immediately.

B complex (B1/B6/B12) — Initially helpful, but B12 exceeded upper limit and eventually caused 3–4 vivid nightmares per night. Stopped. B1 and B6 (P5P) alone had no effect.

Nattokinase — Helps with heart palpitations and left-side head pressure.

Coffee — Paradoxically calming and mood-lifting, but delays sleep.

Exercise — Reduces palpitations, boosts mood, improves sleep.

Cetirizine — Tried for suspected histamine intolerance. Little effect on anxiety; sleep marginally better.

Toxic mold test — Negative, though I lived in a visibly moldy house when symptoms began.

My whole life I had zero sleep issues and no mental health problems. It all started after a prolonged period of intense stress I couldn't control. One day I had a severe mental breakdown where I felt like the left side of my head was being electrically shocked. At the time I was dealing with intense OCD and panic attacks but paradoxically, those actually stopped after that episode. What started instead was severe insomnia and hypnic jerks: I would wake up less than a minute after falling asleep, sometimes 11–12 times a night, making it virtually impossible to sleep. I only managed to sleep when my body physically shut down from exhaustion.

This happened during my final year at university. After graduation I moved back home with my parents, eliminated all major stressors, and saw a lot of doctors but still can't figure out what's going on. My symptoms still flare up whenever I get even a little stressed, making me unable to fall asleep and putting me on high alert again.

I'd like to ask anyone reading this to look at my symptoms and what I've tried so far, and help me figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.

Symptoms:

Insomnia (unable to sleep for 3–4 days at a time)

Cortisol spike / sudden wake-up right after falling asleep

Hypnic jerks

Gloomy, heavy feeling — unable to fall asleep

Hormonal disruption

Intense panic attacks

Hair loss

Wired but tired

Unable to fall back asleep after waking up

Constant anxiety

Constant sense of impending doom

OCD — stopped after a sudden brain zap during a panic attack (no longer present)

Paradoxical insomnia (sleep state misperception) — occasional

One seizure-like sensation during sleep a couple of days ago

Nerve pressure / pain on the left side of the head

Heart palpitations, especially after oily food

Constant fight-or-flight state

Mania-like symptoms (occurred while only taking Omega-3 and Vitamin D)

What I've tried:

Omega-3 — Helped at first, but after a few days made everything significantly worse than before. Panic attacks and hypnic jerks only fully stopped months after I quit. Cannot tolerate it.

Vitamin D — Same reaction as Omega-3. I cannot tolerate any amount, even though my blood work showed a mild deficiency (level was 20). It gives me intense mania-like symptoms.

Magnesium Bisglycinate — Helps a lot with anxiety, but makes it harder to fall asleep.

Kava root extract — Helped a little, but the effect wore off quickly. Also hard on the liver. Not effective enough to continue.

Ginkgo Biloba — Prescribed by a neurologist. Made my insomnia and wired-but-tired symptoms noticeably worse.

Valerian root (low dose) — Also prescribed by a neurologist. Almost no effect — just a very faint calming sensation.

Emoxypine — Prescribed by a neurologist. Brought back all my original symptoms. They calmed down once the drug wore off and I was able to sleep that day. Never tried it again.

Vitamin B complex (B1, B6, B12) — Felt helpful initially, but blood work showed my B12 went slightly above the upper limit. Eventually started causing vivid nightmares — 3–4 different ones per night. Had to stop. Tried B1 and B6 (P5P form) separately afterward — no noticeable effect.

Nattokinase — Helps with heart palpitations and the nerve pressure on the left side of my head.

Toxic mold test — Came back negative, though I was living in a very old, visibly moldy house when symptoms first started.

Coffee — Makes me feel calm and happy, which is the opposite of what I'd expect. Downside: makes it very hard to fall asleep.

Exercise — Relieves heart palpitations for a while, boosts mood, and helps with sleep.

Cetirizine — Tried it on the suspicion of histamine intolerance. Didn't do much for anxiety, but I felt like my sleep was slightly better.

My whole life I had zero sleep issues and no mental health problems. It all started after a prolonged period of intense stress I couldn't control. One day I had a severe mental breakdown where I felt like the left side of my head was being electrically shocked. At the time I was dealing with intense OCD and panic attacks but paradoxically, those actually stopped after that episode. What started instead was severe insomnia and hypnic jerks: I would wake up less than a minute after falling asleep, sometimes 11–12 times a night, making it virtually impossible to sleep. I only managed to sleep when my body physically shut down from exhaustion.

This happened during my final year at university. After graduation I moved back home with my parents, eliminated all major stressors, and saw a lot of doctors but still can't figure out what's going on. My symptoms still flare up whenever I get even a little stressed, making me unable to fall asleep and putting me on high alert again.

I'd like to ask anyone reading this to look at my symptoms and what I've tried so far, and help me figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.

Symptoms:

Insomnia (unable to sleep for 3–4 days at a time)

Cortisol spike / sudden wake-up right after falling asleep

Hypnic jerks

Gloomy, heavy feeling — unable to fall asleep

Hormonal disruption

Intense panic attacks

Hair loss

Wired but tired

Unable to fall back asleep after waking up

Constant anxiety

Constant sense of impending doom

OCD — stopped after a sudden brain zap during a panic attack (no longer present)

Paradoxical insomnia (sleep state misperception) — occasional

One seizure-like sensation during sleep a couple of days ago

Nerve pressure / pain on the left side of the head

Heart palpitations, especially after oily food

Constant fight-or-flight state

Mania-like symptoms (occurred while only taking Omega-3 and Vitamin D)

What I've tried so far:

Omega-3 — Helped at first, but after a few days made everything significantly worse than before. Panic attacks and hypnic jerks only fully stopped months after I quit. Cannot tolerate it.

Vitamin D — Same reaction as Omega-3. I cannot tolerate any amount, even though my blood work showed a mild deficiency (level was 20). It gives me intense mania-like symptoms. I spend a lot of time outside nowadays to compensate for the lack of vitamin D naturally.

Magnesium Bisglycinate — Helps a lot with anxiety, but makes it harder to fall asleep.

Kava root extract — Helped a little, but the effect wore off quickly. Also hard on the liver. Not effective enough to continue.

Ginkgo Biloba — Prescribed by a neurologist. Made my insomnia and wired-but-tired symptoms noticeably worse.

Valerian root (low dose) — Also prescribed by a neurologist. Almost no effect — just a very faint calming sensation.

Emoxypine — Prescribed by a neurologist. Brought back all my original symptoms. They calmed down once the drug wore off and I was able to sleep that day. Never tried it again.

Vitamin B complex (B1, B6, B12) — Felt helpful initially, but blood work showed my B12 went slightly above the upper limit. Eventually started causing vivid nightmares — 3–4 different ones per night. Had to stop. Tried B1 and B6 (P5P form) separately afterward — no noticeable effect.

Nattokinase — Helps with heart palpitations and the nerve pressure on the left side of my head.

Toxic mold test — Came back negative, though I was living in a very old, visibly moldy house when symptoms first started.

Coffee — Makes me feel calm and happy, which is the opposite of what I'd expect. Downside: makes it very hard to fall asleep.

Exercise — Relieves heart palpitations for a while, boosts mood, and helps with sleep.

Cetirizine — Tried it on the suspicion of histamine intolerance. Didn't do much for anxiety, but I felt like my sleep was slightly better.

My whole life I had zero sleep issues and no mental health problems. It all started after a prolonged period of intense stress I couldn't control. One day I had a severe mental breakdown where I felt like the left side of my head was being electrically shocked. At the time I was dealing with intense OCD and panic attacks but paradoxically, those actually stopped after that episode. What started instead was severe insomnia and hypnic jerks: I would wake up less than a minute after falling asleep, sometimes 11–12 times a night, making it virtually impossible to sleep. I only managed to sleep when my body physically shut down from exhaustion.

This happened during my final year at university. After graduation I moved back home with my parents, eliminated all major stressors, and saw a lot of doctors but still can't figure out what's going on. My symptoms still flare up whenever I get even a little stressed, making me unable to fall asleep and putting me on high alert again.

I'd like to ask anyone reading this to look at my symptoms and what I've tried so far, and help me figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.

Symptoms:

Insomnia (unable to sleep for 3–4 days at a time)

Cortisol spike / sudden wake-up right after falling asleep

Hypnic jerks

Gloomy, heavy feeling — unable to fall asleep

Hormonal disruption

Intense panic attacks

Hair loss

Wired but tired

Unable to fall back asleep after waking up

Constant anxiety

Constant sense of impending doom

OCD — stopped after a sudden brain zap during a panic attack (no longer present)

Paradoxical insomnia (sleep state misperception) — occasional

One seizure-like sensation during sleep a couple of days ago

Nerve pressure / pain on the left side of the head

Heart palpitations, especially after oily food

Constant fight-or-flight state

Mania-like symptoms (occurred while only taking Omega-3 and Vitamin D)

What I've tried so far:

Omega-3 — Helped at first, but after a few days made everything significantly worse than before. Panic attacks and hypnic jerks only fully stopped months after I quit. Cannot tolerate it.

Vitamin D — Same reaction as Omega-3. I cannot tolerate any amount, even though my blood work showed a mild deficiency (level was 20). It gives me intense mania-like symptoms. I spend a lot of time outside nowadays to compensate for the lack of vitamin D naturally.

Magnesium Bisglycinate — Helps a lot with anxiety, but makes it harder to fall asleep.

Kava root extract — Helped a little, but the effect wore off quickly. Also hard on the liver. Not effective enough to continue.

Ginkgo Biloba — Prescribed by a neurologist. Made my insomnia and wired-but-tired symptoms noticeably worse.

Valerian root (low dose) — Also prescribed by a neurologist. Almost no effect — just a very faint calming sensation.

Emoxypine — Prescribed by a neurologist. Brought back all my original symptoms. They calmed down once the drug wore off and I was able to sleep that day. Never tried it again.

Vitamin B complex (B1, B6, B12) — Felt helpful initially, but blood work showed my B12 went slightly above the upper limit. Eventually started causing vivid nightmares — 3–4 different ones per night. Had to stop. Tried B1 and B6 (P5P form) separately afterward — no noticeable effect.

Nattokinase — Helps with heart palpitations and the nerve pressure on the left side of my head.

Toxic mold test — Came back negative, though I was living in a very old, visibly moldy house when symptoms first started.

Coffee — Makes me feel calm and happy, which is the opposite of what I'd expect. Downside: makes it very hard to fall asleep.

Exercise — Relieves heart palpitations for a while, boosts mood, and helps with sleep.

Cetirizine — Tried it on the suspicion of histamine intolerance. Didn't do much for anxiety, but I felt like my sleep was slightly better.