Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Sleep Paralysis?


Waitingindreams

Recommended Posts

Waitingindreams Enthusiast

I've had a semi-frequent issue with sleep paralysis for years now. That, mixed with my chronic fatigue and inability to stay awake even when struggling - led me to believe I had narcolepsy. I was tested for narcolepsy and diagnosed with Idiopathic Central Nervous System Hypersomnia..which is close to narcolepsy. This was in August of 2012.

 

I was prescribed a drug called Nuvigil, which I was paranoid about taking because of the side effects - not to mention it was very expensive. Now that I have been diagnosed with celiac disease, the sleep/fatigue issues are still there, but to a lesser extent.

 

I haven't noticed the sleep paralysis for awhile, but just today when I was napping (I'm sick, so I missed work) it happened a few times. It's terrifying, and I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this. Is there any connection to celiac disease/gluten at all? It's really, really scary - because sometimes I stop breathing in my sleep and I have to force myself awake. It's unsettling. (And no, I don't have sleep apnea or any other issues, I've been tested)


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



shadowicewolf Proficient

I would get it every so often before i went gluten free. So far, I think i've only had it once in about two years or so.

Waitingindreams Enthusiast

That's certainly good to hear. It hasn't happened with me in awhile either - this is the first time since I've been diagnosed, I think. It was happening pretty frequently before. What is scary is that sometimes I toss and turn and end up on my stomach with my face in the pillow..and then the paralysis would set in and I was suffocating, I couldn't breathe -- and I had to force myself awake so that I could move my face and breathe. This happened multiple times...but I sometimes stop breathing even when my face ISN'T in the pillow...like if I'm having a dream where I'm underwater or something. Ridiculous. The sleep specialist gave me no help or insight on this at all, so i do hope it will go away with time/a healthier diet.

  • 4 weeks later...
Cary Newbie

I used to have all sorts of issues when I was in my 20s, before I figured out all my problems.  I had serious constipation before the Celiac was ever discovered, and I therefore don't know if I always had Celiac or the Celiac only popped up after my gallbladder surgery.  But I always had headaches, migraines, insomnia, daytime falling asleep (even standing up), malaise, low weight, couldn't gain weight, skin problems, Raynaud's, and on and on. 

 

I noticed a problem with peanuts causing headaches when I was little, although family members scoffed over this. 

 

I also had some improvement with phlegm and maybe some other things by stopping dairy. 

 

Since having my gallbladder out and having the surgeon tell me I had Celiac disease and stopping gluten, I stopped having Raynaud's.  My insomnia seems more linked to constipation, but I supplement all my deficiencies, and that seems to be helping the insomnia also.  My pain issues (aching bones) is resolved now.  I take magnesium in the morning, calcium and vitamin D (2000 IU) at night, and 25 of zinc. 

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - knitty kitty replied to Hmart's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      13

      Is this celiac?

    2. - Trish G replied to Trish G's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      10

      Fiber Supplement

    3. - trents replied to Hmart's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      13

      Is this celiac?

    4. - trents replied to kpf's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      15

      ttg iga high (646 mg/dl) other results are normal

    5. - trents replied to Trish G's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      10

      Fiber Supplement


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,347
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Emhope1107
    Newest Member
    Emhope1107
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      @Hmart, The reason why your intestinal damage was so severe, yet your tTg IgA was so minimal can be due to cutting back on gluten (and food in general) due to worsening symptoms.  The tTg IgA antibodies are made in the intestines.  While three grams of gluten per day for several weeks are enough to cause gastrointestinal symptoms, ten grams of gluten per day for for several weeks are required to provoke sufficient antibody production so that the antibodies move out of the intestines and into the blood stream where they can be measured in blood tests.  Since you reduced your gluten consumption before testing, the antibody production went down and did not leave the intestines, hence lower than expected tTg IgA.   Still having abdominal pain and other symptoms this far out is indicative of nutritional deficiencies.  With such a severely damaged small intestine, you are not absorbing sufficient nutrients, especially Thiamine Vitamin B 1, so your body us burning stored fat and even breaking down muscle to fuel your body.   Yes, it is a very good idea to supplement with vitamins and minerals during healing.  The eight essential B vitamins are water soluble and easily lost with diarrhea.  The B vitamins all work together interconnectedly, and should be supplemented together.  Taking vitamin supplements provides your body with greater opportunity to absorb them.  Thiamine and the other B vitamins cannot be stored for long, so they must be replenished every day.  Thiamine tends to become depleted first which leads to Gastrointestinal Beriberi, a condition that doctors frequently fail to recognize.  Symptoms of Gastrointestinal Beriberi are abdominal pain and nausea, but neuropathy can also occur, as well as body and joint pain, headaches and more.  Heart rhythm disruptions including tachycardia are classic symptoms of thiamine deficiency.  Heart attack patients are routinely administered thiamine now.   Blood tests for vitamins are notoriously inaccurate.  You can have "normal" blood levels, while tissues and organs are depleted.  Such is the case with Gastrointestinal Beriberi, a thiamine deficiency in the digestive tract.  Eating a diet high in carbohydrates, like rice, starches, and sugar, can further deplete thiamine.  The more carbohydrates one eats, the more thiamine is required per calorie to turn carbs into energy.  Burning stored fats require less thiamine, so in times of thiamine shortage, the body burns fat and muscles instead.  Muscle wasting is a classic symptoms of thiamine deficiency.  A high carbohydrate diet may also promote SIBO and/or Candida infection which can also add to symptoms.  Thiamine is required to keep SIBO and Candida in check.   Thiamine works with Pyridoxine B 6, so if Thiamine is low and can't interact with Pyridoxine, the unused B 6 accumulates and shows up as high.   Look into the Autoimmune Protocol diet.  Dr. Sarah Ballantyne is a Celiac herself.  Her book "The Paleo Approach" has been most helpful to me.  Following the AIP diet made a huge improvement in my symptoms.  Between the AIP diet and correcting nutritional deficiencies, I felt much better after a long struggle with not feeling well.   Do talk to your doctor about Gastrointestinal Beriberi.  Share the article linked below. Thiamine, gastrointestinal beriberi and acetylcholine signaling https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12014454/ Keep us posted on your progress!
    • Trish G
      Thanks, that's a great addition that I hadn't thought of. 
    • trents
      Other diseases, medical conditions, medications and even (for some people) some non-gluten foods can cause villous atrophy. There is also something called refractory celiac disease but it is pretty uncommon.
    • trents
      knitty kitty asks a very relevant question. So many people make the mistake of experimenting with the gluten free diet or even a reduced gluten diet soon before getting formally tested.
    • trents
      Another great fiber option is dried apricots. Four of them give you 3g of fiber and I find they don't produce all the gas that some other high fiber options do. They taste good too. Costco sells a large bag of them that are labeled gluten-free so you don't have to worry about cross contamination issues like you might in bulk grocery settings.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.