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New Advances in Sleeping Sickness
Now there are times, especially on Saturday mornings when the kids are up at the crack of dawn, that my wife tells me she wants me to "deal" because she must have contracted African sleeping sickness over the course of the evening and just cannot get out of bed. (By the way, I get up with the kids every morning, just thought I would throw that in.)
But there is some recent news on this disease. African trypanosomiasis, aka sleeping sickness, is a serious disease spread by the bite of tsetse flies. It's found only in Africa and it is fatal.
The symptoms include: fever, headache, and extreme tiredness. The disease progresses to attack the central nervous system, and, ultimately, results in death several months or years after infection.
The chances of my wife having contracted this overnight are in fact quite slim (thank goodness). A new study appears in the Public Library of Science's journal PloS Clinical Trials shows some promise. They think that a particular drug combination may work on those infected with the disease, but there does not seem to be any inoculation for it as of yet.
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Technorati Tags: Sleep Doctor, sleeping sickness, insect bites, rare disease, trypanosomiasis
60 Comments:
DR. Breus:
Have you ever heard of Humming while you sleep? I have been rudely made aware("loving" hubby)of this over and over again when it happens. I have been known to snore at times and talk in my sleep.(while I have to deal with his idiosyncracies while sleeping or Living)He makes it known he will not deal with mine.
I need to find out how to end the humming while sleeping,cos I need to sleep through the night.
I also hum while I sleep and was made aware of it from my girlfriend, I have no idea how to stop it and have no idea why it happens, any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
My wife recently told me that I have started humming/moaning while sleeping. There doesn't seem to be any change in my lifestyle to cause this, so I am looking for any info about this...
I also moan in my sleep, why does this happen? Did you people get a response? Any information would be helpful.
For information about humming, talking and other sleep behaviors, please see this link to information about parasomnia.
I went to the recommended page for sleep disorders and learned nothing about humming/moaning during sleep. With me it started during my last pregnancy over 5 years ago. It happens the instant I start to go to sleep. It ticked my husband off, but there is absolutely nothing I could do to prevent it. I breath in, and moan/hum out.
The moment I gave birth, I stopped this phenomenon, but now I snore. I have small bouts of the moaning, that even I catch as I am falling asleep, but mainly now it is massive snoring.
We haven't slept in the same bed more than 50 times in over 5 years. I am now 36. I am not obese, but somebody has got to know the answers here! I even sleep upright in a chair most of the time!
i would like to know about this as well... my brother and I both make moaning noises while sleeping and I hae been woken up and told to "knock it of" any ideas???
I've been humming/moaning in my sleep for the last three years. i would like to know the answer to this question also. I checked out that link but it explained nothing.
http://www.sleepeducation.com/Disorder.aspx?id=40
found this site after i posted this comment though i don't know how helpful it is but it explains what they know about sleep humming
that seriously disses me off that there is no cure.
When I am sleeping,I hum very loud on exhale and my wife is struggling to get enough sleep. I have even woke my son up two rooms away with the door shut. Cannot find a way to end the humming.
I also groan very loudly and didn't know it until my fiance said something to me about it. At first he thought I had quit breathing in my sleep, but the sleep education website was very helpful. I have had numerous accounts of different sleep disorders that are caused by caffeine and stress. When I cut down on caffeine, the groans become less frequent, and I am sure stress management would work, also. Hope that information is helpful.
like everyone else, i was informed by my fiancee that i have been moaning while sleeping a few months ago. however i have also awaken myself by it on more that one occasion (actually quite often). i have also been known to sleepwalk for no apparent reason and talk coherently while asleep. all of which i have done periodically since is was VERY young. i think my body's tellin me i need to get back to the gym... any help!?
i also moan in my sleep, but im 12 years old, and i was a guide camp, and apparently i woke people up 4 tents away,any help on making it stop or something would be treasured!
why are you people talking about humming at night while this is about african trypanosomiasis
Sorry to the person whose comment I deleted, but our terms of use prohibit profanity, disguised or otherwise.
i am 20 years old i have been maoning in my sleep for as long as i can remember my mother does the same thing i also grind my teeth and my boyfriend wont live with me until i find out what it is i can't stop it on my own and we have a newborn baby so..i really need help!!!!any answers???.....!!!!
i have been humming in my sleep for as long as i remember. it has recently gotten worse and is effecting my relationship. how can i stop it or where can I get help???
My son has moaned and groaned all night since he was 6 months old. he is now almost four. We have done all the sleep tests and are yet to try a medication for epilepsy. It apparently has no side effects except mood swings but you can stop when you wont too. Sorry do not know the name but will post when I do. We are trying it next week. It slows down all the transmitters in the brain to relax the person as they tend to be people who are mentally quite active. There is not much else that can be done, believe me we have tried everything
WOW...I thought it was just me! I've always described myself as a "weird" sleeper. Around age 6, I started sleep walking. This evolved into teeth grinding as a teen, and now I am also a moaner. It has gotten worse, and I often even wake myself up! My boyfriend and I have been together for 3 years, and have given up and sleep in different rooms. I went for a sleep study, but after a lot of trouble and expense, I was told I didn't have sleep apnea. I knew that! I went in about the moaning... I get embarrassed about it. All of my friends joke about it, and anytime we are out of town, nobody wants to have to sleep in the room with me! I guess I can't blame them, though. I NEED HELP!
It is so good to see that I'm not the only one out there. I have been moaning in my sleep for just 2 or 3 yrs., but it seems to be getting worse. I have noticed it is worse also when I have nightmares, am stressed, or exhausted. It is causing problems between my boyfriend and I. If anyone knows anything please let me know.
I can not believe how many people out there experience the same thing as me! I've always been kind of a weird sleeper.. But the past year or so, whenever I fall asleep around anyone or visit my parents, the tell me how bad I moan. It's every single night. My parents say it's heart wrenching to hear. I've also been grinding my teeth for the past 2 years, but my dentist just says it's from stress and that I should try to take care of the stress part. But it's interesting to me to see how many people both grind their teeth and moan while they sleep. I'd love to know more about it though, what causes it.
wow.. it is really great to finally find out that i am NOT the only one that hums and moans in my sleep... does anyone know how or why we do this?
My husband and sister recently told me that I hum and make noises while I am sleeping. This is news to me. I don't snore but lately, I have been huming. I was so curious to find out the cause I went to Google and came accross this blog. I was surprised to see how many people are having the same challenge.
My husband says, "The only way I can describe it is that you hum, like a mantra for people taking yoga. I’ve seen some people hum in order to go into a trance-like state while meditating. That’s what it sounds like to me.?
I would also like to know the why this is happening. There must be some medical explanation.
Please help us!
Oh my goodness! I am reading all of these blogs and feel so much relief! I too found out from my boyfriend that I hum and moan when I sleep. He also says that it sounds as if I am mumbling speech. And just as the others, it is beginning to effect my relationship with him. I don't know what to do. I do know that it seems like it started about 2 years ago. I can't recollect any contributing factor. I am so frustrated.....I am going to have a videolaryngoscope day after tomorrow because I also have had laryngitis for 3 months. I am not sure if it is related - but will definitely ask. I need help....I just don't know what to do.
My mother who is 90 and has had a stroke (dementia) has started moaning/groaning in her sleep (and even while awake). The nurse says that this is "normal" and not to worry. It sounds like she's in pain but when you ask, she says that nothing's wrong. She didn't do this before her stroke. Is this perhaps a way of comforting herself??
Thanks
This is so funny! I really thought that I was the only one that did this. It was brought to my attention when I entered College, and only once when I was about 14. The first time i did it, it was so loud that my sister woke up in the room next to mine and thought that i was some how possessed. Then in collge my roommate started making fun of me saying that I must have been having some good dreams because I was moaning all night". its really embarrassing, if i fall asleep in public i catch myself moaning, i even did it when i fell asleep in one of my classes.
But the weird thing is it doesnt disturb my sleep and rarely bothers my roommate, i would just like to know how to stop it.
Ok, so lots of us are doing this humming thing and no one knows why, although a common thread seems to be stress. I have never snored and just started, at age 48, dooing this mantra, humming thing. It's very strange. You would think that I was in pain or like people do before they die! Guess I'll try to work on the stress and see if that helps. Otherwise, I'll check this blog and hope someone finds an answer. Best to you all.
I'm also moaning, started it at 14 i think. It starts from humming and in some years transforms to moaning. Most interesting thing is that moaning stops for about year, when i met my girlfriend. When the relationships were at the start and everything was perfect, i have no moaning at all (as girlfriend says), but now, after 1 year it starts again...
So I think it's more psycho thing. When you get stressed, when you don't satisfied yourself.
Another thing is that happens more often when you drunk.
I want to ask everybody, who will be there with this syndrome to answer honestly some questions to see, if we have the same background.
1. Do you satisfied with your life?
2. Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend and satisfied with him/her?
3. Do you have some problems with sex, and how often it happens?
4. Did you notice, after what you have strong moaning. What was at day (week) before?
Another thought is that can be suppression of bad emotions, that we experience. What do you think about it? Are you "calm as snake" guy in most time?
My boyfriend has always moaned/hummed in his sleep. I also did a little research and found that it is a type of parasomnia called catathrenia. Sleepeducation.com give some insight, but not much to how to solve it. The best I can do is get him to change positions in bed and it will stop the moaning at least long enough for me to fall back asleep. For a light sleeper, this solution would not work. BreathRite strips seem to half work as well...it's worth a shot, right? We've tried EVERYTHING under the sun and unfortunately, it seems that there is no cure as of now. It makes me wonder if there is some sort of clinical study or group doing research??
I'm glad to finally know i'm not the only one. It didn't really bother me till I've had to take business trips and share a room with my co-workers. I too have got the comments of having a really good dream, or sounding like an animal or something, etc., etc. There's got to be some way to make it stop besides the temp relief of rolling over. Please help
Catathrenia, or nocturnal groaning Semmes to be what alot of people are experiencing even my brother has it and I am a light slepper and it always bother me so much I can sometime hear him 2 rooms away
I have been humming and graoning in my sleep for years. Sometimes it is so loud that I wake myself. Most of the time, I am unaware of it. I have tried everything to control it. So far, no luck. It have really changed my life. I dont go on trips or anywhere I have to share a room with someone because I am embarrassed of this condition. I annoy my spouse at night. He is constantly waking me up to tell me to stop moaning and groaning. He dont sleep and neither do I. I havent had an uninterrupted night of sleep for at least 20 years. Does anyone know of any real answers or help?
This is so sad. I was hoping to find answers for me and my husband but I only see tons of people begging for help. My husband has started moaning in his sleep. He has always snored which was hard for me at first but I have gotten used to that. The moaning however wakes me up all night long and drives me absolutley crazy! I don't know what to do.....uhhh. I am going to keep looking for answers and If I find anything I will post it here. Good luck everyone!
OMG! I have this problem, too! It drives my husband nuts trying to get to sleep and then I start humming like a kazoo! There has to be something we can do...!!
Supposedly a cure: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/92826.php
I have started humming in my sleep eversince I got pregnant (for the 3rd time), although I did not have this problem in the first two pregnancies. It is so annoying! Although my husband is very patient and says he is getting used to it, the sound of my humming wakes myself up in the middle of the night (several times). In the morning, when I wake up, my throat is exhausted from producing the hummm all night long. lolll funny, but very annoying! I would treasure any advice about stopping this habit.
I am glad I am not the only one experiencing this. I moan/groan in my sleep and it is bothering my roommate somewhat. It did not bother me because I knew I do it sometimes but I never knew I do it all the time. What I have researched is that no one knows why people do this and, doctors have no cure for them.
In response to Micheal,
I want to ask everybody, who will be there with this syndrome to answer honestly some questions to see, if we have the same background.
1. Are you satisfied with your life?
Somewhat
2. Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend and satisfied with him/her?
yes I love him and he satisfys me. We have normal issues, some suppression of emotional problems.
3. Do you have some problems with sex, and how often it happens?
Never!
4. Did you notice, after what you have strong moaning. What was at day (week) before?
I was sick when it started again this month.
I am so tired. My husband moans and groans all night, he snores, and talks, sometimes yells in his sleep. When he is not doing that, he is smacking his lips and grinding his teeth. It gets so bad, I try to wake him up, but its like waking the dead. Its so bad, and I know its not his fault but I am so tired. I can deal with everything but the lip smacking like he has a giant mouthful of peanut butter. I just want to smother him. I never ever would, but just for 5 mins of peace and quiet. Did I mention I was tired?
i to have this sleep sickness and just found a website that enlighted me on my sleep sickness.
it told me i had, "catathrenia" a parasomnia sleepping disorder.
for any info on this disorder go to www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/92826.php
trunkelsz27
My 4 year old daughter had brain surgery in April (not as severe as some). Every since she has been home and on the medication Keppra and the generic form Levetiracetam she has been humming all through the night. We were adviced by a friend that the humming would subside after about 2 weeks after the surgery because the brain was going throuhg its healing process.
Well we are now 2 1/2 months out and she is still humming more than before. I was reading the side effects of the medication and it said that it could cause asthma which would effect her breathing.
We have a couple of more weeks to go before we have here next MRI and hopefuly she will be taken off this medication. This way I will be able to see if that is what has been causing the humming and irregular breathing. I feel so sorry for her because I don't think she is getting a good restful sleep at night...I know I am not.
Please advice if you are in a common situation or educated in this regard
I've had the same problem since my teens. Have had a sleep study and in my case I also have apnea. A CPAP machine cures it, but I don't tolerate CPAP well, and am actually more tired with it. (Research I've read shows that CPAP will cure catathrenia even if you don't have apnea). I'm exploring alternatives which are somnoplasty + oral appliance. There is very little research on catathrenia and it's very frustrating. Please join "catathrenia" yahoo group if you have this problem, and if you've figured out a way to beat it, PLEASE join and tell us about your experience. It is really ruining my life :(
Amazing. I have had this affliction since 1984. In 1995 I had the UPPP surgery after 3 sleep studies and CPAP not working. Tech said, "you don't have sleep apnea, but you have something". I have since had stomach surgery for for acid reflux. As a result, my lungs are now clearer. However, I still have the episodes of holding my breath as if at the bottom of a pool, and subsequently let the squeaking air out periodically. For me, this all started after beginning shift work in the military. I would have been 23. I had pretty severe asthma as a child and it has improved as an adult. I have had two concussions. One in 8th grade and a second in 1987.
I did go see a pulmonologist yesterday (9/9/09) and for the first time heard the term "catathrenia". I have been looking this up online ever since. I am relieved to know I am not alone. But saddened, to see no real cure for those that have this. I could go on about my symptoms and feeling worse in the mornings than I do when I go to bed at night. What I am after is the questionaire that "identicalsypmtoms" posted a couple years back. What this affliction needs is more attention, more notoriety, more exposure!
I went to the Yahoo group and it looks empty.
I am a moaner too. When I came across this website it was great to see that I was not alone with the moaning in my sleep. I have a wonderful boyfriend but ofcourse like previous comments, the moaning effects our relationship. There are rarely nights where he makes it through the night without getting up and going into the other room to sleep. I feel so bad and I know it makes him mad, but honestly I can't help it. Sometimes it even hurts my feelings because I am a cuddler and can't get cuddle when I need it because of the stupid moaning. Everyone who sleeps around me wakes up wondering why I won't stop as if I want to moan in my sleep. I don't know what to do but if anyone finds a cure, please let me know.
I'm so thankful to see that I'm not alone. This catathrenia thing is extremely annoying but only to me. It keeps me from falling asleep. My husband has apnea, plus he talks, hums, had periodic limb mvmt disorder, restless leg syndrome and nightmares associated with PTSD so needless to say, he isn't bothered by my moaning but I hate it. It's gets bad enough that my chests hurts and I'm just at my wits end! Someone please post a miraculous cure:)
I've just got up out of bed because my boyfriend's moaning (sometimes it's almost like wailing or he's talking but the words aren't formed) got so loud and I am sorry to say that it's driving me insane.
As much as I love him, I don't know if we can still share a bed for much longer. I've read through a lot of the comments here and it appears to be a strange occurance with no diagnosis or treatment. Shame really because i'd like to help him in some way if I could, and in the end help myself because I am an insomniac anyway who gets little or no sleep as it is. There are times when I am awake and he is sleeping, moaning so loudly that I want to wake him up and yell at him to shut the hell up! I know it's not his fault though :/ Another of his symptoms is he get's extremely hot and is dripping with sweat even if the room is cold.
If anyone has heard of anything similar that has some form of sucessful treatment I would love to hear from you!
Yes, I first found out I was a moaner back in 6th grade. Twenty years later and I've added humming, singing, laughing and screaming. Sometimes I feel like IM orchestrating a play in my sleep because I wake myself up giggling, making a lawn mower sound or screaming. Actually, I enjoy it, but my boyfriend doesn't , even with the earplugs. That's why most nights I sleep home :(
Has anyone tried Kava Root? cutting out sugar? cutting out caffeine? Making sure all the lights are out and electrical gadgets are off before going to bed? Elevating your feet? Getting one of those machines sounds?
My girlfriend has this problem as well. She moans almost all of the time while sleeping. I can say that she has completely cut out caffine, and this has not helped. We are just at the point of trying other tactics. I will repost any results and hope others will do the same.
Although it is a relief to know that I'm not alone with this disorder, it is still upsetting to know that there's nothing out there to help.
I went through a sleep study, and then sent to a sleep specialist. He made me feel that I was lying. He even suggested that I have my husband tape me. He then suggested I go to my dentist and get fitted for a mouth guard. By the time I left there, I was in tears.
My husband is getting really fed up with this. He seems to think I can control this. He also thinks my moaning is my subconscience having an affair!! Please!!! There must be something out there to calm me down during the night!
I am "anonymous" for Aug 2, 2009 above.
I've had the surgery (tonsils and adenoids removed, tongue reduction, modified UPPP) and tried an oral appliance, no change.
Is there ANYONE out there who has figured out a way to cure this? PLEASE would you post and let us know what you did?
This is comforting to know that I am not alone and crazy. I cried the first few times I woke up out of my sleep to what sounding like me answering someone with a quick "Hmmm??" I didn't think anyone would believe me, but my son heard it one night, and thought it was hilarious.
I didn't think much of getting help for it until it went away for a very long time, and now just suddenly started again. This is the worst! I try sleeping upright, sideways, on my back, it is relentless. Nothing helps. I have a Dr's appointment tomorrow, and hopefully he'll be able to point me in some direction of help. Good luck to everyone having this problem.
This is disturbing. I'm awake now because my husband is doing this "humming" thing that everyone here is talking about. It's like he vocalizes his exhale with a rather loud hum. It's worse on nights that he's extremely tired. He can never hear it himself, but I constantly have extremely disturbed nights where I'm constantly pulled in and out of sleep over and over again by this humming. After a night, it feels like I've been "half-way" sleeping all night, and I wake up subconsciously aggravated. I really wish there were some surefire ways to end this. It's terrible! And the worst part is, he's hurt that I'm disturbed by something he's doing and can't control. We need a solution!
Wow. Reading all these posts makes me want to cry. My husband moans and hums in his sleep (as well as snoring and grinding his teeth,) and I am so frustrated by it. I feel angry every time I toss and turn while listening to it. I know it's not his fault, but it is so hard not to blame him for keeping me awake. Now, seeing that there is no real solution to it, I am very disheartened. I don't want to sleep in another bedroom for the rest of my life. While he doesn't wake himself up, it is loud enough to keep me awake until 5 am some nights, and I just can't go on that little sleep. :(
My husband has made it known to me that I moan or make noises when he gets ready to drift off to sleep. It is causing so many problems. He uses other methods of stopping me. I haven't been doing for years recently maybe a couple of months. Can someone give me some helpful info on this matter. I am desperate.
Fascinating. Well I'm a 23yr old F and I think I've been moaning a few months now. I told my bf that sometimes I let out these moans just as I'm drifting off and he replied that I moan throughout my sleep. News to me! I suffer from ED and think it could be related to this? Maybe stress on my body? I am recovering from bulimia and in the last year have put on about 20pounds. I ran a marathon a few months ago but now workout a lot less. Is this like anyone else?
I had vocal cord surgery--nerve replacement--in May and I have started doing this since that surgery. Last night was a rough night, so I thought I would look and see if anything came up for others having the same trouble.
It looks like I'm not alone. When my husband or I wake myself up, I start to breathe through my mouth and that takes the moan away and then we can both fall asleep.
I just recently found this site regarding moaning while sleeping. My husband just started doing it in his sleep for the past 3 months. Ever since he returned from Penn. for his grandmother's funeral. His moaning and groaning is so loud you can hear it thru out the entire house. It sounds pretty scary at times. I actually recorded him on my phone and played it back for him. He did not have anything to say about it. When it gets so bad I try to rub his cheek and if that doesn't work I move to the living room and sleep in my recliner. There has to be a cause for this sleep problem.
I do think it's a stress related thing - at least for me anyway. I'm the girl a couple of comments previous with the ED. I'm settled in my new job now, I'm happy with my partner and my ED is much more controlled right now. Apparently - no moaning. I think my moaning is a way of letting out tension and unspent energy
My girlfriend moans like shes have sex with eight people at the same time during her sleep and it drives me nuts!!! I'm up right now because of the moaning. The only time I can go to sleep in the same bed as her is if we go to bed at the same time. It takes about 30 minutes for her to start her moaning so if I can get to sleep within 30 minutes of going to bed I might* make it through the night.
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