Wake up not knowing where I am!

[jillybott]

Hi
For some months now I have been waking up , perhaps once a week, not knowing where I am. The longer the feeling goes on the more panicky I get. Even when I start to put the room together I can't picture the outside. Eventually I put it all together, calm down and go back to sleep. Last night I woke up and couldn't remember the name of my husband.
This has happened in the past when I have been on holiday, as I am sure it does with many people, a bit like jet lag, I worry that it is the start of something being wrong with my brain. Does anyone know what it is?
Thanks JB

[Sleepy]

Hi Jillybott,
Rest assured, this is relatively common in Night Terrors.

I'm 57 years old and over the last 30 years I have experienced five times waking up in the middle of the night not knowing where I am, not knowing who the man is in my bed (my husband of 30 years).

I am always dreadfully panicked and scared and I do NOT know or realize where I am.

most commonly though i experience amnesia on waking up I lay paralysed for a minute in the dark having no idea where i am who i am with and exactly as you described I have no idea at what time period I am in my life, i have to focus on an object to eventually bring myself round and understand where i am. My husband has woke up a number of times to find me staring at his face trying to figure out who he is.

A likely explanation is that you have woken up enough to realize you are awake, but the parts of your brain that fix your location are still deeply asleep.

Sleepy.

[jillybott]

Thank you for your reply. I just wonder why it has only just started to happen to me now?
JB

[Sleepy]

Are you new to Night Terrors, or just the aspect where you don't know where you are?

[jillybott]

Hi Sleepy
Both, I've always been a very good sleeper.
JB

[isitreal1000]

everytime i have a night terror i dont know where i am and im in total panic ..one way to solve this very quick is sleep with a dim night light on ..as soon as you wake in the panic or still in sleep mode you very quickly realise what is happening and just tell your self im having a night terror ..start to worry if it happens 4 times a night and you start hearing voices i believe stress alcohol , drugs are all the causes of this NT and you can get a lid on it changing lifestyle etc

[Sleepy]

Hi Sleepy
Both, I've always been a very good sleeper.
JB

The causes of Night Terrors are not really clear. Often people can have some history of sleep problems, even if it's just nightmares, which can tip over into Night Terrors during or after stressful times. Sometimes it could be as simple as a new disruption (e.g. sudden noises) to your sleeping environment.

[Maru]

well it happens from time to time...sometimes I don't recognize my own room! Or look around and become baffled because I believe that someone has "changed" the place of my bed, objects, in the room! 

[jennyb]

Im so sorry for anyone that has this problem. sometimes I wake and have on idea where I am. I dont know if ive been kidnapped, had an affair.., gradually I start to know things. It is so scary to walk through my own home and wonder If I should be so scared . On a funny note..Im from a lovely town in alabama ..Last time I was scared ..i called a friend and said."What a dump..get me the hell out of here"..and i love my home"