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I Literally Can Never Ever Truly Fall Asleep

by Heather Smith
(Somerset NJ USA)

they did brain surgery, craniectomy

they did brain surgery, craniectomy

I got in a quad crash a year ago getting a traumatic brain injury, and every single night am never ever asleep and I don't know why.


My brain doctor said maybe I lost the sleeping chemicals in my brain. I'm going to a sleep study. Its been over a year since I truly slept.

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Oct 27, 2014
Thank You For Sharing
by: Kevin

Thank you for sharing your story Heather. I'm sorry to hear about your accident. Feel free to use this page to document any updates in the comment section. Stay strong, good luck with the sleep study results, and all the best.

Feb 13, 2015
I Never Fall Asleep Either Since Getting Lyme Disease NEW
by: Jim


In 1993 I was bitten by deer ticks and ended up getting Lyme Disease. It was misdiagnosed at first and had become chronic by the time I was diagnosed.

I have had chronic Lyme Disease for over 20 years, and done massive amounts of antibiotics, including two rounds of IV antibiotics in 1994 and 1997.

In August of 1993 I went to sleep one night and when I awoke I was feeling very nauseas and fatigued.

This would be the last night that I would ever fall into an unconscious sleep. For the next few weeks every time that I would attempt to fall asleep at night, within seconds of dozing off I would stop breathing.

This sleep apnea was caused by the Lyme Disease.

Eventually, my brain appeared to sense that it was dangerous to allow me to fall asleep, and has since prevented me from falling into any type of unconscious state.

I am unable to go beyond the hypnagogic state.

This would appear to qualify as some type of permanent brain injury caused by the Lyme Disease.

I have lived like this for more than two decades,
where even though most of my Lyme Disease symptoms have subsided, the inability to sleep remains.


Heather is the first person whom I have read about who has stated that since receiving a brain injury, she has been unable to fall asleep.

And that this condition has prevented her from falling asleep everyday for at least a year.

I would be interested in knowing how many other
people have experienced this phenomenon where we are unable to get past the hypnagogic state, so that the best we can do is to nap at night..

I would imagine that this is extremely rare, since for the past two decades I have been searching for people who are unable to ever fall asleep, and until reading about Heather, was unable to do so.
















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Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide

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