I experience something I refer to as *night terriors*, which isn't an apt description because they mostly occur if I would be taking a nap in the afternoon or when I first fall asleep in the evening.

There are absolutely no dreams involved but I wake up suddenly as if my heart had stopped. I don't know who I am or where or what point in time it is (like I could be 20 or 40 or older than I am) for maybe 10 seconds and there is such a rush of adrenalin that is actually painful. Terror is the only way to describe it. It is obviously a sleep disorder but I have never heard of anyone else describing what I experience.