Laying in bed, I try to get some sleep, but my ears are ringing so loudly that it’s impossible to relax. The moment I close my eyes, I see orbs of light building behind my eyelids. Strange flickers appear out of nowhere, dancing in the darkness, and flashes burst like mini-explosions in my vision. It feels like my nervous system is misfiring, sending electrical signals it can’t control. My body is buzzing from head to toe, shaking inside as if I’m plugged into a power source, fully wired up to the mains.
After what feels like hours, I finally drift off, but there’s no peace in sleep. The nightmares come swiftly, vivid and terrifying—like being chased by a giant anaconda, its coils tightening around me as I run, but never get away, or sometimes I’m falling, hurtling towards the ground. My heart races, and I wake in a panic, jolted awake by a flash of light. It feels as though my body is in overdrive, never finding rest, not even in sleep.
These relentless symptoms—flashes of light, internal tremors, tinnitus, and nightmares—are all signs of a nervous system gone haywire. In conditions like Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) and fibromyalgia, the nervous system doesn’t know how to slow down. It’s stuck in a state of hyperarousal, constantly firing off signals that create these disturbing sensations, day and night.
Tinnitus: A Symptom of Nervous System and Muscular Tension
Tinnitus is often thought of as an ear problem—maybe from exposure to loud noise, a sign of hearing damage—but for many people with FND and fibromyalgia, tinnitus is less about permanent damage and more about muscular tension. When the nervous system is under stress, especially in conditions like fibromyalgia, muscles around the head, neck, and shoulders tense up. This tension can affect the muscles surrounding the ear, distorting sound and changing the pitch of the ringing.
It’s why the tone fluctuates and why, in some moments of relaxation, it might even fade a little. It’s not a sign of hearing loss; it’s a reflection of how hypersensitive and wound-up the nervous system has become. If you've ever noticed your tinnitus spike during periods of anxiety or muscle tension, this is why—your body is reacting to internal stress by cranking up the volume inside your own head.
Flashes of Light and Orbs: A Hyperactive Nervous System
Those flashes of light and orbs that flicker behind the eyes are another unsettling symptom. When the nervous system is overstimulated, like in FND or fibromyalgia, even the brain's visual processing can go haywire. It’s as though the brain is firing off random signals, unable to filter out unnecessary stimuli, creating those bursts of light. These flashes might seem terrifying, but they are actually a product of a hyperactive nervous system, unable to find rest, even during the quiet hours of the night.
They happen because the brain’s normal resting state is disrupted. In people without nervous system dysfunction, the brain is able to switch off or wind down at night. But for those of us living with conditions like FND, the switch is faulty. It keeps firing, sending chaotic signals that manifest as these strange visual experiences.
Internal Tremors: The Sensation of Being Wired
The internal tremors, that feeling of buzzing and shaking inside, are some of the most unnerving symptoms I’ve ever experienced. It’s like my body is vibrating at a frequency I can’t control, and no matter how still I try to be, the sensation doesn’t go away. This isn't the typical muscle tremor you can see or feel externally. It's an internal tremor, deeply connected to the autonomic nervous system—the system that regulates all of those unconscious processes like heartbeat, digestion, and, yes, the stress response.
When the nervous system is stuck in a heightened state of alert, as it often is in FND and fibromyalgia, it sends mixed signals to the body. This overactivity results in internal shaking, a constant "wired" feeling that leaves us restless and drained. The body is buzzing because the nervous system won’t shut down, unable to find that critical rest-and-digest mode.
Nightmares: When the Nervous System Won’t Rest
Sleep should be a time of restoration, but for those of us with nervous system dysfunction, even that refuge is stolen. The nightmares are more than just vivid dreams—they’re driven by a nervous system that is still firing on all cylinders, locked in a state of hyperarousal. When the body and brain are on high alert, even in the deepest stages of sleep, the subconscious mind is bombarded with stress signals.
This creates nightmarish experiences, often full of danger and threat, like being chased by an anaconda or facing some looming catastrophe. These dreams are a reflection of how the nervous system refuses to rest, fuelling a cycle of exhaustion and fear. Sleep, rather than providing relief, can become just another battleground .
Why These Symptoms Occur
What ties all of these symptoms together—tinnitus, flashes of light, internal tremors, and nightmares—is the dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. In conditions like FND and fibromyalgia, the nervous system doesn’t respond appropriately to stress. Instead of calming down, it stays on high alert, sending electrical signals and sensory data that create these strange and distressing sensations. Even when the external environment is calm, internally, the body behaves as though it’s still in a state of threat.
This heightened state of arousal doesn’t switch off during sleep either. Nightmares, often vivid and terrifying, are another manifestation of the nervous system's constant overactivity. The mind continues to process threat signals, leading to nightmares where you might be chased, trapped, or facing overwhelming fear. Your heart races, adrenaline surges, and you wake up in a panic—sometimes drenched in sweat—never truly resting, even in the supposed safety of sleep.
Think of it like a car engine that won’t stop revving, even when you’re in neutral. No amount of shifting gears will stop the overdrive unless the nervous system is retrained to handle stressors differently.
Finding Relief: Calming the Nervous System
While there’s no magic switch to turn off these symptoms overnight, there are ways to help calm the overactive nervous system. Pacing, mindfulness techniques, and practices like meditation or yoga can help soothe the body and encourage it to downshift into a calmer state. Diet, too, plays a key role, particularly by focusing on anti-inflammatory foods and avoiding stimulants like caffeine, which can exacerbate the nervous system’s hyperactivity.
Addressing muscle tension, especially in the neck and jaw, can sometimes help reduce tinnitus and those internal tremors. Calming techniques that focus on relaxing both the body and mind, such as deep breathing exercises or progressive muscle relaxation, can signal to the brain that it’s safe to dial back the intensity.
Conclusion
Living with FND or fibromyalgia can feel like an endless cycle of confusion and distress, especially when your body feels as though it’s constantly short-circuiting. But by understanding these symptoms and recognizing them as signs of nervous system dysfunction, we can begin to take steps toward relief. The road to calming an overactive nervous system isn’t easy, but with the right tools and a mindful approach, we can gradually bring balance back to our bodies, one small step at a time.
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