Waking with Temporary Amnesia

Post Reply New Topic

I generally know exactly where I am when I wake up unless I am very tired.

Every once in a very great while, I will be exhausted enough to experience additional confusion; after staying up for days and waking on a strange couch, this period of "amnesia" lasted several minutes. I could not remember my name, where I was, or who I was. I finally remembered my friend's name, and then mine.

This is quite a rarity but over the past two weeks, it has happened to me three times! I have woken without a clue as to my name or surroundings or any personal details. The dream I had just finished was the closest thing to reality, and then it faded too. I am moving in eight days, so not only am I stressed and worried about change, but my house looks and smells different.

Does anyone else wake up with what seems to resemble temporary anteriograde amnesia?

I've experienced similar to this but not as long as you. A few times when stressed (when younger and traveling with my parents) I'd wake up and have to think about thirty seconds about where I was, who I was and stuff like that but it hasn't happened to me in a very long time.

I don't know what causes this (in general apart from stress) and I have no idea about the health implication (if any).

I think this can occur if you are not getting enough sleep.

I have experienced this a few times, usually after sleeping for a long time and dreaming. The mind can take a while to adjust back to reality after spending time in the dream world.

I used to get this occasionally when I moved between parent's houses & it got worse when I added in university hall/houses too. Sometimes i'd wake up in a completely alien room and have no idea where I was, taking a minute or two to try and piece together my recent history. I'd always know who I was though, so sounds like you are getting stressed if that's happening.

I think it is a brain 'feature' of transitioning from sub- to top-level consciousness. In my dreams, I always still inhabit the bedroom of my childhood, so all the history since is a bit mixed up as the default dream setting.

Give yourself till you're settled in after the move to see if it diminishes - but moving is stressful so I hope it goes well for you.

Slightly off topic, but I had a weird memory loss one day which only lasted five minutes but it was quite scary. I walked out of uni and then completely forgot where I lived, it was like a black hole in my brain which I couldnt access. Never really had the waking up amnesia tho!

YES! I used to get this REGULARLY when I moved between my mother's house and my grandparent's house. I would wake up and not remember where I was. It happened for a while after every move we made (there were many) and it happens when I sleep over at the houses of others. I also tend to sleepwalk more frequently when I am not in my own bed.

yeah, kinda.
i indeed have a few moments of 'where the F* am i' when i wake up anywhere besides my own bed, but it usually only lasts a second or 2, the closest i ever got to a 'full' amnesia of this type was when i didn't remember how i got home (bad night, dont ask), or sometimes just not remembering going to bed, but never really not knowing where i am for more then a few secs