The High Feeling

There is a sensation that I occasionally experience that I frequently describe as “that high feeling.” I have no idea what causes it, there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to when it happens, and nobody I’ve talked to about it has experienced anything similar.

I’ve been having this sensation from time to time since I was about 20 years old. Calling it a “high feeling” may be a misnomer, as I’ve never actually been under the influence of illicit drugs to compare the two. I call it that because I have no better way to describe it at the moment. It doesn’t happen often, maybe once a month or less. Sometimes it will happen fairly regularly, other times I’ll go months without feeling it.

The sensation itself comprises a number of different symptoms. The first that I notice is a sort of light headedness. Everything gets fuzzy, and I find it hard to focus. This facet of the sensation is very similar to what happens when I go without sleep for a long time. After I start to lose focus, my breathing will become very shallow. The strangest part is when I have a sort of pulling sensation in my chest. It’s almost as if someone has their hand behind my sternum and is pulling upward and outward from my body.

Toward the end of these spells, my limbs get numb and tingly. I usually start to feel cold, especially near my hands and feet. After a few moments, I start to regain focus, the feeling comes back to my limbs, and I’m fine. There was one specific time that I blacked out, and my wife found me leaned across the bathroom counter. Otherwise, I don’t know that I’ve ever lost consciousness in conjunction with these high feelings.

It isn’t an unpleasant sensation, just very strange. As I mentioned before, I don’t know what causes it. Some have suggested that it may be dips in my blood sugar or lack of sleep, but the instances are so erratic that I can’t place any criteria that remains the same each time. I’ve been told that I should see a doctor about it, but I can’t imagine that it happens often enough to be tested for.

For now, it doesn’t seem like anything I should be imminently concerned about. Just something that happens from time to time. I would love to know more about it, or talk to others who have experienced similar sensations.