# Sleep Paralysis?



## lde22 (Oct 19, 2009)

Sleep paralysis, does this happen to anyone else? It's when you wake up but you are completely paralyzed and can't move your body but you are conscious. Eventually you can move after a few minutes. It's really annoying. I guess it happens because when you go into REM sleep your brain sends signals to your muscles to not move (so that you don't act out your dreams) but then you wake up before your brain releases your muscles, so you are consciously awake but you can't move your muscles.

This happens to me every once in a while (a lot more often than I would like) and it is really annoying. The main reason I hate it so much is because I have trouble breathing anyways and when this happens it feels like I'm suffocating. I have to force myself to move and it's extremely difficult. I've tried just letting go and falling back asleep but it feels like I'm going to suffocate to death if I do.

I read a little bit about it online and I guess some people even have hallucinations in this state or they hear things, and they are usually negative things like demons or aliens. Luckily I've never seen hallucinations or anything.

Does this happen to anyone else on here?


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## Daner (Jan 12, 2012)

This happens to me a lot, usually when i am on a good streak, making good choices even more when i read the bible and i pray. it gives me chills just thinking about it. Evil works harder on you when you are trying to do good. Some people believe that through "sleep paralysis" is actually a demon trying to take over your body, like being possessed. Yeah it scares the **** out of me every time, i wake up with a ringing or fluttering feeling in my ears. i sometimes have the hullucinations of trustworthy friends telling me to relax like everything is fine.

Honestly now that im not as strong spiritually i never get it, i guess they don't need to work on the ones who aren't doing well spiritually.


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## The Other (Oct 23, 2011)

Daner said:


> This happens to me a lot, usually when i am on a good streak, making good choices even more when i read the bible and i pray. it gives me chills just thinking about it. Evil works harder on you when you are trying to do good. Some people believe that through "sleep paralysis" is actually a demon trying to take over your body, like being possessed. Yeah it scares the **** out of me every time, i wake up with a ringing or fluttering feeling in my ears. i sometimes have the hullucinations of trustworthy friends telling me to relax like everything is fine.
> 
> Honestly now that im not as strong spiritually i never get it, i guess they don't need to work on the ones who aren't doing well spiritually.


Hm, that's funny. I'm an atheist and I get sleep paralysis all the time.

It has nothing to do with the supernatural. That was debunked ages ago, and is believed to be one of the reasons people have reported seeing "ghosts", being "abducted" by aliens, or seeing demons and such. Now we understand it scientifically at the level of the processes occuring in the brain during sleep paralysis. I'm not trying to be mean, just clearing it up for you and letting you know you have nothing to be afraid of.

Anyway, to the OP: Yeah, it's pretty scary. It usually only lasts a minute or so with me, and for some reason it happens much more often if I fall asleep on my back.

I've never had the suffocation feeling, that must be terrifying. I do get intense visual and audio hallucinations though. The visuals ones are usually very cartoon-like, with characters morphing into other forms and characters, much like the video "Malice in Wonderland". I was shocked when I saw that video because it reminded me so much of my sleep paralysis. The audio hallucinations sound kind of retro videogame-like, like arcade game noises. It's really bizarre, but when I'm finally able to move, I try to wake up, and when I do I get all excited and write about what happened, just 'cause I think it's so interesting. It reminds me of a brief psychedelic drug trip.

I lucid dream a lot as well, which is also really interesting. Are the two somehow related to each other?


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## Tilly (Jan 11, 2012)

I get that alot too, but it isnt, like scum of society said, anything supernatural about it. Its just a state where your mind is half awake but youre body still asleep. It used to scare me alot until I talked about it with my gp and he said it was normal and nothing to worry about


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## meeps (Dec 5, 2011)

The first time it happened to me I knew what it was and I thought of it as a way to explore different states of consciousness, and I think that helped. It was kind of cool because I was hearing this really pretty music. I've had some uncomfortable, less pleasant ones as well.


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## Hallucinating Zebra (Jul 4, 2011)

...


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## Sonnyboy (Dec 8, 2011)

I have had this often it is one of the most frightening things. I will always get loud audio hallucinations, but not to many visua.l The sounds are usually a pulsing sound kind of like a helicopter and sometimes a sound simiular to when the six million dollar man when he would exert his bionics. 

I can feel it coming on before it happens and I get a certain feeling in my chest and there is a real feeling of dread. Sometimes I will just get out of bed at this point and watch tv or something. Its funny but quite a bit of the fear stays with me for hours even when I do get out of bed before it happens. I can get a lot of closed eye clear visuals afterwards when I am awake for about an hour or so.

For me it is usually triggered by stress. When I can't get to sleep that is when I will sometimes get sleep paralysis.


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## ainsleigh (Dec 6, 2011)

This used to happen to me! I realised that it happened when I forgot to turn on the aircon during summer in Australia. My room would be really hot and I wouldn't be able to move when I woke up. It scared the hell out of me. It hasn't happened in the past several years though. I'm pretty sure it was the heat.


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## Souldoubt (Mar 28, 2011)

I get it very often, usually after night terrors.


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## O Fantasma (Jan 11, 2012)

It happens to me A LOT. Ever since I was like 13. It scared me, and still does. I thought about the whole "possessed" thing too, but know I understand what it really is. It's kind of cool though because I lucid dream a lot...at least 3 times a week and I believe that the two are connected. So even if it is scary, I'd rather have it happen than not, because I enjoy the lucid dreaming part. Lucid dream are awesome! :yes


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## sleepytime (Feb 18, 2011)

Happens to me too, usually when I am stressed or not getting enough sleep.


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## Noll (Mar 29, 2011)

I do this pretty often, especially in the morning when I get back to sleep. It's really scary sometimes when you lay in an uncomfortable position and can't move.


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## Karsten (Apr 3, 2007)

Yes, I've gotten it. Good thing it doesn't last too long, because it is terrifying.

Once, I woke up and there was this ghost like creature three inches .from my face just staring. I sat there terrified, but I couldn't move or scream. Had to just wait it out.


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## sean88 (Apr 29, 2006)

Yes, it happens to me occasionally, except mine is scary because when I wake up not only can I not move but I can't breathe. It was happening almost daily for a while, then stopped abruptly for a few months, and then I just had a few more instances recently. It's really bothering me, I'm afraid I'm gonna suffocate in my sleep.

The only way to get out of it for me is to move my feet slowly because I have some control over them, and I have to like forcibly will myself to move, which is very difficult. :[


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## fetisha (Jan 13, 2012)

yes i have it and it scares the hell out of me


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## Uranium (Jun 14, 2011)

It's normal. During REM sleep everyone is paralyzed. So if you wake up during REM, you may be paralyzed for a little bit.


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## M0rbid (Jan 11, 2011)

It used to scare me to death. Imagine you woke up from a nightmare and you can't move your body and hear footsteps.


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## Healix (Jan 11, 2012)

It happens to me sometimes... the worst is when I turn over in my sleep, with my face in my pillow. I start to suffocate a little; I become aware that I'm asleep but just can't move or fully wake up. Pretty frightening.


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## TheLone Aji (Dec 4, 2011)

lde22 said:


> Sleep paralysis, does this happen to anyone else? It's when you wake up but you are completely paralyzed and can't move your body but you are conscious. Eventually you can move after a few minutes. It's really annoying. I guess it happens because when you go into REM sleep your brain sends signals to your muscles to not move (so that you don't act out your dreams) but then you wake up before your brain releases your muscles, so you are consciously awake but you can't move your muscles.
> 
> This happens to me every once in a while (a lot more often than I would like) and it is really annoying. The main reason I hate it so much is because I have trouble breathing anyways and when this happens it feels like I'm suffocating. I have to force myself to move and it's extremely difficult. I've tried just letting go and falling back asleep but it feels like I'm going to suffocate to death if I do.
> 
> ...


I get it occasionally and yeah it sucks. I always try to "twitch" myself awake when I realize that im paralyzed its extremely frightening. Whats worse is that I feel as if i'm having a heat stroke and that chuckie will come out from under my bed to stab me in the neck.


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## fallen18 (Aug 25, 2011)

Yep it's really scary though I usually would have a really bad nightmare and wake up and then my body felt heavy and I couldn't move and I saw some freaky sh** it's not fun at all it's like you wake up from a nightmare only to see the scary creature in your nightmare at the end of your bed staring at you with red eyes and you can't move *shivers* so scary


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## Lilraine (Jan 27, 2012)

Ok, well what about people (like me) who have experienced sleep paralysis, with the fear, and the noise, before ever coming near to a sleeping state of any kind?

My experiences have all been thus. After laying down, within mere seconds of closing my eyes, a sound like a distant roar.. or like a helicopter starts and gets louder and louder as tho it's landing on the roof of my house, and I can't move.. not a single muscle.. not even to open my eyes. The feeling that something is coming for me that I dont want to meet is ever present. With all of my will power I fight to open my eyes and it takes all of my might, and as soon as I manage to open my eyes the sound completely disappears. Then as soon as I close my eyes again, there's that helicopter like sound in the distance again. And I have found that the louder that sound has the less control I have over my body, so I open my eyes quickly before it gets louder and it stops again.

I've had whole nights go on like this.. sometimes several nights in a row. I'm sorry my friend, but this experience has nothing to do with being asleep.



Uranium said:


> It's normal. During REM sleep everyone is paralyzed. So if you wake up during REM, you may be paralyzed for a little bit.


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## roylee1970 (Dec 11, 2011)

Here you can laugh at me. This happens to me once every 2 or 3 years. We were in another state for work and staying in a motel. I had a dream some spiders were all over me and I could not move. Then it happened all at once I was screaming help in my sleep woke up could not move and my coworker was alreadfy out of bed coming over to help me. I still could not move he helped me up and I thanked him and sat there all embarrassed over it. I never knew it was a condition that happened to others though until now. Thanks for the thread.


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## Daylight (Jun 20, 2009)

Last time I experienced this was back in December of 2008. I woke up screaming HELP since I was trying to say it in my sleep. I had a hard time falling back asleep after that fearing it would repeat again. I've been lucky ever since.


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## VC132 (Sep 1, 2010)

It's supposed to keep us from acting out our dreams. Odd, but it makes a lot of sense, haha.


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## The Other (Oct 23, 2011)

Lilraine said:


> Ok, well what about people (like me) who have experienced sleep paralysis, with the fear, and the noise, before ever coming near to a sleeping state of any kind?
> 
> My experiences have all been thus. After laying down, within mere seconds of closing my eyes, a sound like a distant roar.. or like a helicopter starts and gets louder and louder as tho it's landing on the roof of my house, and I can't move.. not a single muscle.. not even to open my eyes. The feeling that something is coming for me that I dont want to meet is ever present. With all of my will power I fight to open my eyes and it takes all of my might, and as soon as I manage to open my eyes the sound completely disappears. Then as soon as I close my eyes again, there's that helicopter like sound in the distance again. And I have found that the louder that sound has the less control I have over my body, so I open my eyes quickly before it gets louder and it stops again.
> 
> I've had whole nights go on like this.. sometimes several nights in a row. I'm sorry my friend, but this experience has nothing to do with being asleep.


Wow, I've never heard of anything like that happening _before_ falling asleep. That's really interesting. Have you ever asked anyone about it or tried to find out what it is exactly?

The most that happens to me, is sometimes during the moments right before I fall asleep, a loud noise will wake me up. It could be a clap of thunder, an alarm, a camera-snapshot sound. And it sounds completely real. But never when I'm 100% awake.


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## LJC (Jan 31, 2012)

*Sleep Paralysis*

I have had this (SP) since I was a child and nothing seems to have helped much. The severity changes, of course, but I still have regular episodes. I was put on Prazosin and it has reduced the amount from nearly every night to an average of say 1 night a week. Those nights, I have them all night long. I take sleeping medication because I would go several days without sleep, fearing a recurrence. So now, I sleep every night, but when I do have an episode, I am too sedated to actually be able to get up and out of bed to stop the cycle. So, I'm in for a long, tormented night. And this, once a week. 
My SP consists of me "waking up" to find someone in my room (man, monster). I can see everything as it should be, except he is there, standing over me. I know I'm still asleep and I know I need to wake up or I will be killed. I try & try to move, but can't, so I start screaming. I scream forever but nothing happens. Finally, either I wake myself up or my husband does. He says it's like when you see a dog dreaming, and he knows I'm in trouble. Unfortunatly, because of my sleep meds, I fall right back to sleep and right back into my torment. A typical SP night has at least 5 or 6 episodes, no joke. I have tried fighting, accepting, praying, rebuking, bargaining and ignoring the intruder, all to no avail. I have even bolted upright screaming, I rebuke you in Jesus' name! I woke up, but what I went thru to get there was hell, literally.
But, let me share what brought me to this website. A week ago, the "thing" in my room actually got on top of me, held me down with his body, and raped me. It was as real as real could get. I felt everything. I was thinking, "This is really happening! I'm being raped!" I fought for my life but lost. Then, I woke up, wide awake! I was shocked. I totally thought it was real! Of course, I was relieved, but I was also totally traumatized. Fortunately, nothing happened the next couple nights, but then, it started all over. This time, my husband woke me up and I could still feel the attacker's body on me, every muscle, everything, completely awake. I could not go back to sleep. That was Saturday. Sunday, I was a wreck. I watched the clock, dreading bedtime. I didn't take my sleeping med because I didn't want to sleep. Finally passed out around 4 am and it started right away. I must have had a dozen attacks in the 4 hours I slept. Now, it's already 11 pm and I'm a total basket case. I DO NOT WANT TO GO TO SLEEP BUT I AM SO EXHAUSTED. Soon, everyone will be asleep and I will be alone again. God help me...


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## Unexist (Jan 30, 2012)

Happens to me every now and then, look up lucid dreaming, I can almost induce it of I feel like it lol. But j understand that it would be extremely frightening if you weren't expecting it.


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## angiemarie (Dec 26, 2011)

There are quite a few books you can check out that teach you how to better control your sleep paralysis. Learning to control it (lucid dreaming) has become a very enjoyable experience for me, though it has taken a while for me to get to this point. It used to terrify the crap outta me. I once woke up crawling to the door in my bedroom in an effort to wake from the most (mostly) auditory hallucinations I think I have had yet. It varies from person to person, but I have found that having a regular sleep pattern keeps them from happening as frequently. If you are an insomniac though, and get little sleep, I would absolutely not suggest that you use Melatonin. It makes sleep paralysis so much worse, and makes it harder to wake from it.


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## OoieGooie (Jan 30, 2012)

Awesome story Lilraine. Scary though.

Alcohol apparently turns off the mechanic in your brain that makes you move when in an uncomfortable position. For example, people who are drunk (and asleep) have had to have limbs removed because they slept on it in a bad way and they lost feeling for too long. Not that everyone should drink to sleep well but maybe some wine with dinner could help? Doubt it, but ya never know.

Anyway, back on topic, this doesn't happen to me. Interesting thread though (I sleep like a bear).


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## rumjungle (Feb 13, 2009)

It's funny...I had sleep paralysis this morning and it reduced me to such a state of fear that I decided I was going to go see my sleep specialist again and make a thread about it on SAS. I figured I'd at least post (I don't have health insurance anymore).

My first sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming experiences were during my teens. During my first sleep paralysis I partially woke up, my body was paralysed and I hallucinated that there was an evil dark figure standing at the edge of my bed. It lunged at my body and the crushing/suffocation sensation was as if it was trying to push my body through my mattress into the ground. Thankfully this is the only time where I've seen this figure since when I know I'm having a paralysis I intentionally avoid looking or am lucky to have my head covered by a blanket. I've had sleep paralysis when falling asleep (eg. taking a nap in my car I became aware that my body was going into paralysis for sleep) and waking up. I think I have one or two every few months though I don't note it.

Understanding it helps but doesn't making it any less uncomfortable or terrifying when it happens. This morning I kept trying to wiggle my toes to quicken the process and wake up but it didn't work. When I did finally properly wake up my head and hands were contorted in a funny position (I had tried to slowly crawl my hands as the paralysis lessened).


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## Unkn0wn Pleasures (Nov 24, 2011)

Oh my god this is a real thing? Always feared this.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

I get it frequently. Still scares the crap out of me.

Most times it's just run-of-the-mill, but a few times I've had a very distressing and intense buzzing (noise and vibration) coming from the back of my neck.

Always upon waking, always when I'm laying on my back for some reason. But I've had occasional cycles where I just couldn't fully wake myself, kept falling back asleep, and experienced it over a dozen times a night.


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## InfiniteBlaze (Jan 27, 2011)

I used to get this from time to time when I was 16. This ****ing sucks and is absolutely horrifying. It seriously felt like some out of this world ****.


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## Pandemic (Jan 6, 2012)

> Most times it's just run-of-the-mill, but a few times I've had a very distressing and intense buzzing (noise and vibration) coming from the back of my neck.


I've only had sleep paralysis once and it was terrifying. I had a similar sensation. Was it kind of like jolts of electricity? It felt like what I would imagine ECT to be like.


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## ryobi (Jan 13, 2009)

I had sleep paralysis when I was taking abilify sometimes it was just an arm or a leg or half my body but I didn't have any hallucinations


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## Your dreaming WAKE UP (Feb 11, 2012)

I intentionally induce Sleep paralysis. The hallucinations and lucid dreams are well worth it.


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## Shredder (Apr 19, 2011)

Ive had SP 3 times. First time scared the c**p out of me. EVERYTHING was hyper realsitic... smell, sounds, touch etc and I was dreaming that I was actually laying awake in bed. I wont go into sordid details but it involved an old gypsy like witch woman. I started to get scared and tried to yell for help but no sounds came out and I couldn't move as all my limbs were frozen. Its like I was awake yet still dreaming. 

I did some research and found out what it was (Sleep Paralysis) It is also known as "old hag syndrome" which is pretty weird as its common for people to dream of an old woman sitting on top of them. Each time this has happened to me it has been he night after something very emotionally confronting has happened to me.

Ive also had the auditory thing happen... sometimes I hear a buzz or knock just before I go to sleep.. I think this is something similar to a Hypnogogic jerk.


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## 50piecesteve (Feb 28, 2012)

I get this every now and then it is pretty frightening, ive never hallucinated however when im going through this i always feel like there is something in the room that wants to hurt me. People actually die from this


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## Your dreaming WAKE UP (Feb 11, 2012)

50piecesteve said:


> I get this every now and then it is pretty frightening, ive never hallucinated however when im going through this i always feel like there is something in the room that wants to hurt me. People actually die from this


What? How do people die from sleep paralysis? It happens to all of us, every night...


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## 50piecesteve (Feb 28, 2012)

Your dreaming WAKE UP said:


> What? How do people die from sleep paralysis? It happens to all of us, every night...


I saw on 1000 ways to die a women had an episode and had a Heart attack, also i watched a documentary on this and it said a number of people have died from sleep paralysis episodes


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## Your dreaming WAKE UP (Feb 11, 2012)

50piecesteve said:


> I saw on 1000 ways to die a women had an episode and had a Heart attack, also i watched a documentary on this and it said a number of people have died from sleep paralysis episodes


If she died in her sleep, then how in the world do they know she had a SP episode or if her heart attack had anything to do with it? :sus
You do realize the paralysis is completely normal and necessary? Or else we would be acting out our dreams.


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## Shadow2009 (Sep 25, 2010)

I get this practically every morning.  Well, I first had it when I was like 10, and then I forgot about it for a few years and then one evening six years later I remembered about it and got too scared to sleep. I ended up staying awake all night, and pretty much every day after that i've had it.  

It used to just be paralysis for a few seconds but recently i've started feeling like my insides are on "fire" (vibrating, huge electric shocks, like extreme pins and needles) and I get a very eerie presence. I try to cry out but no noise comes. 

Fortunately (and here's my tip) I can move my feet and fingers, so what I do is try and wake myself up properly by "nipping" my skin to give me a shock or try and move my foot off the edge of the bed (so that it drops due to the dead weight on the floor and wakes me up).

I'm already dreading tomorrow morning. :'(


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## Layla (Feb 24, 2012)

It's happened to me only one time, but I didn't know what it was for a while after that, I couldn't move for around 2 minutes, but could see everything in my room, it's a horrible feeling.


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## lonelygazelle (Mar 24, 2012)

i thought i was gonna die. i couldn't escape form it. i also saw in tall black figure in the rooms corner. that made me panic like hell. then i said i am not going without a fight.


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## whatevzers (Jan 26, 2012)

lonelygazelle said:


> i thought i was gonna die. i couldn't escape form it. i also saw in tall black figure in the rooms corner. that made me panic like hell. then i said i am not going without a fight.


Man that sounds terrifying.

I hate when this happens. I feel like my body is shaking all over and I can only move my eyes. I start hearing things. It's hard to describe, but it sort of sounds like drums muffled behind a wall. Soon as I hear that, I get a feeling of dread and start sweating. Man, after one of those, I can't sleep so my whole night and probably the next morning is ruined :|


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

Pandemic:1059768697 said:


> > Most times it's just run-of-the-mill, but a few times I've had a very distressing and intense buzzing (noise and vibration) coming from the back of my neck.
> 
> 
> I've only had sleep paralysis once and it was terrifying. I had a similar sensation. Was it kind of like jolts of electricity? It felt like what I would imagine ECT to be like.


Yeah, the buzzing I mentioned definitely has an "electrical" character to it. It's only happened a few times out of hundreds though.


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## DarkAngel490 (Mar 22, 2012)

This happened to me a few nights ago. It was really weird and really scary. I had woke from a really bad dream and could not move. What made it really scary was that I was awake, but my dream came with me. So I guess I was seeing things. Very scary! A lot of other people and I know what your going through. Your not alone!


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## 50piecesteve (Feb 28, 2012)

Your dreaming WAKE UP said:


> If she died in her sleep, then how in the world do they know she had a SP episode or if her heart attack had anything to do with it? :sus
> You do realize the paralysis is completely normal and necessary? Or else we would be acting out our dreams.


dude thats what the tv show said, k, they mentioned she had a history of REM sleep


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## Shredder (Apr 19, 2011)

Your dreaming WAKE UP said:


> What? How do people die from sleep paralysis? It happens to all of us, every night...


You might be talking of a different type of sleep paralysis (aka Old Hag Syndrome) to what I've experienced. Each time I have one I tend to cope a little better though. These images are pretty close to what I've experienced.


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## Pandemic (Jan 6, 2012)

^^ F*** that!


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## Your dreaming WAKE UP (Feb 11, 2012)

Okay well do you remember what the episode name or number was? I just want to know _how_ exactly she died.



50piecesteve said:


> they mentioned she had a history of REM sleep


 everyone goes through the REM stages of sleep; about 4 times a night.


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## Your dreaming WAKE UP (Feb 11, 2012)

Shredder said:


> You might be talking of a different type of sleep paralysis (aka Old Hag Syndrome) to what I've experienced. Each time I have one I tend to cope a little better though. These images are pretty close to what I've experienced.


I'm pretty sure there's only one type of sleep paralysis. 
When I induce sleep paralysis, I usually wait for all the noises and vibrations to die down, then from there I start to hallucinate visuals to the point where I'm in full blown in REM sleep and then I do whatever after. It's great. 8)
The only reason you experience the "old hag" is because you're still too scared. Next time think positively and have happy thoughts, and your hallucinations will turn out to be positive and happy as well.


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## 50piecesteve (Feb 28, 2012)

Shredder said:


> You might be talking of a different type of sleep paralysis (aka Old Hag Syndrome) to what I've experienced. Each time I have one I tend to cope a little better though. These images are pretty close to what I've experienced.


yes this is what i was talking about, here is the documentary i was talkin about its has 5 parts, i forget which part but it mentions something about people mysteriously dying in their sleep


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## billeh (Mar 28, 2007)

Your dreaming WAKE UP said:


> I'm pretty sure there's only one type of sleep paralysis.
> When I induce sleep paralysis, I usually wait for all the noises and vibrations to die down, then from there I start to hallucinate visuals to the point where I'm in full blown in REM sleep and then I do whatever after. It's great.
> The only reason you experience the "old hag" is because you're still too scared. Next time think positively and have happy thoughts, and your hallucinations will turn out to be positive and happy as well.


Well, there's sleep paralysis and then there's lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming sounds more like what you're describing. Sleep paralysis is pretty terrifying.

I've experienced sleep paralysis one time. It was definitely freaky. 
My eyes were open, I could see everything in the room, but couldn't move. Felt pressure on my chest like I was being held down. Then I heard a very nasty sounding voice speaking/growling, just outside of my field of vision. Didn't see anything that I can remember, just that raspy voice.


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## Evo (Jan 1, 2012)

I don't think I've had this before but it sounds really terrible.


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## Your dreaming WAKE UP (Feb 11, 2012)

billeh said:


> Well, there's sleep paralysis and then there's lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming sounds more like what you're describing. Sleep paralysis is pretty terrifying.
> 
> I've experienced sleep paralysis one time. It was definitely freaky.
> My eyes were open, I could see everything in the room, but couldn't move. Felt pressure on my chest like I was being held down. Then I heard a very nasty sounding voice speaking/growling, just outside of my field of vision. Didn't see anything that I can remember, just that raspy voice.


No, what I'm describing is definitely sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis only gets frightening if you let it be.
Like I mentioned before, people often induce sleep paralysis to lucid dream; sleep paralysis can either occur right before, during, or after REM. So you can see how SP is used a launching pad towards Lucid dreams. 
http://www.dreaminglucid.com/articlessleepparalysis.html


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## Shadow2009 (Sep 25, 2010)

Had this again this morning three times.

Again, just couldn't move and could feel my insides vibrating badly and then I managed to kick the wall with my foot (which I could move) to wake me up properly.


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## Kakumbus (Mar 27, 2012)

yup, i used to have it almost every day, i think it happen more when i am scared, i dont get them as much since i faced my fear of aliens, yea xenophobia?

But i came to even expect it and not even care, sometime enjoying it.

sometime i get them like 5-6 times a night.


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## Wrong Galaxy (Aug 13, 2010)

This happened to me twice my whole life, I can't forget those incident. You can't move your body but you can see & hear the surroundings, we call it here in local native Phil. as "orom" "bangongot". Another interesting thing is this Sudden unexpected nocturnal death syndrome (SUNDS).Common among young asian males (hmong,thai,singaporean,phil.).


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## Xtraneous (Oct 18, 2011)

Oh helllllll nawwwwwwwwwww. After the first time I've wondered if it would ever happen again, sucks. ):


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## Yori (Feb 15, 2013)

*Sleep Paralysis*

I read messages of people getting paralysis and think about how lucky they are and how they, ironically, don't know just how lucky they are.

Can anyone tell me any patterns in circumstances of when they get sleep paralysis?

In return, I'll give you some tips on not having sleep paralysis - sleep on your side, curl up, move a bit, etc (at least your eye balls..or your jaw or something).
This should help in delaying sleep paralysis until you aren't conscious for it.


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## Yori (Feb 15, 2013)

*Sleep Paralysis.*



Shadow2009 said:


> I get this practically every morning.  Well, I first had it when I was like 10, and then I forgot about it for a few years and then one evening six years later I remembered about it and got too scared to sleep. I ended up staying awake all night, and pretty much every day after that i've had it.
> 
> It used to just be paralysis for a few seconds but recently i've started feeling like my insides are on "fire" (vibrating, huge electric shocks, like extreme pins and needles) and I get a very eerie presence. I try to cry out but no noise comes.
> 
> ...


Unbelievable. This is tantalizing. Pure torture. Shadow.

If I could take your tendency to go into sleep paralysis, I would.

Anyway, next time you get it, imagine falling or spinning, and tell me if that puts you out of paralysis misery. Don't forget to post your results. I hope the method works for you.


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## won (Nov 8, 2012)

It used to happen to me aaaaaaaaall the time omfg. I'm not sure what made it go away but it doesn't really happen anymore...


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## tieffers (Jan 26, 2013)

I get it occasionally. It's scary as hell. I usually get a panic attack when it happens because I feel trapped in my own body, and I have a phobia of being trapped. It's the cause of most of my nocturnal panic attacks.

I try to reduce the likelihood of sleep paralysis happening by not doing any strenuous activity before bed. That seems to help.



Yori said:


> I read messages of people getting paralysis and think about how lucky they are and how they, ironically, don't know just how lucky they are.
> 
> Can anyone tell me any patterns in circumstances of when they get sleep paralysis?
> 
> ...


It's not lucky. :afr I'd give anything to never have sleep paralysis again. But some things that increase the likelihood of getting it for me: going on a run before going to bed (almost guarantees it for me), eating before bed, or going to bed really anxious. Also not taking any drugs before going to sleep. Sedatives make me sleep deeper, so I don't get sleep paralysis as much.


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## Metal_Heart (Feb 11, 2009)

I've suffered with insomnia for 12 years now, but lately if I *do* get any sleep I end up having sleep paralysis, it's just a lose lose situation haha. It started in November when I was living in the states for 2 months.. possibly because I was in a new house and different environment but it was awful. I thought it would get better once I came home but it hasn't, I would rather just not sleep


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## Yori (Feb 15, 2013)

tieffers said:


> I get it occasionally. It's scary as hell. I usually get a panic attack when it happens because I feel trapped in my own body, and I have a phobia of being trapped. It's the cause of most of my nocturnal panic attacks.
> 
> I try to reduce the likelihood of sleep paralysis happening by not doing any strenuous activity before bed. That seems to help.
> 
> It's not lucky. :afr I'd give anything to never have sleep paralysis again. But some things that increase the likelihood of getting it for me: going on a run before going to bed (almost guarantees it for me), eating before bed, or going to bed really anxious. Also not taking any drugs before going to sleep. Sedatives make me sleep deeper, so I don't get sleep paralysis as much.


Awww, alright, thanks for the tips.


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## DesertStar91 (Feb 1, 2012)

I have this almost every single night, and now it doesn't scare me at all. At first it was freaky and I thought I was dying, but now it's like...meh, oh boy here it is again...and then I fall asleep regardless.


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## Pumpkin Head (Feb 26, 2013)

I used to have this reoccurring nightmare where I'd wake up and it was dark and no matter what I did I couldn't find the light switch. Then I'd wake up again and realize it was just a nightmare, but it was still dark so I'd start looking for the light switch again. And then I'd wake up again and realize it was just a nightmare again, over and over. Sometimes there were things in the dark with me, so it could be kind of frightening. And at the very end, I really would wake up, and I'd be paralyzed for a little while. The funny thing about it was I was staying in a lot of different places at the time, and I only ever dreamed about the actual place I was in at that moment.


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## zonebox (Oct 22, 2012)

It used to happen a lot to me, at work on the third shift at a call center. I would inevitably fall asleep in my chair, with my neck positioned in such a way that it would occur. I remember waking up and not being able to move, terrified someone would call and I couldn't answer the phone. I would sit there trying to wiggle my toes, for what seemed like an eternity.

I sort of thought it was cool though, because it is a great platform for going into a lucid dream. Just wish it could have happened more often in my bed, than at work.


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