Sleep Paralysis....ever have it?

[SetzKitten]

DH has this very frequently, sometimes several times a night. It's frightening for him and exhausting for me. He says he feels like he's going to die. I can tell it's happening because his breathing changes, so I listen for it. I can shake him or call his name really loud and he'll wake up (although he calls it "breaking free" .) I'm not sure if he hallucinates, but he always tells me that he's being chased by either a tornado or a bear.

 

[Cass]

My ex husband suffers from this, it happened all the time in that he was even afraid to go to sleep. He wakes up but can't move, he can hear/sense everything going on around him but can't speak, move, open his eyes. It terrifies him.

 

[vatmark]

Only once - first I had the waking dream thing - thought I had woke up but was still in the dream - then when I did finally come out of the dream and wake up, I had the paralysis thing - it felt like someone was sitting on my chest holding me down and trying to keep me from breathing. Glad it only happened once!!! It freaked me out so bad that I spent the rest of the night with the light on!!

I believe the alien abduction thing - my dream was about a witch and until I woke up all the way I would have sworn she was real and actually in the room with me - sitting on my chest and all!!!

That is exactly what happened to me a long time ago. I still remember it to this day. I truely felt like someone was holding me down by leaning on my chest and I would try to scream but nothing would come out. Very scary!

Annie

 

[anita967]

Holy Molie!!! I thought it was just me!! I have had this happen a few times and I feel like I can't take a breath!! I do wear a bipap for sleep apnea but it still happens and I just can't move anything!! It scares me silly. Thanks for bringing this up. At least now I know what it is.

 

[Angel717]

This has been happening to me since I was 15. I had always thought that the more stressed I was, the more frequently it would occur. I only average about once to twice a year now. I never experienced it while pregnant, and it seems to occur less frequently as I've gotten older.

I'm curious for those that experience it how you wake yourself up? For me, the more I fight it, the stronger the dream, but if I relax, I can wake myself up. And, if I don't sit up and wake up fully, I'll go right back into the dream.

 

[poohandwendy]

OMG, that would freak me out! Is this a common occurance and is there a reason for it?

 

[Kristina]

Only once - first I had the waking dream thing - thought I had woke up but was still in the dream - then when I did finally come out of the dream and wake up, I had the paralysis thing - it felt like someone was sitting on my chest holding me down and trying to keep me from breathing. Glad it only happened once!!! It freaked me out so bad that I spent the rest of the night with the light on!!

I've never had this happen to me, thank God, but awhile back I did see a documetry on it on I believe the Discovery channel, I'm 99% sure it was that channel. They talked to alot of people about it and surprisingly alot of people on the very same city block had the same experience, the witch on the chest, but never told anyone else about it. Of course I can't remember what they said the reason was for it, I'm sorry . I think it has something to do with oxygen to the brain during sleep. Then there is night terrors, which sounds more like what the one poster's dh is having. I'm really sorry anyone has to suffer from either of these!

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

After it happened to me I read something about this as well - that the witch thing is common - as it seems perhaps the alien thing as well, possibly. I have to think it has something to do with cultural conditioning - sort of like hpw some people explain the "light at the end of the tunnel" and other aspects of near death experiences. Who knows? It is very interesting though - although I would not want it to happen on aregular basis - really feel for those who have to go through it!!!!!

 

[Blondie]

I'm curious for those that experience it how you wake yourself up? For me, the more I fight it, the stronger the dream, but if I relax, I can wake myself up. And, if I don't sit up and wake up fully, I'll go right back into the dream.

The first time I couldn't wake myself up, I think that is the most frightening part of the episode, not being able to do anything at all except scream on the inside that you can't move!

The second time I realized it was happening and I was able to tell myself "wake up or it's going to happen to you again!" and I literally shook myself awake!

OMG, that would freak me out! Is this a common occurance and is there a reason for it?

Here is something else I found:

There is no known explanation why some people experience this paralysis. It is not harmful, although most people report feeling very afraid because they do not know what is happening, and within minutes they gradually or abruptly are able to move again; the episode is often terminated by a sound or a touch on the body.

In some cases, when hypnogogic hallucinations are present, people feel that someone is in the room with them, some experience the feeling that someone or something is sitting on their chest and they feel impending death and suffocation. That has been called the “Hag Phenomena” and has been happening to people over the centuries. These things cause people much anxiety and terror, but there is no physical harm.

What else can you tell me about sleep paralysis?

Some people with disrupted sleep schedules or circadian rhythm disturbances experience sleep paralysis

A study found that 35% of subjects with isolated sleep paralysis also reported a history of wake panic attacks unrelated to the experience of paralysis

Sixteen percent of these persons with isolated sleep paralysis met the criteria for panic disorder

Source of information.

 

[poohandwendy]

Thanks for the info Blondie...sheesh, I cannot even imagine. I think I would not want to sleep if that happened to me. Your stories really wig me out. I am amazed at how many of you have actually experienced this! {{{HUGS}}] to all of you who have suffered with this.

 

[Linnie The Pooh]

It happens to me every time I take a nap, so I try to avoid them. It's very scary and disturbing. I didn't know there was a name for it. I hope it doesn't happen to you again.

 

[nhrenee]

OMG! This happended to me as a young teen. I was lying on my parents couch at night and I swore I heard a dog come up our cellar steps and walk over and sniff my head. I was scared to death because I couldn't move. I always wondered what the heck was going on!

 

[Kitty 34]

I've had this before, too. It's creepy.

 

[MsDisney23]

I hope it never happens to you again.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I have never heard of this, Blondie, but sure seems common here. Maybe Disney people get it, LOL. Hope you do not experience it any time soon.

 

[chobie]

Another victim here. I get it often. The hallucinations, the not being able to move, the feeling that there are people in the room, the feeling that someone is sitting on my chest and I can't breathe.

 

[denisekayt]

I used to experience this (with the suffocation feelings ), when I was an older teen. It happened a few times on the occasions when I would visit my boyfriend (now he's DH! Wow, I feel old ) early in the mornings.

At the time he was working 2nd shift and I had a late morning highschool schedule 3 days a week due to taking a college coarse for highschool credit the other 2 weekday mornings. His Mom let me come over early the mornings I had school late and I would go crawl in bed with him and sleep for a couple hours before heading off to school (thank goodness we married each other, right! I don't know what his mother was thinking...my mother was of course kept "uninformed" about my morning naps ).

Anyway, I experienced sleep paralysis several times over those few months this was going on...it mainly happened when I was sleeping on my side cuddled up next to DH. I attributed it to not sleeping in my normal tummy mode. It sure was scary though, I still remember feeling like I couldn't breathe and trying with all my might to "just open my eyes", thinking that if I could just get them open I would be better. Scary!

 

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

Only once - first I had the waking dream thing - thought I had woke up but was still in the dream - then when I did finally come out of the dream and wake up, I had the paralysis thing - it felt like someone was sitting on my chest holding me down and trying to keep me from breathing. Glad it only happened once!!! It freaked me out so bad that I spent the rest of the night with the light on!!

I believe the alien abduction thing - my dream was about a witch and until I woke up all the way I would have sworn she was real and actually in the room with me - sitting on my chest and all!!!

I experience sleep paralysis occasionally. I didn't know it had a name.

I had to comment on this post because I had a VERY traumatizing dream just like this when I was in 8th grade (17 years ago). It was a figure dressed in black kind of like the grim reaper I too thought I had woke up and that this black robed thing was in the room with me holding me down and trying to keep me from screaming out for help. I remember lying there "promising" I wouldn't scream and when I finally calmed down (I must have woke up at this point) I yelled out MOM! -- MOM!! She came running in there and got me calmed down but I wouldn't go back to sleep without the light on. And I slept with that light on for a few nights.

That was the worst dream I ever had w/ the paralysis. I've experienced it occasionally since that time but never to the degree of this horror.

It's horrible, you just lie there willing yourself to open your eyes. Just open your eyes. Move your hand, come on you can do it, just move your hand. And when I am finally able to move my body part it is with much force. Like, my arm will fly up or out depending on how I'm laying.