Sleep Paralysis....ever have it?

[Blondie]

I had my first episode last week and it scared the living daylights out of me!

For those unfamiliar, it's when your mind awakens before the rest of your body does.

For me, I was laying in bed, fully awake mentally, yet I couldn't open my eyes or move any part of my body. I could hear what was going on around me, but couldn't respond in any way. It only lasts a few seconds, but those few seconds seem like forever! It forces you to lay there thinking you're paralyzed! It's very frightening!

Sleep Paraylsis

 

[Ranatra]

Blondie
I've never heard of it! That would be so frightening!!
(Now I'm going to click on your link and check it out)

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I never knew there was a name for it. It happens to me frequently; I just must be used to it. Sorry you were so frightened.

 

[froglady]

Yes, I have experienced this, especially when lying on my back. The episodes have become less frequent with age, and DH nudges me to turn on my side if he sees me on my back.

 

[BelleMcNally]

This used to happen to me at least once a month--it's happened less in the past 6 months, I have no idea why, though.

It's truly one of the most frightening things I've ever experienced, although it's happened to me so often you would think I'd be used to it by now!

*shudder*

 

[Blondie]

Both times I had it I was laying on my side.

 

[PrincessDeb]

I remember EsmereldaX had this happen to her frequently. I miss Monty Dog!

 

[JimB.]

It will happen to me when I sleep on my stomach. It does only rarely though, & I don't sleep that way anymore as a result.

You're right. When it happened to me, it scared the crap out of me, especially since I woke up face down with my FACE IN A PILLOW!!!! I would have loved to see my EKG when I woke up from that. ugh.

 

[Ziva]

Yes! I hate that, it's the reason I almost never take a nap. If I lie down to take a nap, it happens everytime but if I doze off accidently it doesn't. It's also happened a night every once and awhile.

 

[KimR]

I have had a 'false awakening' which is either another name for the same thing or related to it. It is never frightening for me, although it is very very strange and freaks me out. Usually when it happens it is in the morning and like others have mentioned, I am lying on my back.

I don't get the scary hallucinations that often accompany sleep paralysis, though; mine are much more mundane. It almost always occurs in the morning after DH has left for work and I 'hear' DH come home and start rifling through drawers. Sometimes I will hallucinate that he gets in bed wanting ummm...'affection'. The hallucinations are so realistic that the first few times it happened I actually called DH to find out why he had come home from work early in the morning, only to leave again. It was hard for me to believe that it didn't actually happen. Even now that I am used to it, a part of my always wonders if it was real or not. Very very strange.

Another strange thing....I also 'dream' while I am awake. Does this happen to anyone else? It happens to me every night as I lie in bed waiting to go to sleep. I've asked DH if he had ever experienced this and he looked at me like I was nuts; he insisted it's never happend to him and it's almost as though he doesn't believe me. There is a name for it - hypnogogic imagery or something like that, but I'm not sure how common the experience is.

 

[KimR]

One other thing...it's been hypothesized that many reports of alien abductions are actually incidents of sleep paralysis. I thought that was interesting.

 

[BelleMcNally]

Yes! I hate that, it's the reason I almost never take a nap. If I lie down to take a nap, it happens everytime but if I doze off accidently it doesn't. It's also happened a night every once and awhile.

It happens to me more often when I'm napping as well!

I read somewhere that it occurs because, instead of coming up through the levels of sleep (from deep REM sleep to awake) you go right from the deepest level to lucidity, not giving your body time to adjust (your breathing, heart-rate, etc.), which could be why I always feel like I'm suffocating when it happens.

 

[SeeDisney]

Yes, I've gotten too. From one time or another, it is very frightening. I remember Dateline did a story about it but infortunately I missed it.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

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!!!

 

[Blondie]

I've never had the hallucinations, thank goodness!

 

[nomie74]

This has happened to me a couple of times and I didn't know there was a name for it. My sister was in the room telling me to wake up and I was trying to tell her I was awake but I couldn't move or anything. Very weird feeling.

 

[Sparx]

its happened to me once or twice, I thought I was dying!

 

[lemondog]

Yes, it has happened to me several times and it's very freaky! I would fight my way out of it like crazy.

 

[Dragonlord11_7]

I had my first episode last week and it scared the living daylights out of me!

For those unfamiliar, it's when your mind awakens before the rest of your body does.

For me, I was laying in bed, fully awake mentally, yet I couldn't open my eyes or move any part of my body. I could hear what was going on around me, but couldn't respond in any way. It only lasts a few seconds, but those few seconds seem like forever! It forces you to lay there thinking you're paralyzed! It's very frightening!


LOL Always happens to me, anyway when i sleep in a bed too soft. My neck goes stiff, the my body freezes. All i feel is very cold.

Turns out, i was sleeping not on a bed but an air conditioner. LOL

Here's another:

LOL, always happens to me when i lay down for a nap in my parent's room. (NO, i dont sleep with them) But, it happens differently for me, i move my neck for one second and... BOOM! its stuck. Like for a minute or two. On time I couldn't move for ten minutes!! Imagine how scared i was! LOL,it turns out i wasn't even trying to move.

 

[Beth76]

Another strange thing....I also 'dream' while I am awake. Does this happen to anyone else? It happens to me every night as I lie in bed waiting to go to sleep. I've asked DH if he had ever experienced this and he looked at me like I was nuts; he insisted it's never happend to him and it's almost as though he doesn't believe me. There is a name for it - hypnogogic imagery or something like that, but I'm not sure how common the experience is.

This happens to me too! I had no idea it was a real thing. I always thought I was sort of crazy.

Anyway, my DH gets sleep paralysis. Although he always hallucinates that there's someone in the room. I know it freaks him out.