Sleep paralysis anyone?

cowboyup

Well-known member
this is going to sound weird but has anyone experienced sleep paralysis?
If so, have you talked to your dr. about it, and if so, do you take RX or no?

My Most recent episode was last night. I 'woke' up unable to speak or move. But I also was 'dreaming' at the same time. I remember screaming, trying to get out of bed, trying to move my legs and arms, but nothing would move and I could not speak. Eventually, I was able to 'wake up' enough to get out of bed, realize what had happened, which then led to a panic attack in the middle of the night.

I (as embarrassed as I was) asked if they heard me yelling or talking, or moving about...my brother and sis in law said no then of course asked why...

OK, now I feel like I have really lost it! :confused:
 

bcsr

Well-known member
I have, yes. Only happened to me one time when I was around 18-19.

I remember feeling like I was awake, and I was looking around my room, but I couldn't move. I didn't have any visual hallucinations like some people do, but I did have audio hallucinations. I heard a growling sound, and it sounded like it was just outside of my field of vision, and got steadily louder. I remember feeling pressure on my chest, like I was being held down.

Eventually, I forced myself awake and sat up in bed. It was definitely a weird experience.
 

fishface19

Well-known member
Yes! I understand how you feel, I get it all the time.. My eyes open and I can see everything but I can't move at all and I see scary things. I do the screaming thing too, but nothing comes out. I remember once I was positioned sleeping on the couch where I could see my brother and I kept trying to yell to him to wake me up but I couldn't ... and the scariest time was when I somehow was facing into my pillow.. I actually thought I was going to die because I could barely breathe :| It's happened so much in the past that I got to the point where I got too scared to sleep.. I think it has a lot to do with stress..

I've never taken RX, does it help?
 

Flowers-Of-Bloom

Well-known member
Yes, I used to get sleep paralysis frequently (every week or so) now it's just an occasional thing. I started having episodes when I was a child, then it subsided for a few years and came back strongly when I was a teenager.

I would wake up hearing voices that whispered/growled/laughed at me and sometimes I saw the silhouette of a man standing over me or standing at the end of my bed. I couldn't scream or move at all, the only thing I could do was open and close my eyes and wait until the hallucinations had stopped. Sometimes, in the more extreme cases, I would see a black shadow come toward me, jump onto my chest and then my body would convulse. It was terrifying to say the least. I slept with the light on at night for over year (it didn't help ::(: ).

I remember feeling pressure on my chest, like I was being held down.

Yeah I've felt the same exact thing. I've seen a shadow sitting on my chest before. It's pretty weird.

Also, I've had this strange feeling before, like I'm flying very fast through space, but when I look around I'm still in bed. o_O Anyone else get that? No? Just me?
 

cowboyup

Well-known member
thanks for the replies!
I know it is a scary feeling, strange and almost out of body experience.

I am sorry to hear you all have this experience as well
 

Vampayah88

Well-known member
I've had it many times a few months ago, especially whenever I happened to sleep on my back. I would actually feel a presence putting the sheet away from me, grab the skin of my neck and freaking shake it all the while I would try to hide back under the sheets. If I slept on my back or on my side I would feel a heavy pressure on my body...just awful. I never actually dared open my eyes while this happened because I was just too scared of what I could see.
 

Lea

Banned
I've had it many times a few months ago, especially whenever I happened to sleep on my back. I would actually feel a presence putting the sheet away from me, grab the skin of my neck and freaking shake it all the while I would try to hide back under the sheets. If I slept on my back or on my side I would feel a heavy pressure on my body...just awful. I never actually dared open my eyes while this happened because I was just too scared of what I could see.

Similar here, I also sleep on my back. I have it most when I am slim or even underweight, then I had it almost every other day.. especially on the full moon it used to be dramatic! I could tell stories..

I would like to shed a couple of kg´s but sometimes when I do I am really terrified at night, if I want to be slim, the price to pay for it is to be tortured by monsters almost every night or feel like I´m going to die.
 

very_shy

Well-known member
I experience the sleep paralysis on average 3-5 times per year. At first I did not know what it is. It mostly happens when I wake up in the middle of the night and I can't fall asleep. I experience noise, then the feeling of drowning, and I feel like my heart will explode. Not to mention hallucinations, like looking at the doors moving towards me. My lips become deformed...

At first I was scared, but now I laugh at it.
 

upndwn

Well-known member
I used to suffer from sleep paralysis when I was younger, but thankfully I haven't had any episodes in over a decade.

I remember an intense feeling of dread each time I had an episode. I felt completely paralyzed and helpless and I couldn't breathe, and it felt as if I was leaving my body. Sometimes I also got this terrible feeling that there was someone or something in the room with me just in the corner of my eye.
 

psych

Well-known member
That's only ever happened to me once, that I can remember...
It was a bleary waking moment after a nightmare that quickly turned into all out panic... I remember, I couldn't scream. Terrifying. :eek:
 

Silatuyok

Well-known member
Yes, I have suffered from this and do still on a rare occasion. The only way I can describe it is that it feels like my body is being possessed by demons. This was particularly scary for me when I was a teenager and very religious. Even so, I never told anyone about it. These days (I'm 28 now) it only happens a few times a year at most, but it is still extremely unpleasant. I don't know of any medication that can be taken for it. I would assume that sleep aids might make the problem worse, but that's just my conjecture.
 

coyote

Well-known member
one time, i dreamt that i awoke to find jennifer aniston sitting on me

but i guess that's not really the same thing
 
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CillaHasBrainActivity

Well-known member
Yes, I have suffered from this and do still on a rare occasion. The only way I can describe it is that it feels like my body is being possessed by demons. This was particularly scary for me when I was a teenager and very religious. Even so, I never told anyone about it. These days (I'm 28 now) it only happens a few times a year at most, but it is still extremely unpleasant. I don't know of any medication that can be taken for it. I would assume that sleep aids might make the problem worse, but that's just my conjecture.

That is usually the case with me.
 

YellowBird

Well-known member
it depends,i think sleep paralysis is only when you feel like you can't move or even see your body from some distance,whereas obe is when you have trips.
 

w*n*c*a*m

Well-known member
it's called lucid dreaming and unless you have a health condition that makes sleep paralysis happen, then it's not that bad at all. Actually, lucid dreaming is the best time to control your dreams because it will give you a very realistic experience. I used to get scared when I experience sleep paralysis. But when I researched about it, I was able to make it a positive experience for me. It's still freaky when it happens but I calm my mind and remind myself that this is just a dream, then I start fantasizing things then that's when the dream becomes heavenly. LOL
 
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