Sleep Paralysis Who else deals with this?

[GWYW2015]

I believe I have had sleep paralysis since I was a child and still have it today at almost 59. When I was small it was this strange sensation while I was falling asleep. Hormones for sleep were kicking in but my brain was still active, so I was uncomfortably dragged into sleep by this very strange sensation that I pretty much just accepted and wondered what it was.

As I got older there would this vibration all over and then I realized I didn't like it but couldn't shake myself out of it, then would fall asleep. Initially this is terrifying because you feel like you might be dying and don't want that to happen.

This was when falling asleep. But it also happened before I woke up. I think my mind woke up before my body did, so it was still locked down. I could see the curtains or the ceiling but I couldn't move at all. Now that is scary too. So my body was falling asleep before my mind was ready and my mind was waking up before my body was awake (hormones relaxing the body). I have never outgrown this. The waking up occurred in the morning about when I was going to get up.

For most of my life I have dealt with this. The last few years the latest change has been that I wake up several times a night with what I would call a scary dream, unable to move but I am yelling or screaming in my dream to wake myself up or for anyone withing a country mile to wake me up! Thankfull now that I am married my wife can push me in the shoulder or face so I snap out of it. This can even be heard from upstairs when it happens.

It makes no difference what position I sleep in or if I am wearing my CPAP or not. I don't think it is from anything I eat during the day. It has been happening as long as I can remember and I feel like it may always exist but it can't be good for solid sleep. I have had a half dozen sleep studies and naturally, it never happens at those times.

I have read that most people will experience this at least once during their life and often due to stress.

Is there anyone here who can relate, at least a little bit?

The sleep doctor says there is nothing that can be done, maybe try antidepressants (not interested). I am not depressed and have no idea why that would be considered a potential remedy.

 

[joost]

I experienced twice in my life. It is scary.

I would say erratic sleep schedule or sleep deprivation is the reason. Your body shuts down and your brain goes to R.E.M and you hear your surroundings thinking you're awake and can't move.

Try to avoid sleeping during the day and sleep 7 to 8 hours every night at the same time. You can buy some sleep-aid tabs at Walmart for $4 to help you sleep better during the first nights.

It's OTC and not addictive.


I recommend you to read about Lucid Dreaming from author Stephen Laberge, PhD. It's an eye opener subject.

 

[GWYW2015]

I experienced twice in my life. It is scary.

I would say erratic sleep schedule or sleep deprivation is the reason. Your body shuts down and your brain goes to R.E.M and you hear your surroundings thinking you're awake and can't move.

Try to avoid sleeping during the day and sleep 7 to 8 hours every night at the same time. You can buy some sleep-aid tabs at Walmart for $4 to help you sleep better during the first nights.

It's OTC and not addictive.


I recommend you to read about Lucid Dreaming from author Stephen Laberge, PhD. It's an eye opener subject.

Thank you for replying and for suggesting that. You know, I have always liked to sleep, meaning it has always been important to get eight hours a day. I do better that way so other than when I was in my twenties and didn't always get the sleep I wanted, I have always made sure I got my 8 hours.

From what I can put together, sleep paralysis is largely hereditary and can manifest during stressful times but for me, there are times I am under a lot of stress and it doesn't happen (but still can at other times), and other times I am completely relaxed and in peace and it happens twice in that night. In recent years it is usually within two to four hours after falling asleep. I just don't get it. A month ago it happened four times in the same night-struggle to wake up trying to scream, waking myself up with groaning noises, then falling asleep in doing it again. The most ever was 12 times in one night which had to have been multiple times an hour. What on earth? It is still a weekly experience.

My longtime sleep doctor has always said he has never heard of this and he must be thinking about the dream aspect because sleep paralysis isn't some kind of fable.

You are right though, taking a nap makes it more likely the SP will happen that night, likely because if I go to bed not as tired, then at some point my body will decide it is going to sleep with or without the cooperation of my mind, which likes to think about things until it calls it quits. Not worry, just think about things.

I told the doctor I am a little concerned about this happening if I am 80 and giving myself a heart attack trying to snap out of a scary dream. As often as it has happened in my nearly 59 years of life, it has never been enjoyable waking up that way. When I was about 40 I finally came to realize from reading on it that it wasn't going to kill me, and if it happened when I was falling asleep I should just relax and try to enjoy it, because all it was was the four main sleep hormones being released, forcing the body to lock up, except my mind was still awake. Trying to resist it will scare you to death because you wonder if you are dying or something. But the sensation of it happening is better than orgasm, and longer. Regretfully it seems I may have outgrown that.

I have also learned that to help snap myself out of it, since you always have eye lid movement, you can wiggle your eye lids around and if you can get a finger or toe moving, you can help snap out of it that way. There have been times I could feel myself trying to move my legs to do anything to wake myself up, but it takes my wife pushing me gently to do it, and sometimes I am thinking "honey, push harder, please!"

No, I didn't use drugs when I was younger. This darned thing is very likely something I inherited. I have read a little on lucid dreaming. Some people actually try to induce sleep paralysis as a gateway to astral traval, which I have dreamt I did but can't claim to have done it for real.

 

[Theo'sTheories]

I believe I have had sleep paralysis since I was a child and still have it today at almost 59. When I was small it was this strange sensation while I was falling asleep. Hormones for sleep were kicking in but my brain was still active, so I was uncomfortably dragged into sleep by this very strange sensation that I pretty much just accepted and wondered what it was.

As I got older there would this vibration all over and then I realized I didn't like it but couldn't shake myself out of it, then would fall asleep. Initially this is terrifying because you feel like you might be dying and don't want that to happen.

This was when falling asleep. But it also happened before I woke up. I think my mind woke up before my body did, so it was still locked down. I could see the curtains or the ceiling but I couldn't move at all. Now that is scary too. So my body was falling asleep before my mind was ready and my mind was waking up before my body was awake (hormones relaxing the body). I have never outgrown this. The waking up occurred in the morning about when I was going to get up.

For most of my life I have dealt with this. The last few years the latest change has been that I wake up several times a night with what I would call a scary dream, unable to move but I am yelling or screaming in my dream to wake myself up or for anyone withing a country mile to wake me up! Thankfull now that I am married my wife can push me in the shoulder or face so I snap out of it. This can even be heard from upstairs when it happens.

It makes no difference what position I sleep in or if I am wearing my CPAP or not. I don't think it is from anything I eat during the day. It has been happening as long as I can remember and I feel like it may always exist but it can't be good for solid sleep. I have had a half dozen sleep studies and naturally, it never happens at those times.

I have read that most people will experience this at least once during their life and often due to stress.

Is there anyone here who can relate, at least a little bit?

The sleep doctor says there is nothing that can be done, maybe try antidepressants (not interested). I am not depressed and have no idea why that would be considered a potential remedy.

I experience common sleep paralysis as well! I still remember my first one when I was 11 or 12. It was one of the scariest feelings of my life. I'm only 21 now, but I go through times when they get bad and times when they aren't so bad. How sleep paralysis works is that your body falls asleep, but your mind is still awake. This happens during the REM cycle of your sleep. I have found that I get them less often if I go to bed at a set time every day. Also, if I go to bed extremely late, I am almost guaranteed to go into sleep paralysis because my body is so tired that it's basically already in the REM cycle of sleep. One time a few weeks ago, I went into sleep paralysis 4 times in a row before actually falling asleep. It's tough brother, but for me it has stopped being as scary and I just view it as a natural part of sleeping for me. You have had this for a lot longer than I have, so if you have any tips or advice I would love to hear it!

 

[Theo'sTheories]

I experienced twice in my life. It is scary.

I would say erratic sleep schedule or sleep deprivation is the reason. Your body shuts down and your brain goes to R.E.M and you hear your surroundings thinking you're awake and can't move.

Try to avoid sleeping during the day and sleep 7 to 8 hours every night at the same time. You can buy some sleep-aid tabs at Walmart for $4 to help you sleep better during the first nights.

It's OTC and not addictive.


I recommend you to read about Lucid Dreaming from author Stephen Laberge, PhD. It's an eye opener subject.

Lucid dreaming is crazy man! Sleep paralysis is actually a gateway to lucid dreaming! I used to practice lucid dreaming years ago, but it got too weird and I stopped. I still don't understand the spiritual aspects of dreams so I'm cautious about lucid dreaming now. I need to look into lucid dreams a lot further before I attempt to do them again.

 

[GWYW2015]

I experience common sleep paralysis as well! I still remember my first one when I was 11 or 12. It was one of the scariest feelings of my life. I'm only 21 now, but I go through times when they get bad and times when they aren't so bad. How sleep paralysis works is that your body falls asleep, but your mind is still awake. This happens during the REM cycle of your sleep. I have found that I get them less often if I go to bed at a set time every day. Also, if I go to bed extremely late, I am almost guaranteed to go into sleep paralysis because my body is so tired that it's basically already in the REM cycle of sleep. One time a few weeks ago, I went into sleep paralysis 4 times in a row before actually falling asleep. It's tough brother, but for me it has stopped being as scary and I just view it as a natural part of sleeping for me. You have had this for a lot longer than I have, so if you have any tips or advice I would love to hear it!

I mentioned above for the times it happens in the middle of the night waking you up or in the morning, that if you have enough awareness that you can try rolling your eyelids around rapidly. If you can start to wiggle a finger or a toe that can help. While I have read that it isn't going to kill you, you can just try to relax and if you open your eyes and you still can't move, to somehow just try to relax and breath easy, then try again in a little bit. What may seem like "forever" may be less than a minute but it can be frightening.

As for if it happens at the onset of sleep, just relax and enjoy, it really feels great once you know you aren't dying. Perhaps you have managed, I mean struggled, to snap yourself out of it to avoid falling asleep, and maybe even were able to turn the bedside lamp on, but eventually, it is going to take you under. Your body is going to sleep.

I hope you can outgrow yours, I am not sure that is going to happen with me.

 

[GWYW2015]

Lucid dreaming is crazy man! Sleep paralysis is actually a gateway to lucid dreaming! I used to practice lucid dreaming years ago, but it got too weird and I stopped. I still don't understand the spiritual aspects of dreams so I'm cautious about lucid dreaming now. I need to look into lucid dreams a lot further before I attempt to do them again.

I have not been able to do that. My dad a long time ago swore he could do astral travel and I thought at the time he must be very much mistaken or confused. Then I didn't think about his remarks. Later on when I read about the connection to sleep paralysis and supposed astral travel, I at least figured my father may have had sleep paralysis and thought he could astral travel. Now that I think about it, it was my mother who told me this about my father, but who really knows about the astral travel. That is associated with lucid dreams correct?

 

[hedonist]

I've had it once and it was absolutely terrifying...I thought I was having a stroke or a seizure.
No matter how hard I tried to move, nothing happened, it wasn't until I relaxed that I came out of it.
It lasted maybe 10-20 seconds.

I did some google searches the next day and found out about it, never had heard of it before.
There are some documentaries on it, I remember watching one. I feel so bad for the people that have it all the time but the first one has to be the worst lol!!! Once you know its probably not as bad thankfully.

 

[GWYW2015]

I've had it once and it was absolutely terrifying...I thought I was having a stroke or a seizure.
No matter how hard I tried to move, nothing happened, it wasn't until I relaxed that I came out of it.
It lasted maybe 10-20 seconds.

I did some google searches the next day and found out about it, never had heard of it before.
There are some documentaries on it, I remember watching one. I feel so bad for the people that have it all the time but the first one has to be the worst lol!!! Once you know its probably not as bad thankfully.

From my experience I still try to break free. There is always this fear that "what if it doesn't wear off?".

 

[joost]

Astral Projection (out of body experience) is not "proven" (well documented) as Lucid Dreaming.

Lucid Dreaming consists in realizing you're in a dream and control it. It's a great experience and a long topic. Like I said, read a book from Stephen Laberge (I think he's the pioneer in dream studies -scientific way). There's forums about Lucid Dream and tech you techniques about control. Things like how to avoid getting excited and waking up, how to fly, control nightmares, etc.

 

[GWYW2015]

Astral Projection (out of body experience) is not "proven" (well documented) as Lucid Dreaming.

Lucid Dreaming consists in realizing you're in a dream and control it. It's a great experience and a long topic. Like I said, read a book from Stephen Laberge (I think he's the pioneer in dream studies -scientific way). There's forums about Lucid Dream and tech you techniques about control. Things like how to avoid getting excited and waking up, how to fly, control nightmares, etc.

That sounds like a fascinating subject.

 

[SouthernTory]

From my experience I still try to break free. There is always this fear that "what if it doesn't wear off?".

I do this it was particularly frightening as a child but still happens sometimes now. Almost like a feeling you will be smothered or will be crushed. Have found it has been worse since the plandemic began.

 

[GWYW2015]

I do this it was particularly frightening as a child but still happens sometimes now. Almost like a feeling you will be smothered or will be crushed. Have found it has been worse since the plandemic began.

Interesting you mentioned "crushed", many people have the sensation or even dream that someone is sitting on their chest. In my experience, I am always shouting and screaming (trying to) in the dream to no avail; little comes out of my mouth until I burst out shouting. That's when my wife wakes me out of it. In the dream there is some kind of evil being in the room but are invisible, but when I realize that and try to escape or defend myself, then I can't move or shout. That's when it gets frightening.

 

[nomadbrah]

3 am is Witching Hour, which in my experience is when almost all such sleep related things happen.

I do believe it is prudent to be sound asleep or full awake at such an hour. The worst is being in a stage of light sleep, having perhaps gone to bed at 2 am. That leaves the door open for the things that lurk in the darkness, even worse if you've been dabbling in the occult in the form of Netflix or movies or having items which may be considered blasphemous in your bedroom.

If caught in such a situation at witching hour, I do the sign of the cross several times.

 

[GWYW2015]

3 am is Witching Hour, which in my experience is when almost all such sleep related things happen.

I do believe it is prudent to be sound asleep or full awake at such an hour. The worst is being in a stage of light sleep, having perhaps gone to bed at 2 am. That leaves the door open for the things that lurk in the darkness, even worse if you've been dabbling in the occult in the form of Netflix or movies or having items which may be considered blasphemous in your bedroom.

If caught in such a situation at witching hour, I do the sign of the cross several times.

For some reason, many people have some kind of evil entity associated with these experiences, like in their dream or sometimes they wake up "seeing" something that actually might be part of their dream state, all the while they recognize that they are in deed awake now. Similar to a hallucination.

 

[nomadbrah]

For some reason, many people have some kind of evil entity associated with these experiences, like in their dream or sometimes they wake up "seeing" something that actually might be part of their dream state, all the while they recognize that they are in deed awake now. Similar to a hallucination.

I know.

I was visited at night by what I believe was evil entities for years. My night terrors stopped briefly when I moved, but eventually they came back, until I began looking at what I was feeding my soul and subconscious. I quit all the occult stuff that I used to watch in series and movies. Horrors, books, video games.

It stopped.

Not all people are as susceptible to those entities, but if you are, and it sounds like you could be, you might want to try to cut out all such "entertainment".

 

[Dr. Howard]

3 am is Witching Hour, which in my experience is when almost all such sleep related things happen.

I do believe it is prudent to be sound asleep or full awake at such an hour. The worst is being in a stage of light sleep, having perhaps gone to bed at 2 am. That leaves the door open for the things that lurk in the darkness, even worse if you've been dabbling in the occult in the form of Netflix or movies or having items which may be considered blasphemous in your bedroom.

If caught in such a situation at witching hour, I do the sign of the cross several times.

I agree with you that there is something about the witching hour. I do my best prayer and bible studies around 4:30am but there is something cold about 3-4am.

The bars always closed at 2am, and if you weren't on your way to sleep before 2:30 you were probably up to no good. One good expression I heard was "ain't nothin but legs open at 3am". If you wanted to be robbed, or get in a fight etc. all you had to do when I was younger was make sure you were wandering the streets around 3am.

Soon after the darkness comes the dawn though. Usually for me it was around 4am that I could go about my business without incident, one sure sign was that when I saw the trucks dropping off newspapers for delivery routes things were quiet. Those hours from 4-6am I could go anywhere in the city in peace and feel like I had the world to myself.

Its funny, people who like to party and stay out late usually 'hate to wake up early' and would end their day just before 3am, and I would start mine just 1 hour later. Only that 1 hour of time, the witching hour, separated the lives of 'the early riser' and the 'late night partiers' but the lifestyles were completely different.

 

[open source]

I've had it since I was a kid too. Now it usually happens every few months or so. There was a time when it happened several nights in a row and I used to dread bed time.

There are 2 types of sleep paralysis that happens to me.
- One where you are immobilized.
- The other, which is much more intense is when you feel the presence of a dark ominous entity in the room. Some people called it the sleep paralysis demon. Sometimes you just feel the presence. Other times it may try to interact with you.

Last it happened was about 2 weeks ago, the demon was walking towards me and I felt it trying to attack me. I subconsciously found myself saying the Jesus prayer and saw the shadow slowly dissipate. I woke up and my entire body was soaked with sweat. I check the time and it was 3:30 am. I was still a bit shook so I grabbed my phone and put on a sermon. Fell asleep, woke up again a few hours ago. but this time I felt great.

I was sleeping on my back, which seems to be a common pattern when people experience it.

 

[GWYW2015]

I've had it since I was a kid too. Now it usually happens every few months or so. There was a time when it happened several nights in a row and I used to dread bed time.

There are 2 types of sleep paralysis that happens to me.
- One where you are immobilized.
- The other, which is much more intense is when you feel the presence of a dark ominous entity in the room. Some people called it the sleep paralysis demon. Sometimes you just feel the presence. Other times it may try to interact with you.

Last it happened was about 2 weeks ago, the demon was walking towards me and I felt it trying to attack me. I subconsciously found myself saying the Jesus prayer and saw the shadow slowly dissipate. I woke up and my entire body was soaked with sweat. I check the time and it was 3:30 am. I was still a bit shook so I grabbed my phone and put on a sermon. Fell asleep, woke up again a few hours ago. but this time I felt great.

I was sleeping on my back, which seems to be a common pattern when people experience it.

Good catch on sleeping on your back. I can't prove it but I think it's possible it happens more frequently in that position for me but it has happened all over. I have never gotten a look at this shadowy figure. All I know is it wants to do some kind of harm to me. I don't know if it represents something or I am afraid of something or what exactly, but I don't think I have ever tried to see it since I think I am afraid to. I have never had it try to interact with me.

How I know it is in the room is something in the room is obvously off like furniture isn't in the right place, there is a mess where there should't be, or maybe a light is on when I know it shouldn't be. The most common way is when I flip a light switch on and nothing happens. Then I get a little worried and try a second light switch. If that also doesn't work, then I know I am in trouble and I start to panic and try to get out of there.

Another common scenario in my sleep paralysis is when I can't find my car in the parking lot. It is all of a sudden dark and no cars to be found. Eventually it dawns on me that "it" has removed my car to be alone with me, then I get the willies and try to shake out of it. Most of the the times in the dream it takes place in the home I grew up in or an apartment I lived in for 22 years.

I would be surprised this ever goes away. I have been happily married for five years and have my wife right next to me in bed, and this still happens. The sleep doctor says he has never heard of this before. He even tested me for drugs before a sleep study (without me knowing it).

 

[Pendleton]

I believe I have had sleep paralysis since I was a child and still have it today at almost 59. When I was small it was this strange sensation while I was falling asleep. Hormones for sleep were kicking in but my brain was still active, so I was uncomfortably dragged into sleep by this very strange sensation that I pretty much just accepted and wondered what it was.

As I got older there would this vibration all over and then I realized I didn't like it but couldn't shake myself out of it, then would fall asleep. Initially this is terrifying because you feel like you might be dying and don't want that to happen.

This was when falling asleep. But it also happened before I woke up. I think my mind woke up before my body did, so it was still locked down. I could see the curtains or the ceiling but I couldn't move at all. Now that is scary too. So my body was falling asleep before my mind was ready and my mind was waking up before my body was awake (hormones relaxing the body). I have never outgrown this. The waking up occurred in the morning about when I was going to get up.

For most of my life I have dealt with this. The last few years the latest change has been that I wake up several times a night with what I would call a scary dream, unable to move but I am yelling or screaming in my dream to wake myself up or for anyone withing a country mile to wake me up! Thankfull now that I am married my wife can push me in the shoulder or face so I snap out of it. This can even be heard from upstairs when it happens.

It makes no difference what position I sleep in or if I am wearing my CPAP or not. I don't think it is from anything I eat during the day. It has been happening as long as I can remember and I feel like it may always exist but it can't be good for solid sleep. I have had a half dozen sleep studies and naturally, it never happens at those times.

I have read that most people will experience this at least once during their life and often due to stress.

Is there anyone here who can relate, at least a little bit?

The sleep doctor says there is nothing that can be done, maybe try antidepressants (not interested). I am not depressed and have no idea why that would be considered a potential remedy.

I have had this a few dozen times in my life but it seems to have become less common as I have gotten older (although the quality of my sleep in general has declined with age). It is annoying but it has happened frequently enough at this point that I am not so bothered. I generally just lie there and try to wiggle my toes and either my body becomes mobile eventually or I end up falling asleep again.