Sleep paralysis - anyone here experienced it?

EnhancedInterrogator
reply to post by saddlesee

 

Oddly enough, during the period that I was experiencing it, I was not on any medications (legal or otherwise). Heck, back then I didn't even drink alcohol (stopped when I was like 16 or 17, didn't start again until my mid/late 20's).

The pattern that I noticed later was:

• I had physically uncomfortable or unusual sleeping accommodations. Sometimes this might be not sleeping in the same bed I would typically, and instead sleeping in a different location in the house - accommodate house guests or some such (Grand-parent's visiting, etc).
  
• I had some reason to be "spooked" before going to bed - either because of watching something on TV ("X-Files") or other events that I still don't have reasonable/conventional explanations for (that's a whole 'nother story onto itself).
  

edit on 2014-3-20 by EnhancedInterrogator because: (no reason given)

edit on 2014-3-20 by EnhancedInterrogator because: (no reason given)

You raise very interesting points, in my experience I was spooked when I went to bed, cause we thought the house was haunted. We were also sleeping on a uncomfortable futon, cause we were too broke to buy a bed. Good call!

calstorm
I used to get it but I cured myself. I know this doesn't work for everyone but for many suffers, just sleeping on their stomach can stop them. I will still get them if I sleep on my back, or even sidish backish. I never get them if I sleep on my stomach.

That is funny you mention that. Growing up my always told me how she levitated once in the middle of the night. To this day she still will not sleep on her back.

Not recently but have been experiencing what feels like someone getting in to bed with me. Can actually feel the mattress being depressed next to me & a presence on top of me - not heavy very light and then the hair stands up on the back of my neck...very freaky!

Happens a couple times a month - true story.

reply to post by stok3th3fir3


I wish I knew what she said to me but it was in a foreign language...

reply to post by eliuk


Many times, you get used to it after a while and after that its just like , oh this is whats happening to me, ok cool I will just wait it out!

reply to post by eliuk

i do not know what to say, i mean if sleep paralysis is purely a mental or sleep deprived condition, then what about the very first time it happened where i was out of my body falling into my body. And why do i feel myself pinned down.

I have experienced both of those scenarios. The first one you experienced - your body falling into your body - is not the most common one I have had, however it's happened more than once. I do not know what the medical cause of it is, unless it is just another form of sleep paralysis, however I had a psychologist that was incredibly spiritual and she believed in many alternate forms of therapy, including owning a large meditation tent.

She believed that I had been having OBEs, or out of body experiences, only I was waking up before my body had returned and I "fell" back into myself. Now, that only works if you believe in that sort of thing, but she insisted that it was a valid psychological issue.

The other times of my sleep paralysis, I feel pinned down. In fact, I'm fairly certain that's a common thing with sleep paralysis sufferers. Many feel something sitting on their chest, holding them down - it's called the "old hag". I personally very often feel as if my mouth is being forced open as widely as it can go and I try to force myself to bring a hand up to close it, but I am never able to.

Sleep paralysis isn't fun. I'm not one that's ever been able to control myself while having an episode so I don't see it as fun, anyway. But I have noticed it happens when I'm exhausted, laying on my back, and typically only if I take a nap during the day. Although, I have exploding head syndrome to keep me company at night, so go figure.

It was terrifying at first. The shadow thing flying from corner to corner of hte room....after each time trying to enter me. after many times i decided to give up fighting and let it overtake me....havnt seen the shadow since...gues cus it doesnt scare me now..

however since then i have leanred that when i experieince the sensation of sleep paralysis it is a great time to take control of my sleep and do whatever i want....and really feel like it is happening...

everything started when i experimented with um...out of body...i cant remember the name....but anyways...i had a long night of traveling with spirits teaching me things about what would happen one day .....and they asked if i was ready to go or wanted to stay and help people eventually...i felt like i almost died that evening....i eventually made the choice to stick around and help my loved ones when the time came.....and then iw oke up....felt like i slept none that night eve though it was 9am in the morning when i woke from it...

that was the first experience...the shadow things were next....then i learned to not be scared....they stopped...now its almost like an entry into the best dreams ever...i welcome it.....its like yeehaw fun dreams traveling.

its great...when you feel your body start to feel every flow of blood...it feels like yoru body is on a waterbed.....thats when you know its time to fly

reply to post by eliuk


Normally I get a touch of the old sleep paralysis about 2-3 times a year since I was a teenager. Luckily normally I only experience the paralysis part without the auditory and visual hallucinations , but still heavy on the feeling of impending doom.
The only occasion that I have had the paralysis coupled with any hallucinations was a new little twist on a nasty experience that I thought could not become more uncomfortable. I awoke paralysed (impending feeling of doom cranked up) to see two hooded figures standing near the end of the bed. I quickly noticed that the hooded figure standing closest to the bed was wearing/made of, a brown blanket that I use to cover an old chair, my fav chair. This really pee'ed me off, once I figured that my silly little brain was up to some trickery and that it would take a couple of hours to get back asleep, put me into a right grump which I think helped to end the stupidness.
The only technique I have learned that works consistently to bring me out quickly of the sleep paralysis state is to focus on my little finger of my left hand and wish, command my little finger to move. After a few seconds the paralysis starts to fade starting with the finger. I can't remember where I read about this technique but I'm sure I was an article to do with the study of sleep deprecation and sleep paralysis.
From what I remember sleep paralysis has been written about for centuries and has had many different names and explanations, the old hag experience being one name I remember. The painting "The nightmare" by Henry Fuseli is a great depiction of this.
Night night, sleep well.

reply to post by Bugbear

I have experienced the pinned down sensations. But what I experience most often is an inability to put power into an attempted punch of someone. Like I am dreaming and know it but I want to control my dream actions such as hitting someone hard in a fight, but I cannot. A separate part of my brain wants to get involved but for some reason is not allowed to. It is frustrating.

reply to post by eliuk


I have heard that a possible explanation about this type of experience is that you are having a minor seizure in your sleep when it happens. It usually happens to people with no history of seizures (at least, no history while awake) and when they wake up in this type of paralyzed and trance-like state in the middle of the night (during deep sleep/REM) it is likely a minor seizure. Outside of something paranormal, this is one of the physical/medical explanations. The only way to properly diagnose this is to wear a home seizure monitor while you sleep until it happens again. Then the doctor can either confirm or rule-out the seizure theory for you.

Good luck.

reply to post by jwh125


i am sure that i have read somewhere that "fight" and "running away from a pursuer" dreams or nightmares might be connected to the fight or flight response. not sure what purpose it serves when punches don't have any power when fighting and legs turning to jelly when running. i have also heard that the "falling from height" style dreams might be due to body alignment/support, as an aid to our tree dwelling ancestors to wake them if they were about to fall from trees while sleeping.

reply to post by JACKb007


i definitely think you are right about a possible connection between sleep paralysis and nocturnal seizures. about 3 years ago i had 2 nocturnal seizures in the space of 3 mouths. the first broke a tooth, took a little chunk out of my tongue and damaged something between my shoulder blades, the second f==king hurt just as much. luckily i did not piss the bed but it did scare the bejesus out of my wife.
my doctor referred me to see a neurologist for a ct scan, 2 mri scans, an eeg test and blood tests. i spoke to both doctors concerning my sleep paralysis and both dismissed the connection between. i also mentioned that i would sometimes wake up while dreamimg, a feeling like i was asleep but awake watching the dream and being able to sub vocalize to myself while the dream was playing out. which they also dismissed as not having much connection and at the time would not refer me to a sleep clinic. all the tests came back clear and the neuro prescribed me sodium valproate , which i did not take as i thought it was a bit extreme seeing as the tests appeared to be clear of epilepsy. i didnt attend the final check off with the neuro and never had a nocturnal seizure since.
funny you should mention that, your post has really made me think.

ATSdelurker
"Usually relaxing and focussing on wriggling a toe or finger is the fastest way out. Most times now I just fall back asleep and that solves the problem.

finger/toe wiggle FTW

reply to post by eliuk


I have, some people are just mentally stronger than others. I used to use Xanax to stop the night terrors, which in turn caused sleep paralysis which made night terrors worse but atleast that way I was less likely to get up and act violently.

I have experienced sleep paralysis many times throughout my life. I tend to get it more when I am physically and mentally exhausted. It was scary at first because it would usually happen while waking from a nightmare when I was a kid. However, as I got older, I started to become used to it and it was just a mere annoyance for me, especially if I had to go pee. I think the feeling of being held down is just you experiencing the full weight of your body being pulled down by gravity; when our bodies aren't paralyzed we don't pay much attention to the weight of our bodies or to gravity very much, so when you wake up paralyzed it can feel like an immense force holding you down. If you drift back to sleep from one you have a very good chance of entering a lucid dream and astral projection.