Paralyzed during sleep, suggestions?

Hello all, I'm new here. I came upon ATS by Googling for an explanation for an incident that happened to me. Here is what happened just as I remember it.

Last night I fell asleep in my bed watching TV around midnight, this is not unusual for me. I woke up at around 4:30 AM because I had to go to the bathroom. I went, then returned to my bed and shut off the TV and stereo. Almost immediately after I went back to bed I felt this great pressure overcome my entire body. I was laying on my right side and this enormous pressure come upon me from the direction I was facing. In other words, it started on my fingertips and my knees, and soon raced over my whole body. To convey this feeling, it felt like being "pig piled" on, where lots of people lay on you and all the air is forced out of your body. This was like a pig pile that covered every inch of my skin. I remember gasping for breath and could not intake any air because the pressure on my face was too great. I couldn't move my lips or my eyelids. My body was completely paralyzed, but my mind was not. I was aware of this pressure, but could not physically resist.

I was in some state of consciousness because my first thought was "somebody" was laying on me as some kind of joke. I used what seemed like all my strength to move just my fingers and I felt as if I was able to grip something. This shocked me because what I was actually "gripping" felt to be somebody else�s fingers or hand. My hands were not together, and I was not gripping my own hands, I know this because I felt this pressure on the tops and bottoms of both hands.

I am unaware of exactly how long this pressure lasted, but it seemed like a minute or two. This pressure was enough to keep me awake, or what seemed to be awake. I'm not aware of exactly what happened to me last night. I read posts where people seemed to fall, slip, or were hit, and immediately would wake up. I have experienced these all before and woke up just as everybody else. I have not read of incidents where somebody was paralyzed by any "pressure" such as I experienced.

I would like people's opinions of this if possible, be it scientific or paranormal. I'm open to any suggestions or criticism.
Thanks,
Chris

Sleep paralysis has been covered very widely at ATS, search it as Sleep Paralysis.

It is sometimes labelled the "Old Hag Syndrome".

My conclusion from experiencing it follows the endocrinological line, that the happy drugs your brain produces to relax your muscles and prevent you flailing about in your sleep and waking yourself up, have been overabundant in your system as your brain moves into waking state.

I haven't heard of anyone dying from it, but it's not fun the first couple of times... and then... some people use this state to begin their astral adventures.

[edit on 4-1-2005 by MaskedAvatar]

This used to happen to me very very frequently (almost every day)...now it only happens occasionally. Yes, basically your body releases hormones to keep you from acting out on your dreams, but your brain "wakes up" before the hormones wear off. I'm actually disappointed it doesn't happen to me more often, because recently I have been trying to have lucid dreams, and it is supposed to be very easy to have lucid dreams, meditate, or explore your innerself while in this state...it can be scary, but it can't hurt you and you will come out of it every time, so don't worry. Send me a u2u if you would like to know anything else, because I have probably had this happen to me over 200 times.

I would like people's opinions of this if possible, be it scientific or paranormal. I'm open to any suggestions or criticism.

Ugh, I hate when that happens!
I have suggestions that work for me when this happens to me. During the "paralysis," once I realize what is what is going on (that is, when I reach the awareness in my "dream" that I am experiencing 'sleep paralysis,") I remind myself over and over again that I can control what is happening and do everything I physically can to fully wake myself up. I know it sounds strange, but in my "dream," I go so far as to slap myself or bang a limb against the bed, anything (!) to snap out of it.
Another related problem I experience is that when I do manage to wake myself from the sleep paralysis (and for me, sleep paralysis usually happens when I am reeeeeaaaaaally overtired), I will most likely fall back in to the same state if I let myself just fall right back asleep again. It gets really frustrating. To prevent immediate recurrences, I have been advised (and experienced the success of this advice) to get up and walk into another room and back, or at least to move your body a bit, maybe touch your face. For some reason, this interrupts whatever is happening to make the sleep paralysis happen again.
Hope this helps. It has helped me a lot.

[edit on 4-1-2005 by cjane]

quite funny seeing i have had the opposite happening at times.

i'm almost asleep and then something in the dream happens and i twitch my arm or leg and am fully awake again. quite annoying to say the least.

sleep paralysis is truly frightening especially when you experience it for the first time...

that has happened to me just once before but it was terrifying, some people have just laughed when I told them and said I was dreaming, im convinced I wasnt

I was in bed and I had been asleep but I woke up to see the top wardrobe doors opposite the bottom of my bed opening and shutting really fast over and over but totally silent, there was no sound at all, the room was in semi- darkness and as I tried to scream I couldnt , I couldnt even move my head or any part of my body and by this time I was terrified, it was like my whole body was paralysed although my eyes were open, after a while it stopped and I could move, I am so convinced that it wasnt a dream but most people dont believe me

It's weird because I just posted in this thread right before I had the most strange episode of sleep paralysis ever...I actually made a new thread about it: www.belowtopsecret.com...'

[edit on 6-1-2005 by Shoktek]

I've only experienced sleep paralysis a couple of times, but one time sticks in my memory.

I was living with a friend in an apartment in a place called Cairns. My friend was away, and I had the place to myself. I went to bed fairly early, tired from work. No drinking or anything like that. Anyway, I wake up. I can see the clock out of the corner of my eye. 4:31 am. I then discover I can't move. Nothing strange, just standard sleep paralysis. Then the door to my room starts to open, and I see a shadow come through the door and stand at the foot of my bed. Human shaped, but can't make out details. I'm terrified because I still can't move. I'm screaming at my body to go, but nothing. The shadow stands there for about six seconds, then reaches out towards me...

I wake up. I had been dreaming. But I can see the clock out the side of my eye. 4:31 am. I'm drenched in sweat. Then I find I can't move. Then the door opens again. You can guess the rest. Same iteration as above. There were about five iterations of the above. I finally woke up (for real), and the clock was indeed 4:31 am. And I could move. Faster than the speed of sound I was out the door (would have run through anything that was standing outside my room!), into the lounge room, where I proceeded to turn on every light, brewed a strong coffee so I didn't go back to sleep, and played REMs Shiny Happy People over and over again. I hate the song, but it certainly changed the vibe. Never experience the above again, a combination of night terrors and sleep paralysis I guess, but it was interesting that the clock still showed 4:31 am when I finally woke up for good.

hah, yea, that can be freaky (read my story)...it's weird because usually when I had sleep paralysis, I was completely awake, but just couldn't move. But sometimes you experience reality blended with a dream, which can be really shocking. It's an interesting way to see how powerful and extraordinary the human mind is.

I have had this happen to me quite frequently, and for some reason, I fight furiously everytime it has happened(I just feel like I'm fighting for my life, and I'm full of rage, while this is going on). The scary part is, I'm very much awake, while I'm paralized and "fighting". I have been told that it's the beginnings of an OBE, and that it would be ok to just stop fighting and let go. But I feel that it would be dangerous to just "let go". Can an OBE be deadly?

BTW, I wonder what if anything, I would do to someone if they were to come into the room, and get near me., while I'm in my paralized and fighting it mode.

I've had similar sensations. It is like a half awake, half asleep thing for me sometimes. It's like sometimes I'm trying to force myself awake and I cann't move, but I eventually do move.

Troy

Originally posted by Ky Wildcat
I have had this happen to me quite frequently, and for some reason, I fight furiously everytime it has happened(I just feel like I'm fighting for my life, and I'm full of rage, while this is going on). The scary part is, I'm very much awake, while I'm paralized and "fighting". I have been told that it's the beginnings of an OBE, and that it would be ok to just stop fighting and let go. But I feel that it would be dangerous to just "let go". Can an OBE be deadly?

I feel ya. I have this happen to me everynight/morning at least 3 times. I want to "let go" and see what happens but, I feel like if I do, then my heart will stop or something bad! :/ I also know why this happens everynight to me, it's because I take at least 1mg of xanax. Whenever I stop taking xanax for a week, the sleep paralisist stops. I'm only 25 years old to btw. I dunno, maybe tonight I'll try and 'let go'. It's just so damn scary though!!! I'll prob. chicken out again.

When I was 12-14 yrs of age I looked at the end of my bed and a dark figure dressed in clothing similar to that of Abe Lincoln Civil war era (black suit & G n' R Slash type top hat) was standing there. I freaked out, tried to yell and couldn't move, shook violently, then through my alarm clock at it and it was gone. Turned on the lights and re - arranged my bed room furniture. Sleep paralysis sucks.

Aliens. It's got to be aliens.

Some friends of mine were just discussing this very topic. One said that he woke up and couldn't move, then saw at the end of his bed a manequin type of humanoind thing--woman-- who telepathincally told him to not be afraid. Then she disappeared and he could move again.

Aliens.

Strangely.... Recently got a high backed armchair with high sides as well. Took to it as my reading chair and for the last week, took some unplanned naps on it. Funny thing is that it has been twice already that I realise that I am awake, I see the room around me and actually have thoughts about whether I am late for an appointment later that day and want to reach out to my handphone next to me for a quick check as to the time. I just could not do so. The mind works, although a little groggy from sleep, but the body cannot function at will. It took me some time to make a real effort to get up. Never happened when I slept flat out, only when sitting rather upright on this chair.

Here's a suggestion. Read up on astral projection techniques, and try to apply those techniques to come out of your body the next time you experience sleep paralysis. But only if you are comfortable enough at the time to do it. Most often people become very afraid when they experience sleep paralysis and that is not a good way to start an out of body experience with.

Here’s an even better suggestion, Tell your Dr, get a referral, and schedule a sleep study to determine why you are having this problem.

Sleep paralysis definitley sucks. I've been having it on a regular base for a little over 2 years now, with the most frequent occurring sometimes 5 or 6 times in one night. The most recent was last night, actually. In my case, it usually is early in the morning, between 2 and 4 o'clock. I have the same thing where it feels like there is a lot of pressure on my body, and I also feel like there is something else in the room with me, and it's not something that likes me too much. Anyway, I feel like I could let go and try the OOBE thing, but who'd want to do it when you feel like there is something waiting to get you as soon as you try anything? I've noticed, however, that the more stressed out I am at the time, the more likely I am to suffer from sleep paralysis.

When I was 18/19 I would wake up with sleep paralysis quite a bit. It would never happen in my own bed. Sleep paralysis only occurred when I was sleeping at a friends house or if I took a nap on the couch.

The first time it happened I didn't freak out because I had watched a special on TV before, so I knew about it already.

When it would happen I would just focus everything I had in me to turn my head. Soon it would work, my head would turn and all of my body was functional again.

This Site talks about how irregular sleeping patterns can cause sleep paralysis. Defiantly something that applied to me when I was 18.

Im not helping you oobe but just with sp. Sp (sleep Paralysis) is not much to worry about. I have had it, I know its not a great feeling. Also I know that people can halucinate during it. their is nothing scary about it if you dont fear it in the first place. Narcaleptics have it frequently because they internal clock is messed up. But anyways if anyone knows how to control their dreams just act like its a dream (No jumping off high buildings) If you dont know how just concentrate on what you want it to be. Its always worked for me. I do apologize if most people cant use this, I just here people normaly say "its all in my mind" while freaking out, or it just doesnt work for some. every person is differnet in some ways