A Neurological Look At Sleep Paralysis In Relation To Abduction/Contact

This could have been posted within the Paranormal forum but, for my purposes, I am posting it in the Alien & UFOs forum. I do so because, after reading many abduction/contact stories I have found that sleep paralysis seems to be a prevalent factor in many of them.

WARNING: This is a long post and I ask you to read it in its entirety if you intend to respond to it.

Furthermore, I am not trying to disprove anyone’s experiences...I am not here to tell you that you are wrong. Rather, I am simply trying to explain a common 'symptom' of abduction/contact with an alien entity.

What is sleep paralysis?

For most people sleep paralysis occurs during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. During this stage of sleep the body releases hormones to inhibit muscle contraction (it is believed that this is done to keep one from 'acting out' their dreams). This paralysis is called 'nonreciprocal flaccid paralysis'. Paralysis will end as the individual awakes and full control over the body resumes. However, there are times when this is not the case:

When an individual who suffers from a waking sleep paralysis (hypnopompic paralysis) wakes up, the body's hormones are still restraining the individual’s motor functions and muscle control. In short: the hormones have not yet worn off as they normally do when an individual wakes up. This temporary loss of muscle control is usually accompanied by a shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.

Sleep paralysis can occur as an individual is falling asleep or, more commonly, as they are waking up. As one falls asleep the hormones described earlier may ‘rush in’ to quickly and as one wakes up the hormones may not wear off quickly enough. This paralysis usually lasts for only a few seconds to a few minutes (although it has been documented to last longer during episodes of sleep paralysis involving hallucinations).

As this form of sleep paralysis occurs the individual remains fully aware yet unable to voluntarily control their body. This state is sometimes accompanied by audible and visual hallucinations. Because this paralysis is normal during REM sleep (the stage of sleep when an individual dreams) it has been suggested that these hallucinations occur because part of the brain may still be 'dreaming' even though the individual is fully aware and fully conscious.

In many cultures throughout documented history there have been similar descriptions of sleep paralysis. This state was often described in correlation to spirits and/or demons –the shortness of breath involved was often attributed to a demon or spirit sitting on ones chest and attempting to suffocate the individual.

It seems that alien contact/abduction being associated with sleep paralysis is just another form of describing a frightening and uncommon neurological state.

The hallucinations of one who is already interested in aliens through pop-culture or independent curiosity/research would most likely stray to that of an extraterrestrial nature rather than ghosts, spirits or demons. And furthermore, in a state which is so suddenly alarming one would not be thinking of the neurological causes and, it seems, the hallucinations would be hard to simply ‘explain away’ immediately following an episode of sleep paralysis.

This could, in my opinion, help to explain both the sleep paralysis and the appearance of alien beings which individuals who feel they have made contact with or been abducted describe.

Thank you for reading and, please, take this into consideration when reading accounts of alien abduction/contact or if you experience an episode of sleep paralysis. It happens more then you would think and can be extremely frightening, even if you are aware of the neurological cause behind it (I have experienced it twice and can attest to that).

For additional reading on the subject (and more proffesional sounding explinations) :

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intresting..would belive it..but there one experience which confused me till now..so i don't think most people who have sleep paralyze is due to hallunation,beside it gets me when i'm wide awake(have a problem with falling asleep,restless is the word,and its mostly when i have guard down just relaxing or thinking)

Also can 2 hour sleep paralyze also cure a bad cold/whatever the heck it was illness when it starts?? and when out of the paralyze experience the cold/whatever magicly is gone? also there was no medicen taken,since was out of the stuff and happend to be boxing day when it started, then again..maybe the cold/whatever was just a hallucanation and maybe nothing...

I see to many holes with this

Edit: I don't think i was abducted like some people..but am aware something strange happend,since the time was the first time i felt someone with me in that room,while i was wide awake in paralyze..the other time i get that sleep paralyze i notice no one there and just try to move)







[edit on 4-3-2007 by LookingforInfo]

Originally posted by LookingforInfo
so i don't think most people who have sleep paralyze is due to hallunation

Just to clarify: I never said that sleep paralysis was a result of hallucination. Rather, it is the other way around. Hallucination (auditory and visual) occurs during waking sleep paralysis in some individuals. After this time of hallucinatory sleep paralysis the individual either returns to REM sleep or becomes fully awake and able to control muscular contraction.

I hoped that helped to clarify.

Originally posted by LookingforInfo
Also can 2 hour sleep paralyze also cure a bad cold/whatever the heck it was illness when it starts?? and when out of the paralyze experience the cold/whatever magicly is gone? also there was no medicen taken,since was out of the stuff and happend to be boxing day when it started, then again..maybe the cold/whatever was just a hallucanation and maybe nothing...

Eh, I am inclined to suggest that you visit a neurologist. I am in no way qualified to safely diagnose what it is I think may be wrong (I am a clinical psych. student...not a neurologist).

If you really do experience two hour long periods of paralysis with no apparent outward cause I strongly urge you to please see a neurologist and/or your physician

Originally posted by LookingforInfo
I see to many holes with this

Like I said: The case you describe (yours I am assuming) is in no way the norm...even for a complicated and still grey area such as sleep paralysis. If I was in your situation I would find holes in what the original post has said as well Hell, I would be at a doctor as soon as possible.

Originally posted by LookingforInfo
Edit: I don't think i was abducted like some people..but am aware something strange happend,since the time was the first time i felt someone with me in that room,while i was wide awake in paralyze..the other time i get that sleep paralyze i notice no one there and just try to move)

Which is a classic case of sleep paralysis. Maybe you drifted to sleep for just a moment and were not aware. If this is the case then your body could have rushed the hormones too quickly resulting in paralysis and possible hallucinations as you were startled awake for whatever reason.

It is the '2 hours' that worries me however. Best of luck my friend. You are welcome to u2u me whenever.

i dunno. sleep paralysis is very distinguishable. sometimes i'm able to induce sleep paralysis, sometimes. it is sort of frightening, like you feel, something or someone is there but they are not. you do feel sorta of short of breath. sometimes i try to keep the paralysis for as long as i can but the panic beats me. one thing though, i have never had any hallucinations when this has occurred. anyway, sleep paralysis still doesn't explain the accounts of people who say they were driving, or out in the forest or something like that, not in there bedroom, trying to sleep.

Originally posted by spines
Just to clarify: I never said that sleep paralysis was a result of hallucination. Rather, it is the other way around. Hallucination (auditory and visual) occurs during waking sleep paralysis in some individuals. After this time of hallucinatory sleep paralysis the individual either returns to REM sleep or becomes fully awake and able to control muscular contraction.


I hoped that helped to clarify.

Oh Okay sorry about that!I think i understand what your saying now!

Originally posted by spines
Eh, I am inclined to suggest that you visit a neurologist. I am in no way qualified to safely diagnose what it is I think may be wrong (I am a clinical psych. student...not a neurologist).

If you really do experience two hour long periods of paralysis with no apparent outward cause I strongly urge you to please see a neurologist and/or your physician

Like I said: The case you describe (yours I am assuming) is in no way the norm...even for a complicated and still grey area such as sleep paralysis. If I was in your situation I would find holes in what the original post has said as well

Hell, I would be at a doctor as soon as possible.

I would,but i hate doctors i find that they can never do anything right and are just a waste of time,and also would seem strange just telling them about what happend..then again i can ask if the symptoms where normale for a cold,since i wanted to knock my self unconscious with the upgraded cold thing when it happend

Originally posted by spines
Which is a classic case of sleep paralysis. Maybe you drifted to sleep for just a moment and were not aware. If this is the case then your body could have rushed the hormones too quickly resulting in paralysis and possible hallucinations as you were startled awake for whatever reason.

It is the '2 hours' that worries me however. Best of luck my friend. You are welcome to u2u me whenever.

probly not,before i laid down on my bed i checked and looked to the clock time just before it happend in the next sec's,and as i started to cover my self with the blankets..and then i was paralyzed just like that.there was a other thing before i was released from the paralyzed,i noticed a change in my breathing,have you ever herd the sound of people in the hospital with those breathing mask? well that what i herd my breathing sounded like kinda before i was realeased from the paralyze..Also it didn't seem like 2:00 hours passed only a couple mins when i was stuck in it wide awake,i could even move my eyes,but my vision was all blurry...i could have looked to see who there,but got the feeling i didn't want to know...


anyways when i could move again i noticed i was not sick anymore...then i left the room for a while..to weirded out by what happend.



Also sorry to just ramble on like this.

I agree with the O.P.

I experienced this 10 years ago, I can remember quite vividly as if it was yesterday, I was only 20 and as such it absolutely terrified me, so much so, that I didn't go back to sleep that night and was very nervous about going to sleep the next few nights in a row.

And there was an hallucination, A bright light in the corner of the room, which seemed to move right beside me, and when that happened I remember shouting for my mum but no one ever heard me, and then after that I could slowly start to move when I had that "Pins & Needles" sensation over my body.

Even though im interested in UFOs I never once thought I had been abducted, but did start to question my sanity as I didnt know what I had experienced, and as being so young I had never heard of Sleep Paralysis before. It wasn't till about 2 years later when watching a paranormal documentary that mentioned sleep paralysis that things suddenly clicked into place.

Gorezi,

Thank you very much for sharing your experience with us.

And I can relate to how scary it is if you are not aware of what is happening to you. Hell, I knew what it was the second time around and it was still scary.

No matter how you shake it: waking up and not being able to move your body under your own free will is a scary time

Yeah there is a big connection with sleep paralysis and the abduction stories, because you feel similar after they happen. I've had sleep paralysis a few times, uncomfortable and scary, but I never saw any grey people during them so yeah.

Originally posted by Novise
I've had sleep paralysis a few times, uncomfortable and scary, but I never saw any grey people during them so yeah.

I would imagine that the majority of those who experience hallucinations with extra terrestrial connotations would be those who have their minds on the subject for whatever reason (an alien based movie or show, alien research, etc...).

And it is also important to remember that those who experience hallucinations during an episode of sleep paralysis are far fewer than those who do not.

I've had the alien-based and paranormal-based hallucination in sleep paralysis (i suffer it on a weekly basis most of the time...)

When it first started, when i was about 16, i really did believe i had been 'abducted'... not that i said anything about it, but it played on my mind all day and when night fell i had to fight to stay awake, usually losing the battle and being 'abducted' again.

It finally led me to research abduction on the internet, which in turn led me to studies on sleep paralysis. If i hadn't found out what it was i may have ended up going crazy.

For those that have never suffered it, they can't understand what it is like. You really are awake... it is like you are in a sci-fi movie. The hallucinations are so real, and you can feel them and hear them... i'm getting chills just talking about it.

Originally posted by fooffstarr
It finally led me to research abduction on the internet, which in turn led me to studies on sleep paralysis. If i hadn't found out what it was i may have ended up going crazy.

I only wish more people would research what happens to them with an open and skeptical mind. True, there are some cases which can not be explained away with mis-firing hormones...but a good deal of cases can be explained if the answers are looked for.

It is in my opinion that, if you hallucinate aliens during an awaking sleep paralysis, you have aliens on the mind...when you try to understand what happened you guide yourself to extra-terrestrial explinations and accept it as gold.

Thank you for researching what most would not.

Originally posted by fooffstarr
For those that have never suffered it, they can't understand what it is like. You really are awake... it is like you are in a sci-fi movie. The hallucinations are so real, and you can feel them and hear them... i'm getting chills just talking about it.

Indeed, you describe it well. I still get chills remembering it and even when I had a good notion as to what it was it scared me when it happened.

You are able to look around (as your eyes are allowed free movement during REM sleep) but not able to move a part of your body...very scary indeed.

Ok I am part american indian,german,italian and scottish. I have had sleep paralysis only when I lived at an old apartment building up town. I have never been abducted to my knowledge, however have seen some weird things during my paralysis. Like old people surrounding me looking at me. One other strange thing that occured to me, not sure if this is in right area but here it is.

My first day back from my amsterdam vacation. Everything was normal and I went to sleep. Well like I do every night I wake up around 3-4 to go to the restroom. This particular night I woke up and happened to look outside my window. I was shocked, I saw 2 creatures that look like 3 foot tall gargoyels, they were both glowing one was orange and the other green.(flourecent colors) My window is located over the roof of my porch, and my bed is right next to the window I saw them. Ok I was like wtf is this am I dreaming, I rubbed my eyes hoping they would disapear. They didn't, I began to get very nervous as they continued to peer in with an evil grin. I stood up and thought to myself if these things are still here when I get back from the bathroom I am going to scream. (at the time i still lived with my parents and little brother) I went to the restroom and nervously went back into my room to see that they were gone. I immediatly close my curtains, grab my pillow and blanket and head downstairs to the couch. This is the only para normal experience I have ever had visually. I was thinking that maybe something followed me back from europe or that maybe they are my gaurdians (gaurdian angels) watching over me. One thing I don't understand is why they were glowing, and why they were different colors. I have told only my parents and a few close friends this story, I know for a fact I was not dreaming,sleep walking or in a state of sleep paralysis.
Anyone ever have experiences with gargoyel/demon looking creatures, not sure if they were evil although they looked scary as hell. Could they be ET?

When I experienced episodes of "sleep paralysis" as a kid — from 5 years old until about 18 years old — I recall that it wasn't so much a matter of being unable to move as it was a matter of being so scared that I dared not move.

Indeed, as the years progressed, I discovered that I could move quite normally during the "paralysis" — it wasn't unusual for me to feel an ominous "presence" in the room, feel quite terrified, but then roll over and go back to sleep in spite of the fear. Or even rise from bed and head down to the kitchen for a drink of water, even as the feeling of "terror" persisted.

For me, such episodes became more an annoyance than anything else — an annoyance that I simply came to accept and that didn't inhibit my motor functions in the least.

— Doc Velocity

Originally posted by Doc Velocity
For me, such episodes became more an annoyance than anything else — an annoyance that I simply came to accept and that didn't inhibit my motor functions in the least.

In which case it was not sleep paralysis

But it still could be: most episodes of sleep paralysis only inhibit muscle control for a few seconds.

Very rarely does the experience last for more then that. And the longer episodes seem to, from what I can gather from research, happen in consequence with hallucinatory sleep paralysis.

So it could be episodes of sleep paralysis that only last for a few seconds in your situation. But without knowing more about the episodes I am in no position to say what it is either way....you could just experience intense nightmares and wake up with them on your mind.

Thank you for sharing

Originally posted by Starwatcher
I...have seen some weird things during my paralysis. Like old people surrounding me looking at me.

Wow, your statement triggered a memory from my past.

One night as I experienced "sleep paralysis," I felt the terror begin to wane (as it usually did after a few minutes), and a peculiar glowing reddish spot appeared on the far wall of my bedroom. As I watched this thing, transfixed, the spot expanded into a much larger glowing oval about 4 feet in diameter (measured the same width as a set of dresser drawers directly beneath it).

When it reached its maximum width, the reddish glow faded, revealing a hospital scene, just as if it was being projected onto the dark bedroom wall. In this scene, there was a very, very old man on his deathbed, and two children (a boy and a girl of perhaps 7 years of age) were waiting silently at the old man's bedside. They were both holding his wrinkled old hand. No words were spoken, no sounds accompanied the image. It was like watching a projected home movie with no sound.

After maybe a couple of minutes, the image just faded and disappeared, and everything felt perfectly normal once more. I immediately left my bed for a glass of water, then returned and slept the rest of the night uneventfully.

No, nobody died the next day, nothing untoward happened in the days and weeks that followed, so I don't think it was a prophetic vision. Just another "mystery of the subconscious," I suppose.

— Doc Velocity

Originally posted by Doc Velocity
I immediately left my bed for a glass of water,.....

That seems recurrent. How often did you get out of your bed for a drink of water?

I know, seems to be unrelated....but I cannot recall ever getting out of bed for a drink of water myself, and your accounts seem closely associated to that specific activity.

I have a tendency to see unusual relationships in seemingly unrelated things. It may be a curse.

Well, as I have mentioned in other threads, I have always been a "night person," even as a toddler and right up to the present. As a child I often waited for everyone else to retire for the night, then I'd sneak down to the kitchen to search for snacks or grab a drink of water. This was and still is my behavior.

— Doc Velocity

Originally posted by Doc Velocity
As a child I often waited for everyone else to retire for the night, then I'd sneak down to the kitchen to search for snacks or grab a drink of water.

I don't know why, but that strikes me as odd. Admittedly, I don't have offspring so I don't know how often children raid the fridge after everyone has retired for the night. Maybe you did not want to be in the room for some reason?

I'm willing to bet that aggravated your mother to no end. "Hey, where's those deviled eggs I put in here?"

Originally posted by MrPenny
I don't know why, but that strikes me as odd. Admittedly, I don't have offspring so I don't know how often children raid the fridge after everyone has retired for the night. Maybe you did not want to be in the room for some reason? I'm willing to bet that aggravated your mother to no end. "Hey, where's those deviled eggs I put in here?"

Well, it did alarm her, having an unsupervised 5-year-old wandering about the house in the dark for hours every night. Her great fear was that I'd start exploring the cleaning fluids in the kitchen or the pill bottles in the medicine cabinet, and that she'd wake up to find a poisoned child one morning. It never happened, but she still worried about it.

Which is why she started loading the refrigerator with what she called "decoys" — little cupcakes and twinkies and such like, on the bottom rack of the refrigerator — wisely intended to prevent me from searching any farther and getting into mischief. And it worked, although she may not have realized at the time that she was perpetuating my nocturnal foraging.

And, no, I had no weight problems as a child or an adult.

— Doc Velocity

Yeah, I've experienced sleep paralysis numerous times. It's pretty freaky since I almost always feel like something is standing over me, only once did I think it was aliens, I was hallucinating that light was flooding in from my bedroom window, and I could hear the door knob being turned, when I finally gained control of my body my heart was pounding out of my chest...