Sleep Paralysis
Discussion
I've had it quite a few times. Normally it involves someone trying to kill me and I can't do anything about it because of course I can't move. I'm able to scream in my sleep and I'm sure I have actually been screaming.... it seems that real. But my other half has never heard me screaming.
I have a cousin that enjoys sleep paralysis because he can control it (hi Jay if you're reading this). When he has an episode, he gets up (dreams that he does) and opens the curtains. Apparently he can see light coming in around the edges of the curtains, but when he opens them it is dark outside. This tells him that the events are not real so he has a bit of fun, goading the demons or whatever is attacking him.
But that doesn't work for me. I'm happy enough to wake up before the killer gets to me.
I have a cousin that enjoys sleep paralysis because he can control it (hi Jay if you're reading this). When he has an episode, he gets up (dreams that he does) and opens the curtains. Apparently he can see light coming in around the edges of the curtains, but when he opens them it is dark outside. This tells him that the events are not real so he has a bit of fun, goading the demons or whatever is attacking him.
But that doesn't work for me. I'm happy enough to wake up before the killer gets to me.
I was a crap sleeper when i was a kid. Sleep paralysis and night terrors were a common occurrence aswell as sleep walking. My mother told me that she would wake up very often in the middle of the night to me screaming. Everytime id be bolt upright in bed completely out of it but screaming the house down. Other occasions she would wake up to find me stood at the end of her bed, again completely out of it, just staring into space. The sleep paralysis would always start with a ringing in my ears followed by a shadowy figure appearing in my room then disappearing. This would then be swiftly followed by pressure around my neck, as if i was being strangled. Even to this day i cant bear people touching my neck and im convinced it stems from the sleep paralysis issue.
Anyway, it all came to a stop in my early teens and many years passed without any issues. But when i moved into my own place they started again and i was having maybe one a fortnight. Decided to do a lot of reading into the subject to understand it better and possibly control it. If anything it made then less frightening more than anything else.
The worst one, for timing more than anything, was when i had managed to pull an absolute stunner on a night out. After a bit of slap and tickle we fell asleep. I was woken with the familiar ringing in my ears and knew what was coming. The shadow appeared, heart rate increased, pressure started on my neck and rather than ride it out as i had managed to do on the few previous occasion i tried to fight it. When this didnt work i became hysterical, silently at first (although in my head i was screaming) followed closely by the noise actually coming out. This then woke up the stunner and caused her to also become hysterical not really knowing what was going on. When i finally gained composure i tried to calm the situation but she got up and left! Ive havent seen since!
Anyway, it all came to a stop in my early teens and many years passed without any issues. But when i moved into my own place they started again and i was having maybe one a fortnight. Decided to do a lot of reading into the subject to understand it better and possibly control it. If anything it made then less frightening more than anything else.
The worst one, for timing more than anything, was when i had managed to pull an absolute stunner on a night out. After a bit of slap and tickle we fell asleep. I was woken with the familiar ringing in my ears and knew what was coming. The shadow appeared, heart rate increased, pressure started on my neck and rather than ride it out as i had managed to do on the few previous occasion i tried to fight it. When this didnt work i became hysterical, silently at first (although in my head i was screaming) followed closely by the noise actually coming out. This then woke up the stunner and caused her to also become hysterical not really knowing what was going on. When i finally gained composure i tried to calm the situation but she got up and left! Ive havent seen since!
I've had it twice, last time was a few years ago now. Both were pretty much the same experience other than once I was alone and the other my girlfriend was in bed with me.
Both times I couldn't move at all or make a sound, it felt as if I was being held down. I did feel a presence, like when someone sits at the bottom of the bed and you feel it sink, but couldn't see anything. Struggling to breathe while it was happening too until I could move again, then my heart would be trying to escape my rib cage and I'd have to take a good few deep breaths to regain a normal heart rate and calm down.
I've read about some people who purposefully try to lucid dream, which sometimes goes a bit awry into a prolonged sleep paralysis type state. Don't fancy trying that!
Both times I couldn't move at all or make a sound, it felt as if I was being held down. I did feel a presence, like when someone sits at the bottom of the bed and you feel it sink, but couldn't see anything. Struggling to breathe while it was happening too until I could move again, then my heart would be trying to escape my rib cage and I'd have to take a good few deep breaths to regain a normal heart rate and calm down.
I've read about some people who purposefully try to lucid dream, which sometimes goes a bit awry into a prolonged sleep paralysis type state. Don't fancy trying that!
Edited by Spanna on Saturday 10th January 19:51
It's just after midnight here and I've just woken up having had the textbook 'old hag' attack like never before, extraordinary and quite scary. Wide awake now... In fact, I'll admit it- a couple of times since I started writing this I have used the illumination of my phone screen to scan the dark bedroom as if I'm expecting to see some creature cowering in the corner after I swung at it when I got the use of my arms back. Jeez.
Bloody exhausted today. Damnable hag.
It was the most convincing hallucination I can remember having... I work up paralysed but feeling the sensation of something moving in the bed. Anybody who has owned a cat will know the feeling when the it's dark and the cat has jumped up onto the end of the bed. Although it's not touching you and you can't hear it, you can feel it's footfalls as movements in the mattress and tension in the duvet. Unable to move or look down towards my leg I felt the duvet moving against my leg hairs and I felt the compression of the mattress as it got to my left leg. Then the cat climbs up onto your lap, inevitably stepping awkwardly onto your crotch as cats always do. Except when the creature got to my chest, it peered down at me with it's black eyes and hooked nose like some Grimm fairytale depiction of a witch. I was fighting against the paralysis so it endured longer than normal, 'the hag' within inches of my face. I had to remember the old trick of wriggling fingers and toes as trying to thrash wasn't working. Then, as always, everything went back to normal and the palpable sense of anxiety dispersed nearly as quickly as it arrived.
This all happened as I was very tired and managed to fall asleep on my back. It occurred within 15 minutes of me falling asleep.
Bloody strange. I find it incredible the brain can come up with this stuff unprompted.
It was the most convincing hallucination I can remember having... I work up paralysed but feeling the sensation of something moving in the bed. Anybody who has owned a cat will know the feeling when the it's dark and the cat has jumped up onto the end of the bed. Although it's not touching you and you can't hear it, you can feel it's footfalls as movements in the mattress and tension in the duvet. Unable to move or look down towards my leg I felt the duvet moving against my leg hairs and I felt the compression of the mattress as it got to my left leg. Then the cat climbs up onto your lap, inevitably stepping awkwardly onto your crotch as cats always do. Except when the creature got to my chest, it peered down at me with it's black eyes and hooked nose like some Grimm fairytale depiction of a witch. I was fighting against the paralysis so it endured longer than normal, 'the hag' within inches of my face. I had to remember the old trick of wriggling fingers and toes as trying to thrash wasn't working. Then, as always, everything went back to normal and the palpable sense of anxiety dispersed nearly as quickly as it arrived.
This all happened as I was very tired and managed to fall asleep on my back. It occurred within 15 minutes of me falling asleep.
Bloody strange. I find it incredible the brain can come up with this stuff unprompted.
I used to get sleep paralysis a lot as a teen, it kind of went away and then re-occurred when my son was born, I was around 33 then. Again it disappeared and then came back during my darkest period of illness when I was on around 350mg of Oxcodone a day, coupled with morphine, Oramorph and lots of other zombie making drugs!
Now that I'm better and been off the serious drugs since August last year it's gone again.
It used to be pretty intense, being totally aware of what's going on around me and being totally unable to move.
Stef
Now that I'm better and been off the serious drugs since August last year it's gone again.
It used to be pretty intense, being totally aware of what's going on around me and being totally unable to move.
Stef
M400 NBL said:
I have a cousin that enjoys sleep paralysis because he can control it (hi Jay if you're reading this). When he has an episode, he gets up (dreams that he does) and opens the curtains. Apparently he can see light coming in around the edges of the curtains, but when he opens them it is dark outside. This tells him that the events are not real so he has a bit of fun, goading the demons or whatever is attacking him.
But that doesn't work for me. I'm happy enough to wake up before the killer gets to me.
Does he ever talk to people that you can't see?But that doesn't work for me. I'm happy enough to wake up before the killer gets to me.
Thought I'd jump back into this topic with my short experience last night. I always sleep on my side and don't dream or remember my dreams much any more. Last night I felt like something extremely strong had pulled me by ankles/ calfs and threw me towards my wardrobe. I felt like I was flying for a brief moment.
Before impact I woke up, didn't see anything usually associated with sleep paralysis and just stayed there on my side to drop back off.
A few days ago though my mom's boyfriend experienced sleep paralysis for this first time, he didn't know what it was until he told me what happened and told him to have a read online. He said he felt his arm being pulled up almost floating and then he suddenly felt concious, his arm dropped and he couldn't move at all, like something was on his arms, legs and chest.
Before impact I woke up, didn't see anything usually associated with sleep paralysis and just stayed there on my side to drop back off.
A few days ago though my mom's boyfriend experienced sleep paralysis for this first time, he didn't know what it was until he told me what happened and told him to have a read online. He said he felt his arm being pulled up almost floating and then he suddenly felt concious, his arm dropped and he couldn't move at all, like something was on his arms, legs and chest.
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