Sleep Paralysis and Waking Dreams

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Wednesday, April 18, 2007
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I became interested in sleep and sleep disorders when my husband was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I didn't realize at the time that I also suffered from a sleep disorder. Oh, I knew that something strange happened to me some nights, but I put it down to stress and tried to ignore it. The ep...

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sleep paralysis
lindsey
Saturday, October 20, 2007 at 05:33 PM
i am 18 years old, i have experienced sleep paralysis twice, once when i was 16 and once a few days ago.

the first, at 16, happened a few weeks after my mother was arrested (very stressful, over a 1 million dollar bail, 140 charges) i thought i was going crazy. i started taking robitussin *triple C's* to get high and *trip out*.

when i had the sleep paralysis it was the night after christmas in 2005, i hadn't been doing any drugs (other than pot) for a few days so i wasnt high, it was right at midnight and i had just fallen asleep, i was jerked awake by something, but couldn't move, so of course i freaked out. i could move my eyes to look around, but i could not move my body at ALL.

i heard glass breaking, a girl screaming, paper ripping. i smelled something burning. then my body felt like it was on fire, then i stated contorting. i was in so much pain but i couldnt speak, or scream for my grandmothers help, all i could do was lay there, so i started praying, in my head i called upon God for help. i begged him to please release me from this torment. finally after i pleaded for help *i was thinking the prays, i still had no control over my body*

finally the force let go and i was thrown out of my bed. i landed on the floor and caught myself before i hit the ground, i turned on the light and read from the bible.

that didnt happen for again for 2 more years. a few days ago *it was a thursday night and no one was home xcept for me. it was sometime after i had fallen asleep, so i was waking up, the same thing happened, only there were no smells or sounds. i just COULD NOT MOVE, i wasn't as afraid this time though because i vividly remember it from before.

i felt like i was laying half off my bed facing my TV, but i was stiff as a bored, like my feet and legs were sticking straight out, over my bed. anyway, i could hear myself trying to talk, and ask God for help once again.

only i couldnt make out the words, i sounded like a stroke victim trying to talk. my words were garbled. that scared me. i just kept trying, then i felt my body shift and i was totally on my bed facing my computer.

my head moved to the right, then slowly back to the left, then right again, i cant remember how many times my head moved, but i know i wasnt moving my head, something was moving it for me. i couldn't move at all and my head was turning right then left?

i remember seeing this shadow on my ceiling, eventually i went back to sleep, i woke up the next morning and didnt remember the episode until later that morning. i'm really confused, and i dont know what to make of the experiences.

In response to...
Edith
Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 04:34 AM

I am a seventeen year old girl who has been suffering from sleep paralysis ever since I can remember. I have tried telling my mom about it, but she doesn't really pay attention. However, my problem is that it lasts from what seems to be a really long time. I try to injure myself or inflict pain by scratching or hitting myself, but I can't, and the reason I do this is because as soon as I am able to move, I know I'm back to normal. What can I do or what do you suggest I do?

re: In response to...
Anonymous
Monday, February 09, 2009 at 11:28 PM

Have you seen a doctor about the sleep paralysis? There are a few medical diagnosis that can cause this. When I was your age I was scared and confused. I didn't know what was happening to me and I thought I was crazy or people would think I was crazy when I told them. When It got worse people DID look at me like I was crazy and I was sent for mental evaluations that came up negative. It took 10 years before i was finally diagnosed with Narcolepsy. There are medications that help control paralysis, but in most cases people with narcolepsy get worse, not better...so it is smart to get to a sleep specialist asap. Hope this helped and one more thing..try relaxing while this is happening..you know it is happening and you will be ok...I found the more I stress out about it, the longer it lasts.

Sleep Paralysis
mikki
Monday, March 09, 2009 at 09:55 AM

I am a 20 year old student and have been suffering with sleep paralysis for about a year. I have experienced similar experiences to those described in the other comments and sometimes get it up to 8 times in one night, at worst I will have it 7 nights of the week.

However... I also have ADHD (and as a result depression/anxiety) and when I told my consultant about the problem he gave me a diagnosis straight away. He spoke to some neurologist and gave me a trial of melatonin (the sleep hormone which if you don't have enough of can cause the condition).

Since this point I only experience sleep paralysis when I am very stressed/sleep deprived/upset- but most of the time the melatonin controls it. As well as melatonin I have also been prescribed imiprimine in small doses (an antidepressant which can help massively). I really advise that anyone suffering from it on a very REGULAR basis tries out medication as it has really helped me.

But, at the same time I think its important to take personal responsibility for your sleep and recognise how important it is for your general well being. This means as a student in central London I have had to be fairly sensible about how often I party and deprive myself of sleep. As well as this I always study in the library or at my desk- not laying on my bed! This allows a bit of seperation between bed as a place of rest away from studying and stress. I also find keeping a tidy room, eating before bed, not sleeping on my back and not getting too hot all help to stop myself getting it.

If all of these things fail to help then remember that you can try to calm yourself as it happens. I often find myself calming myself down as I panic during an attack of paralysis- accepting it and waiting for it to release tends to work better for me then fighting it relentlessly.

Hope this helps anyone wondering what the hell is happening to them! I remember when I first told my family/friends and they had a good laugh at me... its one of those things that only the individual who has experienced it can actually understand.

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Anonymous
Sunday, May 10, 2009 at 05:29 AM

I'm sorry to say, but i just woke up from the sleep paralysis 5 different times this night and after the 5th time i made myself get out of bed because i kept falling back into it. It was terrifying. I couldn't move and my dog was ripping at my skin, and i couldnt scream. It took a lot of effort to wake myself up, and as soon as i did i felt myself falling back into another deep sleep. So its hard for me to go back to sleep..im really freaking scared.