Sleep Paralysis

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Sophiepoo
Sophiepoo Posts: 264 Member
in Chit-Chat
Does anyone else suffer with this? I get it very bad when I've had trouble sleeping and my body ends up crashing before my mind does.

I once had the sensation of someone grabbing my legs at the end of the bed and pulling me down! Oof they're pretty nasty sometimes!

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  • yesiamaduck
    yesiamaduck Posts: 531 Member
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    I had this terribly last year and the later half of 2009, I got it 3 - 5 times a week and it made me hate waking up!

    The trick is when you wake up you do eventually learn what it is and the best thing to do is close your eyes (to stop hallucinations such as the one where I had a person on my chest going to strangle me & the cliche which is ALIENS ABDUCTION!) so I always make sure I close my eyes as soon as possible, the second step is to focus on moving a toe or a single finger and focus all your attention on it and you'll snap out of it.

    I've stopped drinking caffiene, I no longer suffer from Sleep Paralysis!

    I feel for you, it terrifying not being able to move and not feel like you're breathing properly
  • chaoticxinsane
    chaoticxinsane Posts: 54
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    I've had it from time to time. In middleschool I woke up before the rest of me did and couldn't breathe. THAT was terrifying.

    Fun fact, they think that sleep paralysis (particularly the crushing weight on the chest/suffocation) is the root of the traditional incubus myth, that the phantom 'weight' was from the demon laying on the woman.

    *needs to stop lurking the paranormal thread*
  • Sophiepoo
    Sophiepoo Posts: 264 Member
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    Yeah, I dont get it as much now, had it really bad a couple of years ago, now I sorta just lie there and wait it out but it really does make me panic! I find that by falling asleep on my side helped. Eeee!
  • yesiamaduck
    yesiamaduck Posts: 531 Member
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    I've had it from time to time. In middleschool I woke up before the rest of me did and couldn't breathe. THAT was terrifying.

    Fun fact, they think that sleep paralysis (particularly the crushing weight on the chest/suffocation) is the root of the traditional incubus myth, that the phantom 'weight' was from the demon laying on the woman.

    *needs to stop lurking the paranormal thread*

    Old Hag syndrome

    it also explain alien abductions... seeing Aliens & not being able to move etc. etc.
  • chaoticxinsane
    chaoticxinsane Posts: 54
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    I've had it from time to time. In middleschool I woke up before the rest of me did and couldn't breathe. THAT was terrifying.

    Fun fact, they think that sleep paralysis (particularly the crushing weight on the chest/suffocation) is the root of the traditional incubus myth, that the phantom 'weight' was from the demon laying on the woman.

    *needs to stop lurking the paranormal thread*

    Old Hag syndrome

    it also explain alien abductions... seeing Aliens & not being able to move etc. etc.

    Yes. Thankfully, I've never had the hallucinations to go with it. I think I would probably die of fright. XD
  • Chairless
    Chairless Posts: 588 Member
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    i have had this once or twice but read about it a long time ago for some reason so could recognise what was happening.

    Each and every time i have followed the advice i read, move your eyes around as much as you can and within seconds you can move again.

    Works, try it.
  • jessicasloan91
    jessicasloan91 Posts: 184 Member
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    BUMP
  • OooLaurenooO
    OooLaurenooO Posts: 227 Member
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    Does anyone else suffer with this? I get it very bad when I've had trouble sleeping and my body ends up crashing before my mind does.

    I once had the sensation of someone grabbing my legs at the end of the bed and pulling me down! Oof they're pretty nasty sometimes!

    You should read this;
    http://www.wikihow.com/Cope-with-Sleep-Paralysis

    I get Paralyzed sleep alot & its way more worse than what your saying, seems quite mild.
  • chantall1995
    chantall1995 Posts: 1
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    i still get that somtmes apperantly its because you have not beng gettng anothe sleep
  • Sophiepoo
    Sophiepoo Posts: 264 Member
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    Yeah I've read quite a few disturbing stories, mines really not so bad in comparison. I can usually tell when it's about to happen as my dreams start taking a turn for the worse.
    I've come to the point where I just ride it out but it's still quite hard to explain ' the fear'. It gets so frustrating when you think you're shouting, that when I do eventually wake up, I give a good shout anyway!
  • xoxcuppiexox
    xoxcuppiexox Posts: 15 Member
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    it's terrifying to wake up and not be able to move. i find it happens to me more often when i sleep on my back for some reason.
  • OooLaurenooO
    OooLaurenooO Posts: 227 Member
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    I get completly paralysed, i cannot move any part of me only my eyes, i feel like someone is lying on top of me pushing me into the bed, i always see a dark figure either at the foot of the bed or near the door, this "thing" is always getting closer to me and eventually at the side of my bed, try to scream, move & roll over but i cannot, my bf has said he's tried waking me cuz i seem to talk jibberish and mutter random words. I get the feeling that something or someone is touching my face, hands & feet. I get loss of breath and stuggle to breathe during the episode. I tel you it really really scares me, i find it difficult to fall asleep again incase it happens again and i experience it all over again and the figure come back to "get" me.
    Its a really frightening experience. :cry:
  • Sophiepoo
    Sophiepoo Posts: 264 Member
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    :( I wish I made noises so I was woken up! I've had a few figures staring at my face, it really is awful and hard to explain the hallucinations and yes, sleeping on my back makes it worse, so I sleep on my side and have only had it once lying that way.

    Since I've been with my partner though, it's really rare when I get it as I think being alone was something else that triggered it.
    big fat sighhh
  • witchywillow
    witchywillow Posts: 143 Member
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    hiya

    ive often fallen asleep on the settee and suddenly can hear wats goin on in the room, can hear the telly, my family talking but i cant open my eyes and i can feel myself fighting to get my eyes open but i cant, very scary and massive relief wen i eventually wake up
  • yesiamaduck
    yesiamaduck Posts: 531 Member
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    I get completly paralysed, i cannot move any part of me only my eyes, i feel like someone is lying on top of me pushing me into the bed, i always see a dark figure either at the foot of the bed or near the door, this "thing" is always getting closer to me and eventually at the side of my bed, try to scream, move & roll over but i cannot, my bf has said he's tried waking me cuz i seem to talk jibberish and mutter random words. I get the feeling that something or someone is touching my face, hands & feet. I get loss of breath and stuggle to breathe during the episode. I tel you it really really scares me, i find it difficult to fall asleep again incase it happens again and i experience it all over again and the figure come back to "get" me.
    Its a really frightening experience. :cry:

    CLOSE YOUR EYES! Try to move a specific finger or toe as much as you can, it helps snap you out of it almost immediately!
  • diam0nddagger
    diam0nddagger Posts: 45
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    I used to get this all the time combined with muscle spasms - but I 'dreamt' it was someone raking their fingers down my back! (and not in a good way :wink: ) Worst thing was when you finally wake up just to fall back into it again a few seconds later. That and the hallucinations - when I was young all my stuffed animals would mutate in front of me :sad:
    I have since learned that it usually happens from lack of sleep and stress - ie. exams back in school, had it all the time. So many days of hardly any sleep and worry would lead to many days of sleep paralysis! Think I've only had in once in the past 2 years now, phew!
  • minime2b
    minime2b Posts: 168
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    I have had that often. It usually happens when I'm under a great deal of stress. It actually started when I was 21 and going through a divorce, I'm now 49 I think that they're may be a tendancy in families because my youngest Son has been having them for a few yrs and he's 23. I was once told that it was the result of the body producing too much of a hormone that helps to keep us from sleepwalking. IDK
    My son and I both sleepwalked when we were young (he more that me) and he does seem to suffer the problem more often.
  • MissSharkattack
    MissSharkattack Posts: 323 Member
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    Hmmm, I think this used to happen to me every night, before I started taking sleeping pills and, therefore, getting more than 1-2hrs of sleep a night.

    I could almost always hear and see everything going on around me, but I couldnt move at all. I dont think I ever had hallucinations, though.
    Although maybe that explains the EXTREMELY real 'nightmares' I was having on the first sleeping pills I tried.
  • fatty_to_fitty
    fatty_to_fitty Posts: 544 Member
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    I get this, I am a funny sleeper too (walking talking and all sorts). I half wake up and need to turn over so have to use one arm to pull another sometimes.
  • LifeOnMars_
    LifeOnMars_ Posts: 755 Member
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    it's terrifying to wake up and not be able to move. i find it happens to me more often when i sleep on my back for some reason.

    Same here! It is the worst.

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