Sleep Paralysis

[JBC]

I've suffered from this my whole life but the most recent episode was the worst. It's happened to me hundreds of times but four incidents in particular have felt especially life threatening. Of the five possible causes listed on the wiki I was guilty of all five that night. I've spent the last few days feeling both afraid for my life and ashamed, thinking that I must be insane. As it turns out, it's a worldwide phenomenon that's experienced by thousands in such specific detail and with such specific symptoms that I don't need to worry about that at all. You literally think you are being attacked by an entity who's crouching over you and choking you out in some way. Look at how many countries and areas it appears in...

Sleep Paralysis wiki

I've felt alone in this for years and it's caused major anxiety and depression. I was too afraid to talk to most people about it for fear that they would think I was crazy or telling some idiotic ghost story. After this most recent episode I scoured the internet and found droves of websites and forums with sections or threads devoted to it and ways to cope. After a search on Shmups I found that a few members have experienced strikingly similar episodes as me, but there was no thread specifically devoted to the condition. Over the years I've developed a few tricks to help avoid it and I'm sure others have too. Lets share those tips.

I've made it through too many dangerous real world situations in my short 30 years to experience a cop-out death like being suffocated in my sleep by an overactive imagination.

[RNGmaster]

I've always wondered about sleep paralysis. Have you heard of SUNDS? I read something about it a while back - basically during an episode of sleep paralysis people will go into panic and suffer cardiac arrest (only among a certain ethnic group though).

I had an episode recently - I was having a pretty nice dream, hanging out in an internet cafe in Seoul, and then suddenly everything blurs and this thing is looming ahead of me, telling me to look at it. I'm awake at this point, but the face is still coming at me, and I'm afraid that it'll stare into my eyes and eat my soul or some shit and I can't close my eyes. I don't know how long that went on, but I was pretty damn scared when I woke up.

So yeah, sleep paralysis.

[idchappy]

, can't say i've ever had anything like that thankfully. I've had the occasional dream thats gone bad then you think you wake up but your still dreaming, they are spooky enough for me

[gct]

Hate to be unsympathetic if you really are suffering here, but the way this is written, this sounds more like circuitface's account got hacked :\

You okay man?

[Raytrace]

I used to get that a LOT, it seems to happen most when you fall asleep suddenly/by accident or something, when your most hypnogogic. I'd wake up but could not move at all - would feel a heavy weight on my chest. I'd be completely paralysed, sometimes just before I woke up I would hear a kinda electric buzzy noise or a screaming wail (like a Banshee or something (!) ) honestly. I haven't got them frequently in a long time though - I'd still get maybe one a year though - I think sleeping on your side lessens the likelihood of it happening, though it did happen to me a few times even in that position...

yeah the 'entity' is definitely something you get with it too sometimes, I used to proper thing it was the embodiment of pure evil or something, I would feel just a kinda dark figure at the foot of my bed, not necessarilly see it, just sense it. And yeah you're right it is across all cultures and has been written about for a long time (the 'white hag' etc.) - I think the original meaning of nightmares/night terrors was actually this.

I think it tends to happen more when your stressed, depressed or emm 'mentally fragile', but it is nothing to 'worry' about as it does not effect you at all the next dat (well apart from being a bit more tired).

[JBC]

Hate to be unsympathetic if you really are suffering here, but the way this is written, this sounds more like circuitface's account got hacked :\

You okay man?

It's okay, it's really me and I think I'll be okay if I just make sure to be more careful about my habits. When I drink I tend to do it in excess and on most of the really bad incidents (if I recall correctly) I had drank copious amounts of wine before falling asleep. It's happened without any alcohol consumption before, since childhood even, but never with the intensity that it has on nights were I gorge myself.

I was an idiot. I'm normally pretty good at keeping my alcoholism in check but lately I've been slipping due to a mix of boredom and stress. I didn't realize it was going to lead to another episode as they have a tendency to sneak up on you since they only happen so often.

Still, this previous incident was so terrifying I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was either about to asphyxiate, have a heart attack, or go into seizure. Some of the stuff I've read says that you really are breathing when it happens but don't know it. I've had it happen before even laying on my side - but with my face pressed into my pillow too much. However, I have noticed that sleeping on my side seems to reduce the risk.

I wish I had more time to elaborate right now but I'll try to get back online tomorrow.

[Siren2011]

Happened twice when I was younger. Scared the shit out of me, obviously. Kudos to being able to take it for so long. I woke up and was unable to move an inch of any part of my body, I couldn't breathe, AND my eyes were fixed unmovable to one spot on my ceiling.

[Ex-Cyber]

Thankfully this has only happened to me twice (that I remember), and only one of them was even moderately bad. No sense of apparitions or anything that dramatic; I just briefly hallucinated a view of part of the room that I couldn't actually see (I vaguely recall that my alarm clock showed an impossible time and/or non-digits).

As for the breathing issue, my understanding is that it feels like you can't breathe because you can't control it, even though it's still happening. You try to engage that effort and nothing happens, so it feels like there must be some opposing force.

[ZacharyB]

I'm curious about this... the closest I've ever had to this is dreaming that I've woken up, but I'm actually still dreaming, so things don't work like they should and I feel strange, thinking it's reality.

It sounds like the same system that keeps your physical body in the waking world from going on a rampage according to what you experience in your dreams doesn't "declutch" properly. Kind of like the opposite of sleep walking. You wake up and this "oops, pissed myself in my dreams, time to do the same in reality"-safeguard system hasn't given you control of the body back yet.

[gct]

Hey circuitface, I have to apologize now that I know it's really you and not a spam bot.

I did go and read that Wikipedia article, now I do remember having an episode when I was very young, perhaps about 5 or 6 years old where I awoke feeling like I was unable to breathe. That was the only time I have ever had anything similar to what was described. Fascinating read at any rate.

I have probably experienced milder cases of it, but I don't remember being terrified or hallucinating so nothing stuck in my mind like that childhood episode. I have had weird dreams where things were so weird that I decided I was dreaming, but nightmares are just nightmares for me. Sometimes sad, sometimes exciting, always temporary and entirely gone with a quick awakening but I never felt like my life was endangered, even in the 'chasing' dreams. When I'm driving my motorcycle through an intersection and some car in the opposing direction tries to make a left turn in front of me through an impossible gap, or when I stop at an light and a speeding bus passes me on the right in my own lane to run the red light, THAT's when I get a feeling I'm going to die. Never had that feeling when sleeping.

I don't know what you can do, but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to have healthy living habits - eat well and sleep early, something like that. Hope whatever you try, gets your life back in order.

[BPzeBanshee]

I once woke up and got slapped on the side of my face by an invisible force, putting me back to sleep again. Fortunately it was nothing what what you guys are describing, and I certainly can't recall any cases where I've had such. My sympathies, mate.

[stryc9]

Don't talk to me about 'sleep paralysis'

I've been pinned down, accompanied by weird sounds, had the head board of my bed appear to vibrate, and woken up, gone to pull the covers back and couldn't see my hand

You know, that sought of everyday occurence.

[louisg]

Reading about it, I realize I've had a few really mild cases of it that only lasted a few seconds. Mostly I'd think I'm awake, and then I'd try to yell, and all I can hear is this soft "HURRRRR!" sort of sound-- and then I wake up fully.

Some of those more extreme cases sound terrifying. Does it help to realize what it is that's happening, or is your brain too half-asleep to think straight?

[Acid King]

Reading about it, I realize I've had a few really mild cases of it that only lasted a few seconds. Mostly I'd think I'm awake, and then I'd try to yell, and all I can hear is this soft "HURRRRR!" sort of sound-- and then I wake up fully.

Same. If I stay up late working and I haven't gotten enough sleep, I'll lie on the floor on my back, close my eyes and space out for an hour or so to get a quick rest in and go back to work. Quite a few times I've found myself staring at the ceiling, unable to move or speak. When it happens, I just close my eyes and dip back into sleep/rest mode for a bit and when I wake up form that I'll be fine.

[Deca]

I've had a couple mild cases of this, the one I remember the most was laying on the couch napping after an early class (I probably woke up for an 8am after 2-3 hours of sleep or something) while my roommate was playing some video game. Just mostly woke up and couldn't move at all, and suddenly felt very uncomfortable in my current position and sort of started to freak out feeling like I absolutely had to move. It didn't last very long but it was still fairly scary.

I think I was aware of what it was as it was happening as I was familiar with the idea of sleep paralysis, and honestly found the experience mostly interesting. I wasn't aware of all these other more sever things that could accompany it, sounds terrifying but I'm also quite intrigued haha. I'm sure I've experienced it one or two other times, but that specific instance is the one I remember.

[Jockel]

Is there some way to trigger this on purpose? Sounds trippy.

[e_tank]

@circuitface: it sounds to me like you could be suffering from sleep apnea combined with sleep paralysis. i get both myself from time to time and have even had both at the same time, and yes it's pretty terrible..

i rarely have sleep apnea (that i'm aware of), but i do suffer from sleep paralysis pretty often, i'd say on avg. about 1-2 times every month or so. it's always a bad experience but sometimes it can be downright horrific. most of the time i get it when i fall asleep in a dumb position and/or when i accidentally doze off on the couch before i had planned on going to bed for the night. i usually don't hallucinate/dream in this state, but when i have it has thankfully never been about some(one|thing) hovering over and choking me, that definitely sounds horrific. it's almost always the worst for me when i'm aware that i'm having trouble breathing, be it from a stuffed nose, my head buried in a pillow, or worse still from sleep apnea. sometimes in these situations i'm able to switch over to breathing through my mouth, which i'll do until i eventually wake up, but when i can't it feels like i'm going to suffocate until i wake up in a very abrupt manner gasping for air.

anyway, i can offer a few tips that may be of some use to others who also suffer from this:
- as has already been stated sleeping on your side helps. it's not a silver bullet but i've found it definitely reduces the chances vs. sleeping on my back or stomach.
- try and keep a hand touching, or at least very close to, your face (or failing that your neck or chest) at all times. when i'm having an episode i've found that if i focus hard enough i can move my hands and feet ever so slightly, and if my hand is touching my face the movement is usually enough to snap me out of it. i also seem to rarely have episodes when i sleep in a position like this, so maybe it also works on some kind of a subconscious level, too. just the fact that i'm preparing myself for it seems to help prevent it from happening in the first place.
- sometimes during an episode i'm able to control my breathing rate, if i can and really want to snap myself out of it fast i'll increase my breathing rate to the point where it forces my body to snap out of it. i usually save this as a last resort as the feeling i get from doing this is almost as bad as the sleep paralysis itself.
- my brother, who also suffers from this occasionally, has told me that keeping a ticking clock close to his head in his bed with him helps. he said that if he focuses on the noise it makes it helps him regain full conciousness quicker.
- if you sleep with a partner or with other people in near by rooms make sure to tell them you suffer from this and to wake you if they think you're having an episode. like louisg and Acid King, if i try and yell i can sometimes let out a groan that's loud enough to signal for help. let those around you know to wake you up if they hear you.

if all else fails, my best advice is to just stay calm and wait it out. don't over exert yourself trying to fight it, doing so only makes the experience more traumatic. even if it feels like your going to suffocate just remember that your body will (most likely, iirc people rarely die directly due to sleep apnea) snap yourself out of it if it gets close to that point. finally, if it's a severe enough problem for you then you should talk to your doctor, there might be something they can do for you. if the problem is also due to sleep apnea then you probably do want to see a doctor if it's happening often enough, although it can be hard for them to diagnose you and you may have to do some sort of sleep study.

... Does it help to realize what it is that's happening ...

no, it makes it worse for me. i really have to force myself to stay calm because my immediate and natural reaction has always been to struggle and panic.

I think I was aware of what it was as it was happening as I was familiar with the idea of sleep paralysis, and honestly found the experience mostly interesting.

for me it's terrible when it's happening but afterwards i usually can laugh about it the next day, especially while telling others about the experience, and especially if it was associated with a weird dream.

[RGC]

My partner and I have always referred to this phenomenon as the Heebie-Jeebies.

It's easy to laugh about the next day, but it's pretty fucking terrifying staring death in the face. And that's exactly what it feels like. It's not sleep paralysis in my case, but somehow related to the condition circuitface and others describe, since it has similar causes and symptoms. I've whinged pathetically here before about insomnia. As someone else stated, fatigue can be a causal factor behind these episodes.

Heebie-jeebies or heebie jeebies is an American English idiom used to describe depression or anxiety. This can be as an after-effect of excessive alcohol intake (see Delirium tremens) or to describe a particular type of anxiety usually related to a certain person or place. For example, "He gives me the heebie jeebies", meaning "He makes me uncomfortably nervous". It can also refer to a particular form of intense apprehension, verging on horror, that is associated with opiate withdrawal.

Beneath the heebie-jeebies lies a horrifying truth that the ancient ones communicate through dreams; death or madness awaits. For your own safety, try not to have your arms or legs positioned such that you're likely to roll onto them in the night and restrict blood-flow. That, and be sure to sober up before you go to bed.

[caldwert]

I had this once in college after finals. Went out and got blown out drunk. Slept on the floor at a friend's apartment. Woke up and could hear myself breathing deeply, but couldn't move. I was wide awake, but was just kind of stuck on the floor. This lasted for about 20 minutes before I fell back to sleep. It was already light out, so there I was on the floor, unable to do shit, just kind of hanging out. That's the only time I ever had it happen though.

[kid aphex]

...maybe you've got a succubus

[Raytrace]

Spiritus Succubus

*sings Posession by Danzig*

yeh when I was younger I used to think 'maybe they swoop down when your like that and fvck with your soul'

[Bloodreign]

I've had this shit, always accompanied by feeling of a dark entity behind me, this while sleeping halfway between my side and stomach. Something will call my name, but nothings there, I feel awake but am not, can't move either. Not a pleasant situation, but usually I can fight myself wide awake after a little bit, scary stuff indeed.

I still swear sometimes it whispers my name, other times something else, but I know it's my subconscious fucking with me.

[BPzeBanshee]

You know, now that I think about, I've had a few strange times when going to sleep where for some reason I've felt like I'm about to fall off on the floor........but while perfectly still on the bed. Looking it up I get this: http://scienceblogs.com/purepedantry/20 ... like_i.php

I wonder if oddball cases like this will be understood more in the future - Aspergers Syndrome and Autism were complete unknowns till about ten years ago over here, and RSI was some kind of joke. Maybe in ten years we'll progress even further.

[rapoon]

been dealing with this shit for years. always when I'm falling asleep. I'm fully aware
of what's happening and have to use all of my strength to move. My body feels like it's
trembling underneath the skin, I believe I'm having trouble breathing (even though it's fine)
I have to get out of bed, walk around for a bit then I can go back to bed.

Lately, I've been experiencing short periods of amnesia. I take meds that make me tired
as fuck, job is stressful. last night I was playing DDP and fighting to stay awake. I kept
nodding off while playing. I remember getting in my chair, starting GitS and then falling asleep.
Next thing I know, I'm standing in my bathroom (don't remember getting up), presumably to
go take a piss. but I was barely awake, grasping my arms because I was cold as shit, and
I was dreaming of turning on the heat. I kept falling in and out of a very mild sleep.
I finally completely woke up, took a piss, brushed my teeth and went to bed. 3rd time
something like this has happened. in all instances, I was fighting to stay awake and my
mind just finally shuts down. it's exhausted.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Yes, I've had a few episodes of this sleep paralysis. Quite interesting if you suddenly open your eyes during mid-dream sequence and the dream is still being played out in front of your field of vision but eventually fades into the reality of a room. Quite a trippy experience indeed without the aid of alcohol or any drugs taken beforehand before going to sleep. I've never have seen a sci-fi or horror film explore this SP subject matter in greater detail but with the magic of CG, it'd be quite doable nowdays.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[xbl0x180]

I, too, have occasional bouts of sleep paralysis, as well as (what one would refer to as) "lucid dreaming" (i.e., realising I'm dreaming and having a little bit of control as to what happens and what I do). My dreams are already strange, so this adds one more level into my subconscious. Furthermore, I require at least 10 hours of sleep to feel "functional."

Entering REM sleep faster than most people is one thing, but the worrisome part for me is that I think I may have a slight case of narcolepsy: I can fall asleep standing up, while sitting down at a meeting, while talking with someone, and the most f***** up part is that I can't tell the doc since all he will do is report me to the DMV and have my driver's license revoked - it's one of those conditions the DMV monitors. Sleep will be the least of my issues if my license was taken away...

[Raytrace]

been dealing with this shit for years. always when I'm falling asleep. I'm fully aware
of what's happening and have to use all of my strength to move. My body feels like it's
trembling underneath the skin, I believe I'm having trouble breathing (even though it's fine)
I have to get out of bed, walk around for a bit then I can go back to bed.

Lately, I've been experiencing short periods of amnesia. I take meds that make me tired
as fuck, job is stressful. last night I was playing DDP and fighting to stay awake. I kept
nodding off while playing. I remember getting in my chair, starting GitS and then falling asleep.
Next thing I know, I'm standing in my bathroom (don't remember getting up), presumably to
go take a piss. but I was barely awake, grasping my arms because I was cold as shit, and
I was dreaming of turning on the heat. I kept falling in and out of a very mild sleep.
I finally completely woke up, took a piss, brushed my teeth and went to bed. 3rd time
something like this has happened. in all instances, I was fighting to stay awake and my
mind just finally shuts down. it's exhausted.

Im pretty sure I read somewhere that there is a correlation between hypnogogia and sleep paralysis

[JBC]

It scared me enough that I've been avoiding a thorough response to this thread. I'm starting to lighten up about it a little though. Yesterday I laughed when I realized how f'd up it is that when your lips & tongue are paralyzed when you try to cry for help it probably sounds like "hellllllllllll... helllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll" to anyone else in the room.

That's creepy on so many levels it takes the whole thing into Sam Raimi territory.

[Bloodreign]

Days after reading and replying to this thread, yesterday I try to wake up because I'm dreaming some dude is trying to choke me. After a few seconds I'm realizing I'm looking up at my ceiling but yet I don't believe I'm fully awake. I try and try my damnedest to move but to no avail, I can feel myself blinking yet could not move arms or legs. I finally snap out of it and realize I had slept on my back, something I try to avoid doing as I sleep on my side, apparently sometime during sleep I shifted from side to back and triggered this damned episode. I apparently had wore myself out from breathing fast too, must avoid at all costs sleeping on my back, this shit is scary enough.

[chempop]

I have experienced sleep paralysis in the past, but haven't had an episode since quitting pot and alcohol. As a kid I used to sleep walk regularly. It freaked the heck out of my brother who shared a room with me growing up. I'd flash the lightswitches, randomly go into our closet, and even fall down stairs from time to time. My brother would hide under his bed and even put toys around the floor so if I got to close to him I'd step on something and wake up.

Eventually it escalated to having out of body experiences. Some of the ones I recall I thought I was awake wondering around the house, but then I'd realize that my body was still in bed. The most severe cases ended up being suppressed memories that I eventually recalled in my 20's. I don't want to get into the details, but at the time it felt as if I was being transported deep into space while lying in bed conscious and paralyzed.

Some of the sleep paralysis I've experience in more recent years were only uncomfortable, while other times were full of fear. I definitely tried calling out for help a few times, you're probably not far off in thinking it might have actually sounded like "hellllllll" LOL. One of the most intense times I started having an out of body experience after giving up on trying to move my body. My consciousness rose out and I was basically thinking, "my body stopped responding, I should leave", but once I got to the ceiling I quickly changed my mind and was like "fuck this, I better not go too far, I might not come back."