Sleep paralysis

Does anyone else here suffer from sleep paralysis? For anyone who hasn't heard of it, wikipedia give a good summary here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis

I never suffered from sleep paralysis until about six months ago, and its getting more and more frequent, last night I think I had about 4 individual episodes, luckily with no horrible hallucinations but it was still really terrifying. Like I could blink and look around me but no matter how hard I tried, I could not move any other part of my body whatsoever, and no matter how hard I tried to scream, nothing would come out... Horrid...

Does anyone else get this? And does anyone know of any ways to stop it?

Reply 1

undercover agent

12

i used to get it all the time, i never saw a GP about it or anything,it is quite scary at first when you dont realise what it is or that its a rleaitvely common thing, it seems to have stoppped since iv been on citalopram i just ger really vivid dreams and lucid dreams instead..

have you researched causes because i know diet, alchohol use, the amount of rem and non-rem sleep you naturally get, etc, can all make a difference...?

Reply 2

Dashavoo

When I was little I used to get it all the time, I would wake up with it after nightmares, or I would wake up with it but still be experiencing the nightmares.
It was horrible, but back then I used to remember my dreams a lot more and was lucid a lot more of the time, and I would gladly welcome those things back, I am always trying to induce lucidity into my dreams these days.

Reply 3

Atomik

9

I get sleep paralysis all the time. Had it last night, actually. It's weird - I always get a weird vibrating feeling accompanying it, along with a loud buzzing sound. It's got so frequent that I'm aware of the fact that I'm in the middle of sleep paralysis when it hits me, and I try to enjoy it as if I were tripping. They can be quite scary though, but I guess the frequency of them makes it 'alright'. :smile:

it seems to have stoppped since iv been on citalopram i just ger really vivid dreams and lucid dreams instead..

You lucid dream? Ahh, so envious, so envioussss!

Reply 4

Peter121PRO

Atomik

I get sleep paralysis all the time. Had it last night, actually. It's weird - I always get a weird vibrating feeling accompanying it, along with a loud buzzing sound. It's got so frequent that I'm aware of the fact that I'm in the middle of sleep paralysis when it hits me, and I try to enjoy it as if I were tripping. They can be quite scary though, but I guess the frequency of them makes it 'alright'. :smile:

You lucid dream? Ahh, so envious, so envioussss!

had it last night too

Reply 5

undercover agent

12

Atomik

You lucid dream? Ahh, so envious, so envioussss!

all my conventional 'plot based' dreams are not lucid, just really detailed and elaborate - my lucid dreams are always the same sort of format, they're like im in some sort of giant arcade game :s-smilie:

Reply 6

Atomik

9

Sketchy! Still, though, it's been a long time since I've had a really vivid dream. I've never, ever lucid dreamed though... Do you have any techniques, or do they all come naturally? Lots of people getting into lucid dreaming keep dream diaries and such... I'm too lazy to keep one though; the thought of writing as soon as I wake up is not appealing. :P

Reply 7

undercover agent

12

Atomik

Sketchy! Still, though, it's been a long time since I've had a really vivid dream. I've never, ever lucid dreamed though... Do you have any techniques, or do they all come naturally? Lots of people getting into lucid dreaming keep dream diaries and such... I'm too lazy to keep one though; the thought of writing as soon as I wake up is not appealing. :P

nope they just come naturally ever since iv been on these meds which for the last 6 months or so, not sure if they have the same side effect for everyone or if its just me,I never used to have vivid dreams very often before that..

Reply 8

ramzwj

12

I got a couple a few months ago - was scared ****less, didn't realise it was common.

Reply 9

x7xemilyx7x

oh my days, i have exactly the same!! i sometimes wake up and can't open my eyes or life my head off the pillow

Reply 10

chloecouture

8

I get it loads aswell but when i asked my dad about it he said it was because, i wasn't getting enough sleep and not having a regular sleeping pattern but he's not a doctor or anything so it could be wrong. I agree with you though, it is scary.

Reply 11

beccaarr

12

There's been times when I've had it really bad. Normally after a nightmare, usually if I'm being chased or someone has hold of me. I'll wake up and still be having the nightmare.The first time I was too scared to go back to sleep, I stayed up the rest of the night trying to stay awake. I couldn't move at all, couldn't scream or make any sound. For about a week afterwards I hated going to bed and was petrified it would happen again. Its happened a few times since and it still freaks me out. Its horrible.

Reply 12

Dashavoo

Atomik

Sketchy! Still, though, it's been a long time since I've had a really vivid dream. I've never, ever lucid dreamed though... Do you have any techniques, or do they all come naturally? Lots of people getting into lucid dreaming keep dream diaries and such... I'm too lazy to keep one though; the thought of writing as soon as I wake up is not appealing. :P

Haha, I would keep a dream diary but the times I have tried to do something like that I have forgotten to write it down until just before bed the next night, by which time all I can write down is along the lines of "something about celery?"
I find that my dreams are more vivid and more lucid when I am sleeping somewhere other than my own bed at home, I don't know if it is association, environment, or depth of sleep that causes it.

Reply 13

Inconceivable

I get sleep paralysis and have done for quite a long time. It's really scary when it happens, even though I know what it is.

I get the 'old hag' too, it's ****ing terrifying. I feel like there's someone/thing in my room but can't move or scream. Then the 'hag' comes and sits on my chest, it's really vivid and feels so real. Sometimes I can move but there's a delay, so I try and put my lamp on but I don't move until a few seconds after I try. Does that make sense?

I find not sleeping on my back helps.

Reply 14

Viridis

10

I've never got it recently, but there was a time about a couple of years ago when i had it really bad.

when i did have it, it would be loads within a week and then a space of a month and then i'd have it again.

i don't think there is a way to stop it tbh.

maybe just a hot bath or something before to help relax perhaps? :s-smilie:

Reply 15

mitsabeeba

2

Shyte I'm sorry to hear it happens to you so often.
I've only experienced sleep paralysis once about 3 years ago when I was 18. I was practically paralysed like you but had hallucinations of 3 devils that were on fire, sitting on my chest and screaming in my face. I couldn't stop crying and couldn't sleep the rest of the night.

Don't sleep on your back. I read it usually happens when you sleep on your back. Sleep on your side.

I never sleep on my back anymore.

Reply 16

mitsabeeba

2

Inconceivable

I get sleep paralysis and have done for quite a long time. It's really scary when it happens, even though I know what it is.

I get the 'old hag' too, it's ****ing terrifying. I feel like there's someone/thing in my room but can't move or scream. Then the 'hag' comes and sits on my chest, it's really vivid and feels so real. Sometimes I can move but there's a delay, so I try and put my lamp on but I don't move until a few seconds after I try. Does that make sense?

I find not sleeping on my back helps.

that's scary as hell. do you see the hag lady walking over to you? ive seen documentaries about s.paralysis and they mentioned this hag vision.. and some people see her standing at the other end of the room and then walk over to their bed.. freaky

it's weird how none of these hallucinations are anything good..always something sinister.. always made me wonder whether sleep paralysis is something alot deeper than what we assume..

Reply 17

Dark Flower

Yeah I've had that a few times. Can be quite scary because I find it much harder to breath, get a sense of panic, which doesn't exactly help the breathing situation. I never thought it was actaully a condition though, or that it was treatable. Mind you it only happens to me once a month or so, if it became more regular I'd see my doctor

Reply 18

emmarainbow

12

Yeah, I get it a lot, but only when I nap, and only when I lie on my back or front. I get weird half-dreams, that always make sense, like someone asking me to play a game and I'm thinking 'but I have sleep paralysis! I would, but I can't move!!' and when I tell them they can 5 minutes later after waking up properly, it seems I dreamed it!

Reply 19

lottie123

7

I've had it once before, but it wasn't as bad or as terrifying as some of the experiences above posters have had. I couldn't move my head or upper body and couldn't open my eyes, they felt so heavy as if I had little weights hanging off my eye lashes. When I did finally manage to open them, my eyelids were immediatly dragged down again! Was kinda scary as I didn't actually know what was happening at the time. A friend of mine experiences it very regularly though which must be horrible.

Sleep paralysis

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