Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Sleep Paralysis

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Sleep Paralysis

    This was the first time I have ever experienced this and it left me shaken. I sincerely hope it was just SP and nothing else. :P

    I usually sleep on my side but I pulled something on my back and so I've been tossing and turning all night. Eventually I fell asleep on my back with a pillow wedged beneath my waist. I fell asleep spread eagle with my cat, as always, between my legs. At some point, I feel my cat pad over my stomach and come to rest at my chest, something she used to do as a kitten but never does anymore because of the countless times I threw her across the room (in my sleep, mind you).

    I then felt her sniff at my mouth and I felt all the air I had just inhale be sucked right out of me, which of course, made me gasp for air. Just as I had managed to breathe in, the air went right back out. This annoyed me so I attempted to lift my arm and push her off only to find out I couldn't. Hell, I couldn't even open my eyes but I could hear the space heater, my husband's snoring and the cat purring....at my feet.

    This of course made me panic, so there I am, mind racing, struggling to breathe with what felt like a ten pound, furry weight on my chest that was, in no essence, my cat. (At this point, she had stretched out and I could feel her paws brushing against my calves through the blanket.) My husband's snoring starts turning to mumbles and I, for the life of me, can't open my eyes or move my body.

    It took all I had to finally open my eyes and I see what looks like my cat on me, except its not and its on its side so all I can see is its furry spine facing me. Its head is slightly out of my vision,just below my breast-- like half on, half off. I still can't talk.

    I moved my hand, barely, just enough from where it was against my shoulder to brush my 'cat' off of me. I see its head move and instantly my eyes are drawn shut and once again, I can't open them. The damned 'thing' then bit me and I feel my hand be shoved off and pinned at my head.

    By now, I'm really, really scared. I try to scream, call out to my husband or move and I can't-- what had previously felt like a ten pound weight increases so now it feels like I have a toddler on me and I can feel me losing my breath again, this time at a faster rate. My real cat, now, has jumped off of me and is now at my husband's side meowing at him.

    All I can manage to moan out at this point is "Jooouuu" (hubby's nickname is Jouji). He doesn't stirr, just whimpers in his dreams and now starts mumbling.

    So now I've gone from frightened to pissed off, and I start focusing on moving. It felt like an eternity though I'm sure the whole incident took minutes. After much struggle I have my knees bent about a foot off the mattress when it suddenly felt like a pair of hands grabbed my ankles and pulled. So I start cursing in my head, then praying and somehow manage to flop my hand over onto my husband's shoulder and at this point, it feels like a huge weight is finally being lifted off of me.

    Shaken, I curl up to him and just when I think its over I hear him mutter "I said, go the fuck AWAY!"

    When I finally wake up for the day and I'm getting ready for class, hubby turns to me and says "Honey, I had the strangest dream last night. I dreamt that Mosby (his old cat) you and I were living in an old Grey-house that was littered with a strange green tint to it. As I was fixing up the kitchen I kept seeing Mosby go outside to the yard and fighting, so I go out to investigate... and I see he's fighting these weird, giant spider-monster things that suddenly back away like shadows only to pool together and turn into a gigantic hound dog. This hound dog then starts snarling and growling. Mosby starts hissing which pisses off this creature and it stands there, head lowered, snarling his teeth. When it sees me it doubles in size by puffing out its furr--which is weird because hound dogs aren't long haired like that nor cats, but I digress-- and it starts coming to me... so I tell it to go the fuck away, and it won't. I go back into the house to get a rifle , head out and it has you cornered against the wall. You're trying to shoo it, Mosby's attacking and that's when I get pissed off, raise my rifle and tell it to go the fuck away. It sees me, growls and vanishes."

    I'm just hoping its a coincidence.
    "The problem isn't usually that there are stupid people in the world as much as it is that the stupid people like to call or come in and point out how stupid they are to the working public" -Justa

  • #2
    That's really weird. I had sleep paralysis once and it freaked me out, but it only lasted several seconds, I think. Sounds like you were half in a dream.

    I've also woken up after sleeping on my arm in a weird position and having it be completely numb. It's really strange to watch your fingers moving and not be able to feel anything at all.
    I don't go in for ancient wisdom
    I don't believe just 'cause ideas are tenacious
    It means that they're worthy - Tim Minchin, "White Wine in the Sun"

    Comment


    • #3
      I hate getting sleep paralysis. Its very scary. Yet at times I crave for it. Strange huh?
      Military Spouse Support.
      http://www.customerssuck.com/board/group.php?groupid=45
      Plaidman's Minions: Telecom_Goddess: Dungeon Minion

      Comment


      • #4
        Since we're on the subject... Sleep Paralysis, or at least one particular form of it, has been found in modern times to be the REAL reason for tales of "alien abduction"... and also the basis of older legends about the succubus and other such "creatures of the night" that would "suck the life/breath out of a person while they slept". Does that last bit sound familiar, AnqeiicDemise?

        Basically, Sleep Paralysis not only causes the symptoms you described, it can also cause the human mind to hallucinate... or, more accurately, continue dreaming while (partially) awake. The "victim" wakes up, is unable to move, perhaps feels the breath being drawn out of their body, and as they look around, they see vaguely human looking shapes standing in the room, usually near the foot of the bed, often gray in color. These are the "alien grays" that supposed alien abductees describe. In earlier times, they were called succubi. THEY ARE NOT REAL. They are a HALLUCINATION caused by that particular sleep state, nothing more. Modern day sleep researchers have proven this.

        As I understand it, what the sleep researchers found is that all of these symptoms occur when you wake during a particular sleep state, but you don't wake fully. You're still half asleep, and your brain acts accordingly. During that particular sleep state you were in before you awoke, your brain temporarily paralyzes your body from the neck down, to keep it in a particular sleeping position. This is why you couldn't move. When you didn't wake fully, your brain never removed the paralysis state it had your body in. The humanoid forms that some people see, I guess the best explanation is that the mind is still in a dream state, so reality and the dream world get merged together, causing the person to see beings that are not actually there.

        Of course, good luck convincing someone that thinks they're an "alien abductee" that this is what really happened to them. Unfortunately, the world is still far too full of ignorant, superstitious people, and they'd rather believe they were abducted and violated by a being from another world, than accept the truth that they simply experienced an unusual sleep state, nothing more.

        EDIT: You can read more about this phenomenon and the findings of the scientists researching it HERE and HERE. If you still want to know more, just do a Google search on "alien abduction sleep paralysis", that's how I found those articles.
        Last edited by Jack T. Chance; 12-06-2009, 03:09 AM.
        "Eventually one outgrows the fairy tales of childhood, belief in Santa and the Easter Bunny, and believing that SCs are even capable of imagining themselves in our position."
        --StanFlouride

        Comment


        • #5
          Thank you, you guys. At this hour and at this rate, I'm just looking for a nice reasonable explanation so as not to dread going to sleep. I have a 5 am shift and I don't want to loose sleep over this. Its bad enough my back hurts and keeps me awake most of the time.
          "The problem isn't usually that there are stupid people in the world as much as it is that the stupid people like to call or come in and point out how stupid they are to the working public" -Justa

          Comment


          • #6
            I have it often enough it's not a big deal. It can be frightening but when you know what's happening it can be amusing too. I've seen arms float out of my walls, little clowns dancing on my desk, etc. All from being stuck in that half-awake/half-asleep state.

            But yeah, freak city if you don't understand it.
            My dollhouse blog.

            Blog about life

            Comment


            • #7
              This happens nearly every night to me. Evidently my brain doesn't make enough of the chemical that keeps you asleep, so I remain sleep-paralyzed but begin to wake up. It still freaks me out, and it's been happening for years. I feel for you!

              Comment


              • #8
                Yeah. I get it from time to time too, enough to be fairly use to it. I force my "asleep" mind to make my foot twitch over and over till the rest of my brain wakes up in annoyance. Then I wake up fully.

                I use the same trick to wake myself up if I don't like a dream. I just think "Nah, screw this" and wake myself up. -.-

                Comment


                • #9
                  Quoth Gravekeeper View Post
                  I use the same trick to wake myself up if I don't like a dream.
                  I, too, can will myself awake if I'm having a bad dream. Don't recall it happening for quite awhile now, but it's happened several times over the years.

                  The common denominator in these situations has been to simply tell myself it's only a dream, and that I can wake myself out of it, and then I wake up.

                  Mike
                  Meow.........

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I have a fair amount of back and joint pain, and I find that using a body pillow or long bolster helps keep my arms and legs in position while sleeping so parts dont hurt when I wake up.

                    Elavil gave me the sleep paralysis and hallucinations way back in the late 70s when a doctor told me my migraines were all in my head and I needed an antidepressant ... That was scary, I hope you don't get many more of them.
                    EVE Online: 99% of the time you sit around waiting for something to happen, but that 1% of action is what hooks people like crack, you don't get interviewed by the BBC for a WoW raid.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I've had the Haint. It was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me, and when you consider all the other real life shit I've been into, that is saying something.

                      I used to not be claustrophobic until it happened, to me.

                      I spent half the night convinced there was a monster under the bed, the "halucinations," or whatever they were, were real. I mean, what makes so damn awful is that YOU KNOW WHAT YOU SAW.

                      I felt like I was covered with ice while I was reading the OP.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I wish I could wake myself up. I have a hard enough trouble *sleeping* to begin with that once I fall asleep, the body doesn't want to wake up.

                        When I try to wake myself up I end up in a loop-- I 'wake' up, go about my daily life and something happens to make me realize I'm still dreaming so... I'll make myself wake up (again). SURPRISE! I'm still dreaming. Rinse, wash, repeat for about five times until I finally, FINALLY, get out of dream land.

                        Then I'm just a frightened mess while I try to discern -- hey, is this dreamland or wake land?

                        I used to be really good at manipulating my dreams when I was younger. I could make things happen on will. I don't know where I lost control and its really sad.

                        And I hear you, Kinkoid. I've had such a paranormal-surrounded life that I really, really, *really* needed to be convinced that for once, it could all be explained away scientifically. Everybody needs a safe zone and nobody should have to fear being able to rest.
                        "The problem isn't usually that there are stupid people in the world as much as it is that the stupid people like to call or come in and point out how stupid they are to the working public" -Justa

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Quoth AccountingDrone View Post
                          I have a fair amount of back and joint pain, and I find that using a body pillow or long bolster helps keep my arms and legs in position while sleeping so parts dont hurt when I wake up.

                          Elavil gave me the sleep paralysis and hallucinations way back in the late 70s when a doctor told me my migraines were all in my head and I needed an antidepressant ... That was scary, I hope you don't get many more of them.
                          I have a body pillow but 1) hubby won't let me use it as we share a full size bed. Its barely big enough to handle the two of us comfortably. 2) said pillow is flimsy and doesn't give much support. Then again it was twenty bucks and .. I really didn't know it was even possible to get a firmer one. :P

                          I shall have to do a bit of research!
                          "The problem isn't usually that there are stupid people in the world as much as it is that the stupid people like to call or come in and point out how stupid they are to the working public" -Justa

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            I remember having sleep paralysis several times; in each case I was wide awake but I don't recall seeing anything out of the ordinary. It was more like I was expecting something to come out of nowhere, it just never happens. There's just that.. wait.
                            "IT stands away, interrupting himself from the incessant hammering of the kittens…"

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              im pretty sure ive had this

                              theres been a few times where im dreaming and something bad is happening or about to happen an i try to scream

                              sometimes i'll know im in my bed and my moms only a room over and i try and strain but nothing comes out and it feels as if something is holding me down and i try to move my arms and nothing

                              i wake up, break free and wonder if i ever screamed or not.

                              hate those

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X