Sleep paralysis, Natural or Sinister?: Your Experiences

Valentina

I never heard of SP until I read about it in a thread over in AH.

I ended up experiencing it some months later. I woke up one morning and couldn't move or breathe properly. It felt like someone was squeezing around my rib cage. I was actually afraid to open my eyes after reading about other people seeing a 'hag woman' so I just lay there trying to move my limbs. I could also hear bizarre sounds, like crows squawking in my ears. It was getting louder and louder and only stopped when I regained movement and was able to wake fully. I didn't feel like anyone was in the room with me but when I couldn't breathe I felt scared and panicky. Really hope this never happens again!

DyldeBrill

Experienced it for the first time when I was around 16. I woke up and couldn't move an inch. All I heard was various different whispers in my ear to which i absolutely freaked out and started screaming. I eventually sprung up to gather my senses and that's when it ended. I've had it a few times since but never ever as bad as the first time I got it. Scary stuff!

moneymad

anyone ever see a red laser?
light a laser pointer?

puddles22

happened to me a on a few occasions , each one was progressively worse , the last felt as if something was trying to molest me, anyhow i happened to be in a pub one night and by chance was talking to a missionary priest and somehow told him what happened , we met up the next day and he performed an exorcism , i kid you not. I am not into religion in any way but let him try it and it hasnt happened since so i'll take that.

Bongalongherb

I just watched that new/recent documentary about sleep paralysis called... 'The Nightmare' and it brought a fear back into my mind from having many episodes of it in past years.

I have to add this response in relation to this phenomena...

I have not had an episode of sleep paralysis in around 4 years, but I have noted a possible reason as to when I did constantly experience it, and it was when I smoked a lot of hash years ago (not cannabis) only hash and I think this has had a profound effect on a person to experience this nasty spell of waking up but not being able to move, and the hellish fear of feeling that someone or something is in the room with you but you can see the whole room in my experience and feel the fear like you were going to be killed, very frightening indeed I have to say. I'm sure many folk have died having these they are that frightening.

I have never had sleep paralysis after smoking cannabis bud not once, (as I gave up smoking hash at the time) but I have to stress that smoking hash seems to be a factor in having this awaking encounter. I'm sure many folk have sleep paralysis even by ingesting pharmaceutical drugs, but I have noticed a connection between this phenomena and the smoking of hash.

It's the weirdest thing that can happen and it can make you think of reality when you have the experience of waking up but cannot move and being able to see your surroundings perfectly clearly and then the real fear of a feeling that something seriously evil is coming close to you to harm you but you cannot move but only see.

A lot more scientific research should be put into this because when you have the encounter believe me you will never forget it. An interesting subject though.

But then again... it doesn't explain all of the reports of documented sleep paralysis cases from hundreds of years ago. It's a thing you don't want to experience that's for sure. I hope I never have one again.

salamanca22

This happens me relatively frequently. Almost every time it does happen there is one common factor which is stress.

I am lying in bed, usually facing the wall as that is my favorite position to fall asleep, suddenly I am awake, it takes a moment to realize I am frozen in place and can not move my body except for slight twitches of my extremities. Sometimes I am able to move my arms but at a pace that is extremely sluggish. After I realise I am unable to move then comes the 'hauntings'. Sometimes it is the infamous hag people mention and other times it's a sort of demon. They never touch me or get more than a few feet close to me. Always just... watching. It is the most unnerving thing that has ever happened to me. Even though I am facing the wall I have like other posters have mentioned an out of body experience, I can see the whole room but at the same time I am facing the wall... If that makes sense?

One time when it happened the hauntings never came but I could hear imaginary noises outside my bedroom door. The bedroom door was slightly ajar and I could sense the intruder just outside, I could do nothing but lay there and wait for the intruder to find me. He never did, he just passed by the door a few times making odd noises.

I am a grown adult. I never really get scared for real. But when these... nightmares happen I can feel the terror for days. I always thought I should get some help with them, like I had a mental illness but from watching a few documentaries and hearing of other peoples experiences I now know just how common it is and it has put me at ease a little, though I have never really heard of other people who have had the experience at such a degree of intensity that I have had at times.

I hope I don't have to experience it again for another while. I really hate it.

pflood1978

I first got SP when I was 12 and 25 years later I am still getting them. Its progressed over the years and now I am getting them most nights. I'm afraid to sleep because of the screaming. I have no control over my mind or body. One night I thought I saw people in my car couldn't shout so I tried to climb out the bedroom window 3 stories up. I have punched and kicked the bedroom wall so many times, broke everything on the locker leaving me with cuts to my fists. Its not nice but I get through it.
I try to tell myself it's not real. It works some nights and other nights it doesn't.

Three years ago I was diagnosed with bipolar and was told that what I had wasn't psychological. Last night I heard a man's voice say "why oh why p did you do that". I slept with the lights on these days.
It has gotten so bad I sleep in the spare bed because I have attacked my wife a few times.
I have an appointment in the new year to get my sleep monitored.

NufcNavan

I had SP for the first time last night.

Lots of stuff similar to what's being mentioned before. I was only asleep for about 15 minutes and the first thing I noticed was I thought there was someone in the room, I thought at first it was my sister looking for something.

The weird thing was, I was 'awake', yet I couldn't open my eyes. It felt like somebody was sitting on me but I couldn't move at all. The harder I tried to open my eyes, the more there was a loud buzzing in my head, like a beehive. Even though my eyes were closed, I could still 'see' a figure in the room in my mind. All very strange. I was trying to shout but once I properly woke up I realised I wasn't making a sound.

It wasn't too scary as I read up on it before and I knew what was happening after the first few seconds. I eventually opened my eyes and turned on the lamp.

Dreannz

Bongalongherb wrote: »

I just watched that new/recent documentary about sleep paralysis called... 'The Nightmare' and it brought a fear back into my mind from having many episodes of it in past years.

I have to add this response in relation to this phenomena...

I have not had an episode of sleep paralysis in around 4 years, but I have noted a possible reason as to when I did constantly experience it, and it was when I smoked a lot of hash years ago (not cannabis) only hash and I think this has had a profound effect on a person to experience this nasty spell of waking up but not being able to move, and the hellish fear of feeling that someone or something is in the room with you but you can see the whole room in my experience and feel the fear like you were going to be killed, very frightening indeed I have to say. I'm sure many folk have died having these they are that frightening.

I have never had sleep paralysis after smoking cannabis bud not once, (as I gave up smoking hash at the time) but I have to stress that smoking hash seems to be a factor in having this awaking encounter. I'm sure many folk have sleep paralysis even by ingesting pharmaceutical drugs, but I have noticed a connection between this phenomena and the smoking of hash.

It's the weirdest thing that can happen and it can make you think of reality when you have the experience of waking up but cannot move and being able to see your surroundings perfectly clearly and then the real fear of a feeling that something seriously evil is coming close to you to harm you but you cannot move but only see.

A lot more scientific research should be put into this because when you have the encounter believe me you will never forget it. An interesting subject though.

But then again... it doesn't explain all of the reports of documented sleep paralysis cases from hundreds of years ago. It's a thing you don't want to experience that's for sure. I hope I never have one again.

I am on Morphine and fentanyl patches and I am now getting SP episodes a few times a week.
I can get an episode wake myself up then realise I've fallen back in to another one. It could happen 3or 4 times in a row.
I think people are there that aren't. Luckily people I know. But still scary when I come around as its all so real when I am trying to call out to them to wake me but they aren't even there.

When I have a night of bad pain and need a higher dose of morphine or to take it by injection I will definitely have it. Im terrified to fall asleep. I get woken every hour.

It's definitely caused by the opiates in my case although I did get it before I was got ill. But once a year maybe nothing like this.