Sleep paralysis

[FrankiesKnuckle]

Last night, for the first time in about 15 years, I had an episode of sleep paralysis. Totally terrifying, I was imagining being pinned down and unable to move, breathe or speak - only broken by my husband loudly shushing me!
I suffered a lot in my twenties, many episodes that were extremely scary until I found out what they were (I thought I was being possessed!)
A few episodes in my early thirties then nothing.
Until last night.

I'd forgotten how unnerving and discombobulating they were.

Anyone else?

I get it on a regular basis 2-3times a week, have done since my late teens (now late 30s) and it is terrifying every time. My husband never understood it and recently had his first experience of it and apologised for being so dismissive of it for so many years!

I find it helps especially as of late to drift of sleep whilst listening to a podcast of a casual/chatty nature - nothing too engaging. They are very disconcerting but as you wake try and jolt yourself up so that you aren't 'held down' by the paralysis. I think given the current circumstances they might get worse / more sporadic... but I do empathise.

I get it off and on but have had it much more often and more vividly over the past few weeks.

I get this when I'm a bit stressed. It's awful and I'm always alone on a day off when it happens, never when my husband is home in the morning (he goes to work at 5am). Mine always feels like there's someone in the house and I hear footsteps runnings around and sometimes a slam of the door.
It only happens when I wake up on my belly though, never on my back or side...

I've not had it for a while but I used to suffer quite badly about 10 years ago. Sometimes I do have very.mild episodes of it but that's not very often. Watch it happen tonight now.

It’s a random trick, but if you focus on moving your toes it will break the paralysis. It helps me

I had it again recently having not had it in about 15 years. I’ve not been well, started on new meds. I ‘woke’ and thought I could see figures at the end of the bed...DH also said I have screamed in my sleep but when he talked to me I was so asleep I just grunted.

I try to do a relaxation app as I fall asleep which usually helps. It’s ruddy horrible when it happens though.

I had them as a side effect from medication for about 2 years, suffered every night. Didn't realise what was causing it for a long time. Got to the point that I was too frightened to go to sleep.

Mine centred around behind attacked and then I'd think I'd woken up but wouldn't be able to move and would have to watch this man go upstairs after telling me in great detail that he was going to murder my children and dh. It was truly terrifying.
Mine faded when I stopped the meds so I'm no help, but I do sympathise.

I've always had horrifically realistic nightmares, centred around similar themes, but these were on a whole other level

I'd never ever had this until last year whilst in Prague and it was awful and a very scarey experience but it was a one off and I've never had it again....I still don't know why it occurred - maybes worrying as we'd left children with grandparents...I don't know but was terrifying and I'm sorry to hear others go through it more than once.

I get this a lot. I find if I try to sort of roll my body over, feels like I'm lifting a tonne of weight, it eventually breaks the paralysis.

I dont get the hallucinations any more as I know it's not real.

What's worse is being in a dream where I am half dreaming half awake and am paralysed, much harder to break so fully conscious is much easier!

I have not had one for years. Mine only happened when I was under massive stress/anxiety or dealing with a bereavement (incidentally I am very good at dealing with stress and managing after a loss but I think the pain comes out in other ways, like sleep paralisis)

Had this for years as a child. Must be brought on by stress? I used to focus on my eyes. Trying to shut them tight and then open them up suddenly. Used to break the 'spell' for me.

I have had this. But mine always comes with someone ( shadow ) standing in the doorway of the bedroom. The sheer panic is horrific. Thankfully I have not had one for the last year. But not being able to move is just awful

I used to get it a lot sleeping during the day when I worked nights. Very frequent. It wasn’t terrifying but it took a lot of energy literally fighting with myself trying to concentrate enough to be able to move and break it.

for all that still suffer this.

Even after all these years it's still terrifying. Mine always come with a visual hallucination/dream but I'm aware of my immediate surroundings, like I can hear my husband snoring.

It seems that the current situation is obviously playing on our minds.

I think that this situation is really exacerbating it for me. I get both paralysis and night terrors and to top it off I tend to sleepwalk during the latter. The other night I dreamt someone was suffocating me and could feel the persons fingers on my face. It was awful.

I have them sporadically, but they have become so infrequent now that I can go a year without having any when I used to have them every other month. I could never link it to what was going on in my life as my MH has been problematic since birth.