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Original poster

Could this be sleep paralysis?

18 replies

CandleWick4 · 29/09/2021 19:42

Had a nightmare early hours of this morning. I’ve had similar nightmares before and I think they may be a form of sleep paralysis but I’m unsure.
They’re always the same sort of dream and this mornings was too.
I’m in my bed, in the same pjs, but I can’t shout I can’t talk I can’t scream even though things are happening that are frightening me and I know I need to wake up. This morning something was trapped around my hand and my little finger had gone. I was holding my hand in terror trying to shout to wake up DH but no noise would come out. I’ve realised if I make a certain noise it comes out in real life and the noise is enough to get DH to wake me. Tends to happen when I’m stressed or over tired.
I don’t know if these are just nightmares or could they be sleep paralysis? They’re just so real and I’m sort of aware I’m asleep? It’s really scary

OP posts:

Somethingsnappy · 29/09/2021 19:51

I'm not an expert but that does sound like sleep paralysis. I've always understood it to mean that you're trying to move your real body by your dream mind, which obviously won't work. You're kind of trapped between the two states. I've had it before. If you're aware you're asleep though, you're lucid dreaming, so perhaps Google it and get suggestions for a way to wake yourself up.

mrsrko · 29/09/2021 19:53

Sounds like sleep paralysis. I suffer with it it, used to be on a weekly basis.

puffasocks · 29/09/2021 20:14

Not sure about sleep paralysis but as @Somethingsnappy said, Google lucid dreaming to see if you can get some tips on how to take control when these dreams happen. I occasionally can wake myself from a bad dream if I realise it’s just a dream but not sure how.

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takemetomars · 29/09/2021 20:27

@CandleWick4

Had a nightmare early hours of this morning. I’ve had similar nightmares before and I think they may be a form of sleep paralysis but I’m unsure. They’re always the same sort of dream and this mornings was too. I’m in my bed, in the same pjs, but I can’t shout I can’t talk I can’t scream even though things are happening that are frightening me and I know I need to wake up. This morning something was trapped around my hand and my little finger had gone. I was holding my hand in terror trying to shout to wake up DH but no noise would come out. I’ve realised if I make a certain noise it comes out in real life and the noise is enough to get DH to wake me. Tends to happen when I’m stressed or over tired. I don’t know if these are just nightmares or could they be sleep paralysis? They’re just so real and I’m sort of aware I’m asleep? It’s really scary

Yep, sleep paralysis. It can be terrifying. It only happens to me if I have had too much sleep

Pinkstars2501 · 29/09/2021 21:05

Sounds like it. This is how I experience it too, usually also hear people running around my house though obviously there's nobody there.

It's bloody horrible isn't it.

cricketmum84 · 29/09/2021 21:14

That does sound like sleep paralysis. I have it regularly although thankfully not for a while now.

Everyone is different but for me it starts with feeling like there is a huge weight in me, I can't breathe or shout. It starts with a loud buzzing noise and I know that it's about to start but can't do anything about jt. eventually I manage to make a noise at which point DH knows to shake me.

At it's worse points i am dragged off the bed by my feet, the covers fly off me and I hit the door. When I shake out of it I'm still in bed. It's bloody scary!!!

TheFoundations · 29/09/2021 21:22

Sounds like it. I had a friend who used to regularly 'wake up' with some big heavy bloke sitting on her chest, always turned away from he so she never saw his face.
Hideous.

But harmless, though.

Are you anxious in daily life?

Original poster

CandleWick4 · 29/09/2021 21:27

@TheFoundations

Sounds like it. I had a friend who used to regularly 'wake up' with some big heavy bloke sitting on her chest, always turned away from he so she never saw his face. Hideous.

But harmless, though.

Are you anxious in daily life?

Yes I have GAD and take a beta blocker to help. Had a good deal of stress the past couple of weeks. It’s just so scary. When I think about it the next day it seems silly but at the time it’s absolutely terrifying. I had a google and it sounds like something called False Awakenings (I get these often) which can lead to lucid dreams and sleep paralysis after a disturbed sleep which I had last night (DD had me up at 4am).

OP posts:

babouchette · 29/09/2021 21:32

Sounds like it to me. How horrible for you. I've only had it once or twice but found it terrifying. Hope you get it sorted soon.

cricketmum84 · 29/09/2021 21:42

The worst thing about sleep paralysis for me is the hallucinations.

That and the fact that the more sleep deprived you are the more likely it is to happen. And the more it happens the more sleep deprived you get...

Just keep repeating to yourself that this is purely an imbalance of sleep hormones. Your body is still producing the chemical that keeps you still and stops you acting out your dreams and your brain is awake so hasn't quite caught up yet. That's all it is. There is no scary old lady dragging you off the bed.

Easy to say I know cos it's fucking terrifying when it happens

Icanflyhigh · 29/09/2021 22:06

Definitely sounds like sleep paralysis to me. I've suffered on and off for about 25/30 years.

I can't pinpoint a trigger but DH says it is one of the most frightening things he has experienced in his life as he can't wake me, he can't help me and he knows after an episode it leaves me frightened to sleep and exhausted for days.

I'm not sure if there is a cure, but if you find one let me know.

Tumbleweed101 · 29/09/2021 22:29

I experience sleep paralysis as being awake and not in a dream but not being able to move at all. Even my breathing is slow as if I'm asleep and I can't get a deeper breath, that is the scariest bit for me. I tend to experience it if I go back to sleep and sleep in rather than during my usual busy schedule where I get up for work etc.

cricketmum84 · 29/09/2021 22:31

@Tumbleweed101

Exactly the same here! All the stuff I have read online says it's on waking but for me it's trying to get back to sleep after waking.

ChrissyPlummer · 29/09/2021 23:12

I suffer from it occasionally and have had the man sitting on my chest too. Interestingly, I could describe him and most people who have a ‘person’ as part of their SP describe the same thing, or so I read somewhere. The best way to try and get out of it is to wiggle your fingers or toes, don’t fight with your whole body, just wiggle and make small movements with small parts of your body.

Original poster

CandleWick4 · 30/09/2021 09:09

@Tumbleweed101

Yes, the other night DD had woken me around 4am unexpectedly and I was awake for a while before eventually falling back to sleep. How strange

OP posts:

Original poster

CandleWick4 · 30/09/2021 09:10

Thank you all for the supportive comments. Managed to have a good sleep last night!

OP posts:

vampirethriller · 30/09/2021 09:13

Sounds like it, I get it when I'm very tired. Helps to not sleep on my back!
When it happens the best thing to do is relax, don't try to fight it, and think to yourself "It's not real, it's not real" and it's over a lot quicker.

Breathmiller · 30/09/2021 10:28

I used to get sleep paralysis a lot when I was younger. It's awful.

I had one episode of it a few years ago and was reminded how bad it was. It used to get so bad I would avoid going to sleep. Which just made it worse of course.

I do think it's related to anxiety. I know it's often touted as a cure all for everything and it might not work for everyone but I do think that it stopped when I started meditating daily.

I'm glad that you had a good night's sleep last night.

Sometimes it just helps recognising what it is then it can ease a little.

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