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Original poster

Sleep paralysis

27 replies

HarriwithanI · 07/04/2023 05:29

It’s so blinking horrible isn’t it :( I’ve gone from 31 years of living with never having it, to the last 6 weeks having it most nights.

Tried all the methods on the nhs website to help avoid it but no luck.

Any other ideas from sufferers I’m happy to try anything! I’m actually scared to sleep now

OP posts:
Myownbestfriend · 07/04/2023 10:23

mydudero · 07/04/2023 09:03

Ah it's so frightening I really feel for you. I went through a dreadful period of it when I was 19, it went on for months. I had just finished my a-levels, moved to a new area with my parents and started my first full time job. Big life changes is a definite trigger for me. If you can manage to keep your eyes closed it really helps you wake up quicker, opening them and feeling you're frozen, that adrenaline and fear kicks in for me and that's when I see shadows at the end of my bed/get the feeling of someone pressing on my chest 🙈 keep your eyes closed and focus on your fingers and toes, I imagine waking them up then working my way up my arms, legs etc all whilst keeping those eyes shut. It gives you something to focus on and breathe through.

Now it happens maybe a couple of times a year. When life has its ups and downs, I notice it happens during the downs when I'm feeling stressed/anxious about something. I must admit I find my advice above much harder to follow when it hasn't happened for ages and catches me off guard though.

Hope the phase passes for you soon xx

I find it so difficult to stay calm, or, I'm not scared as such, just really, really keen to get moving again so I think I rush the toe wiggling and it ends up taking longer.

But I agree with a pp, that horrible gasp of breath once you wake up is almost the worst part for me!

I'll go without having an episode for months and months, then all of a sudden i'll have three episodes in successive nights (and looping back into it if I don't wake up properly, as others suggested)

Has anyone ever mentioned it to their gp? Is there any 'help' other then the things mentioned on this thread?

TerryRose · 07/04/2023 13:56

I’ve had it a few times, it’s absolutely awful, the worst was when it happened me on public transport on a long journey . It’s definitely connected to stress/ anxiety. I was told to wear a necklace of a Saint around my neck apparently it can ward off evil spirits, obviously that depends on if you are spiritual or not , I did find it helped 🤣 but what really helped was doing some mindfulness just before bedtime and trying to “ think happy thoughts “

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