I had the worst sleep paralysis of my life last night

[RonaldMcDonaldTrump]

I used to experience it a lot in my twenties; Before I knew what it was, I used to think it was paranormal and that I was getting stalked by a demon😅. It was only after seeing somebody else post about it on a forum well into my 30s that I realised it was sleep paralysis. I barely get it now but my god it was terrifying last night!

I was run down yesterday with a headache and aches/pains so I'd taken a fair bit of paracetamol and lucozade through the day, not sure if that was a contributing factor..I woke up at 1.30 after it had just happened and even now 24 hours later I can remember it clearly. It was a feeling of my bed covers being slowly pulled off me, I was trying to resist and was pulling them back up, almost as if I knew what was coming. But then the most unbelievable heavy force rammed right into my stomach and pinned me down as if it was trying to push me into mattress. I remember screaming my DH's name over and over but nothing was coming out. I can't remember how long it went on for but it felt like hours, realistically it was probably only 20 seconds.

I'm now worried that because I'm thinking about it right before bed time, it is on my mind so will happen again!

Does anybody have any tips on how to mitigate the psychological effects and rationalise it so that it doesn't feel so scary?

Awful 😱 I find that sleeping on my back can trigger it, much better to sleep on my side or, even better, on my front. Don't take it from me - have a google about sleep position.

That is noted thank you, I was on my back last night when I woke up from it!

I'm just watching some Motherland and thinking happy thoughts before I drift off!

My daughter was suffering quite badly with SP. She went for sleep studies. The psychiatrist ( who happened to be there, they don’t routinely do those studies) told her people with adhd suffer with them more. Since she got her adhd diagnosis and treatment they have disappeared.

My daughter found sleeping with her dog also reduced the severity of them.

I think I'm lucky with this phenomena. I was on holiday The first time I remember it happening to me i can clearly recall thinking " dear friend (who'd died recently) if you wanted to come on holiday with me, you're welcome. But please get off my chest".

I get it occasionally, and still think " that's old friend, again. Bit of a nuisance, but glad they're still around".

After the first time it happened, I googled it. After that it didn't bother me. Cannot say I like it, but I know it's perfectly normal.

I also sleep walk. That doesn't bother me too much either. Though it does mean I never, ever sleep naked.

No one wants to see a 75 year old naked woman roaming around at night. That really does sound like a nightmare. 😁

Would you kill me if I said "oh, bless!" :)

Nothing to add but my sympathies. It’s no wonder in days gone by people genuinely believed they were experiencing the supernatural.

Yes, I think it's to do with the position of the brain when sleeping on your back.
Also overheating can bring on nightmares, so maybe SP too

You have my sympathies OP, I've had it occasionally since I was a teen, it's the most scariest, frightening thing ever ..

If your post was aimed at me, yes I would. But you're safe. You'd come after the buggers at my medical practice who seem to use this at me all the fucking time.

And I move slowly, so you've got plenty of time to get out of my way 😁.

@RonaldMcDonaldTrump ft
Oh yes. Anxious dreams. Sometimes I don't know whether I've had any sleep or imagining it. Or half asleep and anxious. Exhaustion eventually takes over and in the mornings I feel vexed and stay in bed.
I think I need a holiday i never knew it was a normal thing.
Look after yourself first and foremost 💯

Ye gods, yet another relatively mundane
thing to be offended about!

Could I distract you with a cup of tea and some lovely Dutch caramel cookies first? You sound like you'd be lovely to to chat to and listen to!

Stroopwafels https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroopwafel you put them on top of thecteacup, the caramel/ molasses melt and they are heavenly.

I get this when I’m overtired or fallen back to sleep in the day. Worse when stressed. Horrible.

I hate the bless darling thing so much I started a thread about it. I got a lot of stick, too.

Im offering stroopwaffels to make up for it.

I thought @user1471453601 's way of thinking of it was very touching. But it was her last sentence made me laugh.

@ReleaseTheDucksOfWar consider me duly distracted. Now where would you come across these little delights? Asking for a friend😇

Funnily enough I woke up screaming last night,had a terrible dream,couldn't move in my dream,it was terrifying then screamed help me and woke up mid scream. I was on my back and too hot and am very stressed which probably didn't help.

Fighting against it makes it feel worse I find; the best thing I've found is to tell yourself over and over that it's not real.

How terrifying.
I get a lot of nightmares/terrors and they're bad enough so I'm thankful SP hasn't added itself into the mix.

You can get them in the UK it seems! (Assuming you are there?)

This company look like they make delicious ones https://whollywaffles.co.uk/about/#:~:text=Wholly%20Waffles%20remains%20the%20only,makes%20Stroopwafels%20fresh%20to%20order.

But apparently Tesco stocks a different sort https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/315239766?srsltid=AfmBOoociahbWA_ESPeXQlrBrlWel7GIH05JDx9FVae3HWtOzghtFX32. Maybe other supermarkets do too.

I get this sometimes, I’m awake but I can’t move at all or open my eyes. Like OP’s experience it seems to go on forever. Subconsciously I know what it is but that panic of being unable to move is awful.

I haven't had this since my early 20s, now I am worried they might come back. I do have ADHD too, I didn't know they were connected.
Sorry to hear you had a bad night OP. I always used to be in control of my thoughts when they happened, so hopefully you can talk your way through it. Sending chamomile tea for a good nights sleep.

I didn't want to even read this last night in case it triggered sleep paralysis, which I've had from time to time since being a kid. The worst SP I ever had was after watching a programme about it!

My sympathies, OP. I think the worse time for me was my late 20s and I gradually "grew out of it". Do you have any lucid dreaming at all and are you very imaginative?

Yoga and meditation really helped me, though I think my brain just changed and matured as well. I write now, just as a hobby at the moment, but getting my imagination down on the page seems to help also. My dreams are rather dull now most of the time, though sometimes I even miss the scary and weird ones. If I do have something like that now I seem to be able to find it amusing and interesting rather than scary.

I often get it on my back with my head tilted sideways, then I panic my DH may smother me if he turns in his sleep blocking my face 😱
it can be to do with the vagus nerve and I think there’s some things you can do when awake to help stimulate it … you may need to do a bit of research I rarely get it now hence not knowing what to do to try to help

I've had really bad ones previously; nowadays it's mostly nightmares.

It is terrifying but know that it's all in your mind; you are still dreaming whilst half conscious so what you see/feel/hear isn't real. Sleep on your side and when it happens, wriggle your toes - that will force your brain to wake up.