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?

Oh OP I feel for you, I've experienced it and it's terrifying. Especially the way it feels like it lasts forever when really it's very quick. My heart is racing recalling it. Hope you had a better sleep last night and it was a one off.

I sleep on my back too, so something in that perhaps.

I had my first sleep paralysis over 50 years ago when I was a student nurse. On a split shift with a couple of hours off in between had a doze on the bed and as I was coming to I couldn't move; even after a few seconds when I was fully conscious still couldn't move for what seemed like ages but likely a few more seconds. I truly thought I was dying.

I still get them occasionally - as a lifelong insomniac I do snatch sleep here and there in the night and it's when I'm coming round from a brief sleep that the paralysis happens. The worse ones are when I can feel my jaw trembling wildly

Who knows what triggers them - I don't worry about it as I've survived these past 50 years and have always come out of them in one piece!

This.

Also one time I woke up, saw the time. Went back to sleep and had a SP episode. Woke up again and looked at the time and although the SP episode seemed longer it was only about 5 minutes.

Also I read somewhere to try and focus on moving part of your body as this will break it, if you can. So I try and move my little finger. Doesn’t always work but gives me something to focus on

Sounds horrible. I havent had it in years but used to get it in my teens and twenties. Just the paralysis though, I never felt like someone/thing was involved. And even knowing what it was it was still absolutely terrifying.
I only got it if I fell asleep on my back though so there does seem to be something in that!

Thanks everyone. Last night was normal and I don't recall feeling everything, TBF even at the height of me getting them frequently in my 20s, they were never on consecutive nights, thank god, I don't think i'd sleep again if that happened!

The ones I used to find really unsettling was the weight of someone on top of me plus a voice in my ear. I remember when I lived in the family home still, I thought I heard the bedroom door open. My head was under the covers as that's how I sleep. I then felt something tighten the covers over my head and my mum's voice right next to my head saying "get up"! I immediately woke up, door was closed and no one there but I was convinced my mum had done that to me as she used to get annoyed by me sleeping in past 10 😅 It's horrible, and it's baffling to me how some people experience it lots while others go through life having no idea what we're talking about!

You can get stroopwafels in the co-op.

Fellow sleep paralysis sufferer here - DS1 has ADHD and I’ve always suspected I did, so no surprise there.

This happened to me once in my twenties. It was terrifying. I was alone as my boyfriend (now DH) was working away. I "woke up" and couldn't move, I saw a dark figure walking into my bedroom and moving towards me. I remember feeling like I was pinned down, but I was completely paralysed. I eventually managed to move my pinky finger, then eventually the rest of my body as I came out of it. I didn't go back to sleep after that. I was laying on my back, and never have slept on my back since then 🤣

It's horrific. As others have said, never sleep on your back. I'm also more likely to get it if I wake up and go back to sleep, or if I'm too hot (my worst event was being completely paralysed but hallucinating that the house was on fire and the flames were spreading up the stairs towards me). Magnesium before bed seems to help as well.

So glad to hear you had a good night. Fellow experiencer here but mainly with daytime sleep.

please ditch paracetamol and lucozade - will definitely contribute

I get them too, used to be night terrors but they fizzled out and now it's the odd paralysis.
Most of the time they are various giant animals, Eagle, Panther, one time it was a goat. The pressure and sensation is just as if they are walking or sitting upon me.
I find, it I start with my fingers it "wakes" up the rest of my body quicker.
I did have a sensation once where I was being dragged by my arm off the bed.That one scared the shit out of me.

I’ve found the tiniest bit of movement can break it. Concentrate on moving your little finger or big toe. And keep concentrating, until you get a little bit of movement. Once I’ve moved my little finger a fraction, I start focusing my energy on the one next to it. It usually stops it in it’s tracks. By the time I’m fully coming round, my whole hand or whole foot are moving.

Just realised people have already said about the little finger trick!

Can someone in the know on this thread please explain how you know it's not paranormal?
What exactly is it and why does it feel paranormal and why is it SO TERRIFYING AND REAL 😭😭😭.
Infrequent but long time sufferer here.
I've actually thought about moving many times due to thinking my home is possessed! ☠️💀👻👽.

Google will explain how it works, it's a brain/ body issue not paranormal.

Me too. I've gotten to the point where I wake up really quickly during an episode, but it still scares the shit out of me. Normally they are just people or zombies running/walking towards me, but the ones where I feel pressure are the absolute worst!

Anybody had an episode where a spouse or someone has slept next to them, and did they report seeing anything eg, moaning, noises? It's always happened to me when I am in bed alone - the other night I was in the spare room due to the fact that I was poorly and didn't want to pass anything on to DH. I felt like I was screaming his name so violently that if he was in the bed next to me, he would've seen me in discomfort. Or is there no physiological response at all during the paralysis process?

I scream bloody murder like 80% of the time. Everyone in the house can hear it. Otherwise he just notices that I jump up/sit straight up. I'm far less likely to have them with someone else room.

Many people who astral project say that sleep paralysis is a state they often pass through first. So it may not be paranormal but they again it may lead to a paranormal event.

I try very hard to make a noise to wake DH, but even if I feel like I'm screaming, he either doesn't hear me or says it's a pathetic little bleat.

@TimezoneEarth- basically when you're in REM sleep, which is the phase where you dream most intensely, your body turns off the link between your nervous system and your muscles so you can't act out your dreams. Sometimes if you're not in a deep enough sleep for whatever reason, your brain starts to wake up before this link is turned back on, so you're in a state between vivid dreaming and wakefulness but unable to move, and the fear this triggers can affect what you're dreaming about, hence scary hallucinations of horrible things on your chest or looming over you. There can be a cultural element as well, with particular cultures seeing their local monsters/witches, as it were. I used to see a black hooded figure, but I managed to reframe him by calling him 'the guardian' and telling myself he was there to watch over me until the paralysis lifted.

I used to wake and be convinced there was a giant black spider over my face. Had this recurring sp on waking many times and screamed, freaking out my boyfriend. Also had an intense sp dream in a basement flat in my 20s. I met some below stairs servants from the Victorian era and they were talking to me about how hard their job is. I still remember the man’s face as clear as day. Thankfully not had these for a while.

Thank you @spiderlight 🙃.

I used to have it quite a bit in my twenties. The last time I had it I tried this: rather than fighting against it and trying to talk and move (which I always did, and as you know, gets really horrible when you can't do it), I told myself not to move, just to breathe and let myself relax back to sleep. It worked, and I guess my body caught up with my brain so when I finally woke up they were in sync.
(I also once had that feeling of the duvet lifing up , and I swear I felt someone getting into bed with me!)

I’ve had this regularly since I was a small child. My first episode was when I was about five or six asleep in bed and I suddenly realised I was semi- conscious, or at least I became ultra aware that I was asleep but unable to move. During the episode I thought I walked to my Mum’s room (I didn’t) and I remember begging her to wake me up but she didn’t respond. It was truly terrifying. I’ve had many episodes since, usually when I’m overtired and sleeping badly. I become more and more distressed during the episode until
I ‘pull’ myself back into consciousness, often breathless and in a state of panic. I read somewhere that you should try to smile and I’ve had some success with this although it doesn’t always work. it’s more of a grimace but if you can focus on moving your mouth it seems to help.

I wish I could do this Dashitall! I have tried it but I feel like if I submit to it I will die! Totally OTT I know but I think sufferers will understand the level of panic.