Sleep Paralysis/Hag Phenomena

koHd

I only done some research on this recently and found out the name of it. I've been sufferin' from it for years.

Sometimes I do be afraid to go back to sleep straight after it in the middle of the night.

here's some of my stories;

Presence coming up the stairs

The first one I remember was recurring for about 2 years, until I moved my bed into a different part of the room. I would "wake" up, but as paralysis goes, I couldn't open my eyes or move any part of my body. But I had hearing, smell, touch etc.

I would then feel there was somebody in the house that was there to do me harm. They weren't in my room, but they were somewhere. The foot of my bed was close to the door, the door almost touched it when it's opened.

I would then hear a slight noise downstairs. My room is directly at the top of the stairs. Footsteps would slowly start on the stairs and I would really start to get worried and my heart would be racing. The steps get louder and closer and I still can't do anything. Then the door slowly opens and I feel a gust of cold air and my body starts shivering. I feel a presence move closer to me coming around to my left hand side. Always on my blind side. Not that I could see if it wasn't.

The presence would linger for a bit and I would be in a really bad state of fear. My body would get shivers as if the presence has it's hand an inch away from me but moving it around slowly at the back of my neck and my hairs would be standing on edge.

I'd usually wake up after a minute or two of this. But it really was terrifyin'. So much so that I moved my bed to try stop this happening. And it worked. For about a year anyway.

Presence whispering into my ear

This one happened in Lanzarote. During the day I was really tired and had a nap in one of my mates appartments instead of mine. It was just above mine. He was asleep in one bed and I feel asleep in the other.

I got sleep paralysis and felt a presence as usual, but this time there was a faint whispering in my ear from a woman. It was scaring the crap outta me so I tried to scream out to get me mate to shake me awake. But apparently nothing was coming out. It felt like I was screaming though. But the woman was whispering something like "don't worry *some girls name*, they won't hurt you if you hide".

When I got control of my body I was sweating and woke my mate up and said in a bit of a shakey state why didn't you shake me awake did ye not hear me shoutin' for ye. He said he didn't hear a thing.

Presence in my room with me

The one I'm having the last few years now is scary, but not as much as the old ones.

I don't get the feeling the presence wants to hurt me in this one. It feels more like it's watching over me. But it gets scary anyway when I feel it move close and I feel it touch my back. The shivers I get are unreal. I try to say please don't do that, it scares me, but I can't do anything.

Anybody else have this? I'd like to hear other peoples stories. It doesn't happen to anybody else I know. I'm not a believer in spirits etc, but this really scares the crap out of me, and at times I do think it is spirits and I am really awake but in sleep paralysis.

This happens to me, hallucinations of cold dead babies sitting on my chest.

I was reading about tryptophan, which is a dietry precuror to serotonin formation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan
I've upped my intake and I have hadn't any bad wakings since. ~fingers crossed~

alissa

This happens to me too..

I've experienced sleep paralysis sensing a presence in the room and also without feeling a presence but just feeling paralysed/ breathless

when I was a teenager i would 'wake up' sometimes, feeling paralysed and trying to shout but no words would come out and I would not be able to move..I would feel heavy thumping in my chest..like having a heart attack or something..then it would all be over after a minute or so..really scary

lately though I have been having experiences similar to what you describe..it always starts with waking up suddenly and feeling paralysed and not able to speak and that there is a bad force around me..I sometimes feel a cold burst of air, or hear noises..

while it's very scary when it's happening, i'd love to know more about why it happens and how much of it is physical/ psychological

Jomjoms

Have had this a few times in my life, im not sure if im awake or asleep or somewhere in between when it happens. Always wake up after it has passed though. For me it takes the form of around a 5ft black figure at the side of my bed. He is pressing down on me or has me in some form of submission. Im not sure if he is actually touching me or just his presence or attention which has me paralysed.

It then becomes a battle in my head where i struggle to get up or im resisting him/her with every fibre of my being. I can usually speak out (brother has heard me) but it feels like the hardest thing in world at the time .Needless to say i do be totally freaked out afterwards. I reckon/ hope its more psychological than anything.

Im an odd sleeper anyway, have had many precognitive dreams so perhaps im open to paranormal forces when asleep

xzanti

Happens me a lot, happened the other day and when I woke up my boyfriend asked me what I was dreaming cause I was making noises like I was really distressed and scared, deep fast breathing and mumbling etc.. He said he didn't want to wake me incase I had a heart attack (hey wheres the rolleyes face gone?) anyway I told him next time, wake me the hell up ffs..

angelface2008

Hi all
I suffered from the same thing for years,usually when Im very stressed,I had my first one when I was about 17 an old lady that looked like a witch came straight for me and pinned me to the bed I tried to scream but nothing would come out I felt fully awake but couldnt move! I ended up very distressed and when I came round fully I had an anxiety attack,my parents called the doc and he said I had probably taken drugs,It was terrible that no one would believe I hadnt,previous to this happening I had always been a restless sleeper,kicking the walls and shouting and I had one horrible occuring dream for years.Im my early twenties from time to time I had these 'night terrors',my last one was about three years ago,I was pinned down to the bed,I could feel the weight on me and thought my daughter had got into bed with me but when I looked down there was no one there,I usually find when I feel them starting,My warning sign was the bed would feel like it was lifting off the floor or staring to spin I would try to keep really calm and breath deeply before putting on the bed side lamp and waking fully and I sprinkle lavender oil in my room before bed too.Im under a bit of stress at the moment trying to organise a communion and have had nightmares for the past three nights,Im drinking camomile tea tonight in the hope that it will help,Wish me luck,sweet dreams everyone x

Delganys Finest

Hello,
This happened to me recently,it was terrifying.I had been reiki'd that day and the lady said I might have strange dreams and not to worry about it too much.
In anycase I woke in the middle of the night with this feeling of something sitting on my chest,it was hard to breathe and I couldn't move except my eyes, which were looking around frantically for the "presence".Couldnt see anything though and after ages I fell back exhausted to sleep.
Not pleasant.

-Els-

This happens to me a lot aswell! I find it happens if I'm particularly stressed or tired or if I'm napping. Most of the time it's happened where I've been asleep in the couch.
Its absoloutly terrifying, and even when you know what it it, it doesn't get any better. It started happening 2 years ago where I would just wake up and not be able to move, I found this alone really scary. It used to happen to me when I was asleep on the couch and I was fully conscious and could see the tv was on and everything, It used to always be going through my head had I suddenly been paralysed in my sleep or had there been an accident or something.
Last Year I did my Junior Cert and had a pretty stressfull year all around and it got worse. I used to frequently wake up in the middle of the night not being able to move and there was someone at my door or at the end of my bed. I remember one particular night during my exams and I had History the next day and I knew I had to be there at 2. I woke up in the middle of the night and I dreamt that I was really late for my exam and then I couldn't get out of bed! I just remember being so stressed and freaked out that night...
I think it is definatly linked with stress because this year and have had a very relaxed year all around and I have only had a few sleep paralysis episodes (if thats what you call them?)
Theres a good article about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis

shabtheboss

Hi,
I am 22 years old and I have recently started experiencing SP about a
year or two ago.. Many of the things that have been described has happend to
me such as being pinned down to the bed, hearing footsteps, feeling a sense

Saint_Mel

Used to happen to me very regularly when I was younger but in my case I'd wake (at least I thought I was awake) to find myself paralysed and then have a feeling that I was being dragged out of bed. Always felt like there was another presence in the room but I could never see anyone.

Went on for years and then just stopped happening!

unreggd

The basis of it is that you're brain is awake when you're still asleep

This happens from having lots of stress, and not gettin enough sleep

Once you're undertand it and you're aware when it happens its ok

It even happens to me in a non-scary way

I use my clock-radio as my alarm, so the news will come on, but im still asleep, so i'll have a dream where im listenin to the news. so the settings will be different, but i hear the news as it is on the radio, its mad

I wouldnt start gettin dependant on any supplements

Just let your brain relax a while before you sleep:

Try to spend as little time as possible in your room besides sleeping, aka keep it for nothin else than sleeping

Use a lamp for the last 2 hours your awake: Strong light keeps you awake

Do somethin thats a no-brainer for at least an hour before you go to sleep: Watch TV or read a book

Personally, i think TV is the best as books under bad light is bad, and TV makes yer eyes tired, which is like a placebo effect of being tired, so ye fall asleep easier


Good luck!

the_barfly1

Hi, i've never experienced sleep paralysis before, up until about a month ago.

Strange thing is, the very night before my girlfriend turned over and woke me, hysterical, pointing towards the door of my room saying that something/someone was there, and i just passed it off as her having a nightmare and we both went back to sleep.
The next morning we were talking and she told me how she had awoken and felt like she was being choked and tried to call for me, but when she did this "person" covered her mouth and prevented her from doing so... Before she felt a warm, burning sensation inside her (as in sexually)...
So, then, the next night i experienced the paralysis state, just without the feeling of something threatening around me, same symptoms, not being able to talk, move, etc, but eventually brought myself around by concentrating hard on moving my hand.

Thought it was all a bit strange, especially as neither of us had experienced this before, but didn't delve too deep into it.

Then this morning, i was sleeping alone for a change, after a very restless night in which i couldnt sleep between 1am and 5am. And "woke" to the sound of my bedroom door opening (it squeaks) at about 8am, unable to move again. I started hearing footsteps coming across my wooden floor, heavy footsteps, like the sound of heavy boots with very solid soles, coming closer to me, but couldnt turn to the direction of the sound to see what/who it was, tried to talk to ask who was there, but there wasn't a hope of me making a sound.
As i felt this "prescence" getting closer to me i concentrated on clenching my fists, then finally broke out of it into body consciousness.

Very very freaky experience for me, and i can't stop thinking about it today.
I find it all a little strange that both my girlfriend and I both experienced it within 24 hours of each other for the first time, although she hasn't experienced it since.
What further freaks me out a little is that over the past year that i've lived in this apartment i've met 3 other people who lived there previously tell me that that house freaks them out, that they all felt it was "haunted" while they were there.
Connection? I don't know.

marti101

I used to get this an awful lot when i was younger.Id wake up and not be able to move but i could see people comong in and out of my room like they lived their and i was invisible to them.One of the people i remember was a girl about 17 and i remember she wore an orange jumper and had dark hair i dont remember seeing a face but it freaked me out trying to scream and shout to get someones attention.Hasnt happened for a while.Thank God.

murrayp4

Happens to me about once a week. I wake up paralyzed but am fully aware. I've been experiencing this for at least 10 years and have done quite a a bit of reading on it. I don't go for any paranormal explanation as I've read some university studies on sleep paralysis. During sleep, the body paralyzes itself so that you don't start acting out your dreams, sometimes you wake while still paralyzed. People who work odd hours (which I do) e.g. nurses who do night shifts, report the phenomenon more than others.
My experiences don't bother me as I know exactly whats happening and I just close my eyes and go back to sleep. Also I suppose I'm fortunate as I've never experienced any negative hallucinations as described above. Worst thing I've seen was a dark mass approaching me from the window beside my bed. Again, as I was aware what was happening, I knew I was in no danger and just took in the experience.

púca-mór

I have experienced a lot of SP in my life. The first time i experienced it when i was in my early teens, and i found it terrifying. I never had any experience of the presence in teh room.

Just felt paralysed and wanted to get up - the more you try to fight it the harder your heart goes, and the stress is worse.

I find the best thing is to relax and try to just sleep again.

I've also had consciousness whilst falling asleep - which is somewhat more scary, like you can feel your body falling away while your mind moves inside your head (hard to explain)... I managed to use SP to trigger lucid dreaming though - which is fun, and i've heard can help people overcome nightmares by facing up to the threatening figures.

emermc

It happens me ever so often. It happened last night. I'm not scared any more since I found out what it was. I just try & relax and try & wiggle either my toe or my finger. Once I can do that the rest of my body follows.

I have had the presence in the room, someone sitting on me, which are very frightening but since I researched it that hasn't happened since. I think it can explain a lot of the stories you hear about people seeing ghosts at night.

Plug

Thanks Christ im not the only one! This hapened to my friend as well, very scarey. The first time I was staring at the wall and couldn't move at all, I thought I was dead and trying to cry but couldn't. It lasted a few minutes.
It only ever happened twice, it feels like theres a ghost or something in the room.
Is there a way to stop this happening?

emermc

I think it happens when you wake yourself suddenly out of a deep sleep. I think if I'm having a particular scary dream I wake myself up & then I'm paralysed.

I found this on the net:

You may be able to minimize the episodes by following good sleep hygiene:

• getting enough sleep
• reduce stress
• exercise regularly (but not too close to bedtime)
• keep a regular sleep schedule

http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/paralysis.html

doonothing

This has happened to me a couple of times! First time, I thought I was dying, couldn't sleep at all after it...
Happened again last night, scariest moments of my life, it's really horrible alright

emermc

I think if you just try & relax it lifts faster. try not to worry. Did you know that when you are in deep sleep your body is immobilised? It is probably a protective mechinism so you don't roll off a cliff or whatever.

So you are waking suddenly from this.

doonothing

emermc wrote: »

I think if you just try & relax it lifts faster. try not to worry. Did you know that when you are in deep sleep your body is immobilised? It is probably a protective mechinism so you don't roll off a cliff or whatever.

So you are waking suddenly from this.

Aye, well the other night it lasted much much shorter because it was familiar and I was thinking "Oh crap, not this again" as opposed to the first time when I was thinking "Oh my god, I'm dying/ going insane"!
I don't think I'll ever be able to relax through it though, it's frickin' horrible!
Thanks for the advice though, the more I read/hear about it, the less I'm worried about it

Freewheeling Ed

crumbs , I hope reading this does not make it happen again...

happened me twice, both associated with the south midlands of Ireland, for some reason ?? I have no idea why this might be

Anyway, same experience, an "evil" hand on my shoulder ( no real sense of more than a hand... ) and total paralysis.

first time really scary... and fought against it, not even really aware I was asleep

Second time, knew I was dreaming, and was able to relax and it stopped..

but not nice

brock92

I often used to suffer from this in my younger days, feeling of person in the room, then pressure on your chest making breathing difficult and last of all hands hands around your throat choking you.... Its terrifying when it happens and your not able to move a muscle

venarogen

i experienced my brain being awake in three separate times while in the middle of dreaming.

one i was in the middle of a street.. that is when i realised i was dreaming, i decided to pick a house to go into and see who was living in it, but as i got to the front door i was afraid it would turn into a bad dream, so i said to myself 'i want to wake up, i want to wake up' and i closed my eyes in the dream, then usually within 5 secs i wake up out of the dream.

another one was a good few years ago, and in the dream i was at school. we finished up the last class for the day when i realised i was awake in my dream... i said to the girl next to me 'your in my dream' and 'she said no im no' i said honestly 'your in my dream' and then i woke up.

kazza81

the_barfly1 wrote: »

Hi, i've never experienced sleep paralysis before, up until about a month ago.

Strange thing is, the very night before my girlfriend turned over and woke me, hysterical, pointing towards the door of my room saying that something/someone was there, and i just passed it off as her having a nightmare and we both went back to sleep.
The next morning we were talking and she told me how she had awoken and felt like she was being choked and tried to call for me, but when she did this "person" covered her mouth and prevented her from doing so... Before she felt a warm, burning sensation inside her (as in sexually)...
So, then, the next night i experienced the paralysis state, just without the feeling of something threatening around me, same symptoms, not being able to talk, move, etc, but eventually brought myself around by concentrating hard on moving my hand.

Thought it was all a bit strange, especially as neither of us had experienced this before, but didn't delve too deep into it.

Then this morning, i was sleeping alone for a change, after a very restless night in which i couldnt sleep between 1am and 5am. And "woke" to the sound of my bedroom door opening (it squeaks) at about 8am, unable to move again. I started hearing footsteps coming across my wooden floor, heavy footsteps, like the sound of heavy boots with very solid soles, coming closer to me, but couldnt turn to the direction of the sound to see what/who it was, tried to talk to ask who was there, but there wasn't a hope of me making a sound.
As i felt this "prescence" getting closer to me i concentrated on clenching my fists, then finally broke out of it into body consciousness.

Very very freaky experience for me, and i can't stop thinking about it today.
I find it all a little strange that both my girlfriend and I both experienced it within 24 hours of each other for the first time, although she hasn't experienced it since.
What further freaks me out a little is that over the past year that i've lived in this apartment i've met 3 other people who lived there previously tell me that that house freaks them out, that they all felt it was "haunted" while they were there.
Connection? I don't know.

I've had experiences like your girlfriend, if you want to pm me do, they were horrible experiences, I've experienced other forms of sleep paralysis not like this and spoken to other people who have as well as read the experiences by people on this forum, but i genuinely feel these other episodes like your girlfriend were of a much more sinister nature, I'd love to put it down to stress but I just know it's not, sounds crazy I know but it makes me feel a bit better knowing someone else has experiences what I have.

Plug

Happened to me last night and the night before, this brings me up to 4 times.
Just relax and you'll wake up quicker, Its very scarey and its always a nightmare dream when it happens to me.

Curlypinkie

So good that I'm not the only one. Having these quite a lot lately.
And I do get enough sleep. It's so scary being on my own when I manage to wake up. Takes me forverer to stop being afraid... heart is beating for ages afterwards!

Anything I can do apart from just breathing slowly? Like I'm a grown up, I shouldn't be afraid of dreams!!:rolleyes:

andy23

happens to me at least 4 times a week always in the morning,dont fight it just take deep breaths your body will wake up after a minute or so. the paralysis happens when you sleep so you wont hurt yourself while dreaming,sometimes part of your brain will wake suddenly for whatever reason while the body is still paralysed.

bealbocht

14.00 , `15/1/2009
just heard , the Moncrieff show on Newstalk 106 are doing a thing on sleep paralysis ( show ends at 16.30 , so between now and then)

could be good, could be rubbish, but though someone might like to try and catch it

Laphroaig52

I have experienced this regularly for more than twenty years.

Some people seem to be prone to it. I have tried to explain it to Mrs. Flyer28 but she has no idea what I am talking about.

I have never experienced the presence that others speak about. That may be because no part of my conscious or sub-conscious mind could ever believe in such nonsense...

However, sometimes I do awake paralysed and with a sense of falling into a void and possibly towards death. Attempts to speak out fail. but a conscious effort to move my limbs always gets me out of it.

In most cases, it has occurred while sleeping on my back. Avoiding sleeping on my back seems to preclude the problem unless I am very tired or jet lagged.

My guess is that sleeping on ones back might limit the flow of oxygen to the brain resulting in all kinds of confusion.

It's a nasty experience but I have never heard of anyone being harmed by it.

Jip

I get it a fair bit too. I'm having a nightmare of some sort but am fully aware it's a dream so in my head I'm telling myself to scream so that my wife beside me will wake me up but I can't. After discussing it with my wife it turns out she can hear me moaning in my sleep and thinks nothing of it. I have to remind her if she ever hears me doing this to wake me as I'm actually ****ting myself (not physically of course).