Waking up paralysed

Nulty

I was about 10-14yo at the time. I fell asleep beside the fire and woke up a
few hours later and couldn't move. It's been so long since that I cant
remember whether I couldn't move or it was just too painful to move but I
totally panicked and cracked. Tears flowed and I started shouting for help.
After about 5-10 minutes feeling/lack of pain returned and went to bed.

Anyone ever have this happen?

I think it could have been the heat from the fire that did it but have no idea
how

Todd Gack

Sounds like sleep paralysis, never happened me but it happens a friend of mine regularly, just says he can't move when he wakes up but it doesn't last too long, not 5 to 10 minutes anyway, I imagine it's different for different people.

Maybe this might explain how you felt?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis

redman

Yep it's Sleep Paralysis, have experienced it a few times.
It is VERY unnerving....

Second time round you just learn to relax and fall asleep.

Happens to about 50% of population apparently.

Especially if your overtired.

Whatsyourface

I always get it...
and is terrifying every time.
I got it in my friends house recently (we're convinced this house is haunted),
and i woke up paralyzed and it felt as if someone was forcing my top and bottom teeth together - i thought they were gonna pop out!

selfbuildkk

This happens to me on quite a regular basis. Over time you learn to deal with it and become less afraid. What i find is starting with your fingers or toes, try to wiggle them and after about 2-3 mins i regain full control. to those who have never experienced it before it can be quite unnerving. theres plenty of tricks out there to help with it (a quick google search will show you) i find this particular method works for me.

Paco Rodriguez

Something similar happened to me, I was lying facing the wall, but I also got the feeling that someone was standing over me. i couldnt even turn my head to look. The only thing, I didnt know if I was awake or asleep.

lil_lisa

Its horrible, its like you're wide awake but your body is still asleep. I usually get it at the bad part of a dream where I have to scream or move or run or something and I wake myself up trying to do it but I can't get anyone to help me outside my dream either, I think panicking makes it worse too.

Nulty

It only ever happened that once to me and like I said, I might have been sleeping so awkwardly that all the blood just drained from my body (?)

Any one been told why this happens?

Just hit the Wiki link:o

lucy2010

This happens both my sister & cousin. Wake up unable to move & unable to scream anything - Just tears thats the only thing that works for some reason. Both descibed it as terrifying !! Strangly enough both have suffered from involuntary muscle spasms in arms & legs where they jerk violently. The only way to descibe it is like an epileptic fit without losing consciousness. Both have high stress jobs & specialists have put it down to this.

starbelgrade

It's a lot better than waking up & finding yourself dead.

Nulty

lucy2010 wrote: »

This happens both my sister & cousin. Wake up unable to move & unable to scream anything - Just tears thats the only thing that works for some reason. Both descibed it as terrifying !! Strangly enough both have suffered from involuntary muscle spasms in arms & legs where they jerk violently. The only way to descibe it is like an epileptic fit without losing consciousness. Both have high stress jobs & specialists have put it down to this.

Mind me asking what area they work in?

seanybiker

my sister gets that sometimes. Never had it myself. Sounds scary.

lucy2010

Nulty wrote: »

Mind me asking what area they work in?

Ones a principal , ones a solicitor. Both started the paralysis & the jerking when they were studying for the leaving cert & both 33 now. We were always convinced it was neurological & genetic. But the experts say otherwise

Nulty

seanybiker wrote: »

my sister gets that sometimes. Never had it myself. Sounds scary.

It certainly is!

lucy2010 wrote: »

Ones a principal , ones a solicitor. Both started the paralysis & the jerking when they were studying for the leaving cert & both 33 now. We were always convinced it was neurological & genetic. But the experts say otherwise

The (unreliable) Wikipedia says it can be onset through stress alright. Are your sister and cousin easily stressed people in your opinion?

I can't think what would have set it off in me.

schween

This has happened to me many times. At first it was pretty frightening but now I just get frustrated more than anything.

A few times something strange happened, maybe it's something else entirely. I was dreaming at the same time as the paralysis. I could feel, hear and sense around me but while dreaming.

The worst was one night I went to bed, fell asleep almost instantly, but not long after closing my eyes I "woke". I was actually dreaming and in this paralysis. So it felt as though I never went asleep. Anyways, the dream starts, I'm lying in bed. The doors starts banging, windows are rattling violently, house is shaking and there's something weird happening (lots of lights and wind) in the hall. I freaked and started roaring at which point I woke up. Very Hollywood like.

I hadn't had many of these Sleep Paralysis things at this stage so I wasn't used to them.

seanybiker

lucy2010 wrote: »

Ones a principal , ones a solicitor. Both started the paralysis & the jerking when they were studying for the leaving cert & both 33 now. We were always convinced it was neurological & genetic. But the experts say otherwise

I get the leg jerking thing myself. If thats what you mean. When Im falling asleep, 9 nights out of 10 my left leg will jerk/spasm. It doesnt freak me out, it just wakes me is all. I put it down to being on anti depressants for years.

Tar.Aldarion

freaked me out the first time, grand after that

Nulty

For those that it reccurs, would it make you think twice about sleeping somewhere unfamiliar?

I can't think of a place....camping......house party with people you might not trust etc.?

Tar.Aldarion

Not at all, happens for a few seconds and if I have to move I can.

seanybiker

Nulty wrote: »

For those that it reccurs, would it make you think twice about sleeping somewhere unfamiliar?

I can't think of a place....camping......house party with people you might not trust etc.?

the leg jerking thing happens at home. I do find it hard to sleep anywhere else though.

Nulty

It lasts a few minutes for some people...it lasted a good two minutes when it happened to me

lucy2010

Nulty wrote: »

It lasts a few minutes for some people...it lasted a good two minutes when it happened to me

My sisters could last anything up to 3 hours & was violent trashing. If you were to put your hand on her leg it would do damage to you if you left it there. Very embarassing if it happened her in public

Nulty

lucy2010 wrote: »

My sisters could last anything up to 3 hours & was violent trashing. If you were to put your hand on her leg it would do damage to you if you left it there. Very embarassing if it happened her in public

Is it still paralasis if your thrashing around?

seanybiker

Nulty wrote: »

Is it still paralasis if your thrashing around?

kinda lost meself. Surely someone doesnt fall asleep in public and thrash around?

lucy2010

No sorry totally seperate but just strange that they both suffer these 2 weird things.

deelite

I get that about once every three months - but I cant open my eyes and even though I feel like I'm trying to thrash about - I'm not moving at all. But I don't think I'm awake even though I feel that I am. I start to get weird images coming into my head - like the kids trying to wake me up but they're not.

oide10

Sleep paralysis has only happened me once and hopefully never again. I awoke but i couldn't move, i didn't even know where my hands were i.e by side, under my pillow...I felt as if there was someone near the bed peering down at me and leaning towards me. I started hearing a buzzing in my ears like 'snow' on a radio or TV. I then realised that I could feel one of my hands on my chest and i was able to move it and wake myself up properly. Slept with the light on though after that.

No wonder people think they get taken off by UFOs and are haunted, thankfully I'd heard of it before and I knew it was where your brain wakes up before your body does (or something). That said I said my prayers before falling back to sleep. It really is frightening! :eek:

murrayp4

oide10 wrote: »

I started hearing a buzzing in my ears like 'snow' on a radio or TV.

Wiki: Exploding Head Syndrome - common with sleep paralysis

me_right_one

selfbuildkk wrote: »

This happens to me on quite a regular basis. Over time you learn to deal with it and become less afraid. What i find is starting with your fingers or toes, try to wiggle them and after about 2-3 mins i regain full control. to those who have never experienced it before it can be quite unnerving. theres plenty of tricks out there to help with it (a quick google search will show you) i find this particular method works for me.

Thats exactly what I do too. The thing I hate most about it is not being able to control your breathing

Dave!

Sounds pretty freaky, thankfully I've not experienced it myself! But yeah it certainly is a good explanation for alot of the so-called 'paranormal' stuff that people experience

ann_likes_cake

Oh that happened to me the other night. It was really freaky actually - I woke up thinking there was someone trying to break in my window (which is right over my bed) and I couldn't move at all. Only lasted for about 20 seconds I think (it was hard to judge, still not sure if I was actually awake or dreaming) but I was disoriented for ages. Not nice at all. Thankfully no one was actually trying to break in

cbmonstra

This happens to me a lot, but I've found that making a conscious effort not to fall asleep on my back works in preventing an episode.

Sometimes I forget though

Benny Lava

I had one of my worst bouts of sleep paralysis this morning.

It's hard to say how long it went on for, but it felt like ages.

oide10

What did it entail?

Benny Lava

I don't see things during paralysis, unlike other people. Mine basically feels as if I'm trapped between a state of sleep and a state of consciousness. Today, it went on for ages. I was trying desperately to move my hands, but I was completely unable to move. Eventually it wore off but it was horrifying while it lasted.

Benny Lava

It happened a few times today.

I was up all night watching Mayweather/Mosley and had to get up at 10 which meant I had to sleep during the day.

Suffered paralysis three times, once while lying on my back (seemed to be the worst).

Had some nice dreams though.

Cullen82

Hey,

I have had Sleep Paralysis since I was 15/16 (28 now)....I remember for about a year or so I had no idea what was going on until I saw a program on C4 one evening which explained everything.

It's very difficult to explain why but this does'nt scare me anymore even though it still happens regularly...Nowadays when it happens it is more like a lucid dream whereby I am paralysed yet I am still concious I am dreaming ....As I said its very hard to explain.

There is plenty of info on the net about it...It's true that it can sometimes be terrifying but from my experience I believe it can eventually be controlled.

lil_lisa

Yeah, I think panicking can definitely make it worse and harder to get out of. Which of course, is the instinctive thing to do!

Asphyxia

It has happend to me a couple of times it's very scary, I always find myself shouting for help but I can't even talk. I just lay there till I can move and when I can, I jump up and freak out for awhile. I don't think it's something I will ever get used to.

Jennyfer

This happens me all the time, just in the last 5 years. It is so frightening!

It usually happens just as Im falling asleep, my breath starts to catch in my throat (I use this as a warning sign now and sit up until it passes - sometimes starts again too quickly to talk sense into myself though) and it feels like theres someone in the room walking towards me. Next thing I know I cant breathe or move, in my head Im tellin myself "its just that thing again" but cant help panicking, its very strange and very scary! Feels like an eternity at the time but its only for about 20 seconds and aftwerwards Im like "how did it scare me again when I KNOW what it is!". Until I saw a programme about it I thought my house was haunted and that a ghost was doing it to me! Thats how frightening it is..:eek:

Dublinstiofán

I experience it every weekday morning just after seven o'clock

Kanoe

I suffered one major sleep paralysis event when I was in my mid twenties and have been having fallout from it since. I didn't known there was a name on this but thats what happened during it, thought my eardrums would explode and that kept occurring for years afterwards (without the paralysis) just as I was dropping off to sleep, and I'd end up waking abruptly. (electrical arc description is very apt) Got over that and now it's just like my body literally starts humming when I'm dozing off, to the point where the bed actually shakes.

wonder do I have sleep epilepsy

Mike Litoris

This first happened to me when I was 12. I never sleep during the day but this day I had the flu and ended up falling asleep. I woke up but couldn't move or open my eyes, when I realised I was paralysed the panic started to build then, this is the fubar part, the face of Jesus slowly started to come towards me. The terror built and passed the stage that would make me faint if I was concious I reckon. The whole time I was trying to move my hand to my face slap it or try to pull my eyes open.

I used to happen every couple of months but without the hollucinations. Then when I was 19 I starting take 'E' and acid. For the whole year I was taking the stuff the sleep paralysis started happening every second night almost. This time the building terror was accompanied by my heart beating faster and faster to a level humanly impossible and again the feeling of terror went way beyond what I reckon would make me faint conciously.

Every time I would try to either move my hand to my face or call out to someone, if I knew or thought someone was in the same room, in the hope they would try to wake me. Only once did I ever hollucinate that someone was in the room other than the Jesus episode.

It hasn't happened for 6-7 years thankfully, I'm 36 now. I try not to fall asleep on my back now as I noticed after an episode I'd be lying on my back with the pillow on the floor and my head tilted back.

Phew..sorry about the length of the post.:D

TherapyBoy

Woke up about two years ago & couldn't move at all. No breathing problems or weird dreams etc, just could not move at all. Called out for my sister who was downstairs. She checked me out & called an ambulance.
They drew blood in A&E and found out I had hypokalemia [potassium deficiency] An 8 hour drip later I was back on my feet.
Still wake up with weakness in my limbs occasionally but now I just eat lots of bananas =]

johanz

Hallucinations that sometimes come with SP are terrific. Enjoy worst of your fears, hehe.

BTW there is a way to force sleep paralysis if you want it.

Mike Litoris

johanz wrote: »

BTW there is a way to force sleep paralysis if you want it.

I reckon it's something along the lines of attepting self hypnosis. Wanna spill the beans??

johanz

Mike Litoris wrote: »

I reckon it's something along the lines of attepting self hypnosis. Wanna spill the beans??

No, it's not related to hypnosis at all.
Simple when you go to sleep, before doing so, drink, pee and do all other stuff.
Then lay on your back, in straight pose, legs straight, arms either on your chest like mummies or straight near your hips, close eyes. And now do not move at all. You will get an urge to rotate to a side, that's when brain checks if you're asleep or not. Do NOT rotate. Then you might start feeling numb or something similar. Then you will either just be paralyzed but awake, or you will also start having very realistic hallucinations, both in sound and visual.

But I warn you, if you have heart condition, do NOT try this. If you actually succeed(doesn't work for everyone, but does for most), chances are you will have the most terrific experience. That's if you get nightmare hallucinations. There is a rare chance of hallucinations being random or pleasant, but it's nightmare most of the time.

If done right, it will feel awfully realistic.
If you are in the middle of this nightmare, stop breathing. If you stop your breath, you should wake up from it.

delop

If you are interested in pursuing this , here are 2 great reads on it

http://www.amazon.com/Projection-Astral-Body-Sylvan-Muldoon/dp/0766146049

http://www.amazon.com/Journeys-Out-Body-Robert-Monroe/dp/0385008619/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b

shoelaceface

happened to me once when i was 14, just woke up and couldnt move. It was terrifying!! I remember being able to lift my head after about a minute and looking down and not being able to move anything else! i was grand after 2-3 minutes. never happened since!

delop

To get out of it what you do is concentrate on you little finger and try to move it ...

Works every time...

johanz

delop wrote: »

To get out of it what you do is concentrate on you little finger and try to move it ...

Works every time...

Works too, unless you can't see your fingers.
Or your legs being cut off by a faceless figure *shrugs*

delop wrote: »

If you are interested in pursuing this , here are 2 great reads on it
http://www.amazon.com/Projection-Astral-Body-Sylvan-Muldoon/dp/0766146049
http://www.amazon.com/Journeys-Out-Body-Robert-Monroe/dp/0385008619/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b

And unless you're really passionate about all this dream stuff, I wouldn't recommend buying a book.
Internet has enough info.