Force holding me while sleeping!

man1 · 02-02-2007 05:00PM #1

Hi
I was reading a post over on the medicine forum about falling asleep with a shudder just as you are drifting off to sleep and it brought back memories of when I was younger
When I was from about 12 years till about 15 years old I experienced on a number of occasions a feeling of someone forcing or holding me down in the bed as I was drifting off to sleep, not with hands but like a weight all over my body, It was like a semi-dream but I was still very much consious.
I remember I would try to call out to my mum and dad who were in the room next door but as much as I tried to move or call out my body wouldnt move or my mouth wouldnt speak (weird I know!!), In my head I would be thinking "oh ****, how am I gonna get out of this".
I was able to see all around my room and would tighten up my body trying very hard to move until eventually I would move with a massive jolt and I would sit up in the bed and was then wide awake and wouldnt be able to sleep for hours after.
Happen to any one else or am I just a freak?

Goodshape · 02-02-2007 05:04PM

This sounds like sleep paralysis to me.

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

Zillah · 02-02-2007 08:59PM

Yup, sounds like classic sleep paralysis.

I_and_I · 05-02-2007 02:47AM

It's definately SP, a horrible thing to happen. Once you realise that it happens to most people you can reduce the stress factor, by just accepting its happening.

I remember when I was younger I used to get it real bad mostly in the mornings. It would usually happen like this:
I would wake up, not able to open my eyes or move. It felt like my neck was in an uncomfortable position or something so I would try and move my arm or leg or something, and I would fall out of the bed and movement would come back to my limbs but my eyes wouldn't open and I would crawl around the room looking for the light switch for some reason. Suddenly I would wake up again and realise that none of that had actually happened but I still coudn't open my eyes or move until eventually, it always involved moving my leg at a certain angle, and I would be 100% awake. I thought I was going insane for a couple of months till I asked my parents and at the time they told me it was perfectly ok and from then on it didn't bother me much, still quite annoying.

man1 · 05-02-2007 11:27AM

It certainly was freaky.
I didnt even tell my parents, I thought they would think I was mad (which they already did anyway!!). I thought I was the only one that it happened to.

I told my wife a few months back and she laughed and said it was probably a dream. I was so glad to see that it happens to other people on here.

05-02-2007 11:28AM

SP or panic attack? Can you think of any incidents that may have occurred when you were 12 and it started?

Force holding me while sleeping!

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