what is sleep paralysis?

what exactly is sleep paralysis?
i remember when i was about 12 i woke up(in the morning, not disturbed by other means) and couldnt move a muscle,not even my toes,was really freaky as i had to lie there for about an hour to get unpainfull movement,i could talk and shouted to my parents.everythings below my head was just
locked in pain
reason i ask is how would you know youre paralysied when in the land of nod? is what i experienced just growing pains or the result of sleeping in a certain position? but would be weird that it effects all my body and to the extent of not being able to move,would have been fooked if there was a fire and needed to get up.


trying not to link this with abductions or the like .

i used to have dreams about being abducted,but would always take place at the back of the shcool bus and the abductees were always like the robertons golly figures(now not used due to P.C reasons!)useing rope allso's and dragging me off through the back window.
i know certain things in dreams mean other things in reality like your subconscious mind telling you something,was worth a mention.

[edit on 14-8-2005 by BZ]

basically when you sleep your brain secretes a kind of sedative so when you sleep you don't move but if you wake up suddenly when the brain is still sedated you can look around conciously but can't move,very common in teens not so much in later adult life but can happen

Graham

thanks for that,ignore my edited post then,think medical rather than 'other' means caused this.


also if this ever could happen again,now in my 20's,gona have to design a burglar incapacitating device,as i'd rather someone didnt try and nick my bike and be sods law that it would happen and i couldnt go out and make them sorry

[edit on 14-8-2005 by BZ]

Its an oddity , that is said to affect about one in five people at least once in their lifetimes.

I have never heard of it lasting an hour though.

I'm sure that others know more about it than I do , and can give you a much better explanation than me.

now thinking i suppose an hour seems a bit much,time was of no great importance to me then,but it was a WHOLE lot longer than just a few minutes to be able to get up and walk.

and i nearly got a day off school for it