Sleep Paralysis??

I've had sleep paralysis for a long time now
but for me it can never be a good thing

because i am completely paralyzed so I also cannot breathe
only my eyeballs can move
when it happens i fight it and im getting better
but it's adjusting to me getting better

now sometimes i get SP, then i get out of it
then i immediately get it again and in the interim I didn't catch my breath enough so it can be quite difficult

Some 25 years ago when i was a teenager i awoke to find i couldn't move a muscle. At the same time there was an overwhelming sense of evil coming from the stairs, and although i couldn't see the stairs from my bedroom i could still "see" the stairs. This could mean i was out of my body. And on the stairs was a hideous looking pig-like demon moving up the stairs. With all my might i managed to just about bring one arm across and pinch my other arm. It felt dead- no feeling. At this point i woke up (although i already felt awake which is odd) and the evil prescence disappeared. This was no dream- it was i believe an attempt by demonic forces to do who knows what. I don't normally preach my religious beliefs but i'll tell you this; Ive since armed myself with the holy names of Godhead. These names chanted in the prescence of demonic entities and these bad forces cannot linger they have to leave. It's the only defence.

reply to post by ModernAcademia
Sleep apnea is often found with SP. When we think of SP as one thing, it's usually just a part of a bundle of symptoms in the bigger category of 'sleeping disorders.' Of these the spectrum runs from occasional, mild and severe.

Over the years I've had a bit of them all from time to time. The good news is that they are largely dependent on lifestyle choices and often simple to remedy. The bad news is that they are largely dependent on lifestyle choices that are great fun! Damn!

reply to post by ModernAcademia


Sleep paralysis should not make it hard to breathe. Just like it wouldn't make your heart stop beating. If it did that, all kinds of people would be dead every morning for no reason. This whole thing is really people being afraid of something they shouldn't. After a few experiences a person should realize they are not in danger and relax through it. If you read up at any of the major lucid dreaming websites, those advanced dreamers hope and pray for sleep paralysis in the wee hours of the morning every morning. You can feel it setting in, they hope for it because they know it signals the start of wake induced dreaming, hypnagogic imagery which can lead to dreaming too. It is desired, it is welcome.

Weird, I just had a conversation about this with my dad.

First, I been having this for a while. What I feel are the following

1- I Cant breathe clearly
2- Pressure on my chest
3- Obviously paralyzed
4- Helplessness
5- A ringing electronic sound
6- I can hear my heart beating sometimes
7- I am aware of my surroundings, even surroundings where i was new to sleeping at

I had this discussion with my dad about this today, and he told me he used to get this atleast 60 or 70 times. He thinks it comes from the nerves, I'm assuming he means that nerves are imbalanced. He said never to panic because it just makes it worst and can result in a nervous breakdown.

Anyways, it freaked my dad out enough that he left and went outside suddenly, my mom thinks the conversation made him nervous.

Thing that I dont understand, is that once I forced myself to actually move. My dads eyes opened when i mentioned this, i guess the thought that i allowed myself to suffer through it trying to move while in a panic was an insane thought that should never be repeated. I was sleeping on my side, and i remember walking toward the door for help and my face and posture was exactly to the side, even legs bent in the same sleeping position.., so i was standing and walking this way. MY FACE was plastered to the side like I was a beast because my face was smudged on the pillow.

Obviously this eliminated the strangeness, since if it was an out of body experience my body wouldnt still be in the same posture as i was sleeping. But then again, maybe i forced myself back to sleep and i slipped back into a dream state.

reply to post by Novise

Sleep paralysis should not make it hard to breathe. Just like it wouldn't make your heart stop beating. If it did that, all kinds of people would be dead every morning for no reason. This whole thing is really people being afraid of something they shouldn't. After a few experiences a person should realize they are not in danger and relax through it. If you read up at any of the major lucid dreaming websites, those advanced dreamers hope and pray for sleep paralysis in the wee hours of the morning every morning.

Sleep apnea can be a part of sleeping disorders that include SP. How do I know? I've had it and read widely at Uni to understand why I got SP (I've explained why in this thread). There are 'sleep laboratory's' where severe sufferers can stay a few nights. They are wired up to heart monitors, ECGs, CAT-scans and everything else that blinks, beeps or flashes. It's all filmed by several cameras and nurses monitor through the night.

The studies have been conducted across the world for a couple of decades. Perhaps the major 'lucid dreaming websites' can offer something interesting? IMO I've yet to read anything they can substantiate. THey usually want money/paypal for instructional DVDs and books.

I have lucid dreams sometimes, I have SP sometimes, I remember my dreams in the morning and some make me wonder. It's a dull position to take..I'm 99% that dreams are just the memory sifting through what to keep and what to erase. I'm 99.5% sure that we aren't traveling through realms or higher vibrational whatnots.

Check out these videos...one is sleep apnea and the other's a short explanation of dreams and SP....

SP happens when you:

- Don't get enough sleep, stay up too late.
- Sleep on your back.

What happens when your in SP.

- Cant move, cant scream.
- See things that really aren't there.
- Panic!

I have experienced SP, but only when over tired and stressed and usually if I happen to fall asleep on my back.
My experiences were quite unpleasant as I definitely felt that I was being threatened by a presence or being my room. I am sure that there was nothing there that would actually harm me but it is a very frightening feeling knowing that your mind is awake and active but you can't move your body or make a sound!

I was asleep, woke up around 10AM. Realized I cant move. When I opened my eyes, I saw a finger in front of my chin. It was nasty looking..pale, discolored, Long ugly finger nails. I freaked out...I tried to scream but couldn't. I got so pissed that I could not move and therefor tried as hard as I could to grab that finger...this is the strange part. I could not move, but somehow i felt garbing that finger, even tho I saw my hand resting beside me. It was like my spirit left my arms, and grabbed that finger. When I grabbed the finger, i started to panic, because it felt it. It was cold, and I could feel the softness of the skin. Since I was still mad, i tried dragging that finger towards me, but it pulled away...and i saw its shadow run out of my room.

After everything that happened, i still believe I was hallucinating because my girlfriend was sleeping next to me, and she was wide awake just laying there....and she said she didnt see anything.

SP happens to me occasionally.Its only sccary when Im sleeping om my back...so I mostly sleep on my side, or on my stomach....it still a happens but the experience when ur laying on ur stomach is much less intense, and u just wiggle ur self back from the parylized state.

I stay up really late and dont get enough rest...once u get ur sleeping cycle together it never happens.

I don't understand how people could call SP a disorder that can possibly induce hallucinations.

Just because you see something that some doctor can't explain beyond saying "it's a disorder that makes you see things." does not mean it actually is a disorder.

I have had SP since a child. I still get them till this day.

Can someone explain to me why I get my balls played at while I have SP?

Why I hear high pitched repetitive sounds while I have SP.

Why there are different auras I feel with each SP episode?

All this happens because My brain wakes up before my body does because we used to be monkeys who lived in trees?

I'm supposed to believe these crazy disorder explanations but I'm a loon if I think the dark figure grabbing my balls, the one I'm seeing with my own eyes. is real?

Ridiculous.

reply to post by Izarith

I don't understand how people could call SP a disorder that can possibly induce hallucinations. Just because you see something that some doctor can't explain beyond saying "it's a disorder that makes you see things." does not mean it actually is a disorder.

Relax. 'Disorder' doesn't mean mental illness. It doesn't mean anything negative. It only means that whoever is having irregular sleep and unsettled REM Sleep. The doctors CAN explain it. Studies into SP patients and experiments into sleep deprivation have shown that SP can be induced by interfering with a person's sleep patterns. Hallucinations also occur.

Chemicals have been used to neutralise the 'motion kill switch' in human and animal brains. This shows us acting out our dreams. I remember seeing a video of a cat that was dreaming about catching birds! In humans I saw a video of a 20 year old latino male. He had a sleeping disorder and was scared he would kill his wife. He hallucinated a hostile shadow and in trying to kill it, had assaulted his wife. He sought treatment and that's the film I saw. In the sleep lab, he crept about the room trying to 'catch' the shadow and began to beat his pillow within an inch of it's life

reply to post by Kandinsky


I realized I had left sleep apnea out of the equation in my post. I
don't think they stress enough in that vid you posted that sleep apnea
is specifically when your body forgets to breathe during sleep.
Sleep paralysis on the other hand is simply being unable to move in
periods between falling asleep and waking up.
A combination of sleep apnea and sleep paralysis
would really be scary yes. But the sleep paralysis is not going to
hurt you. It's definetly the sleep apnea that causes this.
Unless of course you've figured out how to open your air
passages at will, which would be right up there with knowing how to
make your heart stop and start at will.

It has to be understood that some people have only SP, and not all
the complications that may accompany it.

If someone is having major issues and trouble breathing etc... they
need to see a doctor. The typical story of seeing a demon or alien
during SP is more or less a dream and completely harmless. It is occurring in your mind, in your dream and no matter how much you strain that dream body it's never going to hurt you. I've had one recently where I was yelling at the top of my lungs to get my mother's attention in the SP episode, as she was walking by me and didn't see me. I woke to find myself lying on my back calmly and comfortably breathing through my nose totally peaceful... couldn't have been in better shape physically. There is a huge seperation once you get into the hallucination/dreaming part of these experiences, and there's a big reason for that. Like people have said it's so you don't hurt yourself and roll around.

I've had sleep paralysis on and of for years now, I think it started in my mid teens and I still get it (infrequently) now in my late thirties.

As at least one other poster has mentioned, it happens nearly always when I've fallen asleep on my back - I look up and can see the room pretty much as I went to sleep, and my wife is sleeping next to me. I can't move; I try to make some sort of sound or move to get her attention but generally I just 'wake up' and can move again.

Twice though I've had very odd occurrences during sleep paralyses. One time I woke up on my side and thought my son was standing next to me; I tried to talk to him but got no reply, then I guess I just woke up and he was gone - I was still laying in the same position I had my sleep paralysis episode in.

The second odd time, I opened my eyes and realised I was having sleep paralysis, I was laying on my back and then felt myself rise out of the bed; I don't recall seeing myself or my surroundings rise, but I just felt it happening and for some reason I just said to myself "NO - NO - NO!" and I dropped back to the bed. Moments later I felt the rising sensation and again I said "NO - NO.." and I dropped to the bed again - and that was it. I didn't actually see anything other than being laid in bed - just the feeling.

Karl

[edit on 28-1-2010 by karlwb]

reply to post by Novise
Hiya Novise, perhaps I misunderstood your earlier post because I agree with this last post. Something I haven't mentioned (and it's just opinion) is that although the nightmarish SP episodes are just our minds at work....they can be enlightening. By this I mean it can be an opportunity to see how we would react in a situation wholly unfamiliar to normal reality.

Some years ago, I started to *fight* back at the 'dark presence.' Fear turned to anger and I'd attack with willpower and great hostility. I'd wake up with a jolt and find my heart pounding and my whole form pouring with running sweat. Even the pillow was soaked. In a sense, I discovered a well of courage. The waking moments are emotional and illogical, but as logic creeps back in the whole thing is recognised as SP. It's likely a lot of people haven't realised that there's a positive way to evaluate the *dark* experience

reply to post by Kandinsky


It is interesting you talk about how we can learn from these episodes. I think eventually I learned just how important logic and the ability to reason is to conquering fear. If you get in one of those states and your reasoning is turned off, it's amazing how easily the fear will overtake you. I've been very generally aware in this state before, and I could not get the fear to stop. As a side note, if someone feels bad for something they did in the dream, they need to throw that out the window... simply put we are not always ourselves in dreams - once logic and reason shut off we are not ourselves. Which can teach us a lot about the difference between (Objective, rational) morality and (Subjective, intuitive) conscience.

I thought we'd find some common ground at least in discussing the sleep disorders and the more scientific side. I really don't look at dreams as alternate realities, higher soul, etc. either. I think of them as spiritual more in the sense of how you talk about they can test us, we can learn from them. Maybe not exactly in the way I thought, going into it all, but a few years down the road it's just another state of being to compare with others.

reply to post by Kandinsky

Relax. 'Disorder' doesn't mean mental illness. It doesn't mean anything negative. It only means that whoever is having irregular sleep and unsettled REM Sleep. The doctors CAN explain it. Studies into SP patients and experiments into sleep deprivation have shown that SP can be induced by interfering with a person's sleep patterns. Hallucinations also occur.

What you are talking about are suggestions, beliefs and theories. It is called a disorder by science, but science will not change it's view until it believes in ET.

So for now, you can believe in what ever helps you sleep at night.

Chemicals have been used to neutralise the 'motion kill switch' in human and animal brains. This shows us acting out our dreams. I remember seeing a video of a cat that was dreaming about catching birds! In humans I saw a video of a 20 year old latino male. He had a sleeping disorder and was scared he would kill his wife. He hallucinated a hostile shadow and in trying to kill it, had assaulted his wife. He sought treatment and that's the film I saw. In the sleep lab, he crept about the room trying to 'catch' the shadow and began to beat his pillow within an inch of it's life

So your sating that humans have the technology to alter our mental chemicals but ET and what ever is out there can't.

It's funny how the chemicals that induce SP are so convenient for these.....halucinations.

reply to post by Izarith

What you are talking about are suggestions, beliefs and theories. It is called a disorder by science, but science will not change it's view until it believes in ET.

What's ET got to do with anything? Disorder is the right term...lok at the link.

So your sating that humans have the technology to alter our mental chemicals but ET and what ever is out there can't.

It's funny how the chemicals that induce SP are so convenient for these.....halucinations

SP can be induced through sleep deprivation, stress, irregular sleep pattern, alcohol and drug use. It can be regulated and even eliminated by diet, regular sleep and moderate drug or alcohol use. (Checkable facts)

So are you saying aliens can cause SP, but are thwarted by a good nights sleep? (No checkable facts at all)

So are you saying aliens can cause SP, but are thwarted by a good nights sleep? (No checkable facts at all)

That is very well put. Everyone who thinks they are being abducted should take it upon themselves to change their lifestyle a few weeks just to rule out the variables. I imagine they would be very surprised at how little they got "abducted" while doing everything they could to follow that list.

Irregular sleep pattern is the easiest way to induce SP. It is amazing how easy it can get you to SP (Or at least dream) if you are willing to take the effort to knock your patterns out of whack. Knowing how many people probably have irregular sleep patterns unwittingly, it's no surprise you hear about all these experiences.

[edit on 29-1-2010 by Novise]

G'day Mate!! A similar thing has happened to me recently, check out my threads.

reply to post by Kandinsky

What's ET got to do with anything? Disorder is the right term...lok at the link.

Ok, Ok, it's a disorder man...

If it helps you sleep better at night a disorder is what we shall call it.

SP can be induced through sleep deprivation, stress, irregular sleep pattern, alcohol and drug use. It can be regulated and even eliminated by diet, regular sleep and moderate drug or alcohol use. (Checkable facts)

So are you saying aliens can cause SP, but are thwarted by a good nights sleep? (No checkable facts at all)

This is at best a suggestive belief. Hallucinatory SP it not caused by these things as a FACT. It is merely what science believes is the cause.

That's why tests are still being conducted, it is no where near a close case. Hell they can barely make sense of what they say is the cause of SP.

I have been getting SP since I was a child with a regular bed schedule, good diet and no drugs. The stress in my life was mostly due to SP.

But if you along with everyone who cant make sense of it want to call it a disorder that's fine. I'm just saying it could be ET.