Sleep paraylis

[nanny]

Does anyone else suffer from sleep paralysis?
it's the scariest feeling in the world and no matter how many times i have it it never gets easier.

Its when you awake before you come out of REM sleep, meaning you wake before your body is ready too so you are paralised, this can be seconds to a few minutes. You can't move or speak and you can sometimes hallucinate when in this state which i often do.

I have read a lot about it and it says when in this state just relax until your body "wakes up" huh, you try and remember that when it's happening to you!!

Just wondered if anyone else suffers from it and if so how do you cope?

[lesleyB]

Hi Nanny, I think I have had this, I feel as if something is holding me down and I can't move or scream although my mind is screaming let me go!!! Horrible, haven't had it for a while thank god.
Take care
Lesleyb:hugs:

[jill]

Hi Hun, :D:hugs:

Befor I suffered, Pa,s high anxiety. I would get this alot, mmm, little did I know, this could be realted to anxiety or high levels of stress.

When I was acute, ohhh boy, it got worse.

Becasue I have had this for many years, on and off, it has only scared me a couple of times, mainly when I was acute with panic, high anxiety.

I fell asleep on the sofa, my daughter was due in from school, ohhh you know how it goes, reality mixes with dreams, ohh I felt sooo scared, will not go into all that happened int this mode, but my daughter came in the house and seen me just laying there, eyes wide open, my daughter was talking to me and I could not move, I got scared I feel beacuse my daughter who was only 12 at the time, was gettting a little scared and was shouting at me to wake up, asking me what was wrong, asking me to talk to her, but I could not move, I did feel my anxiety levels rising, but, maneged to talk calmly to myself like I have always done in the past, but it was bl**dy hard and took it out of me that day.

I do know what your saying, its dame hard to remember HOW to reasure yourself and relax when in this mode, BUT hun, it is possible.

I am, panic, high anxiety free because of this great site, the last time the sleep paralysis happend was about 2 years ago, I was under a hell of alot of strees due to relastionship problems, I eccepted it may happen, BUT, DID NOT expect it to happen, do you know what I mean?

I learned ALL I could, not only about sleep paralysis, but about panic, anxiety and whats just as inportant, I learned about myself too.

Know and understand that when in this mode, its just your minds clock, going abit funny cos your under stress and is not waking up in the right order.

Try and help yourself understand, there is nothing to fear when in this mode, nothing bad is going to happen, ohhh not easy I know.

I did, EVERY night, try dame hard to go to sleep on a good thought, I found this very, very hard, so I used a protable, DVD playing, put carry on films on which I have seen alot, put the lid down and just listend to them, with small headphones on, (as not to disturb hubby) while going to sleep, picture, the film in my mind.

As I learned about Panic, anxiety and myself and moved froward, the sleep paralysis, got less and less.

I wish I could be of more help hun, I do know what your going through and how scary it is.:hugs: It has taken me 4 years to learn what I have learned about Pa's, anxiety and myself, but passing this knowledge on is dame hard, we all may have the same symptoms, but what brought us to panic, anxiety, is different, Start at your roots, hun, Bill has put a good thread up about this, which IS a great read. Ohh all his threads have great info in them :yesyes:

What I will say though, if you can get to your root cause of panic, anxiety, help yourself to understand that what you are going through is NOT forever, this sets a good foundation to work from, if you feel your going to be like this forever and there is nothing you can do about it, this will undermine everything you are trying to learn, all the great tips and advice on here DOES work, with alot of hard work, time, ohhh lots of time and support.

Not sure if I have been any help, but knowing that you are not alone and this CAN pass, I feel will help you a little.

YOU TAKE CARE :hugs:

WISHING YOU WELL

LOVE JILLXXX

[GemmaAnn]

Yes, I had this a couple of times (not recently thank god) and your right its absolutly awful!

Most of the time when it happened to me I didnt really realise what was happening till I suddenly jerked awake, but afterwards when I realised it shook me up for a while and I had trouble going to sleep incase it happened again!

So much for relaxing when your suddenly paralyzed! hehe

Gem

[EmmaJane]

now you mention it, I have had this a few years ago. It is a very weird feeling, but to be honest, I dont remember to much about it.

[nanny]

Thanks everyone for replying:hugs:
it's just nice to know i'm not the only one, not that i would wish it on anyone.

I do tend to get it more when REALLY stressed, my hubby listens now, because as i do try to shout he can hear a little murmer and as soon as he does he wakes me.
Still terryifing though hey?

[Tom_M]

I've had it before and it is a little scary. What happens is that your body motor nerves switch off when dreaming or you would physically act out your dreams and possibly hurt yourself.

[jenfromdenver]

I have dreams sometimes where i wake up and walk around my apartment and it seems very very real, but eventually i realize i havent actually woken up yet, and i struggle to actually wake up. i feel sometimes like i cant move, am being smothered and stuck and i fear that i will never wake up. is that the same thing, or something different?

[nanny]

Yes that is sleep paralyis, they say that whilst in that sate you may think you are dreaming but you are infact halluinating.
It is scary but harmless, it is interesting to look on google and read all about it.

[nanny]

Jill
Although i thanked everyone for thier replies which i am really grateful for i wanted to say a special thanks to you as you put a lot of effort into explaining things to me.:hugs: :hugs:

[helenclaire]

I have had this on a few occasions but i never knew what it was, except that it was really scary.
I would usually get it just after i had fallen asleep, i would wake and not be able to move, i remember trying to shout but nothing would come out.
I found the more i tried the worse it was so i would lie there and try to relax until it passed.
The first time it happened was just after the birth of my second child, and the other times always seemed to be when i was over tired, thankfully i have not had it for a while and i now know that if i do it will pass quicker if i relax.

Thanks for sharing this with us, i thought it was just me.

Helen:unsure:

[nanny]

Hi Helenclaire

I'm glad i posted the thread now, because we always think we are alone suffering with different things don't we.
Although it doesn't help it go away it's nice to know that other people understand what you are talking about.

It doesn't seem so scary when you hear others have the same thing but all get through it.:)

[jill]

Hi Nanny :D :hugs:

***my hubby listens now, because as i do try to shout he can hear a little murmer and as soon as he does he wakes me.****

Ohh me too Nanny, I can sometimes try and shout and make funny sounds to make hubby hear me, I have told him to wake me if he heres me do this.

At one point I frightend the life out of him, I was having a nighmare, which I woke up from, BUT, this time my eyes would not open and I could not move, the nightmare went on, I could hear hubby snoring ZZZzzzz and was trying soooo hard to stop the nighmare, telling myself I was awake, but it was bl**dy, hard, I was screaming at hubby at the top of my voice, I was screaming soo loud when all of a sudden my body went into motoin and I woke up screaming. I did talk to hubby about it and we ended up laughing about it, mmm, but as you say, when it happens, our fears seem sooo real at the time.

I do like to read about these things and watch things on the TV about sleep and all the problems that can go with it. I do count my blessing, because there are people out there who have thiings worse than me.

This site has been a godsend to me, it has helped me lots, I do know how powerfull our minds our, but I also know, learning how to use that power for the good, is dame hard.

I like many others on her don't get this much now, only when stress levels are high and there is something going on in my life which I need to address. It does help to know we are not alone, but it also helps knowing that it does pass and does not happen all the time.

YOU TAKE CARE NANNY,:hugs:

WISHING ALL A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP :hugs:


LOVR JILLXXX

[nanny]

Thanks for that Jill

you made me laugh because i have frightened the living daylights out of my hubby on numerous occasions, also my son, he's come running into the room more than once wondering what the hecks going on:D . At least we can still have a laugh which is the main thing:)

you take care too:hugs:

[belle]

I had this recently and i think i posted about it somewhere. It was a horrible experience. I woke up and i couldn't move my arms/legs and i couldn't speak either. I thought i had someone in my house and i couldn't scream to get help!!!

Horrible.

[jewels26]

hi

i have suffered with for about a year and it really scared me and still does to an extent. but how i deeal with it now is when it is actually happening i tell my self to relax annd talk to myself. it does seem to work as i have put them down to anxiety. it is reasuring reading these posts and your not alone

Julie :)

[PanchoGoz]

hello
I know this is an old thread but...I had this experience last night I think. I was dropping off to sleep when my body started to fuzz and I was stuck to the mattress. When I tried to move I would just fuzz! It lasted about twenty seconds and I concentrated on "waking up" although I was awake then I was ok, just fuzzy. Freaked me out.