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Sleep Paralysis: Awake But Still Asleep

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Biology 202
2000 First Web Report
On Serendip

Sleep Paralysis: Awake But Still Asleep

Hiro Takahashi

A person may wake up and find himself unable to move or speak as if he is frozen. He also may hear footsteps, see a ghost-like creature, or feel someone sitting on his chest. Throughout the history, people considered this phenomenon as work done by evil spirits. However, the modern science can explain the terrifying event as a Sleep Paralysis.

A Sleep Paralysis is possibly a hereditary disorder in which one experiences very frightening seconds or minutes of total body paralysis with little respiration and eye movements (1). A victim in this state feels awake, but he cannot move or speak (2). In addition to the immobility, the common symptoms include feeling choked or suffocated, hearing strange noises like footsteps and voices, seeing beings or dark shadows, and feeling an existance of someone in the room (1). Although these symptoms often direct the victims to believe in ghosts, mistransmission of neural signals in the brain causes Sleep Paralysis. When a person sleeps, his brain sends signals to inhibit any muscle contraction (3). If he comes into consciousness before the brain sends signals to activate muscle contraction, he cannot move his body, and consequently, become "paralyzed"(2).

In order to understand how a body becomes paralyzed while the person is awake, it is necessary to understand sleep cycles. In a mammalian sleep, the brain activity undergoes two different states called non-REM (NREM) sleep and REM sleep, which differ very much from wakefulness (3). NREM and REM sleep alternate cyclically through the night; in human, about 80 minutes of NREM sleep starts a night of sleep, about 10 minutes of REM sleep follows, and this 90 minute cycle is repeated about 3 to 6 times during the night (3). During NREM sleep, a body produces few movement, but the body has capability of tossing about in bed and producing some other motor events, such as sleepwalking and sleeptalking (3). The cardiac-muscle contraction and breathing occur at a uniform rate, and the eyes move slowly (2). During REM sleep, on the other hand, heart rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure vary (3). The eyes move rapidly because most dreaming takes place in this period, and the sleeper probably "look" at the moving objects in a dream (2).

The brain's control over muscles during REM sleep points out that in this period, a body is normally in the state of total paralysis, called a "nonreciprocal flaccid paralysis" (3). Probably to prevent a person from "acting out" a dream, the brain sends signals to inhibit any muscle contractions (2). Although some peripheral muscles, such as the muscles of the fingers and face, still twitch, the large skeletal muscles become relaxed, or "paralyzed" as a result (3). Some evidence supports that the motor paralysis of REM sleep protect against the acting out of one's dreams. A patient who suffers from rare syndrome called REM Sleep Behavior Disorder lacks the normal nonreciprocal flaccid paralysis, and he acts out violent dreams during REM sleep, often with injurious consequences (4). For example, a 60-year-old surgeon dreamt that he was attacked "by criminals, terrorists, and monsters who always tried to kill [him]" and fighting against them in the nightmare, he was actually punching and kicking his wife who slept in the same bed (4).

A nonreciprocal flaccid paralysis during REM sleep is accomplished actively by postsynaptic inhibition of motorneurons (3). Although the exact process of motor inhibition is not clear, some neurotransmitters and hormones are known to generate the many components of REM sleep. Aministering physostigmine, an inhibitor of the catabolic enzyme, increases the concentration of acetylcholine within the neurons in the pons, making it possible to artificially generate and start REM sleep in the middle of NREM sleep (3). Carbachol, the cholinergic agonist, produces a period of REM sleep in cat when directly injected into the pontine tegmentum (3). The hormone melatonin, a "master hormone" (5) that mainly controls circadian rhythms, also seems to play an important role in enhancing the REM state; the level of melatonin secretion by the pineal gland reaches its lowest during REM sleep (5). Such neurotransmitters and hormones probably activate or inhibit the activity of second messengers, which then activate or inhibit the third messengers, and so on till the last messenger inhibit the synaptic transmission or cause hyperpolarization of the motorneurons. And if, for some reason, the nervous or endocrine system continues to release the neural inhibitors, a person may experience Sleep Paralysis as he enters awakefully into or awakens directly from REM period (2).

While the modern neuroscience can describe the state of Sleep Paralysis as some errors of the neural transmission in the brain during REM sleep, a person who has seen or heard ghost-like figures/voices may easily believe that eveil spirits fully controlled his entire body. However, the images or noises, which the victim believes that he has seen or heard, are most likely hallucinations; and hallucinations, too, can result from the brain activity. In the 1960's, the Canadian neurologist W. Penfield introduced that electrical stimulation of the temporal lobe can cause the auditory hallucinations in the wake state (5). The buzzing or ringing sounds in the ears and other auditory hallucinations are closely associated with the activity of the auditory cortex and involves the temporal lobe (5). During the early period of sleep paralysis, the activity of the temporal lobe increases significantly, sometimes inducing hallucinatory sense (5). Similarly, the visual cortex generates internal visual stimuli, causing the victim to "see" terrifying figures during the paralysis (5).

How an episode of Sleep Paralysis induces visual or auditory hallucinations is still not clear, but it seems to have a significant relationship with anxiety (5). For anxiety is a neurocognitive event closely related to both psychological and physical processes, the extreme anxiety or panic may cause the release of several different signal molecules that trigger all kinds of physical events (5). A person experiencing Sleep Paralysis feels mortal fear or extreme panic, and hence, the brain generates and releases internal visual or auditory stimuli, producing hallucinations.

Also, hallucinations during Sleep Paralysis may happen, for one keeps dreaming even after some parts of his brain wakes up directly from REM sleep. Since the nervous and endocrine systems continue to release the neural inhibitors which sustain the paralysis, it may be possible that those systems keep releasing the neural activators that stimulate dreaming. Thus, a person continues to "see" the images and "hear" the noises produced in the dream that he has just had in REM sleep from which he has awaken.

Understanding more neural concepts of Sleep Paralysis, some researchers now hypothesize that a very rare condition called Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS) may closely relate to Sleep Paralysis (1). Upon the death, a SUNDS victim produces no body movement even though he experiences a myocardial infarction and strong breathing difficulties and should straggle in agony (5). The death may be caused by the extreme muscle atonia during Sleep Paralysis, which is so severe that even the cardiac muscles and the diaghragm paralyze (5).

Until I started researching on this subject, I have believed that the total paralysis of a body is due to an evil taking absolute control over the body. However, the interactions between neurons in the brain can explain this seemingly mysterious phenomenon in a scientific way. Although the explanation is not complete yet, for there are many unclear processes about Sleep Paralysis, the current hypothesis appears to reject the possibility of ghosts on this matter. Of course, it is impossible to completely disprove the existence of "spirits", "minds", or "God" affecting one's behavior. Nevertheless, like Sleep Paralysis and SUNDS, many or the mysterious conditions and behaviors which are only explained in supernatural terms probably result from brain.

WWW Sources

1)The Evil's of Sleep Paralysis

2)The Body During Sleep

3)Basics of Sleep Behavior

4)REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: A Neurologic Dissociative Sleep Disorder

5)Recurrent Isolated Sleep Paralysis

 

 

Comments made prior to 2007

I have been trying to figure out what was going on in my sleep untill i read this.Now i am happy to know what my body was expeiencing. It's quite scary your first couple experiences of sleep paralysis but now i'm gonna stay calm when it is happening to me and try to get my own understanding of the experience ... Jeremy, 21 March 2006

 


I have had sleep paralyisis at least once per month for the last 8 years. I am 29 as of this writing. I just had the experience about 1 hour ago and thus has caused me to do reasearch about it on the net. I noticed that many Dr.'s contribute this to anxiety, stress and other factors. My question is ... why is there always an evil presence in that concious yet body is still asleep phase? Today I heard a loud static sound, and opened my eyes to a spider crawling all over my arm. When I prayed to God, or said His name (Jehovah) the spider would start to disappear. I finally went thru my mental prayer when I awoke. This leads me to believe that it is more of a spiritual occurence, because I never have positive images while in this paralized state. I know there are many things in which our ancestors thought it was demonic rather than scientific, only to find there was a scientific explanation. However, I think this is different and cannot be simply written off as "scientific". There is not enough proof to show that it is scientific.

About a month ago I had another episode of sleep paralysis and I saw a small presence in the room with me. It was dark, and I could not see it's face (I am getting chills typing about it right now). My question is, why is there always an evil presence not only associated with my episodes, but so many others I have read about? ... Abel, 24 August 2006 

 

i was thinking it is evil who do that during night but now i find out why. I am suffering from sleep paralyze possibly every nigh spicily when i have dinar ... Salah Nasser, 28 January 2007

 

I used to have this sleeping disorder when I was a child.  It has come back once or twice with adulthood, but otherwise, it is in the past.  I used to, with great effort, move my hand to my face and pull an eye open, which would wake me up, but sometimes the struggle was too much and I would go on into a deeper sleep. 

Since the brain can do this to me, can it also cause me to get migraines just as I am about to wake up?

It seems, as I have discovered, if I get less than 4 hours sleep a night, I do not get migraines.  If I get 6 hours or more, it's about a 90% chance I will wake with a migraine.  Later in the day, I get an hour or two nap and that is the routine as it works.  Doctors just sort of treat the migraine and don't get into the sleep thing I have.  I take MaxAult for the migraines when they do get me.

I woke one time, and just as I woke, I felt this white-hot needle going into my head... bingo.  A migraine in 5 seconds.  That is how they can occur.  I wake with them otherwise.  I figure it my brain doing things it shouldn't.  I have a clean bill of health otherwise.

Thanks for your time.  Have a good day ... Jay, 11 February 2007

 

I have a question, and hope someone out there has an answer, it has been months and I have thus far failed to find one.  Has there ever been a record of anyone receiving the effects of sleep paralysis without having been asleep?  The reason I ask this, is a while ago, having not slept in a few hours, I was sitting at my computer, and it seemed to have happened to me. Within seconds I was too tired to hold up my own head, and my breathing got very difficult. Then I began to feel a sort of dizziness as my limbs lost feeling, and dropped to my side. after this, the dizziness turned to near blindness. I could see, but nothing would focus, and everything I tried to look at seemed to dart around like a mosquito. By this time I had no feeling in my entire body, could move nothing without quite a bit of concentration, and I could barely breath.  My mother heard me try and make out some kind of cry for help, and found me there spilled into my computer chair. She rolled me to my bed, and poured me into it. Within about 10-15 minutes I had regained everything I once had, but my sea legs did not ware off for another ten or so minutes.  I went to the emergency soon after. I had an E.K.G. and a C.A.T. scan, with no results, and I piss less in a week then the amount of blood they took that night. After basically telling me I was lying, the doctor told me that my symptoms did not fit anything at all.  What I do know, is I have been researching the issue ever since, and can only base my problem on Sleep Paralysis. All the symptoms match. And again, my question....Has there ever been a record of someone under the effects of sleep paralysis without ever having gone to sleep?  I hope you can shed some sort of light on this subject, as it,...well, it freaked me the hell out, and no one has been able to answer me!  Thank you for your time ... Mitchel Henderson, 7 December 2007

 

I used get this "evil paralysed me" feeling when i was paralysed and usually saw a ghost. i tried to shout or move but no sound escaped my mouth and couldn't move at all. it happened again yesterday and was almost convinced that ghosts/evil spirits were getting the better of me. But, me being a practical and logical guy, erjected this theory and started researching on this phenomenon. I came across this research paper on Sleep Paralysis. This greatly helped me in alleviating my fears. And next time i "see" a ghost during sleep paralyses, ill just laugh at it ;-)  Thanks for the research ... Siddarth, 10 December 2007 

Comments

Serendip Visitor's picture

This has happend to me for

This has happend to me for years i hate it somtimes it can happen allot like over and over again in a nite and then go away not happen for a month or so then bam every nite but in reading all these coments one thing stands out every one who prays or says the lords name they seem to think it helps and makes it easier to move that is what i do i pray in my head and it gets me out of it also i dont see or hear things but i am being pulled away from my body by something and i am fighting it to stay alive so i want to believe the scientific reason but then why does praying make it stop half of these comment by people say they do this and it helps i do this and it helps and thats flipping me out

Serendip Visitor's picture

The Lord heard your prayer

The reason why prayer works is because the Lord hears and answers prayer.He heard you in your time of fear and delivered you from the enemy.Keep on praying,for the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you.Meanwhile I am going to look up a bible verse that will God willing bring you comfort.You be hearing from me soon.God bless and take care!

Caron's picture

Dream Paralysis

The lord is my sheperd I shall I shall not want he maketh me to lay down beside still waters he restoreth my soul even though I walk threw the valley of death I shall fear no ill for tho art with me thy rod and thy staff shall comfort me all the days of my life AMEN...say this prayer before u sleep and out loud during any evil presence during the night and I guarantee the evil will loosen its grip and disapear BLESS

Serendip Visitor's picture

Thank you.

Thank you for providing a bible verse.It really helps to know that there are people sharing their knowledge of the bible.God bless and take care.

Snow t's picture

God

Hey listen I like praying to god alot.I'm 17 years old i once had this experience. But what do u mean by delivering me from evil or what u said? Also I haven't fully read the bible and I think I should start reading more but are there any parts of the bible tht you could point out tht r more important then the rest? Not saying that the whole bible isn't important or anything.I'm protestant

Serendip Visitor's picture

Hi!

Hi!Thanks for replying to my post.I am 16 years old and like you I am a christian.The only difference is that I am a baptist.What I meant by saying the Lord will deliver you from the enemy is that the Lord will keep you from all hurt,harm and danger.If you need books about deliverence,one would be the book of Exodus.In this book,God uses Moses and Aron to talk to pharaoh to try to persuade him to let Gods people go.Anyway read this book to see how God uses plagues and miracles to deliver His people out of Egypt.Going to the New Testament,read the books of Matthew,Luke,Mark ,and John.Also,the books of daniel,Job and many more old testament books has stories of deliverence.Pretty much every book in the Bible has either a story of deliverence,power,healing,salvation,comfort,teaching,miracles,struggles and strenght.If you want to know more about Jesus and His teachings to live a more Godly and righteous life,read more of the New Testament Books.Also,to learn about the signs of the end of this world,read Matthew 24:4-32 and also read the book of revalation.I pray that God blesses you with the answers you seek.If you have any questions about the Word or need to talk about anything,Just know that Im always just a click away.May God bless you and Keep you in His Holy Word.Amen

Serendip Visitor's picture

Be strong in the Lord

I just got through with reading your comment.I thank God and am so glad to here that you pray to the Lord Jesus christ!That is a good thing,but here is the real question:Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour?Its good to pray to Him,but if you dont have a personal relationship with him,you pray but you really dont believe in the true power of the most high God.keep on praying,but when you pray, beleve in the name of Jesus,tell Him that you believe that He is the Son of God,confess your sins and ask Him to reveal Himself to you.Also repent from your sins and ask Him to fill you with His living water,His word and to be filled with the Holy Ghost.once you prayed that you know and accept Christ as your personal saviour,you will be saved!Just a suggestion from a friend.God bless and take care!

Terasa's picture

first time

Im 23 years old.Yesterday i felt so tired i thought i would take a nap at 3pm. I was laying on my back on my sofa with the tv remotes next to me i woke up and heard my dog barking and my neighbour doing his garden. Now this bit is hard to explain, i picked up my remotes and turned on my side but when i opened my eyes i hadnt picked up the remote and was still on my back i began to panic. I again tried to lift the remote unsucessfully. I then felt as though i had died and my spirit was leaving my body i could see myself laying on my sofa.
I began to pray and make the sign of the cross but when i opened my eyes i could not move my arm but i really believed i had made the sign of the cross and felt my hand touch my face. This felt like it had gone on for hours.
I told myself to relax and go back to sleep but everytime i relaxed i felt i was allowing myself to die and leave my body so i had to keep fighting.
At one point i remember confirming i had died in my sleep and began thinking who would find me.
I then began praying again and this seemed to help i could then move but since it happened i have been so tired and thirsty and my hands feel weak.
I am to scared to sleep incase i dont wake.

Cee's picture

Yours is the exact experience

Yours is the exact experience I get. You desceibe it so perfectly. It happens to me a lot. When it does I would even say to myself "here we go again...". I get into a state of panic all the time. I hear everything in my background (my son, tv, movements...etc). And just like you, I would try to pick up anything, my phone for example, felt like I dialed a number but when I turned my head it's still on the side of my pillow. Same with remotes. My last one was this morning. I was still in bed and facing the window. I heard my son who's in his bassinet across the room. I turned so I could see him. So I thought... I opened my eyes and I'm still facing the window. So I try n try to turn bit I couldn't. I even tried to hit myself so I'd wake up. I thought I saw my arms swinging but they weren't. Also fought falling back to sleep cuz it feels like I'd let myself die. But it seems like I would wake up for real when I pray or give in to sleep finally.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I feel much better that I'm not the only one.

Jessica Sands's picture

first time

Teresa, I had a similar kind of experience about 6 months ago..
One school morning I was in my bed and I 'woke up' (I don't actually remember waking just being in this cozy state the whole time). I got dressed and started to make my way down the corridor when I thought something along the lines of 'It wasn't so bad getting out of bed this morning' when all of a sudden I was still in bed with my pj's on.
I researched this kind of thing a while back and many people have different names and ideas about it.. some even believe it's 'astral travel' (others say they can even fly when in this state).

However, my sleep paralysis was a different time..
I had dreamed that my best friend was with me and accidentally pushed me off the staircase into a dark, icy lake (we were on a podium in a polar bear zoo).. I was actually experiencing a bit of lucid dreaming too but that's another matter.. i fell down into the water and I was pretty sure I was going to die when I tried to force myself to wake.
I woke up but I couldn't move and it felt like a heavy tray had been sat upon my chest making it almost impossible to breathe! To make my experience even more delightful I could still hear myself drowning in the cold water..

It was very scary and I never told anyone about it..

Serendip Visitor's picture

sleep

yeah it has been happening to me since my childhood now i m used to it..i m muslim and in our belief it is jins ...they are kind of creaters made up by energery ...it is an enegry but they have concious, mind they can have kids they eat etc.. etc they are responsible from their acts just like humans in the front of god.. and they have religions like islam christian or jewish etcc.....so they can move with the speed of life..and they can appear in man or animal shapes..their behaiver explained in quran..prophet Solomon knew how to control them and have them worked for himself...
in islam we believe that when someone fall sleep his or her soul leaves the body and go to other dimensions since soul has no body it can move faster than speed of light...this jins attack the souls in its weakest time either leaving body or returning to body..so sleep paralyis happens only when you fall asleep or waking up..
the things that you see or touch are real ....it s not mind games...
our prophet gave us special pray for this kind of devil attacks we pray and thn touch our hands to all over our body ....it is kind of creating a magnetic field shield for your self against this kind of attacks...
believing jins existence is one of the pillar in islam so if you dont believe they r exist u can not be muslim so they are real like all of us! dont let science mislead you..brain and its activities only to mislead unbelievers

Dr. Paralysis's picture

Most people hallucinate demons

Most people hallucinate demons.. how come no one hallucinates... leprechauns, unicorns, santa clause or any other fictional entities? does this imply that Demons are real?

Serendip Visitor's picture

sleep paralysis

I remember myself having quite a pleasant dream and then suddenly i feel myself on a swing that's swinging back and forth. Then, it all gets dark and I suddenly hear an evil deep voice saying ' bow down to me '. I tried to move my body, open my eyes and stuffs but couldn't. I could hear my heart thumping into my ears really loudly. So i just screamed prayers in my mind and told myself I need to wake up. I fought the paralysis and woke up after around a minute. I really don't think this can be explained scientifically. It isn't that simple

Serendip Visitor's picture

Sleep paralysis

It's seems like you don't want it to be explained scientifically. The reason you see what you see or hear what you hear is because you're in a state of panic. A lot of people who believe strongly in religion and ghosts and things of that nature hate to have things explained scientifically. They want it to be true so bad that it makes it even harder for you to get out of that state of panic. I've had sleep paralysis happen to myself a number of times so much to where I can tell when Im about to have it. I'm getting to the point of being able to actually control wether I stay paralyzied or not. All that is happening is that your brain is confused. You woke up when you weren't supposed to and now your brain is rushing to tell your body what to do. The results of that being sleep paralysis and it's nothing to worry about. Is you're calm and collective through it than it become a lot easier to deal with. I hope this helped

David's picture

First experience today

I just had asleep paralysis about an hour ago, it was the scariest thing thats ever happened to me. I was asleep on my chest and all of a sudden i felt two dark presences hold me down against my bed. one holding my head and another holding down my back. I was on my chest facing the wall so i couldn't see them but i understand what you guys mean about them feeling evil and i swear the one holding my head chuckled or giggled. i could hear my mom in the kitchen and my brother snoring in the bed next to me but i couldnt yell or move it felt like torture. then i think i said please god help me and all of a sudden i could move. i hope i never have that experience again.

samatha 's picture

IDK what to believe

Ive been experiencing this so call sleep disorder since childhood. when i sleep on my back this always happens and idk if its the same with you guys ? but i try to avoid sleeping on my back. when i do sleep on my back it happens i wake up and i cant move nor stream or talk. i could see everything around me and I get the feeling that I'm not alone in my room. for example, saw a lady wearing black dress kneeing down on my bed it look like she was going to a funeral or something. Also, other time i saw a sparkle? or golden? idk but it was so sparkly thing it had no face i was on top of me and i trying to get up but i couldnt it pulled me down. this was the worst one i had i really cant explain what i saw nor felt but when i pray while in that state it goes away, i just pray and it goes away. i dont know what it is but last time i had this happen to me was this week. idk what it is but i know god will protect me from it :D

Serendip Visitor's picture

Sleep Paralysis

OMG!!! I seem to only have sleep paralysis and hypocognic and hypogognic hallucinations happen to me when I sleep on my back too!!! I wonder if anyone has studied this aspect ot the disorder yet?

kfieldsy23's picture

First episode of what may have been Sleep paralysis? HELP!

So last night at 11:04pm- i was watching Family Guy... I just looked at the clock as i was about to close my eyes to try to go to sleep- i wasnt particularly that tired but i wanted to try to fall asleep early. I closed my eyes and was still listening to family guy, all the sudden my ears got a static-like sound in them but i was still able to hear Family Guy and follow everything on the tv. It also felt like i was being pushed in to my couch, like the feeling where you are on a roller coaster and hit the g-forces. I tried to open my eyes to see why my tv had gotten static but i was phyisically unable to open my eyes- i kept telling myself in my mind to open my eyes, when they wouldnt open i started telling my body to move my fingers.... i was completely unable to move my fingers. So in my mind i started to panic- my breathing never changed and i kept trying to move parts of my body... my arms, legs, even my tongue... and was unable to move any of them.... after what seemed like a thousand years i felt the gravity feeling go away and the static sounds left... i finally was able to open my eyes with great effort- my eyelids felt like they weighed a hundred pounds... then i tried to move my right arm and it too felt very heavy- i got myself to the point where i was able to turn my body over and after i did that i was able to move my body with no problem. I didn't feel like it was a spirit or anything like that even though i do believe in ghosts (however i don't believe in Demons or Jesus i dont mean to offend anyone- just putting it out there so people don't tell me all i need to do is pray). i just don't know if this would truly be sleep paralysis since i felt like i was actually physically awake the whole time. Can someone please let me know if you have had similar experiences and what you have done to treat it if anything? it really scared me and im actualyl afraid to go to bed tonight... this was the single most scariest thing that i have ever experienced in my life. I'm 23 years old and have never heard of anything like this until i googled awake yet unable to move. Thanks for listening!!!

Jo's picture

Paralysed when I wake up and go to sleep

I have had this exact same thing, it happened to me just before that's how I found this page. It has happened to me several times before but I have never seen anything like the others have. I get that noise in my ears and then can't move, can't talk. Sometimes my eyes are open some times they are closed and I can't open them no matter how hard I try. Along with the noise in my ears I can hear other noises someone is in my room. Once I can move again I'm really tired but if I close my eyes I can feel myself being paralysed again so I have too wake myself up because I'm too scared to go back to sleep even if I'm really tired. It also only happens when I'm on my back. I know you mentioned not to tell you to pray but that's what I do when this happens and it helps me. I'm not overly religious, I don't go to church every Sunday or read the bible but I am catholic and do believe in God.
I did see a ghost when I was little and do believe the house we grew up in was haunted as lots of weird stuff used to happen. Not sure if it's connected.
The scientific reason is that you have woken up too early and your brain is catching up, but this doesn't explain why it happens when you are falling asleep. I don't know what causes it, if it's paranormal or can be explained by science, all I know is I get really scared when it happens and sometimes I'm too scared to sleep.

Serendip Visitor's picture

same but mine was worse

hey i had the same thing but i had it # different times, my first was more like yours and the second was the scariest thing that has ever happen to me, it started out like my first one and i realized that ok this shit is happening to me again but i herd something i havent before. all i could here was the AC unit and i could hear myself breathing very deep an heavy. so i calmed myself down and i slowed my breathing down and thats when i realized the noise wasnt coming from me. it just got closer and closer in my ear and it was the meanest most scary breathing pattern in my ear like there was someone that wanted me dead and i felt hands around my neck and they were getting tighter and tighter and i just remember it slowly going away and then i woke up turned on all the lights and was scared shitless for the rest of the night. i thought it was night terrors but i know for a fact i was awake for all three of them

Farmer coopsta's picture

Same kinda...

Im 12 years old and had my first one today web i was on the sofa having a little sleep ( i was very very tired) and it was the day my hamster died and i could just open my eyes, and saw my hamster scrating my face and i felt a slight tingle on my face... Very,very scared defenately not sleeping tonight

Serendip Visitor's picture

That's exactly what happened

That's exactly what happened to me today..

phillip romero's picture

i was laying in bed and everything got dark

i was laying in bed and i was staring out into my room and all of the sudden it become very dark and i could hear voices feel something in my room yet i could move everything i felt like i was astroprojecting what could that mean

S.S.'s picture

I am not crazy...

I have been having these experience since the age of 7, now I am 27yrs old.Everthing that most of you explained has happened to, except seeing a shadow of a "spider." I would love to think that this is all "psychological," but no one has yet to explained "an actual cure." There is just one other thing no one has mentioned though. Sometimes I am able to know if the shadow(spirit) is a woman, child, man, young, old, evil, or lost etc. Not by them verbally providing and information to me, its just a feeling I get, like a 6 sense, "i just know." Does anyone else experience this? Also,I find putting my blanket over my ear that is exposed usually prevents them from speaking directly into my ear & breathing on me.This only helps if you sleep on your side, but be careful not to cover your nose or eyes with the blanket, because they will use this to their adavantage and suffictae even more(as hard as that is to beleive.) Also, if this is a "psychological condition," why is it when I repeat the "Lords" name, the struggle to move the muscles in my body last a little less longer than usual?

Serendip Visitor's picture

yes it has happend to me too

I have had this happen to me before several times early this morning was the most recent, this time unlike other times I didn't feel an evil presence but the last time this happened it did feel very evil, and I knew it was female it didn't tell me or I didn't actually see it but I just FELT it, this morning was very scarry as well, I was telling myself to move my arm and I thought I did until I with very great effort opened my eyes and I saw my arm over my chest, what helped was I took a deep breath and that made me able to move I turned to my side and it all went away

Raj's picture

I know what to do now!

I am 26 yrs old now and I ve had sleep paralysis for many many years now. I didn't quite know how to explain it to anyone and hence I kinda kept it to myself all this while, being the sceptical person I am, I've never thought of it as the evil eye or ghosts or anything like that, I've thought worse, I thought its some chronic disease that will kill me by the time I am 30 or something, well 4 more years to go but I am wiser now.

So firstly I d like to thank the writer for bringing this illness out in the open and explaining it in such detail, I am quite relieved to know this illness is not harmful to me or anyone else around me, too bad not much has been spoken about the cures to sleep paralysis, however purely out of experience I tried to almost analyse this effect, so here is what I discovered
1. Firstly I ve observed that I ve had this feeling only when I am just abt to sleep and never at another time, I feel SP effects me most when my sleep cycle changes, I tend to sleep at 12 ish and wake up at about 7. So especially when I sleep earlier I go through SP.
2. I ve noticed that if I have too much on my mind and I am struggling to sleep, SP takes over the minute I doze off, so now I try to get my mind to do one thing before I sleep, like read a book or watch sumthing on youtube or sumthing, what this allows me to do is put my thoughts to rest and concentrate on the one thing at hand
3. Finally the most effective of all I had felt was drink lots of water before sleeping. A full glass, maybe even two, if I forget and I ve gone through a phase of SP, more often than not when I sleep again, I go through the entire SP again, so as hard at is to wake up, get up and drink more water. I do it! and I ve noticed I sleep a lot lot better after that.

I am not sure if others who read this find this useful at all...but its helped me massively, if you go through the same stuff I do, mebbe u shd try the above too... If it works or if there is something else you do that works better...do let me know...cheers

S and N's picture

Me and my cousin returned

Me and my cousin returned from two weeks in Tukey early hours this morning.. We slept in my double bed and both had haunted 'dreams' ...

Mine was that i was being pulled out of the bed with no force, like i was floating out of bed.. the other side of my bed where my cousin was laying is against the wall, i usually sleep that side but i slept the open side last night, i was being pulled out of the bed by something and kept "waking up" and cuddling up to my cousin but when i would move my body slightly i hadn't moved at all..
At one point i moved over to my cousin's side by the wall but again, when i woke up a little i hadn't moved at all.. i have never had an experience like this before, actually feeling awake and seeing my bedroom exactly like it is.. i also saw a dark sillouhette but no face, right in front of my face...

My cousin felt hot breath on her face, thinking it was me she looked at me but i was facing the other way, this happened a few times and she also had ringing in her ear, she kept feeling awake and thinking she was talking to me but then realised she hadn't ..

at one point i felt like i'd sat up in bed with a smile on my face and felt evil like i was going to do something evil but quickly snapped out of it...

me nor my cousin have ever suffered anything like this before and find it peculiar that it was both the same night, the same room and similar dreams .. we're very freaked out and unsettled by it.

Regal's picture

Knowledge is Power over SP

The more we know about this condition, the less power it will have over us. For years, I was told I was being attacked by evil spirits. I would pray and cast the evil out and it still continued. Sometimes I wondered if God was not answering my prayers or perhaps He was mad for something I did wrong. Several years ago, I went to my doctor, we didn't even know what to call it so she sent me to a sleep clinic. I spent a night at the clinic and was told I did not have sleep apnea (I knew that, but was desperate for someone to tell me what I had). A few more years, my daughters schooled me on the research and the knowledge is liberating.

My biggest fear for the many years I've lived with this condition is that I would transition to death if I do nothing. As a result, I begin to struggle to regain my body consciousness. In my mind's consciousness, I pleading the blood of Jesus, binding the evil spirits and everything I learned from my christian faith. What comes out I've been told is jibberish. I too sleep with gospel music on and my door open so someone can hear me when I struggle. I am most grateful when someone shakes my body to awake.

Knowing the REM and NREM cycles helps to debunk the myths. Now instead of fighting and elevating my anxiety, I'll just relax until my body is wake. I also took some notes from WebMD on some of the foods that promote sleep health. I refuse to accept that any evil has power over me so I'm taking the scientific explanations about this.

Thank you all for your candor and willingness to share your experiences. The more we know, the more we are able to demystify this and hopefully, liberate ourselves.

Best wishes to all!

Serendip Visitor's picture

Sleep Paralysis

I am glad to find something that kind of explains the episodes I have experienced. I can Still remember my first episode of sleep paralysis at the age of 6 and how I felt when it happened. Now the sleep paralysis affects me every now and then maybe once or twice a year. Sometimes when it starts it seems that I hear a noise and it just keeps getting louder and louder and it always seems absolutely terrifying. I am aware of everything in the room but I cannot move one muscle in my body and when I try to scream or grab on to something I can't. Last night I had one of the most terrifying ones. I felt it coming on when it was too late. It almost always happens when I am about to fall asleep and I can feel it so I brace myself. Last night I felt a precense underneath me. A man that was holding my arms down with his and my legs down with his as well.. kind of wrapped around me. I was trying to fight him off and I couldn't but I could also feel his fingers and legs get tighter around me, then he was kind of biting my shoulder and I felt his toungue and teeth. I was so terrified. He then whispered something in my ear. I just waited it out and felt very afraid to go back to sleep. I live alone and as a woman that in itself is sometimes scary at night. This explains a little.

Serendip Visitor's picture

After reading this I am

After reading this I am starting to think I have it. Whenever it does happen to me I feel like gravity is pushing me down so it is hard to move. Today I took a nap around noon and about after an hour of sleeping I started to wake up but I couldn't open my eyes or move. I kept trying to move until I could. I dozed off again and it happened again, I couldn't move. This happened again. The last time I was trying to lift up my arm and it felt as if my arm was shaking so i quit trying then tryed to move it again and I finally got it and woke up. The thing with this is I don't think I have ever felt or seen anything weird while this happened. There may have been 1 time where I felt like there was something bad in my room, but for the most part I just can't move. Today when this was happening i tried to make a sound to see if I could, but I couldn't do that either. I kind of think this is cool.

Texanna's picture

Not Scientific...battle against good and evil

At the age of 25 I was getting a divorce from my ex-husband and I did something I never thought I would. In my pain and dispair I slept with another men without being fully divorced. I was over his house and after engaging in sex I saw a black figure appear in his room. It was definetly evil. After feeling guilty and scared I went home and I laid in my bed on my back looking up and prayed to God. I asked God to take any spirits out of me that are not like Him in Jesus name and suddenly I could not move. I could see, smell, hear but I could not move. Then I felt something heavy on my chest. A large demonic beast suddenly comes out of my body unto my chest and howls at me. I felt his hot breathe on my neck. I was terrified. I kept praying and was delivered instantly. Later after that event I was praying in bed. I was not sleep. I soon rouse out of my body and looked down at myself. I was on the right track in life. At peace. Over the past 3 years I have had several instances where I have seen a HUGE spider appear in front of my eyes and then dissappear. But last night I woke up at 3AM to a program on TV about living the right life with God. I am now engaged to someone else and we have moved in together without being officially married. I prayed again and asked God to take anything unlike Him out of me. I could not move and I started coughing ALOT then no I stop and something felt heavy on my chest. AND stopped breathing for at least 20 seconds. After a couple minutes I felt released! Something evil is diffently after me but somehow God always bring me back to Him. There is diffently a battle of good and evil going. I truly feel that we are living a dream. Life here on earth is not permanent. DEATH IS THE ONLY THING PERMANENT. I believe when we sleep we are closer to the real world that awaits us instead of the world we now live in.

All I can say is pick a side in this war, anyone having this problem you need to pick the right side and that is God. Try laying in bed tonight and seriously as God to deliver and take anything out of you that his not like him. Believe that He will do this and watch the fight occur right in front of your very eyes.

Serendip Visitor's picture

This is a scientific disorder not a fight of anything.

You are more than beyond proving my point about what I said before. If you BELIEVE this is the fight of good and evil "right before your eyes" that is what your brain is going to portray to you. I'm the type of person where for me to believe anything there's got to be actual proof. Now I'm not for taking people's words for it or anything like that, but really you can't say things like that to people who are truly scared and don't know what it is. I'm not putting down your religion if you believe in god that's great that's YOUR comfort, but not everyone's. What you are experiencing is a condition you're having call sleep paralysis. Sorry if I'm bursting your bubble or anything like that I'm not trying to burn anyone. The only reason this annoys me so much is because a lot of things can be proven and a lot of things can't. This can be proven as sleep paralysis which makes you see things that are not there hear things that can't be heard and makes you feel like you can't move. All it's is is the body cought of guard (simply put). You're in the process of waking up and you're brain has to tell all your muscles to be active and everything of that sort. REM is the cause of the problems you are having read the article above. Also this is my study in college so I thank the person who wrote this article and stand by them 110%.

Marie's picture

Do you get this as well?

Do you get this as well?

Serendip Visitor's picture

Sleep paralysis

I hate to burst your bubble but this is much more than a scientific disorder! Scientist have the answer to everything right down to how the earth was created.(go figure) However, I had my first paralysis last night and just like many others I was aware of my surroundings but could not move or open my eyes. I didn't see or hear any evil voices. I could hear my AC running, I could hear the lady upstair walking around. But, It wasn't unit I said the Lord's Prayer and asked the Lord to "Help Me" that I could move and that has nothing to do with scientist.

Serendip Visitor's picture

Dont be a sheep

Scientist always try to find some "logical" reasoning behind certain things to keep people from beleiving in God. Scientifcally you can not explain to me how everyone that experiences this has something evil present. Coincidence I think not. Just like speaking tongues so many scientist try to explain what it but can't so that write it off has the person speaking in tongues is faking. I speak in tongues and I tell you it's no act.

Serendip Visitor's picture

No kiddin

I find it highly ironic and hyppocritical that you dare to ask God to safeguard you, while you engage in activities directly contrary to His very word. Pray humbly, you're no the only one like that
Eternal Glory to Jesus from everlasting to everlasting, perfect creator of all

Serendip Visitor's picture

We all sin

Honestly you are right but I truly believe we all sin and fall short of the glory of GOD. Before you judge pay close attention to the story of David. David sinned over and over again but because he had a heart of repentance and was after God's own heart no matter how many times he made a mistake God knew that he was sorry and forgave him. Attiudes like yours are the reason people stray away from church. They know it is almost impossible to not sin at all. So they rather just stay in their current situation. But God knows your heart and even when fall he is there to pick you right back up. God is good.

Paul's picture

Well i also believe in god

Well i also believe in god mercy hello there is a whole psalms on gods mercy. We sin daily and that why must repent daily. We can never be perfect but we must strive very hard to stay as close as we can. Thus asking god to forgive even if we think that we havent sinned at all. We must mean it fully in our hearts or it is no good because any one can say forgive me lord, how many people mean it? i thank you very much for sticking your knock out for something you believe in and thank god for giving you the words to say. My experience cannot be explained by this because i was awake to beging with because i looked at the clock and it was 7:20 and i rolled on my side, and i felt like someone was behind me. Then it got stronger my eyes were open and i was looking at the wall. All of a sudden i was unable to move and i felt a hand being placed on my leg and i was so scared i try to yell but i couldn't open my mouth the only thing i was paralyzed from was fear. I finally got free by slowly rolling of the bed when my feet touch i ran out of the room and couldn't sleep very well since i was living in sin and did not repent but a short while after i started i asked god to forgive me and lived a pretty good life as close as i could something similar happened it was when i bent to my knees to pray i felt someone starring at me then i felt someone poke me in the back with their finger turned around no one was there i was scored to even kneel down it was their plan i was terrified all the time to even try to go to sleep but then i just got tired of it and realized god gave me power over all evil things and that no evil can touch me and i spoke this and claimed it and stood my ground when they would come and try to torment me i would look them straight where i thought their face was and say as boldly as i could get out of here in the name of Jesus you have no rite to touch me and it would work so i no its not this science explained junk they always think they have the answer but there is only one with all the answers and that is god himself. amen and amen

enny's picture

scared

I kept telling ppl sumtin is followin me,bt they say its jst a dream,as m writing it hapend nt long ago n i've been awake ever since,lately i avoid sleepin,im a person who suffers from insomnia mayb thats why i get sp,the worst sp hapend 2 wks bek,usualy wen it hapens i c a male figure,i cn breath,bt i cnt move my whole body nor talk,so i was havin a normal dream,then sudenly the environment changed to my rum so ryt then i knew sumtin ws wrng,so i opend my eyes only to find out ws stil in a dream,n i found a female figure,so i thot of switchn the light on as i reachd 4 da light,the female figure touchd my hand at that moment i felt shockd n i snappd out of the dream,had dficulty sleepin aftawards

Emilie Mumford's picture

sleep paralysis...

Don't worry I'm only 14 and I've been having these issues for about a year now.... My doctor told me when it starts happening don't panic take a deep breath if possible and wiggle your toes and then move your knees and work your way up your body.. it works well. Except for today I couldn't breath, or even move my toes and everything was flashing red, I stopped breathing and saw someone standing and smiling at me. Then they laughed and walked out and I "woke up" my condition has been slowly increasing, and its getting really bad, especially after my dad died in march. I don't know if there's a demon attacking me or its just my brain but try what my doctor said!
<3 Emilie.

Serendip Visitor's picture

Your mind will always create an evil presence in this type of oc

In the article, it explains that there are two things that happen during sleep. 1) Your brain puts your mind into an unconscious mode, and 2) your brain puts your body, through the work of hormones, into an inactive mode (your body doesn't move or react to things you may see in your dream. Most of the time.) So, what happens when you experience sleep paralysis? The first part stops working, while the 2nd part hasn't been deactivated yet. So, you wake up before your brain sends signals to let your body move. Sometimes, like what happened to me a few years ago, you might wake up suddenly while you were "falling" asleep into REM--the deepest sleep where your body is told not to move at all. This sudden wake up from falling into REM isn't expected and the brain doesn't have enough time to send the signals to wake the rest of the body up.

The wake up during the "falling" happened to me. It was pitch black except for some silhouettes of some tall furniture in the family room that it happened to me in. It was frightening and I felt a presence moving through the darkness in front of me, and it felt like it had another presence on top of me or had a "power" over me. I wanted help in that moment of helplessness, so I tried to scream to get it, but it only came out in a binded grumble. Needless to say, after I came out of it, I was scared to get up off the couch, and when I did get up, I left a light on for the night.

But think about what is really going on, psychologically to you. This sleep paralysis is completely unnatural. You are also being bound against your will. It's something you have never felt before, and hopefully never will, as that would mean someone has you tied down. In that moment, you were by yourself with yourself, and no other, as was I. But being bound is not something you do naturally to oneself, and it's completely against one's nature. You weren't doing it to yourself. It was merely a malfunction of the sleep process, and your mind was creating logical causes. Think about how simple that is. Your brain was thinking logically and rationally and seeing that the only way you could be completely binded is if someone else was doing it to you. Therefore, hallucinations run a bit wild with your individual imagination.

There's no demon. It's a sleep process malfunction with effects that your brain is trying to comprehend. Although the malfunction is not normal, your brain is reacting completely normally with the thoughts and hallucinations, as was mine. We each, however, have our own thoughts on who or what would be doing that to us. Some people are more spiritual and see or feel spirits, ghosts, or presences. Some other people are more down to earth and, while in sleep paralysis, see people, voices, or simply think someone is holding onto them very tightly. With all respects, I found your experience somewhat entertaining because it may show some of your inner perceptions of the world around you. The "someone standing and smiling at me. Then they laughed and walked out.." It's truly evidence of the individual nature of everyone's experience with sleep paralysis. I'm assuming that you're a person who sees the sadistic nature of someone who would bind another person against will. A sadist--someone who enjoys, or gets a kick out of what they're causing to another. Do you perceive a lot of violent criminals this way? Or do you imagine a person who would do this to you, as somewhat of a sadist?

As for me, I've always been the type of person who runs up the basement stairs after turning the lights off (the switch happening to be at the bottom of the stairs)--maybe I'm a bit scared of the dark, or actually, the unseen things that could possibly be moving around in it. That explains my dark presences in the pitch black.

All in all, I strongly believe that the brain/mind is a powerful thing and does some amazingly unexplainable, subjective things. But the logic is all there for the common sleep paralysis hallucination to merely be your mind creating explicit explanations as to why you're being held down against your will. Your mind will always create an evil presence in this type of occurance. Because afterall, nothing good would bind you or restrict you against your will.

Serendip Visitor's picture

Anxiety and Trauma due to Loss of a Beloved

I believe its you being anxious and going through stress or trauma because of your loss. I am sorry to hear that you father passed away, he's on a better place now, he's at a place where theres peace, serenity.. he's probably looking down on you and smiling.. always think that he's always with you to keep you safe, so theres no need to worry and just let it go and you'll be good again...

I had almost the same experience this morning, my grandfather just passed away few weeks ago. I am very close to him as he raised me pretty much up until I was 15. I really felt my heart is being ripped apart when I found out that he's gone. This morning I woke up because I felt a weight on my bed, like as if someone sat down right next to me, and I tried to move and couldnt move at all nor talk, this last about 3 seconds or so, so i tried to say the word "God" because I was a bit scared then I snapped out of it, so I quickly turned my head around to ses if someone has sat down on my bed, of course theres no one. This happened around 6:03am. I prayed to God and to my grandfather to always keep me safe. I stayed up for half an hour and went back to sleep.

Mike R's picture

A tad different

Ive read many of everyones experiences w/ sp and my situation is similar, yet different. It doesnt happen to me alll the time, maybe a couple times a year or so. Ive had times where I felt like forses were holding me down and i couldnt open my eyes or move but my brain was telling me to wake up. I couldn't wake for a minute or two and finally i woke up very fast and was very frightened.

Tonight while I was at work( i work 3rd shift ) i decided to go into the bathroom on my break and close my eyes for about 30 minutes or so. I was sitting there with my eyes closed and I felt it happening. I tried to wake up but i was paralyzed and couldnt move my eyes open or anything. The wierd part is that in my dream i woke up and felt my chest and it was very stiff just like if u touched a dead persons chest in a coffin. I began thinking that I had passed away and my brain was still working but i would soon just see blackness. I began to panic a little but kept telling myself to wake up and I finally snapped out of it and awoke. What bothers me is how i dreampt that i woke up from the sp and was at my work place walking around but i felt like i was a spirit and when i reallly woke up I had this wierd feeling that i saw an old lady.....i dont know really how to explain it.

A couple weeks ago my girlfriend and I were in bed and I guess I just dosed off but I swore I was awake and saw a HUGE black spider on our curtain right by the bed. I woke up and began hitting the curtain but I didnt see the spider anymore. I then proceeded to take all the covers off the bed incase it fell into our sheets but found nothing. My girlfriend looked at me like i was crazy and said i was sleeping and mustve had a bad dream. I swore i wasnt asleep and that i saw the spider........I dont know if this is bad spirits warning me but thats kind of the feeling I get.

Lester's picture

My experiences...

I have had SP quite a few times. I find there are different types of "presences" with distinct characteristics. The SP I experienced was a visit from "The Stalker." I attribute the malicious, directly harmful and interactive properties to him, and he looked like a jagged male shadow, with a knife, that I intuited also had sharp teeth. He was coming in towards me, and I saw him moving in after having rolled over. Interestingly, I think this presence only manifests when the sleeper in on there side, and could be the "devil" that a previous poster referenced. Generally, this one is interactive, and negatively so; I remember being paralysed and seeing him come at me with a knife, trying to move but feeling stuck to my bed, as tho by a vacuum (as opposed to a pushing sensation on my chest).

The most common "presence" I experience is "The Watcher," a less directly threatening tho more ominous and terrifying presence than the stalker. Always just a vague image (a reflection in a mirror or a shadow under a door for instance), this presence seems to be learning something, maybe more akin to extraterrestrial experiences than diabolical ones. This one will stand stoically, maybe slowly turning ts head before bounding off in a flash. For some reason, I feel like it bothers me a lot more in the dream than when I wake up from it, unlike the stalker which bothers me at both occurrences.

The is one other that I have experienced, tho only once: The Breathstealer. Some call her the night hag, others call it a ghost or evil spirit, but everyone feels it sucking the life or breath out of them. A friend of mine would experience this presence so often that she eventually sought counseling for it. She got help in the end by a form of sleep aid. This presence indeed seemed more ephemeral or gossamer in appearance, and floated above me as I lay on my back. I think I haven't seen this one much due to the fact that I only ever sleep on my stomach or sides.

So, what Im really curious about is whether we conjure these presences through dream depending on our physical orientation at the time of REM sleep, and if what is going through our minds at the time of falling asleep effects us as well. I know if I go to sleep worried or anxious about something bad happening, I'll get the watcher in my room, tainting me and then leaving. I find this all very intriguing and wish to do more research on others experiences. I'd also like to try and confront the presences or manipulate them to see if there could be some level of communication between us n

Oh, and by the way, don't fret about this if it happens to you; whether it's spiritual, otherworldly, or simply fragments of your own psyche manifesting when your brain is at rest, nothing can harm you unless you let it! Really, you should try to learn what it mean to you and adress the problems it reflects in your waking life.

Remember, there is help out there in the form of others who've had similar experiences and also trained professionals who really can help you! Try to stay positive!

Your faithful dream-delver, lester

ItIsME's picture

I just have one a while ago

I am awake but my body cant move. I can move my finger in my feet but cant move my entire body. I heard some weird sounds and I cant breath well.

Rocco chioda's picture

shooting electricity like feeling and cant move or wake up

when i lay in bed i get this shooting feelings (not painful) but feeel like im being shocked or electrocuted. then it goes faster and faster till i cant move and am fighting for it to stop. i feel like i am going to die if dont fight it. i have the waking up thing you all are talking about but does anyone feel the wierd shock or whatever its hard to explain feelings. tonight i was laying in bed trying to go to bed and it was so bad i thought if i dont snap out of this i will be dead. i am afraid to go to bed someone help me here

Serena's picture

shooting electricity-like feeling

Yeah, I get the electrical shock feelings down my spine/back when I am paralyzed in my sleep sometimes. I feel tons of pressure and impending death. The worst part is struggling to move when I feel like I'm being electrocuted..

AJ's picture

I just woke up to this

I just woke up to this feeling as well. I was dreaming in a different environment, then all of the sudden i was back in my room trying to wake up but couldn't. then i was getting a shocked feeling and was trying to snap out of it. after 10 sec, i woke up and was able to move. first time it happened to me (shock) but not the first time i had the paralysis.

this happened when i woke up in the middle of the night and then went back to sleep. I was only sleeping for about 20 min when this happened. Weird thing is, when i went back to sleep, i had a headache, stomach ache (hunger), and a stuffy nose. After i woke from the paralysis, i had none of these feelings anymore. Can a 20 min nap really cure all that?

Marina Latrice's picture

Evil vs psychological

I too have this exactly as many of you have described. I have been questioning tht I have anxiety in the past year. I have had these terrors for years but for the past year I have one at least once a night. My question is has anyone seen a dr? And what do they suggest because that just may be my next step, to get a dr opinion. I too thought this was spiritual and evil doings until this article. Now I'm on the fence about either makes sense but doesnt all add up at the same time. I am a believer and u jus didn't get why some evil spirit was haunting me and what it meant. I would go to sleep listening to my gospel music pray before sleeping and when they occurrd cried out to the lord but still have been occuring. Si this could simply be scientifically explained . But then again why is it always so evil. In the past yrs I have never seen or heard anything. But this past morning this consists of ; dark ghost like figure sounds, feeling of someone touching me, shaking and chills!
This is truly traumatizing and my heart goes out to all of you

If I get anything good from a dr I will gladly share otherwise keep calm and keep faith in the lord!

Amber's picture

I never had this happend....

I never had this happend too me and I always wanted it too happened too me because I want too see how it feels and stuff..
Like I want too be asleep but I am wake and I want too see me being asleep..
It probably makes no sense too anybody but like on the Hannah Montana show when she went too the hospital and she was asleep but she was awake at the same time and she could see her asleep and her friends and her brother and dad talking but they didn't see her...
Thats what I meant can somebody tell me how you can do that PLEASE I REALLY WANT TOO KNOW PLEASE!! I would be happy if somebody tells me(: