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Sleep Paralysis: Awake But Still Asleep
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
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
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| This paper reflects the research and thoughts of a student at the time the paper was written for a course at Bryn Mawr College. Like other materials on Serendip, it is not intended to be "authoritative" but rather to help others further develop their own explorations. Web links were active as of the time the paper was posted but are not updated. |
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Comments
jesus is the only way.
look people this al is happning is because a lots of people are not preying befor they sleep u have tpo prey to god and say "god i am sosososos sorry for what i have done god i gave my self to u lord use me lord forgive me lord god thank you for leting me have a great day god pleas lwas let me have a great nigth god i give my self to u take my live use me for ur word god thank you for everyting god i prey in jesus name the death of speart wilkl be brock god do not let any kind of bad speart in me lord thank u i love u take controle of me god i gave u to take a risponspility
of me god thank you i prey in jesus name AMEN"AND GIVE UR SELF TO GOD AND FOLLOW HIM READ BIBLE AND GO TO CHUCH AND EVERYTHING WILL BE CHANGE. I AM 13 YEARS OLD AND I LOVE GOD JESUSI FALLOW HIM HE LOVES EVBRY ONE DONT WORRY HE WILL WELCOME U WITH HIS HANDS OPEN SAYING"CAM ON I LOVE U I AM THE WAY"GUD LUCK IF NEEDED ANY ADVIC REPLAY ME GPOD BLESS YOU.
This is often the case of
This is often the case of alien abduction. Not to alarm or worry anyone. I highly recommended reading my latest book and research on it, 'witness' by Bud Hopkins. Please feel free to contact me for any questions. This has been my perfection for many years. Thank you, Bud Hopkins.
Dr. Hopkins, I will be
Dr. Hopkins,
I will be purchasing your book. I have a cabin in Washington State in the Hood Canal area. I experienced something 14 years ago and have never forgotten it. Since then, I have experienced "sp" numerous times where i'm literally unable to move and I know moments before that begins there are buzzing or ringing noises. I fight my hardest to wake up and move and I literally see myself laying there struggling to move and wake up. Thank you for your post.
something waking up every night
hey im 27 years old and ive been waking up by something everynight now 2 weeks row, when ever i have my friend staying over it doesent happen but when i am alone at home it happens. i live in finland and now is summer time so sun is down only few hours at night and it always happens at the time of dark, it is that something is touching me, or i hear someone screaming or radio on in the kitchen and it takes me several minutes to realize and tell my self the radio cannot be on and then only it is silent again. sometimes i am paralyzed sometimes not, one time someone held my rist and i woke up, one time something went through my face and i woke up last night i felt fingers touching my leg and everynight it happens like this, everynight i wake up fully swetting by something waking me up....and it takes me long time to go back to bed and it can happen few times a night but never when the sun is rising/up...and i know i shouldnt allow fear to take over me but it can be so powerfull that actually i have started to be scared to even falling asleep anymore...well thanks for letting me share this, hopefully we can over come these experiences and learn from them. peace and love <3
SP
I've had no problems since sleeping with a bible under my pillow, i'm not a relious person but i do have respect toward s the bible anyway it's been 9 weeks with no SP but at least.. what ever it was ,has stopped and i think positively all day which is hard , very hard to keep up lol
good luck to you.
Paralysis but no presence...
I have sleep paralysis but I have never felt like something was in the room or touching me or trying to harm me. That must be unbelievably terrifying. I myself am just awake without the ability to move. I've listened in on conversations going on in the room with me and recited them correctly to the people who were speaking. What's scary about my episodes of SP is that sometimes, on rare occasion, I feel like my brain is electrocuting me in pulses at a rate of two pulses per second. I feel the muscles on my skull contract and spasm each pulse. This includes eye muscles, jaw muscles, cheek muscles etc. It feels straining and damaging, which scares me. I understand that SP is a neurological miscommunication, but in my case, it feels like a severe short circuit, or what I would expect a seizure to feel like. My partner has learned to wake me up when he notices my episodes because I've learned to breathe very fast while it's happening in order to alert him. He's never witnessed one of the spasmodic episodes though, so I don't know what it really looks like from the outside. I wish I could be studied.
A truly horrifying experience
I'm 17 and I just recently had another sleep paralysis episode. Although I'm well aware that this has a scientific explanation to it, it continues to scare the bejeebers out of me. I first experienced it when I was 10. I remember waking up at exactly 12 midnight for 3 nights in a row and attempt to go back to sleep only to find myself unable to move yet fully aware that I am still conscious.
It's almost like being in a horror movie starring me. I hear creepy voices, I see weird (sometimes demonic) figures staring at me from the foot of my bed. Last night, I could've sworn that someone just gripped the back of my neck and refused to let go. I'm not the kind of person who believes in supernatural stuff, but when I was ten I was seriously beginning to think that the devil's spawn was out to get my soul.
I wonder, is it possible to have GOOD hallucinations while you're in sleep paralysis mode?
Yes it is possible Ive had
Yes it is possible Ive had about 3 GOOD hallucinations it was simply Jesus letting me know that no matter what, the demons could never actually take full control of me or take my soul
The best hallucination i remember having was in the dead middle of the night my entire room turned bright as if it was completley daytime and my arm was hanging off my bed and all of a sudden a hand reached up and held my hand for about 3min and i felt so comftorable and calm and it was a godly prescense for once in my paralysis state i felt relieved and that everything was going to be ok
In church we call it
In church we call it scissors.
Demons are actually the cause of scissors.
They try to bring fear into humans to gain
control of your body. If you let them control
you or your heart, it can be deadly. Of course
physically it doesn't heart you, but it can
come to the point in which demons will give
you a heart attack. I'm dead serious. If
it happens, just try not to be afraid.
Usually, demons attack Christians. You might
get demonic dreams. My pastor gets one almost
every day, he got so used to it and just calls
Jesus. They can attack non-christians.
Please tell me more.
Would love to hear more about this control over us. Why do they want us Christians? What is the point of all of this? If anyone knows why the demons are doing this please email me at daydreamer-33@hotmail.com I want to know what in the world is going on. Why are we all seeing a lot of the same evil stuff? What do they want?
My expirience with sleep paralyisis
The first few times it happen to me was when i was about 9 years old and it has continued since then (im 14 now). it didnt used to happen too much until i was aboout 12. it used to scare me alot and i would think there is a ghost or something there with me which is causing it. but by time i was 13 i learned to get used to it and it wouldnt really scare me. i would just wait till it ended and then go back to sleep. even then i thought it was cuz of a ghost or somethin that was bugging me. cuz one time i even saw something like a head on top of me and i tried to punch it and i even felt its face against my hand.
it doesnt happen everyday but when it does, it happens like 3 times on the same night.
but now thanx to this article im pretty sure its caused by nothing but my own brain.
experience in sleep paralysis
today my husband and i were laying down and i fel asleep,all of a sudden i felt my body lock up as if he was holding me,i couldnt move but i can see my bed room,i actually saw my husband getting ready to go to church,i started to pray and asked god to help me wake up,that instant i felt the release of this grip,i opened my eyes and there was my husband getting ready..i dont beleive this is a paraysis i believe its more a spiritual battle that we get attacked by some force that can probably kill you when your asleep,the only way to over come it it by prayer..
great alleviation!
Wow, You guys are not gonna believe me but this so called sleep paralysis has been happening to me for almost 6 years. Believe me it's not a good vibe, I strongly feel someone is there watching me while I'm trying to wake up from this EVIL phase, but then I start praying to Our God, I pray the "Our Father" prayer, and then I instantly wake up.. People we need to do something because these so called SCIENTIST are quite a help don't get me wrong but we Can't depend, and trust these scientist trying to inject, and prescribe us more drugs into our bodies.. I STRONGLY BELIEVE ITS A SUPERNATURAL THING, ITS THE BATTLE BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG, BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL.
Ive been suffering from sleep
Ive been suffering from sleep paralysis for many years and im 23. For me, it ALWAYS happens in the same routine, I go to bed at 11-12 wake up at 6am or 7am, now once awake, if I visit the bathroom, or whatever and then return to bed I ALWAYS 110% go into sleep paralysis, on the other hand, if I wake up that early and just go back to sleep, I am then uninterrupted and can easily catch another 2 hours sleep. Ive always slept for 6 hours and felt good. Anyway, what I dream of early mornings in my nightmares are absolutely weird ... it'll start off as a good dream but then go sour and i'll try getting out of it, only to realise I am now consious and in the dream myself, funniest part is, I'll open my eyes a bit and see my room, but the room will be MERGED with my dream, so for example if I saw a street, i'll still see that street which im dreaming, but my bedroom aswell, both overlayed and transparent to each other ... very weird indeed, but luckily I understand what im experiencing so I dont find it scary anymore, I always make an experience out of it which I suppose is the best you can really do ... Im muslim, and ive explained this to my parents who obviously said its a bad spirit, as any religion would suggest, but lets be honest, I'd rather believe the scientific term "Sleep Paralysis" because if anything, I always wake up after a tiny bit of mental effort, I usually pretend im unleashing a power when I force myself to snap out of the dream loll ... anyway, what im trying to say is, dont be scared and try and have fun if you can!!! In my last sleep paralysis, it was scary, but I acted as if I was a Super Saiyan from Dragon Ball Z haha pathetic as it sounds it worked!
S.P
WOW READING THESE STORIES HAVE REALLY HELPED ME. IT MUST BE SP IM EXPERIENCING AND ITS A REALLY SCARY THING IT HAPPENED JUST LAST NIGHT IM TRYING TO CALL MY MOM FOR HELP I CAN HEAR WHAT IM SAYING BUT MY MOUTH WONT OPEN AND THERES ALL THIS RINGING IN MY EARS LIKE MY HEAD IS GOING TO EXPLODE THATS WHAT SCARES ME THE MOST. I TRY TO MOVE MY BODY ALL TO NO AVAIL. IT WAS MY SON LYING NEXT TO ME THAT ACTUALLY SNAPPED ME OUT OF IT CAUSE HE MOVED IN HIS SLEEP AND HIS ARM KNOCKED MINE THEN I WOKE UP SCARED COULDNT GO BACK TO SLEEP FOR AGES.... I'M NOW GLAD I HAVE SOME FORM OF UNDERSTANDING FOR THIS
First times i had this sleep
First times i had this sleep dysorder i was very scared. Now its like i know this already is gonna hapen to me. So i relax and wit for it. Lately.i have been hallucinating about "normal stuff" that happens in real life.. so sometimes i believe whatever happens.... first couldnt move. Now "gettin better at it." Weird. I kno.
I just realized why this was happening to me
My name is David and I'm 23
When I was a kid I thought i would dream of me in my living room lying there with the TV on and my Dad sitting on his chair, i was unable to move unable to speak, all I could do was sit there and scream in my mind. Random events like this happened through out my life without answers.
I've always been able to control my dreams/nightmares and now I'm wondering if it's because my brain has a glitch in it and If I'm actually half awake and half asleep while doing so.
These past 4 years I've come to be able to control my Sleep Paralysis only in certain ways to where I can force myself from this state within 2-3min by telling my brain( or at least saying it in my head) to move my arm or at least one part of my body , if one part can move the rest of me can soon follow, I've also come to understand that this Sleep Paralysis can happen very easily to where just 40 min ago i was trying to take a nice refreshing mid-day nap and within a few min of laying down my body became paralyzed and i broke it in just a few seconds. I was to stubborn to get up so i remained in my bed trying to shake it off and sleep without this happening to me, sadly it happened a good 13 times within 20min before i just gave up and turned on my computer to see whats up.
My girlfriend has been has been worried about this for some time now, because when this happens with her in bed next to me, I try and scream as hard as i can(with only a groan escaping) and move my arm if at all possible, when she finally awakes she has to rattle my entire body until my brain catches on and lets go.
For me this easily happens with just getting to comfortable,I've had all of the crazy images of bats and spiders and people in my room, I try not to fear them i try to break out of this state and fight them off, only to scare my girlfriend by telling her" baby wake up and move, there's a bat in the room". I'm going to further my research on this and see if there is something I can do to prevent this from happening any more.
For those struggling with it all i can say is repeat in your head and do everything you can to move at least one part of your body, this will soon break you out of it as well, I hope.
SP?
I've had one of such experiences but i'm not sure if it is SP. It normally occur when i'm scared or when i'm deep in thought of something before sleeping (lying down on my bed, my eyes closed) Then i would become suddenly immobilized, my breath becomes heavy. the room around me seems to be swirling and i cannot hear anything else!i cannot open my eyes or move my body and i became very scared. but it stopped once i forced myself to open my eyes or move one part of my body, but normally after that, i would be too scared to sleep. If i don't do anything at all, the room would seem to continue 'swirling' around me for awhile till it stops, it is very disturbing. It had already happened for a few years now.
sleep paralysis
this is kindaa similar to me!! Evrything iv read about sleep paralysis is linked to the paranormal...but this isn't the case with me. I will just find my self totally unable to move, the only way i can try to wake myself is to breathe heavily and hope my partner will hear me and wake me up. But the weirdetst thing is, i had never heard of it until i met my boyfriend who suffer's from it really quite badly. And now when he has it and i wake him up because i notice...guaranteed it will happen to me! I don't understand it at all. But last night i had a slightly different experience, i was still completelely immboilised as per, but could see me screaming at the foot of the bed for my boyfriend to wake me up, and then i could see him and myself just chatting awake.I dont understand how i could feel completely paralyzed as usual but also be screaming at the end of the bed! totaly weird!
SP
Hi there it's a Angela Brown , I will try the breathing heavy thing to help me break out of the Parlysis, normally I swear & Curse ..In my head of course. despite the fact that only worked once...... but I do FEEL IT MIGHT BE ANOTHER SPRIT TRYING TO ATTACK, And I HAVE NOTICED IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN MORE, IF I'M NOT FEELING Wonderfully HAPPY. SO BARE THAT IN MIND . because we do not know what causes this crazy sensation. I've not had anything for a little while . but good luck to you let me know if you get it again the screaming moment you have is totaly way out that's deep.
Sleep Paralysis
I have had sleep paralysis before. It is a very frightening experience. However, about 5 years ago strange things began happening to me that I just can't explain.
I was staying with my family, and I went to bed early. I had just laid down on the bed and closed my eyes when I heard whispering. I could hear my daughters telling stories and laughing in the other room. I thought that they were getting ready to play a trick on me. I turned over on my side and shouted out to leave me alone because I wanted to go to sleep. I could still hear them giggling in the next room, but then I heard footsteps on the carpet. Once again I started to speak, but suddenly I was shoved down on the bed, and it felt like my face was covered by a large hand. I could feel the mattress bow under the extra weight. When I tried to struggle it was to no avail, I tried kicking, screaming, but I could not move. I kept saying Jesus name over and over, and suddenly I felt a release. I ran from the room to tell my daughter (it was her room). She became frightened and told me that this waa why she slept on the couch in her own apartment. It had happened to her also. I would not go in the bedroom for months. When I finally got up the courage to enter the room I went armed with my cell phone. I used to the camera to take a video of the corner beside the bed. The video showed a large black shape (that seemed to actually be growing) that the light could not penetrate. I thought the camera was faulty. I went home and tried it in my room where strange things are always going on and there wss an even larger black shape with wisps (like tentacles) that would come out and cover things on my bookshelf. Once again, I blamed the camera. I tried it at a friends house and the video was fine. Needless to say, I haven't returned home.
Could demons be following me?
I can relate to your story.
I can relate to your story. This weird stuff has been going on for about a year now. Specially that black shape with tentacally endings, i've seen it fading away/getting smaller a couple of times upon awakening. Quite scary actually if I think about it, I figured it would probably just be my imagination. But reading your story, it kinda confirms for me that it might be something else.
Also the pressure on my body and pressure release, the feeling of something covering up my face/head I have experienced. The matress bowing under some extra weight, raised some questions in my head. Since i simply still don't know if it's my own imagination or something else. But it feels so real that's for sure.
Although I need to say, i'm not scared of it but more irritated when it's happening, since i want to sleep. This happens everyday to me, the covering up feeling on my head or face, extra weight/pressure and pressure release on my body. The feeling something is pressuring my jaw, my jaw starts to feel numb at a certain point when it's happening and my teeth are feeling funny then. Not to forget, the feeling of something crawling on my leg.
Furthermore, i sometimes get the feeling that something is getting thrown on my head/in my face, it started with the sleeping problems but also occurs during the day sometimes now. It feels abit like a pinch of salt/sand getting thrown into your face, atleast something really small. I have no clue what's up with that.
Well, i'm glad i've read your story. Thought i was the only one experiencing this weird stuff. Glad i found this website also, hope i can figure out what's going on.
Best of luck,
MVL.
Sleep Paralysis
I was 13 when I began experiencing sleep paralysis. Like most everyone else, I thought the devil was after me and it scared me to death. However, I told no one. I was scared they'd think I was crazy and lock me away. I was 24 before I finally opened up about it to a doctor and found out what was going on. I was diagnosed with narcolepsy. I always have sleep paralysis when going to sleep but it seems more common for people to experience it when waking up. Basically you're dreaming while awake and the safeguards your body employs to keep you from acting out your dreams are still in place, leaving you paralyzed. A part of your brain realizes what's going on so tries to produce a fight or flight response from you to help you break out of the paralysis. Hence your perception that the devil, evil spirits, etc. are after you. Now, you don't have to have narcolepsy to experience sleep paralysis, but if you experience sleep paralysis a lot, there's a pretty good chance you have narcolepsy because non-narcoleptics usually only experience sleep paralysis a few times in a lifetime. It's also been my personal experience that if you're prone to sleep paralysis, some pain medications will make it more likely you'll have sleep paralysis that night. I can tell before bedtime if I'm going to have sleep paralysis that night. Many of you are probably the same way. That roaring in the ear begins to happen letting me know I need to warn someone to watch for me. I can't move during sleep paralysis but I can control my breathing. I get someone to watch and if I make myself start to pant they're to reach out and touch me and call my name because that breaks the paralysis right away. Before you spook yourself to death thinking evil spirits are after you, have a talk with your doctor.
Sleep Paralysis
Wow, just had a sp about 30 minutes ago. Im 18 and have had alot of these during my short age. Well today was my scariest one so far. I havent seen dark shadows, but I did feel like someone or something geton top of me and like wrapped me around with its hands. I felt the pressure and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I had my eyes open as I could see my dog who slep with me stare at me while this was happening. I sleep in the basement, so I had a couple jackets hangging from the wall. And these jackets started to turn like in to water. I saw a big water drop fall from the cieling, I also tried to talk, but this time I did hear my voice, but for some reason it sounded real deep, I was really scare so i didnt say any thing any more because I tougt i was maybe possed or something. When I woke up i went to see if there was water were the water drop had fell. And nope there was not, it was dry.
Sleep paralysis
hi.. my name is Angela and I commented in this blog about two years ago that was when I thought that I only had sleep paralysis. I experienced Sleep Paralysis for 14 years or more.... I can even remember my self not being able to move even when I was a baby!!! ( very freaky). I was diagnosed with Narcolepsy 1 year ago....one of the signs of Narcolepsy is Sleep paralysis....but this may not be the case for everyone. I always felt super sleepy, have headaches wake me up in the middle of the night and last weeks, have sleep paralysis 5 times in one night until I would just not sleep because I was afraid it will happen again. Also, during the day I would have these attacks were I would either pass out for seconds or feel like my body was super heavy and hard to move and feel really unstable and I had to sleep for ever to feel better. for all the people that experience this disorder...please make sure you do not have Narcolepsy. Now I am under treatment but sometimes like every other week I get the SP but not as bad as I did before. I used to get it every day.
my worst fear.....
Well about 4 years ago i began having these things going on while i was asleep if you can call it that well any who i know I'm laying down by i try to reach out for help, scream kick , but i actually I'm dead straight imm my mind i know iIm awake and then at the same time i cant breath and its crazy .... but they go on for like 3 minutes once in awhile and then a few months ago a black shadow told me if i would scream i would die .. and i think i finally see what may be wrong with me...... helpppppppppppp please....
SP
This used to happen to me for years. I recommend burning sage in your room once a week. Make sure to blow the smoke all over the whole room and even in drawers and closet. Let the spirits know that you are not interested in night time visits and that your room is not a place for them. I suspect you will find relief, as I did.
So many evil SP testimonies... Let me share mine
Is it me or is there a pattern here.
We all have nightmares at young ages, which is expected. Even as we get older we have the occasional "jump out of the sleep" / "moving shadow in the corner" experience. However just because you dip a cucumber in vingar doesn't make it a pickle.
Here's my story. It started when I was young. Around 8 or 9 yrs old. I was found a couple houses away from my home. I was in my pjs crying. I had a nightmare which lead to my sleep walking out of my home.
July 1997
A buddy from college and I were driving to NY from TN on route 81 between roanoke VA and Harrigburg PA.
Tired and almost out of gas. I pulled over, refueled and switched drivers. Sleeping, I had a horrific dream. I had invisioned my car flipping over multiple times.
Shortly after the accident in my dream started to occur. I was awaken by my friend screaming as we entered the grass median. Trying to gain control of the car, the nose of the car catched something in the grass. Without going into complete detail the car flipped over 14 times from front to back.
Once the car settled. I managed to pull myself and my friend out of the car. Unhurt, we are met by a semi driver and a older lady who told us. "We didn't think ya'l were going to make it."
When the EMTs and Firemen arrive they tended to us and the accident scene. My car totalled and my belongings piled in the car. The firemen break my back window.
Now let me be clear. I was returning home from college with the majority of my belongings in the rear of my 86 VW GTI. The ONLY thing to fall out of the car when the rear glass was broken was my sisters bible. She gave to me my freshman year.
March 2001
My girlfriend who's now my wife was preparing for a job. She and I went to the local corner store to make copies of her ids.
When we got back to my place we got her paperwork together. When we place the copy of her state Id in with ther rest she pulls at my shirt sleeve. "Something is wrong, look." She shows me her id and the copy. At first, I didn't see it. Upon further scrutiny I had noticed her picture on the copy was looking to the left while her id picture was looking straight. I looking at the typing and the symbols. They were exact, not blurred or smuged.
We went back to the store later that week to talk to the owner. He told us that there ahs always been stories of something or someone haunting the store.
November 2005
I had a small home recording studio I had built in my basement. I'd go down there and create when I had ideas. However while working I always felt a presence in the far corner of my home. Interesting enough, my home was the ONLY home on my block which was surrounded by churches. Three churches to be exact. One to the right on the corner. One toward the rear of the house. And one across the street.
I used to joke about the house being holy ground. So one night I was in my bedroom and I felt that same presence from the basement. To dispel any illusions, I said to it " OK if your here to help me. Help me hit the lotto. If not leave me alone.
The next morning I hit the pick 3 and the pick 4. But here's the funny thing. The next day I hit them again.
Lastly I have been having recurring experiences recently.
One occurance was when I was helping my son get used to his own room. He'd have a nightmare here and there and run into our room. Thought nothing of it. Until I started to experience strange dreams in his room. I shrugged it. No big deal up until the last couple of nights.
Last night was the strongest I've felt since the accident and when I slept walked out of my home so many years ago. I felt a presence standing along side of my bed. Feeling it there,I did the samething I did years ago. Asked for help.
Eventually, I woke up due to my baby girl crying. After a warm baby bottle and some light tv I managed to go back to sleep.
As I lay there again, I felt the presence return to the side of my bed. This time It felt more physical. Pushing lightly on my back as I lay face down. I also noticed the feeling was different. More human. So much so I kicked my leg across to see if my wife was playing games with me. However when I kicked, she kicked me back.
This frightend me. It wasn't her pushing me into the bed. I did the classic " OH $#%@, someone or something is in the house. Worse of all it's right next to me pushing me down. I tried to move. The weight of it started to fall on me. I couldn't move. I turned to look but my vision is clouded. I screamed to my wife to run. Nothing comes out of my mouth but a short whisper. All the while everything is going in slow motion.
I finally manage to kick her hard enough that she awakens. Still face down, I feel the pressure lift off of me. I turn to look again and I see nothing. I regain my speach.
Now it's easy to rule these occurances as neurologic issues or disorders. But I'm having a hard time doing so.
again I wanted to share my experiences.
sp
I have had some very similar experiences ....when i was a bit younger (around 15) i awoke in the night with a nightmare that my father had clipped a vehicle and rolled his car several times ...in the dream the car had the top of the car sawed off and my father was laying next to hit his face was covered in scratches and blood. Needless to say my father was in an accident that morning around 10 hrs later, and they jawed the top of his car off to get him out and he looked exactly the same as he was in the dream. another incident was in 2007 when i was on my second tour in baghdad the night before i was shot i had a dream that i was shot in the tourso. the next day, we were on patrol when i sniper hit me on the very same street as was in the dream next to a market place. however the difference is he missed his mark which i imagine was the side of my armor, and instead blew half of my lower forearm almost clean off. while i was in walter reed recovering i had my first sp experience i awoke in the room with eyes glaring at me from every direction i heard only laughter and whispering when the eyes began too cry blood it rained all over me. finally altho i was conscious i was finally able to sit up in my bed screaming. i had another similar experience last night i awoke and was able to move my eyes around the room however could not move and was only able to speak a muffled moan when i tried to scream i awoke from a bad nightmare involving a lot of loss of innocent life in a cerimonial kind of manor. when i awoke i saw what looked like my room was on fire and there were people whispering laughing and screaming in the background and also with apparitions moving around me, this happened on and off for an hour from what i can remember. now after seeing this page i understand what was happenening to me somewhat ... i'm still unsure however weather this is a more spiritual experience or purely psychological.
SP
I'm 15 and I've had this happen to me multiple times now. It feels more like a quick mini 'realistic' dream after I'd have a nightmare (Which would usually be about the ring, zombies or ghosts). When I wake up and can't move, I automatically think about evil as well.
My first one was when I woke up facing my wall with my back against the entire room. I couldn't move anything except my eyes. I felt something was standing right beside my bed and I could feel it heavily breathing and staring right down at me. I tried to turn my head but couldn't, but with force and repeatedly attempting to it would finally work but once I'd turn around to see what it was I would wake up. I could also just about speak, but only in very feint whispers.
My second one (weeks later probably), was when I woke up after a nightmare again and was laying flat on my bed (not lying sideways). I couldn't move. I heard footsteps coming from my landing into my bedroom and this time I saw the figure. It was a skinny average-height black figure. It walked into my room and looked at me. I started to panic and it suddenly ran at me and started attacking me with it's hands and it's scary face was pulling weird gestures. I couldn't scream or move at all but at the last strike I woke up.
My third one happened today about an hour ago. I woke up paralysed and looking over my shoulder (I was facing my wall again.), I saw the top of what looked like a head where my cadet hat usually sits (hung on the wall). My blanket was blocking the rest of the sight so I moved it and when I did, it revealed a zombie-looking ghost. It just stood there looking at me. I paniced again and started gasping (I don't scream) and taking in a lot of air. I woke up again and I was breathing heavily and scared.
I don't hear loud ringing bells, maybe once but that was it. I do tend to stress in my every-day life about stupid things, and I get 6-7 hours sleep a day and I'm 15. Maybe this isn't SP and just short-quick dreams after a nightmare? Anyone know? :o The room in these mini-dreams also look just the same as when I wake up as well. Same weather, time etc. I also think they are real because in these dreams I wake up from the previous nightmare I just had, and am faced with horrifying figures standing around in my room or attacking me.
i have had many experiences
i'm 34 and i still experience SP now and then, and had this disorder since i was probably 18, as a matter of fact i saw once my cousin while he was taking a nap, where i start talking to him and he couldn't wake up and i could see his face expressions and his eyes moving fast side to side, then he told me that he was able to hear me but not to wake up. A year later i moved to NYC, one night went to bed early around 10ish pm while my cousins where in the living room watching TV and i knew that i felt asleep with my cloths on and at the same time i was able to hear the TV and my cousins talking, then all of the sudden i felt that something pull me up from my belt, since i was sleeping on bunk bed my body could't keep floating or at least that's how it felt, some how i woke up shaking as i was scare, then a year later in another apartment i experience another SP where then again i was able to listen to the TV on the living room and people, then it felt that i was able to open my eyes or at least barely open, and i was able to see the door, and light coming thru the bottom of the door, as i try to get up which i fail so i had to drag my self on the floor to reach the knob of the door, i look back and there i was, saw my self sleeping, i just don't remember what happen next, then i kept experiencing more SP's and usually start fighting to wake up as soon as i could but when the more i fought the more difficult, tiring and scary felt, so then i start thinking that what if i would relax when i start feeling SP, and so i did and was not painful anymore, and at some point i can be able to move a leg or something to wake me up.
I have experience this either alone in my bed or with a girlfriend where usually i hear myself while having SP saying something to my girlfriend to wake me up, but never happens, when i finally wake up, i had to wake her up and ask her if she was able to hear me or feel my movements of desperation to wake up and she always said that she never heard of felt anything from me... as i've been writing this and reading other people experiences been having the chills, not very nice feeling.
sleep paralysis alot also
I just had this experience twice today because I awoke and went back to sleep...and I relate with your story best. Simply because I've had this problem since I was a kid...I have three younger siblings and there has been times or at least one that I remember asking my younger brother to wake me because I couldn't wake myself up...it was scary and I ALWAYS hate it. Now I stay calm and like you mention try to force my arm to move or force myself to roll over and awake...but I can say it seems harder to breath...when in sleep paralysis. I woke myself up but while I was sleep I could hear the TV and things goin on around me...I think that is what scares me most until I calm down and awake myself...I just HATE that feeling, I just wish I could wake up...I hope they find a medical cure or fix because it can be scary but I've always struggled with sleep paralysis. Today is the first time...and I will be 37 Friday...is the first time I've heard an actually name for what I have felt and tried to explain and people thought I was weird. Any tips more studies on this condition would be greatly appreciated
interesting
i enjoy beying on this site. Tnks
Scientists should label their theories as theories
Ok, I'm skeptical of every fantastic, out there thing I hear, but this happened to me in the past. I had read an article about this phenomonen and it triggered the memory of it happening to me. One of the spiritual explanations in the article claimed it was a being that fed on your energy. Pretty stupid, right? Well, a couple weeks later I wake up, kinda. I can't move, my breathing feels labored and I can't make a sound. Then I hear these whisper noises that doesn't sound like any language I know. I try harder to move and can't. I got pissed. I pushed with everything I had and found my voice, "Get the f@#% off me!". I was free, and undoubtfully completely awake. In the dark of my room, I saw this silvery dark mist the size of a soccer ball raise off of me. I jumped out of bed swinging at it, or through it until it went through my ceiling. I had a couple more encounters over a couple of years following that, but nothing for years now. So, either I'm freakin' nuts or its for real. I've talked to others about it though, and they have such similar stories, including one seeing the exact orb type thing.
Whatever happened to me was evil!
I'm 20 years old and woke up to see what looked as if it were my shadow on the ceiling, which then i realized that isn't possible so i started to freak out. As i began to freak out my body froze and i couldn't talk then the arms of the shadow creature extended and had wings. My knees were up and i couldn't see past them as another outline of a shadow was behind them and it started saying my name in a very evil voice. i finally got my dogs attention with my grunts from trying to speak and he jumped up and started barking in the direction of what was passed my knees and the shadows all disappeared and i regained mobility and could talk. I'm not saying this isn't a sleep paralysis but can someone explain to me how after this ordeal i got VERY tired and was about to shut my eyes and could see the shadows coming back and got up and all the power in my room was out( lights and outlets) but the rest of my house everything worked... and i was home alone around 10am when this all happened
sleepinevil
i know how u feel cuz i ve been having weird things to me like i have some symptoms but i never forze at alot i hear lot of noises and see alot of thingss i just ignore it like i m be crazy that but i know for sure that what u saw is real,, like i went to school slumberparty couple yrs ago and we went to see if there were ghost and there were they had been sitting in the auditorium one walk up the isle were we were and we got really quiet and scared ,, then in are gym the ghostwanted to hurt us and would reply with a skidd of a shoe and turn on a flashlight,, but in my home i ve seen shawdows and thought they were my brothers or sisters. believe me ,, cuz i believe u
i can relate
I believe the same thing you do. Something similar happened to me and I didn't end up waking up till 10:00 am in the morning. I was asleep and couldn't move. I have heard and seen dark shadows around my room and even sitting on top of me as if it were keeping me from any movement. What I don't understand is that if they are going to base this on science why can't they explain that ONLY evil things show up when we are going through this. I always end up giving up and end up falling into a deeper sleep. I have trouble breathing and have to use my inhaler sometimes as soon as I wake up because I'm so exhausted. I feel tired and feel like going back to sleep but I am too scared. I haven't gone through something as bad as you and I'm sure I wouldn't want to. But I believe that this is rather something evil than scientific.
still
It is science. One of our central nerve seems to be malfunctioning and can't pass the border between awakeness and dreaming. And actually, you see what you want to see.
what the...?
ok right when i was about to wake up a couple of nights ago i had sp. but this time it waz diferent.for some reason it looked like i was dreaming but i couldnt move. i remember something happening about jesus and the devil. then i think someone said "you dont have to see jesus to praise him" then i see a tree with no visible branches. then someone is saying, "Our father who art in heaven give us this day our daily bread forgive us our depts as we forgive our deptors lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thou is the power and glory forever and ever" then i finally snapped out of it....weird i dont think its sientific cuz a few months ago i asked jesus to show me that he is real and not to friten me terribly while doing so...he didnt show me his face because for some reason i thnk that wold have scared me, i think he was telling me that he is rea and that i should praise him even thou i cant see him.
gosh im only 12 (turning 13 in august the 12th) i dont know but it has been happening to me at least once or twice a week since i was 7 or 8. that dream thingy was the first time i saw or heard anything during sp, it is usually just dark(my eyes are closed) and i cant move. i didnt have it after that dream which was only 2 days ago. guess i will just have to wait till next time... ):
This has to be evil!!
This happened to me last night and woke me up at 3:30am i felt like an evil spirt was inside me and it wouldn't let me move. It felt so real like i was in my room awake trying to get up out of bed and get help I can't see anything and it won't let me grab my bible which is on my nightstand as i try to fight it so i know its an evil presence!!! Untill I finally felt like i get enough strength to get up and go to my moms room and beg for help. The whole time i felt like my body was being compressed down and my head is looking up so i can't see where i am going i was just feeling my way around to her room, she finally wakes up and is in panic asking what is wrong with me then this horrid nightmare finally ends!! As i wake up I can hear myself say help as i open my eyes and i'm laying bellyside up with both my hands facing up and my arms stetched out like if i was being crucified!!! I'm scared stiff grab my bible and read a few pages until i can't keep my eyes open anylonger and gently fall back asleep as if nothing had happened...
I too have these, and I have
I too have these, and I have encouragement for you. As a Christian, our bodies are sealed with Christ. Evil can never live inside of us and take over. Jesus simply won't allow it. I think this makes whatever it is that is doing this to us, mad. So we get tortured. I've found if I can just speak Jesus's name, I can usually wake up faster. HE does not want us to be scared to go to sleep. HE is our Protector. Keep reading your Bible, it will help calm you. Memorize verses, this can also help during those scary moments. Sometimes I sleep with my Bible, much like a child would sleep with a teddy bear, when I fear another night terror is going to occur.
Sleep Paralyzed 10 times a night!!! And tips!!
Here is the catch i just read an article on sleep paralyze. It is said it's do to : Stress, not having a time set when it's time to go to sleep, you are anxious, you think to much and hard, your worried of the things that are going to happen tomorrow, you don't rest more than 7 to 8 hours, depression. I am 18 and i started feeling like this at the end of tenth grade year. I say my prayers but it just doesn't seem to work i still get paralyzed later at night. This is how i feel when i am paralyzed: I can't move any parts of my body, i can't open my eyes, it's hard to breath, i panic and i can feel my heart beating fast, i can't toss or turn, and i can hear but i can't speak.
One time my mother was going to work and i told her to wake me up at 5:30 in the morning so she did I heard her but i was paralyze, she thought i was sleeping but i wasn't i could hear her. Me, saying to my self while I'm paralyzed, "mom i can hear you but i can't move nor say anything."
And i have said our father's name God or (Jehova)please help me and i'll help my self by trying to wake up. But as i say that things tend to get worse. At that moment i feel as if my head is shaking and so much noise is going on inside my thoughts.
ONE MORE IMPORTANT THING: IN MANY ARTICLES THAT I HAVE READ IT STATES THAT FOR THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE THIS EXPERIENCE MOSTLY EVERYDAY, IT COULD BE A SLEEPING DISORDER AND MUST CONSULT A DOCTOR. ALSO IT STATED THAT IF WE PANIC TO THE EXTREME IT COULD BE POSSIBLE FOR OUR HEART TO STOP AND IT WILL CAUSE DEATH. SO DON'T PANIC PLEASE, MY OPINION IS TALK TO YOUR OR A DOCTOR AND TELL HIM/HER HOW YOU FEEL, WHAT CAN I DO, WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT CAUSE THIS ETC...
I WILL BE SEEING MY DOCTOR SOON AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED ON KNOWING WHAT HAPPEN REPLY AND I WILL GET BACK AT YOU.
@ mscalculusengineer
what happened after you saw your doctor
Hasn't happened since I moved in with my boyfriend.
I had no idea what was happening until I came across this site. When I was twelve I had this strange... dream I guess.. I woke up to the sound of growling, to the feeling of someone floating above me, holding me down. It felt like it was staring me directly in the eyes, I wanted to close my eyes so bad but they wouldn't close. I tried to scream for my mom (which was right by me) but no sound came out. I didn't have anything happen to me like that again until I was sixteen. I was sleeping downstairs in my grandmas room while she was out of town for awhile. I woke up not to a noise, but to blood pouring UP the wall. I tried to get up off of my bed to turn on the light, but instead of getting up, I rolled directly onto the floor. I don't know how to explain how it felt, I guess maybe like.. the room was upside down? Like the bed was actually on the ceiling and I fell down off of it onto the floor. Anyways, I finally woke up and it didn't happen again until two years later. This time I was staying in a four plex below my oldest sister. It seemed as if every night it would happen. I'd lay down, fall asleep then "wake up". When I "woke up" the first time, I couldn't move, or speak or anything. Eventually I actually started taking control. I dreamt I woke up, walked into the bathroom, looked into the mirror and started seeing my face form into some sort of demon. Before it fully turned into the face I yelled at myself "You're still sleeping, wake up!!!". that happened about five times that night. The same exact dream, everytime I woke up I realized I was STILL in a dream. Finally I woke up, out of breath and very shaky. It only happened once more at my boyfriends house. I had lied down to just relax while he was taking a shower getting ready for work. I ended up falling asleep, I'd say not even a few minutes later I woke up to my own voice saying "Eric's still in the shower, you need to wake up." So I did. It hasn't happened since then. It happened so frequently that I actually knew before I went to sleep if it was going to happen that night. I knew because once I lied down I could slowly feel my body become paralyzed. Of course, once I felt one body part go numb I got up and moved around, so it didn't happen. I don't know why I get so scared during sleep paralysis, when I KNOW I'm just dreaming and none of it is real. I guess it's just freaky because it feels like it really happened.
I don't know how to respond
I don't know how to respond to emails about people commenting on my SP story. But to Alonzo, I'd rather believe in something that can be proven by SCIENTISTS, rather then something that I've never seen, heard or felt. To all of you religious freaks, snap into reality. THIS IS NOT A GHOST OR FREAKING DEMON. It is s-l-e-e-p... p-a-r-a-l-y-s-i-s. Something that has been proven by very smart people. How can "someone" save you, when they do NOT exist?
YOU WHO SAY THIS IS SCIENTIFIC ARE WRONG!!!!
Im sorry but i know what i seen standing over me one night while i was sleep which was a black figure in a long black cloak i didn't see any hands or feet and it was floating standing at the side of the bed starring at me as i tried to scream and snap out of what was happening and move my body.. im an black teen im 19 years of age and i know that this is nothing to do with scientist. this is something to do with the devil thats why when you say jesus name the figure disappears cause the name jesus scares it away
THIS ISN'T A SPIRITUAL PROBLEM, BUT NEUROLOGICAL
Lately, I've been reading a lot of posts by people making SP into a spiritual issue. As a Christian, I'm the first to believe in the power of prayer and in the power of Jesus. I still get frightened when I go through my SP episodes and my reflex is to try to "pray it away" just as I would pray during any crisis. However, let's be clear - SP is NOT a spiritual attack, but is a neurological condition. I would hate for a newcomer to come to this site and get turned off and leave without getting good information and support on the subject because he/she thinks that this is a spiritual condition because it's not.
Joseph
SP
This has been happening to me for a while now and I only recently discovered what it was. I'm 17 and I can't recall the first time It ever happened but I do remember one time in specific..
I never really remember my dreams, so I don't know if this happens after nightmares or not.
One time I remember realizing I woke up and was awakso I wanted to get up but I couldn't! I tried moving my hand, moving my head, opening my eyes, talking, everything! But I couldn't. At this point I was scared (just like everytime) but then, I felt as if someone was in the room with me. All of a sudden I couldy feel my covers slowly peeling away from me..than my body was moving-not voluntarily. It was like I was slowly being pulled off of my bed..and I still couldn't move..but I still felt as if someone was in the room with me. I than could move again, and found myself on the floor..my blankets a little ways away from me on the floor too.
..I have had plenty more experiences too. I've had some nightmares of this happening to me too..only its 'really' when I'm sleeping. But in my nightmares..ill be in that paralyzed state and ill get drug down a flight of stairs into my basement.
Sleep Paralysis
I am so glad i found this website i thought i was being haunted it have been happening to me for about 20 years every couple of months i have moved house about six times and it keeps happening to me in every house i have lived in. I realy believed i was awake, it used to be like someone heavy laying on top of me holding me down i cant scream i cant do anything im so terified.it stoped for about two years, now lately it have started again I have seen someone standing by the side of the bed then the next thing its laying by the side of me like spooning and holding me tight ive tried calling my husband and screaming but i cant do anything its started to freak me out thats why i have been looking on the web i am still adamant im awake but after reading your story,s i cant be ive never heared of sleep paralysis till now. i have been terrified to go to sleep, after reading your story,s i feel a bit better im not the only one.
Im sixteen and i've had this
Im sixteen and i've had this experience a few times. I hate when they occur because i've researched it before a know what it is but whenever it happens i forget everything i know about them and they feel so real. I hear scary noises but i hardly ever hear actual talking (if i do its usually my name). I almost always see something that looks terrifying or feel an evil presence. I have never felt like someone is actually holding me down or hitting me, its more like im tied up but cant move anything. In order to wake myself up i usually try to move one of my hands, it takes a great deal of effort but usually eventually works. It makes me feel better to be able read what other people have experience. And now i am going to try to go back to sleep =)