Sleep Paralysis: Awake But Still Asleep

I have had Sleep Paralysis off and on since I was at least 5, as the earliest episode I remember was when I was 5. It usually happens to me when waking in the middle of the night, commonly between 1 and 3am. But not always, sometimes it is when I am drifting to sleep.

I am going to tell the most memorable instances, and would appreciate any feedback a person wishes to give on similarities.

First was when I was 5 years old, I had been sleeping in my mother's room as she said I was frequently having nightmares. I awoke and I remember thinking there was a man in the room and I had a sense that he was holding me down. For what I remember I really thought I saw a man, I even per my mother told her he had a brown suit on, but every time I think of this it just feels like a dream that I even actually saw someone, I think in my mind I wanted to have at least a face with this. I remember feeling very light and numb, I felt like something was smothering me but I couldn't do anything about it. I wanted to grab my mom but couldn't move. Felt like something was trying to pull me back to sleep, but I had to stay awake because there was a man in our room. I don't remember much of what happened the rest of this episode other then I must have fallen back asleep. I always thought this was just a dream, I had told my mom the next morning that a man was in her room last night and she freaked out and went around to make sure the doors were locked. She asked me more about it and said she thought I was just dreaming as she is a light sleeper and would have woken up.

My mother also told me that as a kid I used to have a lot of nightmares and also sleep walk frequently but I do not recall all this, other then I remember being scared of my bedroom. Well actually I do remember one instance of sleep walking when I was little, not actually doing the deed but just right before and after when I woke. I think I was around 8 or 9 and I had woken in the middle of the night, this is really kind of fuzzy but I know I had the same sensations, I know I was scared and I remember trying to keep awake. I felt I needed to get to my mom but I could not move at all. Had that sinking feeling and I would lose control, my eyes had started to shut but I had to keep them open and get to my mom. I can't remember all I felt and what happened that night, but my mom woke me the next morning as I was l sleep on the floor right by her door, the funny thing was that I even had my pillow with me, I had taken it. My mom took me to the doctor then because of the sleep walking. He had just told her that it is common for some kids and I should grow out of it.

Normally when I have had SP occur throughout my life, I just wake up and I can't move, I always feel like something is trying to pull me into a deep sleep and I'm trying to fight it. I usually feel like there is something there in the room with me, and even standing right next to me, but I can't move my head to look. Its like if I could just turn my head I would finally be able to see it, but I really can't move. Sometimes I know for fact my eyes are open and I can even move them; but then other times, even though it seems they are open, in fact they are shut, yet I can still see things.

On some occasions I can actually glimpse shadows, or silhouettes, but when I focus they are gone, its more a glimpse, like from the corner of the eye.

The scariest hallucinations are when I see spiders coming down from the ceiling, this usually happens when I am waking up, not when I am drifting to sleep, I will open my eyes and I feel like someone is actually sitting on my chest or pushing me down, sometimes I cant even breath, feels like my arms are detached from my body or gravity is holding them down. I look up in the dark and I think I see spiders coming down from the ceiling towards my face, I try and struggle but cant move, I am screaming inside but nothing is coming out, all I can muster out is a kind of moan or gurgle (My fiancé says some times it sounds like I'm choking, he has witnessed a few of my episodes). On the spiders, when I finally get out of it and focus there is nothing there, I will turn on the light and fully examine the ceiling and walls, but nothing is there.

At times I also think I see spider webs on the walls, but again nothing is there.

On all occasions it is when I am sleeping on my back. So I try and avoid it by sleeping on my side, the problem is I move around a lot in my sleep and almost always end up right back on my back. Come to think of it, when ever I have had it happen while I was just drifting off, each time I can recall I think I was on my back, and then the waking up I was always on my back.

2 other instances I want to stress, the first happened about 5 years ago, I was living with my (boyfriend at the time) in a high-rise condo, we had a balcony off our bedroom. I remember waking, felt like something had woke me, I heard kind of a zinging sound, kind of electric, thought for a sec the TV is on, but we didn't have a TV in our bedroom. I got really scared and noticed I couldn't move, it felt like I was being drugged back to sleep. A weird sensation I felt was that I was sinking into the bed. I felt this sense of dread like if I fell asleep I would die. I knew my boyfriend was beside me, but I kept thinking he wasn't there anymore, I wanted to scream for him but couldn't. There was this horrible smell. I kept thinking this isn't right, it's not right. Kept feeling something evil was in the room and if I could just turn my head I would see it, I didn't want it to come up to me, I wanted to catch it first. Was such a feeling of dread and helplessness! I started to imagine shaking my head and kept picturing myself shaking and actually felt the sensation of doing this (maybe I really was), and I got out of it. I sat up and surveyed the room quickly, wanted to catch, see something! My boyfriend was still there, as I looked around and passed my balcony sliding doors I got a glimpse of something that made me scream for real. I thought I saw a silhouette of a person outside on my balcony. My scream woke up my boyfriend and told him I think someone is on our balcony, I was terrified, he got up turned on the light and we found no one there. I even made him open the doors and go out side to look fully. Again it wasn't like I actually saw anyone, it was just a glimpse and just a shadowy silhouette.

Sometimes I can hear voices when this happens but nothing I can really make out, its almost like I'm next door to a group of people and they are all talking in hushed voices, but every time I think about it after, it just feels in my head, just a jumbled mess of voices not really there. A lot of times I will hear this static sound, like electricity, or a zing kind of sounds. Sometimes even a kind of buzzing sound. At times I will feal cold and all I want to do is reach back for the blankets, and that stresses me out the most is because I cant get them.

Ok the final instance I will be specific on happened less then 2 years ago. I had been living in a town house. I remember it was really hot and stuffy in my place, my bedroom was upstairs. I decided to sleep downstairs as it was a bit cooler in the living room, I had all the windows open. I watched TV for a bit, but then turned it off as I was getting tired and I laid on my back on the couch and starred up at the ceiling for a few thinking until I drifted off. I don't think it was long after I drifted when I had an attack of SP. The first thing I noted was I heard this electric sound in my head, kind of like just inside of my ear, it was loud, not pulsating just one sound, a straight zzzzzzzzzzz... I thought I had left the TV on, but I know I didn't. I was having a hard time breathing and I just wanted to wake up. I had again this sense of absolute dread and that I really had to get out of there, I had to move! I felt like something was pulling me through my legs, if that makes sense? Its just how I felt. I remember my arms were pinned at my side and I really wanted to lift them. I am sure I had my eyes open because I could see the ceiling and over towards the light by the front door, which I had left on (I want to note, that I'm 32 years old but if I am alone, I have to either sleep with a light on near by, or yes I'm afraid, a little "Night Light"). Ok what happened next was the scariest experience I have had so far, and this is what convinced me to see a doctor. The door to my basement was near my living room couch, I heard the scariest noises coming from it, I thought I heard footsteps as if someone was coming up my basements steps, and almost running. I think I had heard foot steps before, but almost seems like a distant memory and not really real. But this time it felt real. Then I thought I heard voices like some people whispering together. I was scared shitless at this point, but I felt like something was pulling me to sleep, I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore, but was freaked cause I HAD TO, I had to get up or really wake up! I couldn't allow this to happen. It was weird because I kept drifting at this point. The next point that happened I want to stress here felt more like a dream, but yet also feels like it really did happen, I am still confused on whether it did or not. I know for sure the other sensations happened but not what I am about to say next and you will see why. I basically managed to actually pull myself off of the couch, all I could think was to get out the front door and I would be safe. I was actually dragging my self across the floor to the front door, I could barely do this, I felt like something was still on top of me and pushing me down, gravity trying to suck me through the floor and again the sensation that something was trying to pull "me" through my legs. I got really close to the door when the sleep took over again, I couldn't do it anymore, I was exhausted and could not keep my eyes open. That was the last I remember. I awoke the next morning and I was on the couch, but I was drenched in sweat. The first thing I did was look to the front door, I wanted to remember if I actually had dragged myself across the floor, but I just felt confused and could not remember what happened after that, and I was after all back on the couch.

Later in the afternoon, I finally managed to drag myself down the basement stairs to investigate. I know no one was there, but I still needed the peace of mind, even though it took a bit for the courage to get me moving, and to be honest, I even brought a huge ass kitchen chef knife, just in case people really had broken in. There was after all no indication anyone was there, the basement window was locked, bolted from the inside, Obviously from that point on, it always took me a lot of courage and maybe a few sips of scotch before I could drag myself down there, even to do the laundry and I was usually always practically tripping over my own feet to get back up stairs fast enough.

After this instance I went in for a sleep study. No episode of SP happened during the study (it was 1 overnight study). What was found is that I do have sleep apnea and that apparently I awoke several times throughout my sleep "because of the apnea", but I don't remember any of that. I was also told about the Sleep Paralysis condition and associated Hypnopompic Hallucination and that it seems I am suffering from these. It was a relief to find this out, I always thought I was going crazy and it was a hard thing to talk about before this. My doctor has assured me, I am not nuts (yay!) and it is a very physical real phenomena that happens to almost everyone at least one point in their life. But for some, like myself and many others here, it is a constant hellish occurrence. He said this can come about from stress (I really am not a stressful person though, at least I don't think I am) and also when a person is sleep deprived (well to this I just have to laugh as the only reason I am sleep deprived is because of the SP! So kind of a vicious circle me thinks!). He recommended various medications (drugs) which I will not take (although I have heard that the natural herbal supplement melatonin is good, anyone ever tried it?).

But finally my doctor gave me some suggestions which have actually helped. The main two are, first always remain calm, realize what you may see, feel or hear is just the Hypnopompic Hallucinations. It is not real and the more you worry yourself the worse they can get. The second is, when it does occur just focus on moving a small limb, such as a finger, or a toe. I find that if I move my tongue and sometimes make that tongue slapping the top of the mouth sound or "tounge clicking", I will come out of it. I did also have a brain scan done, and other tests such as blood work, etc. from this it was found that "I am healthy and I am not prone to seizures".

I want to say, I am not religious, but I also don't want to offend really, but this is not god and it is not demons. If praying helped you that's great and here is the reason why, it's because the praying took concentration and therefore brought you out of it. The main point is concentrating.

I will also let you know that my fiancé has actually witnessed me having a few of these attacks. He for sure saw no demons, or shadowing figures around or next to me (Thank God! lol), no Witch was sitting on my chest, and certainly no Aliens had their space ship parked out our window and were trying to take me off to their mother ship for nostral testing (all the things you almsot feel are going to happen when you have SP, ok well wait, I do beleive in other planets and "Aliens", etc. we'd have to be really stupid to think we are the only ones in all the worlds, but I don't think I'm interesting enough for them to want me, haha). What my boyfriend has seen, is for a least two of my SP attacks, my eyes were open and that I was wide eyed in fact. He said my body did look very relaxed though, even though I told him that I was struggling inside and trying to scream. And again mostly all he has heard me do is gurgle or moan very slightly. Now when he wakes to me in one of these states, he puts his arms around me and I come out of it instantly, all you need is contact.

If anyone wishes to talk further on this subject, please feel free to e-mail me echopf@shaw.ca. Would welcome further conversations as I think we should band together, to me it makes the SP less scary.

So glad to find that I am not alone... It is a truly scary experience to go through. Last night I had another of these episodes after not having them for a while.
I dreamt I was looking at myself in the mirror at a hospital, but as I was holding onto the sink I felt my legs start to rise and I was lifted vertically still holding onto the sink. Then I "woke up" in my room and saw myself being lowered onto the bed, as if into my own body. I felt as if I was floating. After I was on the bed, I felt very heavy and couldn't move anything but my eyes. There was pounding in my head and whooshing sounds. I also had the feeling that I was not alone in the room and was looking frantically around me to see what it was. After I could barely flip myself onto my back, I started seeing colored circles before my eyes, swirling. And they kept going with my eyes closed and open. Then I saw flashes of bright neon lights. And in a few mintues, I was able to sit up in bed. As I was very tired, I reluctantly fell back asleep.
I know its SP and nothing evil, but when you're going through such an experience you really can't help but pray to God that you don't die...

I'm 22 years old and have been experiencing, what I now believe to be sleep paralysis, for the past several years. When I was younger it was definitely frightening and for a long time I convinced myself that it was just part of a dream.

I usually only have this experience when I'm beginning a nap, usually in the middle of the day. If I have been active all day and am moderately tired I will fall to sleep with no incident. The paralysis always comes when I'm lying on my back. As soon as I begin to drift off I will get a spiraling feeling and sometimes I will actually see a colorful spinning pinwheel shape and hear a loud "wah-wah" that will increase in tempo. After a few seconds I can, at least I think, open my eyes and look around the room. I am conscious of my slow beating heart and I can clearly make out any sounds around me such as people talking or the television. I cannot, however, move any of my larger muscles. With great effort I have found it possilbe to wiggle fingers or move my tounge which usually wakes me up.

As I mentioned I'm not really sure if I open my eyes, but I am sure that I can see the room and the objects and other people that may be in it. I find that I often will also feel that my body is extremely light as if I'm almost floating. Just yesterday I had an experience where I was napping on the sofa and I could no longer move my muscles but I could see my sister walk through the room and into the laundry room. I was actually able to follow her into the other room and watch her fold clothes. I'm not sure if this is "out of body" because I never recall being able to see myself asleep. But after waking up yesterday, I did walk into the other room and find my sister still folding laundry just as she was during my nap.

I should also note that I've never experienced a dark or evil feeling that accompanies the paralysis. I pray every night before sleeping and often drink half a glass of water. I would say these experiences occur at least one a week.

For those of you that have fear of these experiences I would suggest trying to see what happens if you do not fight to wake up. I found that when I was young and quit trying to wake my self up the experience was actually exhilirating. I have also found that when I do have an experience and I tell myself that I want to dream about a certain subject and I let myself drift into a deeper sleep I will actually have what I believe is described as a lucid dream. I am aware that I am dreaming and I can actually control my dream. Over the past few months I've gotten to the point that I can relax and actually force myself into an episode and often have some interesting dreams.

I believe there may be some truth to the relationship between stress and sleep paralysis. I just began medical school last month and my episodes have definitely increased in frequency. Additionally, there is probably a genetic link as well. My younger brother has similar experiences but his episodes seem only to occur as he is waking up where as mine occur as I fall asleep.

Thanks to everyone else who has posted their experiences, it is comforting to know that others can understand how frightening and surreal an episode can be.

I had never experienced or heard of this until very recently. My mother in law had died in 2006, 4 months after I was married. In 2007, I had a very vivid dream. In this dream there were no words exchanged. I could see her but my husband was unable to. She kept running at him as if to say," I'm here but you can't see me." She'd look at me as if to help her tell him she was there.She was so upset she couldn't get to him. When I awoke, my mind was fully awake but my body was not. I could speak to myself(in my head) and I kept saying," oh my god, I think I'm dead." I began getting tingling sensations in my feet and hands. Slowly, I began to come back into myself. This occurance happened two more times and only in the house she use to live in. I was so afriad to sleep, I would try to stay awake. I began praying that it would stop and for the last year it hasn't happened again.

i just got it about one hour ago for the fist time(i have only got 4 hours of sleep in the past 2 days that mabey why) it was in the morning i woke up(8am) had to deal with people bitching to me about something on the phone then stayed awake for about one more hour then decided to take a short nap(9am) i didnt relize i was asleep till i woke up with somthing in my hand like the edge of my laptop i tried to let go to set it aside and sleep more but couldnt so i thought i was just to tired to think straight then i looked around my room and it was a differnt somehow i tried to sit up and look but couldnt everything was darker and i felt there was somthing with me in there so i freaked out tried to sit up and i thought my whole body was asleep then i thought i regained controll and sat up then i felt that i fell off my bed and couldnt see anything but my eyes were open so i was just falling waiting till i bashed my head on the floor(i could think like normall but couldnt move) then all of the sudden i regained controll and look around and had no idea where i was for about 1 min. then relized it was all back to normall and i thought to myself what the hell just happend did some research on internet and found out it was sleep paralysis, i would have to say it was the most amazing experience i ever felt and would be neat to do it again but i would like to leave the feeling of a evil spirit in my room out

I am writing this after just having the most scary night terror/sleep paralysis. I have had about 12 such experiences. I feel like I am trying to wake up but cannot and I feel my legs being lifted up in the air by some sort of presence I cannot see but just sense. This last time it was worse as I felt i was being strangled and really found it hard to breath. I was trying so hard to wake up and just when I thought I was moving and actually sitting up I would find myself still sleeping. Why do my legs always feel like they are being raised up???? I asked my children if they had heard me scream when I woke up finally-such a relief!! They said no. I am still out of breath typing this and my heart racing a bit. I have had two episodes this week and before this a few weeks ago. But if anyone has had this leg raising feeling please write about it as not many people here have mentioned it. Thankyou and best wishes everyone!

Hi. I'm 18 years old and have been having sleep paralysis for about a year now. The very first time it happened I was so so scared. I was paralysed and felt like I would stay that way forever unless I somehow wiggled my way out of it, and there was this girl hovering about my body who seemed to be sucking the life out of me while she say "hi" in a calming but freaky echoing tone. From then i went to explain it to most people at my school..all thought that it was just a nightmare but i knew it was something else. then one korean girl said i had a curse that was all about 'spirit hovering over me'. From that day on with probably only a couple of days exception i have had sleep paralysis every night and up to 15 episodes every night. When i first got it i was so frightened that if I didn't get out of it everytime that i would stay paralysed forever so i always managed to wiggle my fingers and toes, but with it happening so many times a night i got so tired of it so one night i just decided to fall deep into it and realised that eventually i came out of it.. so from then on i just go with it, unless it gets really scary then i get out of it. Sleep paralysis is a part of me.. and from what I have read i think i must have it the worst in the world! Strangely though, i would never want to get rid of it. Its weird but sometimes its really fun and i can control it to an extent, but ofcourse most of the time it is a weird and uncomfortable experience but i love that its something so crazy that people dont understand and i have learnt to live with it.
Just last night i had it 4 times and theres no doubt i will have it at least that many times tonight. I'm just a normal teenager.. i dont do anything out of the ordinary, i dont no why i have sleep paralysis so much. please reply if you have it as often as me because Id love to hear what u think.

I used to have SP since I was 17 or 18, nothing major, mild feeling of muscle paralysis, the feeling of being awake, a presence in the room, sometimes trying to pull the sheets and uncover you, and unable to move a finger, but recently I had quite a frightening experience, I was lying on the couch slept for about 4 hours when that thing started, my head felt heavier, I could feel my heart beats started to slow down, for A second I thought I was a goner, so I used my willpower to fight that state of paralysis or at least try to snap out of it, I could only open my right eye, when my right eye was open it started to scan the whole living room incontrolably , then suddenly I could see a shadowy figure flying rapidely past the couch more like black sparkling crow feathers could not see the whole figure as it diseapered inside the wall, that scared me a lot, because now I could not only feel the presence but also caught a glimps of it, If it was a brain trick I could live with that, but I have I feeling that there is more to it than some sicentific explanation.

I also have the samething but when it happens to me I can't move and either my eyes wont open at all or I see blurry. I can make small noises (kind of like moaning) and I can breath but its pretty small breaths. When mine happens though it feels like something is touching me all over, like my arms are spread away from my body so I cant guard myself. I think the first time it happened was when I was 9 or 10 maybe. I turned over on my back and stretched my arms above my head and my arms stayed stuck that way and for the life of me I couldnt move or call for help because it came out in a whisper. I could make out seeing was my nightlight and my door being cracked open, it scared me so much I told my grandmother later on and she said it was demons holding me down. I've been thinking that was the case ever since but now that I've finally looked it up I know thats not the case and it relieves me. I guess since I spend most of my time fighting to move during SP I tire myself out and doze back off to sleep and actually dream that some black creature is holding me against my will and touching me. How do I stop this from happening and what can I do while its happening?

hello everybody .. Ive had SP since I was 11 (im 20 now) Ive felt every "symptom" everyone has described everytime I go into SP it even happened to me back in middel school during the day while in class, you feel you cant move, your moving your eyes and you see everything thats happening around you but you cant even scream, i hated it so bad i start praying after i get out of it but it still gets me whenever i try to go back to sleep it would stop if i go to sleep with the light on or the tv on .. why I HAVE NO IDEA? .... after so long of dealing with this yesterday was the freakiest experience of them all, id say 10 min after i went to sleep i wope up to SP everytime it happens i fight (i dunno what im fighting or whom) to get out of it, i usually sleep with one hand over my stomach, while in SP i felt my arm was rising or someone or something was rising it well above my body level, once i got out of it my hand was still on my stomach .... I was so tireddd before this cuz i had been studying all day .. i couldnt go back to sleep for a good hour and a half - i turned on the tv and fell sleep with it on ... i soo hate it when this happens.. ive read every story and im at the very least glad that it does not only happens to me , although its the first time i decide to research on it .... any comments on it , more than welcome!

Hi my name is Robert im 22 yrs yung ....

MY STORY
--------
IV'E HAD MANY OF THESE OCCASIONS AND THEY ARE REALLY SCARY ESPECIALLY FOR PEOPLE LIKE (ME AFRAID OF THE DARK AND GHOST) WHICH IVE REALLY NEVER SEEN. ANYWAYZ ONE INCIDENT I HAD WAS WHEN I WAS LAYING IN MY ROOM ABOUT 17 YRS OF AGE, I DON'T RECALL IF I WAS ASLEEP BUT WHAT DID HAPPEN WAS I HAD MY EYES OPEN AND I KNEW IT WAS MY ROOM IV'E BEEN LAYING DOWN IN, I COULD NOT MOVE. I TRIED TO SCREAM FOR HELP BUT NOTHING WOULD COME OUT. SUDDENLY A NASTY HAND WITH GREEN VIENS ON TOP WAS REACHING OVER MY BODY FROM ABOVE MY HEAD AND I WAS SCARED. A FEW SECONDS LATER I SHOOK THE SCARY IMAGE OF ME AND REALIZE NOTHING HAD BEEN THERE AS I SEARCH AROUND. A FRIEND OF MINE HAD TOLD ME HE HAD THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO HIM AND HE HAD AN ARM WITH VIENS ON HIM, AND THE SCARY PART WAS HE TOLD ME WITHOUT ME TELLING HIM FIRST OR IN FACT ANYBODY.

ANOTHER INCIDENT
----------------
THIS ONE IS MORE SCARIER, I REMEMBER LAYING DOWN ON THE COUCH AND NOT BIENG ABLE TO MOVE MY BODY AND ALSO I WAS SPEECHLESS, IT WAS NIGHT AND I SEEN A SKELTON IMAGE NOT FAR FROM ME. HE WAS LAUGHING AT ME EVIL ( I WAS SCARED).
A FEW SECONDS LATER IN THE TERRIFYING SITUATION, I SEEN AN EVIL DARK IMAGE OUTSIDE, (MY DOOR WAS OPENED BUT THE SCREEN DOOR WAS SHOOT SO COOL AIR CAN COME IN) AND I FELT MY SPIRIT COMING OUT OF MY BODY WITH THE SCARY IMAGE OUTSIDE. I CRIED FOR GOD'S HELP AND SUDDENLY WAS RELEASED FROM THE TERROR. I'F I CONTINUE TO LAY DOWN I WILL FEEL MY BODY STARTING THE GET THAT VIBE FEELING AS I'M GOING BACK TO THE TERROR, SO I TRY TO STAY AWAKE SITTING UP, BUT IT ALWAYS BECOMES HARD FOR I AM COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED.

IV'E BEEN IN MANY OF THE SCARY SO CALLED SLEEP PARALYSIS AND NONE ARE FUN TO BE IN. REMEMBER THIS

GOD DOES EXSIST AND SO DOES THE BETRAYER, IN HEAVEN WITH GOD THERE IS NO SLEEP AND AND WITH DEATH THERE IS. GOD EXSIST AND IF EVER YOU NEED HELP OR JUST WANT TO TALK TO OUR LOYAL GOD, PRAY - HE IS THERE - THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND TAKE CARE - GOD BLESS

I have this sleep paralysis since I was 15. I am 31 years old now and have been experiencing this SP for 4 or 5 times every night non-stop. I don't know how can I stop this from happening. I cant take this anymore. I don't know if it's because I'm very stressful lately. But what I do not understand why every time I have SP there is always have all kinds of evil presence around me, demons,scary loud voices, can't breathe, I couldn't speak, there's someone tickling all over my entire body to death, can't move. But then I can see the entire room. I can even see my cousin walk by, my husband beside laying besides me, the TV that was on and I am very aware of everything around me. I know for a fact tonight I will experienced this again. Like what I've said 4 or 5 times every night non stop. And I hate it. I hope somebody will help me:-( HELP ! !! !! ! !

Mine started at around age 12. I am now 40. Last year, I had the SP when I would awake from sleep...sometimes in the morning...sometimes in the middle of the night. Prior to that, it would only be at the onset of sleep. It usually happens when I am pretty tired and have stayed up late. Usually a few seconds before it happens, my head feels heavy and I can hear a sound in my head. It's like a pre-cursor to the episode. At times, I can abate it by getting up really quickly. Other times, I just cant.

Here are something to note:

1. Do you notice sleeping in a particular position brings it on? For me, it's lying flat on my back. Some research says lying on one's side lessens the possibility of it happening.

2. When the SP hits, try to relax and tell yourself it'll pass. For me, the more I fight it, the worse it is.

3. I've heard to try to move the small muscles in your body like your toes, fingers, tongue and eyes vs. the larger muscles to get it to stop.

4. Almost all of us have the experience of something "evil" or a "presence" in the room with us. It's a hallucination - it's not real, but it sure does feel as though it's real!

5. This is a physical/neurological condition.

6. Praying certainly helps.

7. Relax.

You're not alone. This thing just sucks.

I am 17, My first one was...about 3 months ago I had fallen asleep on the couch and then I come to find out that I am awake. I could hear my parents talking to each other about dinner I think... I wanted to get up but I couldn't, i thought if i could just open my eyes or cry out for some one to wake me up i could i dont remember how i finaly woke up but it was scary... < I had not seen or heard anything like people talking or seeing dark figures until NOW.. I stayed home from school one day.. but the night before there was this crazy guy that tryed to come in our house at like 3:30Am on a school night so everyone was asleep but my mom anyway i feel asleep on the couch again and the couch is by our back door i got the sp again i was laying there and i herd the back door open i knew for sure that it wasent any of my family because before it hapend i opend my eyes and it was like 12:30Pm but i herd the door open and someone walking around the room, it sounded like he went into the kitchen and starded opening cabanet doors then i herd boords squeking up stairs it sound like he was in my room, not even a second later i couldn't breath and i felt something breathing over my face and like there was a hand over my mouth and he was wispering something i couldn't make it out i was to scared then the back door sudenly slamed shut and i cant remember what hapened after that... It hapend to me one time at school but this last time just realy freaked me out... its just geting worse and worse.... there got to be some way to avoid this... What do i do when it happens?

Hi, so this has been happening to me for yrs it started after my boyfriend commited suicide.I still remember the first time it happened it was 3 days after his death, there was a women in a dress with a mist around her reading from a book in a different language standing over me , as she was reading I could see my tv playing the same show I was watching before I fell asleep after this took place I was never the same. Recently it's been happening more often maybe once or twice every other month since I moved into this house. When I lived at my fathers I don't think it happened more than twice over 5 yrs. Now I think it's getting worst I'm scared to sleep, lastweek I was asleep next thing I was paralyzed then felt myself sit up where I seen a black figure couldn't make out a face standing at the foot of my bed I screamed " What the F*&k do you want?" or atleast I thought I was screaming then I thought it said something then I was just sitting there it was gone and I was freaked out.Usually when it happens I would just feel paralyzed, can't speak and feel like someone or something is holding me down. Lastnight it happened again and it seems before I go to sleep if I think about it, it happens. I don't understand whats happening to me all these yrs I thought it was a evil spirit.

i was asleep when i was awakend by unknwon weight on my chest. when i attempted to sit up i was immobiliszed and was told by an unknown male voice which said "your not getting up mother fucker". i felt like i was being choked, i panicked for awhile but then relaxed and was able to breath again, the figure squeezed on my throat harder and stopped my breathing all together, i attempted to shout but to no avail. during this experience which lasted one minute at the most was happening i was facing the wall and was unable too see what had a hold of me. before i was able to breath again i saw something bright from the corner of my eye leaving me and then returning before i was able to fully breath. thats my experience which happened on april 17, 2008 at around 8:30 in the morning iam not sure what it could be but after reading the article on sleep paralisis iam feeling more relaxed about the whole situation.......or ami???? iam 18 yo and single

My story... I was laying on my bed on my back looking at my celling for at least a few hours, completley bored out of my mind, the light was on and i was fully awake but i was getting pretty tired. I rolled my head over and looked at my wall then i closed my eyes and i think i started because i was suddley driving a car down a street and there was a street light and it was bright out. then it tured to night and i heard cars crashing, then people screaming, every once and a while one would blurt out one of my thoughts i couldnt say, when i would open my eyes i could look around my room. I then realized it was a dream but i couldn't move at all... i couldnt scream or anything. i actually liked it, it was so sureal almost like a bad acid trip... only had it a few times tho

My boyfriend and I have been having SP ever since he moved in at my house into his own room my dad built for him. He would have pressure and he would try to move his arms and yell but the only thing he could do is get a squeak out of his mouth. "Help!" I would have to wake him up. Now since I have done that I NOW have these problems where I cannot go anywhere and actually sleep normal. I have woke up to hearing a beautiful piano playing and me saying "Is'nt that beautiful and right when I would say that, the music would stop and it would go to static and then there was a LOUD SCREAMM!! When I finally woke up, I had chill bumps all over my arms. It made me freak out. I couldn't sleep the rest of the night. One time before that I had an episode where I felt it coming and I let it go, just wondering what it would really do, and it started to choke me and I had to say Jesus, Jesus!! And it finally stopped. I'm just scared that It's gonna keep happening. My boyfriend has even spoke to the devil and knows what he looks like and sounds like. I can't move, can't open my eyes, can't feel...I can only HEAR!! SOO scary. I try to move and its like im under water.

Sleep Paralysis or Not... I am now 21 years of age, and it seems to me that from what I've read it has become clear to me. (It just makes sense). When I was 7 years old I had an encounter with Sleep Paralysis, (I know that now) in this state of Rem Sleep I was indeed completely paralized, trying to scream, trying to move but I could not. It seemed to go on forever. As of to this day I do not now weather my eyes were open or closed at the time. I could see images of shadow spaces of people walking around in our living room. I tried not to turn my head but was unable to, I could hear whispers, but these whispers were not in english it sounded like some kind of indian tribe. I finally got enough strength to scream. My mother turns on the light. She said she tried to wake me, but I was still unable to lift one eyelid... I finaly woke, I looked above me and I saw my mother. To this day I have not idea why it happened. My mother said that on that night, when I finaly woke up, and looked up at her, I said "There comming, There on their way, There almost here!" I had sweat all over me, and was shivering. That was the my first time dealing with Sleep Paralysis. These events of Paralyses kept on happening throughout my life to this day at 21 years of age. Those who know me and have witnessed me in a Rem sleep state of full conchesness, all have said that I was murmuring words as if it were indian talk. There is still one thing aobut this subject that I do not understand, If I am indeed in a Rem like state, I have not yet found in answer to this. My question is , If my eyes are shut tight, Then why could I see my friends who were with me at the time? I asked them if my eyes were shut or open and every single one, at every time this happened all said that my eyelids were tightly shut. I cannot explain this but here it goes, During this state of Rem sleep where as I am fully conchess I could see my friends at the time who were with me when I awoke, and i explained what was happening and how I could see every thing they were doing all while my eyes were shut, and they were impressed but scared at the same time, and so was I.