Sleep Paralysis & False Awakenings

tonypaladino · #1 10-13-2005, 04:07 AM

Inspired by a SMP thread on lucid dreaming.

I somewhat frequently (every couple of months) suffer from sleep paralysis. It is scary as all [censored] hell.

When it happens, I am wide awake, but my body cannot move, I get a feeling of impending death, and auditory and tactile (touching) hallucinations. I try to scream, and I can hear myself screaming so load, but at the same time, can tell that the scream is not escaping my body.

I also get, rarely, False Awakenings. I usually only "fake awake" once before I really wake up, but once, I woke up over and over again about 8 times. I was convinced I was dead.

Do these things happen a lot to anyone else?

[censored] · #2 10-13-2005, 04:09 AM

This happened to me about 3 monnths ago. I felt like I could not breath but I wasn't suffocating. I scared the hell out of me as I has not idea what it was at the time. I haven't had one since but I would hope i'm able to recognize what is going on and not panic as I think that made it worse.

imported_anacardo · #3 10-13-2005, 04:10 AM

Yes, and yes. My parade of fake wakeups has been known to stretch out to tiresomely epic lengths. I always know because my vision's still blurred and my face is still paralyzed.

Shillx · #4 10-13-2005, 04:12 AM

Yeah this is pretty common and I get it all the time. It happens when you are in REM sleep and for some reason become alerted. Your body shuts down your motor skills to prevent you from acting upon your dream (or sleepwalking). It is also something that is likely the cause when you hear people talk about alien abductions. They are in this sort of state and not actually getting taken in by UFO's.

Brad

dibbs · #5 10-13-2005, 04:35 AM

I've always had problems with insomnia and chronic fatigue syndrome, which you wouldn't think go together but it sucks.

Never had or heard of sleep paralysis, scary sht though.

I get false awakenings maybe twice a month.

#6 10-13-2005, 04:44 AM

This month I've awakened twice because I wasn't breathing. My throat had closed up, and afterward, my throat was very sore for a while. It sounds like sleep apnea, but both times I was lying on my side, and I'm not overweight nor do I snore so I think it might be something else.

dibbs · #7 10-13-2005, 04:48 AM

Jesus man, I'd get that checked out if I were you, and I avoid the doctors whenever possible.

Vavavoom · #8 10-13-2005, 04:50 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Inspired by a SMP thread on lucid dreaming.

I somewhat frequently (every couple of months) suffer from sleep paralysis. It is scary as all [censored] hell.

When it happens, I am wide awake, but my body cannot move, I get a feeling of impending death, and auditory and tactile (touching) hallucinations. I try to scream, and I can hear myself screaming so load, but at the same time, can tell that the scream is not escaping my body.

I also get, rarely, False Awakenings. I usually only "fake awake" once before I really wake up, but once, I woke up over and over again about 8 times. I was convinced I was dead.

Do these things happen a lot to anyone else?

[/ QUOTE ]

My step-dad and uncle(mums brother) both suffer from this...

I believe its also called Night Tremors...(sp?)

brassnuts · #9 10-13-2005, 05:10 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah this is pretty common and I get it all the time. It happens when you are in REM sleep

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm pretty sure it takes place just before REM sleep.

Regardless, and oddly enough, this thread comes just a week after I realized that I occasionally have night terrors (last week I think I had my 2nd or 3rd ever.) Night terrors are closely related to sleep paralysis. The feeling is extremely eeire. Impending death is almost the same sensation that I recall, but it's pretty hard to describe. Anyways, yeah man, some crazy shiite.

Edit: I'd just like to add that, like everyone, I've always had some nightmares where I wake up just before I die in some way or another. These are not what I'm talking about.

peachy · #10 10-13-2005, 05:37 AM

ur lucky u at least know whats going on - many people think its "something" holding them down in bed, etc...its nothing to worry about - ur body will catch up to ur mind, its just the neurons misfiring or not firing at all - in combination with a few other things

when ive had these at times, i have even thought unrationally - that something was holding me down by my arms and chest and that i couldnt breath or scream, when i finally was able to it was extremely hard for me to go back to sleep b/c i felt like something was there - resulting in hypersensitivity to anything for a lil bit

some people go way extreme here and have priest come in and do all sorts of things. Some of the people we had in the sleep lab were also convinced of this, even after showing them a tape of them sleeping. Most would fully engage in it and swear they could see things, even on the tape, tourmenting them and holding them down. The mind hallucinated during these episodes, some worse than others, so i can understand them believing what they saw and felt so strongly