Before i go into this paralysis state i can always predict it....just as im laying i feel ab overwelming force, like a rushing sense like u would get if you fall in a dream. So i try to stop myself from falling to sleep, always to late though, although ive managed to shout myself awake a few times.
Please tell me about your paralysis episodes
Hi Reece.
My personal experience is that,
I get the “jumps”
It feels like my body is vibrating
I hear voices, bells etc
My eyes will be closed yet can see the tv show or read the words in my book
I see dark people wearing black monk type clothing
There were no books or internet when I was growing up to know what was going on.
Im glad you found this site.
I now now have learned that when I’m unable to moveI try to “roll” out of my body and “walk” or “fly” around the neighbourhood. It’s fun and less scary.
I guess some call this an OBE.
Hope me this helps.
Buffy
Oh yes Reece - I think that's quite common. The problem is, once you get the feeling it's too late to do anything about it, isn't it? You seem to be getting sleep paralysis mainly while falling asleep. I get it more often when waking from sleep - always from a dream, of course, as sleep paralysis arises from REM (dreaming) sleep. I suddenly get a feeling of dread, the dream immediately becomes lucid - by which I mean I know I'm dreaming - and I know it's going to happen.
I've had sleep paralysis for more than 50 years now, so have pretty much got used to it. I've found it tends to decline very slowly with age, but I still average two or three episodes a month, some of them with severe hallucinations.
Have you managed to identify what triggers your attacks, or at least some of them? My main trigger has always been getting too warm in bed. I can never sleep under any kind of quilt or duvet, and mainly sleep under a sheet with a light rug at the foot of the bed, even in mid-winter. Stress and anxiety will trigger attacks in me too, as will drinking a bit too much alcohol late in the evening (though I think that's mainly because I tend to overheat after drinking). Recreational drugs - particularly cannabis - are also a common trigger. Some people find eating certain foods too late in the evening can trigger attacks too. Also, sleeping too close to electronic equipment can act as a trigger, as can sleeping near overhead high-tension cables. I always had far worse attacks in my mother's house, which was only about 20 yards from overhead power lines. None of this is very surprising, as the brain works by electrical impulses. There's not much you can do if your house is close to power lines (except move) but you might find switching off your phone at night, or at least leaving it in another room, could help.
I found that once I started to identify my own triggers, and avoid them as much as possible, I managed to reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. I hope you'll be able to do the same.
Regarding your last paragraph, I won't tell you the details of my episodes as they frequently involve vivid (and unpleasant) hallucinations. I've found from long experience that if I tell people about my hallucinations, they may end up "catching" them too! This isn't very surprising either, as our hallucinations arise from our own unconscious, which is very open to suggestion.
Have you found anyone else in your family with sleep paralysis btw? It's quite strongly hereditary, though all these things have to start somewhere of course. My father, his mother and at least one of his siblings all had it.
Im very healthy in regards to eating and drinking, although i tend to exhaust myself with work alot. But i cant find a trigger.
I used to only get it maybe twice a year it wasnt a darkness at first i used to explin it to others as follows ""like a colourful vibration running through me, Paralyzing me"" , now i get it every few days. My mum gets it also.. sometimes we sync. As in she tell me she had the dream the night i had it. She diagosed with bipolar. I dont know if theres a link with mental illness though because ive heard that its very common amongst many people...
I will say that this forum is helpful and its nice to finally have other ecplain there own episodes as i always found it hard to explain.
Thank you..very helpful to have someone else explain there own experience..
Thanks
I can predict only with the vibration part first.
Lilly has a psych nursing background if I remember correctly.
She would be the one to take knowledge from. Awesome.
Im on OR nurse. No Psych at all. Just what my DRS say.
Buffy
Hi Reece, my episodes are different to yours. I am awake and can hear everything but unable to move or speak - I have to really concentrate on not falling back to sleep as I feel I would not wake up. Eventually parts of me come to life and I am OK but it takes it out of me and I feel really exhausted after one of these episodes. I was told that it was a brain thing - instead of the whole brain waking up one side does - hence the paralysis. Happily I have not had an episode for a while and hope it continues this way as it is so frightening.
Regards
Sometimes as i lay there i know its coming... so im fighting to stay awake, but im already in the state i just think im awake. I stare at my window so i know im awake, but knowing im awake isnt the case im actually dreaming that im awake, i know becase when i actually wake myself up im not looking at the window. This will carry on for an hour or so ...going inti this state of trying to stop myself from being paralize..its so confusing 😂 and very scary
Reece, I'm not sure from your post whether or not you actually have a brief moment of being able to move between attacks. Most people with SP report that when they finally manage to break out of an attack, they immediately feel themselves being sucked into another one.
I get round this by making a huge effort to sit up, or even get out of bed, the second I'm able to move again. This breaks the cycle, and I can risk going back to sleep without going into another one. The window between attacks can be very short - just a second or two - and I feel incredibly heavy, with my eyelids closing. However, if I make a real effort to move, I find I can avoid another attack.
I also recognise the "false awakening" phenomenon from your description. That's when you go into a kind of lucid dream, thinking you've got up and are moving around, only to keep finding yourself back in it. I agree there's not a lot you can do about that one.
I'd suggest having another look to try and identify your triggers. This is not necessarily anything to do with healthy eating. There are almost as many triggers as there are people with SP. Maybe try keeping a journal?And don't forget, anxiety - especially anxiety about having another episode - is a major trigger. Scary as this is, it won't harm you. I've had it for over 50 years and nothing bad has happened to me.