Is this sleep paralysis?

[lynette]

My husband is 55 years old and has had experiences since childhood during sleep which I thought might be sleep paralysis. Last night he had another episode which I found very frightening and now I'm not sure what it might be.
My husband is 55 years old and has had experiences since childhood during sleep, which I thought, might be sleep paralysis. Last night he had another episode, which I found very frightening and now I'm not sure what it might be.

After he has fallen asleep he begins to awaken or dreams he is awakening. He is aware of sounds around him in the room and he can actually see what is in front of him as he lies in bed, but he feels like he is in the grip of something he must struggle against. He can't fall asleep again nor can he pull out of the paralyzing feeling unless he or someone else can move an arm or leg. If that happens he is then immediately released from the grip.

Last night I was awakened by what felt like him trembling all over and making sounds like muffled screams. When I grabbed him arm he came out of it and told me he had been trying to get my attention to rescue him as this time he wasn't able to break out on his own.  These episodes happened infrequently as a child but in the past few years they are coming at a rate of about one a month.  Is this real sleep paralysis or something else? And could it be dangerous?

Thank you very much for considering my questions.

- Lynette

[Stuart W. Apache Junction, Az]

I to suffer from this sleep hell as I call it.  I came up with that name 12 years ago when I was attacked by demons in my sleep.  I scream for mercy while they pin me down and thier buddies are circling above me.  I have started a log of occurances, so after I have a "paralysis", I record the date and time and also how extreme the "sleep hell" was on a score of 1-5 5 being the worst.  The only escape that I have found is to relax and try to fall back to sleep.

Thanks

Stu

[jan]

I identify with numbers 8 & 9. With the calling out to someone. I usually am dreaming (nightmare) and am aware that it's a dream and want to get out of it. So I scream until my husband hears me, to him it is a faint call, as you mentioned. The being awake and hearing everything and not being able to move is what happens most to me, although it doesn't happen often. I have not ever just dropped off to sleep and I am not sure I ever had cataplexy, but as I said earlier, I am going for my 3rd (and hopefully last) sleep study Oct. 1 & 2.

[R Nelson]

Hi,

I am a 28 year-old black female, and have been experiencing 'sleep paralysis" since I was 14 or 15 years old (I can't remember which).  I come from a very large family, my mother had 15 children.  Out of the 15, 10 of us are experiencing what we started calling, "sleep paralysis".   We did not grow up together.  Our mother lost custody of every one of us when I was five years old. I an her ninth child.   We began to get to know one another in our late teens, early twenties.  One thing we learned after beginning to associate with one another, we all have similar medical "problems", one of which is, this sleep paralysis thing.  We never mentioned it, and it came up when a sibling had the nerve to begin to describe her sleep problems.  Too our amazement, we found that it occurs in almost all of us.  I found great comfort in knowing that my "long lost brother and sisters" were experiencing this frightening terrifying experience, that I can never get used to. My mom passed away at the age of 50, but I got a chance to meet her in my early twenties, and revealed what I thought was a very dark secret (this sleep thing).  She said very casually "Oh girl, you got that from me, your Daddy you to shake me out of that all the time".  Here are the facts of my siblings:

1) 10 out of 15 of us experience this horrifying sleep paralysis thing. We are not narcopleptic (at least do not think we are as none of us have sleep attacks).  

2) One of my siblings have a different dad, but she still experiences the sleep paralysis.


3) We can pull ourselves out of it (or for some of us, used to be able to) if we wiggle a toe, or a finger and spread the wiggle until we get our whole body tensed up, then make a big lurch for a sitting up positios.  For me, nothing works anymore, unfortunately, it gets exremely more powerful if I try to pull  myself out of it and fail (which is what happens 100% of the time now).  It almost always occurs if we are lying on our back.  Some of us have had it happen when in sitting position.  It happens upon awakening, and upon sleeping.  

4) We are definatley not cataplexic, and not narcoleptic from our own observations.

5) The symptoms can be induced by stress, not enough sleep, or TOO MUCH sleep.  

6)  Two of us have experienced it while simultaneously having a bad cold, in which case both nostrils were stopped up.  Unfortunately the brain didn't make the connection.  It's enough that we have breathing difficulty, in addition to that horrible weighty feeling on our chest, when having the attack.  One of the persons who had an attack with a stuffy nose was me (my greatest fear came true).  I suffocated the whole time (and so did my sister as she described. I suffocated to the point to I can say, I know what it must feel like for a person who is drowning, right to the point before they take a gasp of air and die.  My mouth flew open on its own after I'd completely, and I me sufficatingly completely, run out of oxygen.  It was a VERY, VERY horrible experience, and I no one ever experiences that in their life.  Anyways, I felt my forehead go cold, saw a flash of light before i gasped.  It brought me out of the paralysis at least.

7) In some of us, our hearts speed up to the point we feel we'll have a heart attack.  That's actually what 'wakes me'. I wake to find out I'm paralyzed.  I lay there and struggle with it, with thoughts of death.  It's very difficult to breathe during the attacks.  

8) Almost all of us have heard "footsteps" when it happens, as if someone else is in the room.  Another thing, we call out to people if someone else is around, and it sounds like to us that we're screaming, but to them, it's just a faint sound.  

9) Sometimes we can see and hear what's going on around us, but can't move a muscle.  

10) In addition to all of the above, half of us have frequent kidney infections (i have lost count).  Some of us have gone to the doctor for that.  One of my brothers have lost one of his kidneys.

11) When we have it, normally its several times a night.  It is not every night though. However, one of my sisters, unfortunately has it at least 3 or 4 times a week (many times a night on those occasions).

12) Some of us have 'out of body experiences' when it happens. That's another whole issue that I want go into detail here.


I'll stop right there, as this reply is getting too long for me too type, and I'm sure you've read enough.  All I can say is:

THIS IS THE MOST HORRIBLE, FRIGHTENING CONDITION, MEDICALLY THAT I HAVE, IN MY OPINION,  AND MY SIBLINGS REPORT HAVING, AND WISH THERE WAS A CURE. WE HAVE RECENTLY STARTED SEARCHING THE INTERNET, TO FIND OUT, WE ARE NOT ALONE.  

Thanks for reading this very long letter.

Wishing there was a Cure,

-R Nelson

P.s. I'm having trouble submitting this, i never received a confirmation, so please forgive me if this posts multiple times...

[R Nelson- "I can't believe we are Not Al]

Hi,

I am a 28 year-old black female, and have been experiencing 'sleep paralysis" since I was 14 or 15 years old (I can't remember which).  I come from a very large family, my mother had 15 children.  Out of the 15, 10 of us are experiencing what we started calling, "sleep paralysis".   We did not grow up together.  Our mother lost custody of every one of us when I was five years old. I an her ninth child.   We began to get to know one another in our late teens, early twenties.  One thing we learned after beginning to associate with one another, we all have similar medical "problems", one of which is, this sleep paralysis thing.  We never mentioned it, and it came up when a sibling had the nerve to begin to describe her sleep problems.  Too our amazement, we found that it occurs in almost all of us.  I found great comfort in knowing that my "long lost brother and sisters" were experiencing this frightening terrifying experience, that I can never get used to. My mom passed away at the age of 50, but I got a chance to meet her in my early twenties, and revealed what I thought was a very dark secret (this sleep thing).  She said very casually "Oh girl, you got that from me, your Daddy you to shake me out of that all the time".  Here are the facts of my siblings:

1) 10 out of 15 of us experience this horrifying sleep paralysis thing. We are not narcopleptic (at least do not think we are as none of us have sleep attacks).  

2) One of my siblings have a different dad, but she still experiences the sleep paralysis.


3) We can pull ourselves out of it (or for some of us, used to be able to) if we wiggle a toe, or a finger and spread the wiggle until we get our whole body tensed up, then make a big lurch for a sitting up positios.  For me, nothing works anymore, unfortunately, it gets exremely more powerful if I try to pull  myself out of it and fail (which is what happens 100% of the time now).  It almost always occurs if we are lying on our back.  Some of us have had it happen when in sitting position.  It happens upon awakening, and upon sleeping.  

4) We are definatley not cataplexic, and not narcoleptic from our own observations.

5) The symptoms can be induced by stress, not enough sleep, or TOO MUCH sleep.  

6)  Two of us have experienced it while simultaneously having a bad cold, in which case both nostrils were stopped up.  Unfortunately the brain didn't make the connection.  It's enough that we have breathing difficulty, in addition to that horrible weighty feeling on our chest, when having the attack.  One of the persons who had an attack with a stuffy nose was me (my greatest fear came true).  I suffocated the whole time (and so did my sister as she described. I suffocated to the point to I can say, I know what it must feel like for a person who is drowning, right to the point before they take a gasp of air and die.  My mouth flew open on its own after I'd completely, and I me sufficatingly completely, run out of oxygen.  It was a VERY, VERY horrible experience, and I no one ever experiences that in their life.  Anyways, I felt my forehead go cold, saw a flash of light before i gasped.  It brought me out of the paralysis at least.

7) In some of us, our hearts speed up to the point we feel we'll have a heart attack.  That's actually what 'wakes me'. I wake to find out I'm paralyzed.  I lay there and struggle with it, with thoughts of death.  It's very difficult to breathe during the attacks.  

8) Almost all of us have heard "footsteps" when it happens, as if someone else is in the room.  Another thing, we call out to people if someone else is around, and it sounds like to us that we're screaming, but to them, it's just a faint sound.  

9) Sometimes we can see and hear what's going on around us, but can't move a muscle.  

10) In addition to all of the above, half of us have frequent kidney infections (i have lost count).  Some of us have gone to the doctor for that.  One of my brothers have lost one of his kidneys.

11) When we have it, normally its several times a night.  It is not every night though. However, one of my sisters, unfortunately has it at least 3 or 4 times a week (many times a night on those occasions).

12) Some of us have 'out of body experiences' when it happens. That's another whole issue that I want go into detail here.


I'll stop right there, as this reply is getting too long for me too type, and I'm sure you've read enough.  All I can say is:

THIS IS THE MOST HORRIBLE, FRIGHTENING CONDITION, MEDICALLY THAT I HAVE, IN MY OPINION,  AND MY SIBLINGS REPORT HAVING, AND WISH THERE WAS A CURE. WE HAVE RECENTLY STARTED SEARCHING THE INTERNET, TO FIND OUT, WE ARE NOT ALONE.  

Thanks for reading this very long letter.

Wishing there was a Cure,

-R Nelson

P.s. I'm having trouble submitting this, i never received a confirmation, so please forgive me if this posts multiple times...

[R Nelson- "I can't believe we are Not Al]

Hi,

I am a 28 year-old black female, and have been experiencing 'sleep paralysis" since I was 14 or 15 years old (I can't remember which).  I come from a very large family, my mother had 15 children.  Out of the 15, 10 of us are experiencing what we started calling, "sleep paralysis".   We did not grow up together.  Our mother lost custody of every one of us when I was five years old. I an her ninth child.   We began to get to know one another in our late teens, early twenties.  One thing we learned after beginning to associate with one another, we all have similar medical "problems", one of which is, this sleep paralysis thing.  We never mentioned it, and it came up when a sibling had the nerve to begin to describe her sleep problems.  Too our amazement, we found that it occurs in almost all of us.  I found great comfort in knowing that my "long lost brother and sisters" were experiencing this frightening terrifying experience, that I can never get used to. My mom passed away at the age of 50, but I got a chance to meet her in my early twenties, and revealed what I thought was a very dark secret (this sleep thing).  She said very casually "Oh girl, you got that from me, your Daddy you to shake me out of that all the time".  Here are the facts of my siblings:

1) 10 out of 15 of us experience this horrifying sleep paralysis thing. We are not narcopleptic (at least do not think we are as none of us have sleep attacks).  

2) One of my siblings have a different dad, but she still experiences the sleep paralysis.


3) We can pull ourselves out of it (or for some of us, used to be able to) if we wiggle a toe, or a finger and spread the wiggle until we get our whole body tensed up, then make a big lurch for a sitting up positios.  For me, nothing works anymore, unfortunately, it gets exremely more powerful if I try to pull  myself out of it and fail (which is what happens 100% of the time now).  It almost always occurs if we are lying on our back.  Some of us have had it happen when in sitting position.  It happens upon awakening, and upon sleeping.  

4) We are definatley not cataplexic, and not narcoleptic from our own observations.

5) The symptoms can be induced by stress, not enough sleep, or TOO MUCH sleep.  

6)  Two of us have experienced it while simultaneously having a bad cold, in which case both nostrils were stopped up.  Unfortunately the brain didn't make the connection.  It's enough that we have breathing difficulty, in addition to that horrible weighty feeling on our chest, when having the attack.  One of the persons who had an attack with a stuffy nose was me (my greatest fear came true).  I suffocated the whole time (and so did my sister as she described. I suffocated to the point to I can say, I know what it must feel like for a person who is drowning, right to the point before they take a gasp of air and die.  My mouth flew open on its own after I'd completely, and I me sufficatingly completely, run out of oxygen.  It was a VERY, VERY horrible experience, and I no one ever experiences that in their life.  Anyways, I felt my forehead go cold, saw a flash of light before i gasped.  It brought me out of the paralysis at least.

7) In some of us, our hearts speed up to the point we feel we'll have a heart attack.  That's actually what 'wakes me'. I wake to find out I'm paralyzed.  I lay there and struggle with it, with thoughts of death.  It's very difficult to breathe during the attacks.  

8) Almost all of us have heard "footsteps" when it happens, as if someone else is in the room.  Another thing, we call out to people if someone else is around, and it sounds like to us that we're screaming, but to them, it's just a faint sound.  

9) Sometimes we can see and hear what's going on around us, but can't move a muscle.  

10) In addition to all of the above, half of us have frequent kidney infections (i have lost count).  Some of us have gone to the doctor for that.  One of my brothers have lost one of his kidneys.

11) When we have it, normally its several times a night.  It is not every night though. However, one of my sisters, unfortunately has it at least 3 or 4 times a week (many times a night on those occasions).

12) Some of us have 'out of body experiences' when it happens. That's another whole issue that I want go into detail here.


I'll stop right there, as this reply is getting too long for me too type, and I'm sure you've read enough.  All I can say is:

THIS IS THE MOST HORRIBLE, FRIGHTENING CONDITION, MEDICALLY THAT I HAVE, IN MY OPINION,  AND MY SIBLINGS REPORT HAVING, AND WISH THERE WAS A CURE. WE HAVE RECENTLY STARTED SEARCHING THE INTERNET, TO FIND OUT, WE ARE NOT ALONE.  

Thanks for reading this very long letter.

Wishing there was a Cure,

-R Nelson

[R Nelson- "I can't believe we are Not Al]

Hi,

I am a 28 year-old black female, and have been experiencing 'sleep paralysis" since I was 14 or 15 years old (I can't remember which).  I come from a very large family, my mother had 15 children.  Out of the 15, 10 of us are experiencing what we started calling, "sleep paralysis".   We did not grow up together.  Our mother lost custody of every one of us when I was five years old. I an her ninth child.   We began to get to know one another in our late teens, early twenties.  One thing we learned after beginning to associate with one another, we all have similar medical "problems", one of which is, this sleep paralysis thing.  We never mentioned it, and it came up when a sibling had the nerve to begin to describe her sleep problems.  Too our amazement, we found that it occurs in almost all of us.  I found great comfort in knowing that my "long lost brother and sisters" were experiencing this frightening terrifying experience, that I can never get used to. My mom passed away at the age of 50, but I got a chance to meet her in my early twenties, and revealed what I thought was a very dark secret (this sleep thing).  She said very casually "Oh girl, you got that from me, your Daddy you to shake me out of that all the time".  Here are the facts of my siblings:

1) 10 out of 15 of us experience this horrifying sleep paralysis thing. We are not narcopleptic (at least do not think we are as none of us have sleep attacks).  

2) One of my siblings have a different dad, but she still experiences the sleep paralysis.


3) We can pull ourselves out of it (or for some of us, used to be able to) if we wiggle a toe, or a finger and spread the wiggle until we get our whole body tensed up, then make a big lurch for a sitting up positios.  For me, nothing works anymore, unfortunately, it gets exremely more powerful if I try to pull  myself out of it and fail (which is what happens 100% of the time now).  It almost always occurs if we are lying on our back.  Some of us have had it happen when in sitting position.  It happens upon awakening, and upon sleeping.  

4) We are definatley not cataplexic, and not narcoleptic from our own observations.

5) The symptoms can be induced by stress, not enough sleep, or TOO MUCH sleep.  

6)  Two of us have experienced it while simultaneously having a bad cold, in which case both nostrils were stopped up.  Unfortunately the brain didn't make the connection.  It's enough that we have breathing difficulty, in addition to that horrible weighty feeling on our chest, when having the attack.  One of the persons who had an attack with a stuffy nose was me (my greatest fear came true).  I suffocated the whole time (and so did my sister as she described. I suffocated to the point to I can say, I know what it must feel like for a person who is drowning, right to the point before they take a gasp of air and die.  My mouth flew open on its own after I'd completely, and I me sufficatingly completely, run out of oxygen.  It was a VERY, VERY horrible experience, and I no one ever experiences that in their life.  Anyways, I felt my forehead go cold, saw a flash of light before i gasped.  It brought me out of the paralysis at least.

7) In some of us, our hearts speed up to the point we feel we'll have a heart attack.  That's actually what 'wakes me'. I wake to find out I'm paralyzed.  I lay there and struggle with it, with thoughts of death.  It's very difficult to breathe during the attacks.  

8) Almost all of us have heard "footsteps" when it happens, as if someone else is in the room.  Another thing, we call out to people if someone else is around, and it sounds like to us that we're screaming, but to them, it's just a faint sound.  

9) Sometimes we can see and hear what's going on around us, but can't move a muscle.  

10) In addition to all of the above, half of us have frequent kidney infections (i have lost count).  Some of us have gone to the doctor for that.  One of my brothers have lost one of his kidneys.

11) When we have it, normally its several times a night.  It is not every night though. However, one of my sisters, unfortunately has it at least 3 or 4 times a week (many times a night on those occasions).

12) Some of us have 'out of body experiences' when it happens. That's another whole issue that I want go into detail here.


I'll stop right there, as this reply is getting too long for me too type, and I'm sure you've read enough.  All I can say is:

THIS IS THE MOST HORRIBLE, FRIGHTENING CONDITION, MEDICALLY THAT I HAVE, IN MY OPINION,  AND MY SIBLINGS REPORT HAVING, AND WISH THERE WAS A CURE. WE HAVE RECENTLY STARTED SEARCHING THE INTERNET, TO FIND OUT, WE ARE NOT ALONE.  

Thanks for reading this very long letter.

Wishing there was a Cure,

-R Nelson