Dreams/Nightmares that feel real and I can't wake myself up

[samantha21]

Okay, So every now and then I will have a dream or dreams that really scare me. Pretty much its a dream I'm having and I'm myself... in my bed. In my dream I will open my eyes and see human figures but usually I can't tell who it is. If I can't its dark like a shadow. Sometimes its one, or sometimes it a few figures. These dreams/visions always happen just as I'm falling asleep (ya know when your mind starts to wonder right before you doze off, eyes are closed and everythign but you are still conscious).... that stage is when I realize that I'm about to have one of these scary dreams. so I'll either opt to stay awake or turn the lights on for a minute then try to sleep again. The most recent one I had, I was asleep in my bed with my boyfriend...in the dream I opened my eyes and I saw out of the corner of my room a strange figure of a man walking towards my bed.... I cant do anything, I cant move and I can't talk... at this point I'm scared and I know I am ony dreaming. Well I try to wake my self up I try so hard to be able to speak and call my boyfriends name... and this is all while i'm asleep... that right as I wake up I blurt out a noise( the kidna noise you would make if you were trying really hard at something but not saying anything and then all of a sudden noise comes out) It's so frustrating. And in the dream I feel paralyzed like I can't even get up and run. All I can do is lay there... and If I don't wake up before the person gets to me... I can feel the "person" on top of me... literally..I feel their breathe... I feel it all... and what gets me is I KNOW I'm dreaming... and i try to wake up but I cant. and even though I'm aware that I'm dreaming I still know that I'm feeling whoever is on my bed or whatever)
The first time I had one of these very realistic dreams was a couple years ago the night after I drank mooshine for the first time.... ha yeah. (Basically I had a really bad case of the spins alll day the next day and I felt completely out of whack) Well that night as I just went to sleep I was dreaming that I was driving a car and the wheel starting to slowly turn to the left and right as I was about to hit a car my body jerked and I woke up. I stayed awake for a min or 2 then went back to sleep... thats when it all went down hill. The next dream I had... I was in my bed (by the way all these dreams are from my point of view...1st person) and I woke up to see a frightening girl with long black stringy hair and a horrible face, on her hands and knees on top of me just looking at me and breathing heavily.... I swear to god it felt so real.... The only thing I could think to do was hide under the blanket... but right before i drew the balnket over my eyes she slowly, very slowy moved her face inwards towards me. I knew I was dreaming but I could not wake up... Well once I did wake up... well I thought I did... I looked to the left of my bed and there was a about 3 people just sitting in my room... it didnt scare me at first cuz I thought I was awake and I figured maybe it is some freiends surprsiing me... but just as I tried to get a closer look a person who was laying on the floor next to my bed sat up right in my face! It scared the livivng **** outta me. that's when I really for real woke up. Anways I couldnt go back to sleep for a few hours I was a little frightened... I felt as though I would get stuck in a dream like that... And I wanted to avoid haveing another one like that again... I did go to sleep that night however all of the lights in my room were on....
I know this is really long. But I just wanted to know if anyone has experienced the same thing or something similar. I'eve had more but I don't want to write a whole novel here but if someone can relate then please let me know!

[BelaC05]

My first sleep paralysis experiences. Was when I was 14, years ago. I woke up screaming for my sister in the other bed because I felt this horrible evil presence. I was waking up in the sleep paralysis 3 times thinking I had really awakened. I was completely aware. I was screaming and reaching towards her. She couldn't hear me. She then turned towards me with glowing red eyes. I shut my eyes and started praying. I felt myself being lifted up with peace and love. I looked back and saw my sister reach towards me with glowing red eyes screaming Noooo in the most terrifyingly demonic voice I've ever hear. I woke up for real and was terrified to reach for my sister because I thought I was still asleep. In the morning when I woke up for real out of sleep paralysis, I kept thinking I was still sleeping and I would wake up again. 20 years later I've had many experiences of sleep paralysis since. I fill my surrounding energy with peace and love. I watch what energy I bring into my home. I pray blessings on my home and family and they have since dissipated. Not completely but they are less often. I used to get at least 3-5 a year. I can still name every experience. They were so terrifying I finally learned not to fear them. If you search engine sleep paralysis you'll find studies with information similar to what we've experienced.

[BelaC05]

My comment is for anyone else looking for an answer too. It's called sleep paralysis. I've gotten it many many times over the past 20 years. I'm not a crazy loon speaking of my experience. I've got a Masters degree, family, and great education.

As another post said, be careful sleeping on your back. Sleep paralysis often occurs when you're about to fall asleep, right before waking up, or in the early hours when falling asleep after waking up. I've experienced this before. I've experienced the choking maybe 2-3 times but have had many other experiences. My choking experiences were where I felt one hand or many reaching for my neck and putting pressure on it. I've seen countless shadows of human like figures over the years. In waking and in the paralyzed state. I've felt myself pull myself out of bed from my own body but felt my own energy attached to my body and have now learned I can do this completely conscious of what I'm doing but I never leave myself far and still run back to sleeping self. Sometimes the shadow(s) are there, I've experienced sleep paralysis when nothing is there and sat up from my body. I was once almost pulled out of bed by one that was in human form but was completely burnt and had crawled towards the edge of my bed. The darn hand and arm of this grabbed me by the ankle (it was gross) and I sat up in a fit of rage that my sleep had been disturbed and lunged at the dumb thing trying gouge the empty space that looked like eyes had been there. It jumped back, hurried and turned away almost seemed startled. As I began to become furious at different visitings and also prayed. I started waking up from the sleep paralysis. Fighting it made things worse at times. I found that saying my prayers, filling my home with positive energy and being mindful of the energy I allow in my space has been the key to eliminating and lessening my fears and even experiences. My many experiences in no way out number the wonderful restful nights I've had. Sometimes I even wake up inside the paralysis, see a shadow, and say with my sleep slirit body that your business is with God not me and turn away and ignore it. This has worked for me so I speak for myself and this may or may not work for others. Sometimes I plain ignore it unless it's touching me in which I pray and wake up. I used to fight it but it only became more violent in which I realized fear was what was wanted from what it is. It also took me years of practice. When I would have sleep paralysis I am always completely consciously aware I can't move my body and aware of the position I'm sleeping and what time of night it is. I can move and speak in what I call my sleep body. I am in my room when these occurrences happen. I'm not in some dreamlike place or time. I won't bother giving a run down of 20 years these occurrences. They can be terrifying but I've learned not to be scared of even the most horrifying sleep paralysis experiences. Remember you own the energy of your surroundings. You don't own other's energy. Be careful what you allow into your home. Bless the energy and leave no room for negative energy of whatever it be the form of to dwell in your space. Look up the word sleep paralysis and read the information and studies that have been done. You'll definitely find that your not alone. Sleep paralysis is much different than a dream or nightmare. May you be blessed in your search for answers. May you be blessed that the fears of these experiences have little power over you because I won't allow anything to steal my sleep because what a maddening place to be. May you be blessed with answers and peace is brought to your heart and your home be filled with the spirit of peace, hope, safety, a love as the only welcome guests that may enter.

[angel77xx]

hi,  i have the whole stop breathing thing.... scary weird dreams that you feel like you are in.. but unable to get out off.... ive seen the grim reeper couple of times, but last night i stopped breathing and right on cur someone sat on my bed, as i struggled for breath i heard what was like a radio turning on and for a few seconds it blurted out some type of hillybilly banjo music.. all i kept thinking was its too loud and gonna wake my daughter up... then it stopped and i caught my breath, but one half of my body felt like it had been electocuted and was shaking uncontrolably, my heart felt like it was bubbling out of my chest.... weird thing is i dont have a radio !!!!!! but the noise was soo loud... so i sat here ths morning looking on the internet to see if anyone else had heard this white noise in their sleep... but oddly enough people say white noise is a cure for helping people get to sleep.... ps .. i stop breathing all the time and all i thin is im gonna die who will look after my daughter??  but last night it was that bad i wanted to die.... this **** is scary... jo x

[Countryheart74]

I've recently had a recurring nightmare that's truly scared me. I just got out of a relationship with a man who claimed he could haunt people. That he could guide his soul to be with the one he loved. He's now in a mental institution. I've been having the same nightmare over and over but part of it changes. I fall asleep on my side as I always do. In the dream I'm back in his trailer with him. I can smell the smells. I can feel his dog jump on me because he misses me. I walk around and see him. I curl up in bed with him and we talk. In one dream we make love and when I turn to fave him he has a gun pointed at my head and threatens me that if I come back again he will shoot me. It feels so real it's as if I am there. I can feel the flannel bed sheets. I can smell the wintergreen snuff that he always used. I can smell his cologne and the dog. It seems too real. What do I do to stop the dreams???

[DefNotAnExpert]

Hi, I know your post is pretty old but thought I'd reply anyway. Exactly what you describe was in a documentary in England a few years ago. It seems that throughout history people have experienced a weird looking figure with an elongated face slowly approach their bed, climb onto them with their knees and start strangling them. It's apparently pretty horrific, theres some pretty old illustrations of this and the figure seems to look a bit like Michael Jackson! It must be horrible but try to remember it isn't real, just the way our brains are miswired.

[el9mudo2]

in my dreams the electricitiy doesn't work. the last couple times its happened i've prayed the lord's prayer and instantly found myself awake.