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Sleep Paralysis
I have been suffering from Sleep Parlaysis since I was 4 years old ( I am not 45). It happens when I am overtired or don't get enough sleep. It is always a frightening experience but I find now I except it and doens't seem as bad as previous years. I have seen aposting from someone who indicated that they relax and let it take over and dissapears. I have been doing that for sometime and does work. My most common one is that I wake up and can see the wall in front of me and can (as I live alone) and can hear voices and noises in the lounge and I panic because I think someone has broken into my flat.I always used to fight it found when I got up I was exhausted from fightening it. This always happens when I watch TV in the bedroom and fall asleep. I never knew what this was until 2005 when I saw an article in a magazine about it. I never had mentioned to anyone that this was happening to me because I thought something was very wrong with me. But know I know what it is I talk to people about it and then I find there are others out there that experience the same.
Hi, suffered sleep paralysis for decades now. No voices etc, just paralysis. WHY doesn't the medical world take an interest in this phenomena, which is more common than I think is believed? It is left to the realm of cultural myths, alien abduction theories, generalized medical mumbling about anxiety - the definition of anything they do not understand or think will get them into trouble by not investigating.
Had a sleep study done recently, will post results on own post rather than hijack yours. Did not get paralysis on the night of the study, annoyingly, but did on the night straight after. Missed such a valuable opportunity to see what the brain is doing during an episode. Shame.
Will just churn out the theories, sorry to sound fed up, am, nothing to do with you. Idea that melatonin deficiency may be a factor....hormone manufactured in sleep but more so in darkness, so make sure you get dark enough room when you sleep. There is of course the classic link with narcolepsy, but you mention nothing of these symptoms. I did have narcolepsy type symptoms too but it was concluded it was more sleep deprivation than the true disorder. Hijack!
Try not to sleep on your back, get over-tired, sleep directly after eating. Experiment with finding a sleeping position that minimizes attacks, even if you have to move your bed. Worked with me for a while.
Remember the passing of time is not real in this state, what can feel like an eternity can be only a few minutes, so ride with it. You will not asphyxiate - shortage of oxygen will trigger you to wake up and break the paralysis. Your chest muscles are very hard to move so it feels like you are being choked but you are not. You are just in a dream state and in a normal state of paralysis, evolved probably to stop us acting out our dreams. The difference with us is for some reason we become conscious during this time, while the message to paralyze us is still being sent by the brain. Some brilliant scientific boffin please do a doctorate on this and tell us WHY?
You are almost certainly not going to die, despite your panic you will not be permanently paralyzed.
It *****, it is like being buried alive, but ultimately will not harm you. Of greater danger is sleep deprivation from fear of sleeping, and in rare cases underlying cardiac symptoms being activated by the panic. VERY RARE. VERY. Thought to be implicated in SADS - sudden adult death syndrome.
May post my own story in a bit. BTW, you say you are not 45, how old are you? There is a theory that young adults grow out of it. Not with me, am already in my forties now. But if you are still young there may be hope there.
Poll is a bit confusing. Eg. most people have had at least one episode of this in their life. I suspect you are looking for serial sufferers like me.
Have answered other posts on this before, you may want to search the site or others. Also found the mystical explanations. Just not my thing, sorry.
Hard times right now for me, apologies if I sound gruff
wish
Had a sleep study done recently, will post results on own post rather than hijack yours. Did not get paralysis on the night of the study, annoyingly, but did on the night straight after. Missed such a valuable opportunity to see what the brain is doing during an episode. Shame.
Will just churn out the theories, sorry to sound fed up, am, nothing to do with you. Idea that melatonin deficiency may be a factor....hormone manufactured in sleep but more so in darkness, so make sure you get dark enough room when you sleep. There is of course the classic link with narcolepsy, but you mention nothing of these symptoms. I did have narcolepsy type symptoms too but it was concluded it was more sleep deprivation than the true disorder. Hijack!
Try not to sleep on your back, get over-tired, sleep directly after eating. Experiment with finding a sleeping position that minimizes attacks, even if you have to move your bed. Worked with me for a while.
Remember the passing of time is not real in this state, what can feel like an eternity can be only a few minutes, so ride with it. You will not asphyxiate - shortage of oxygen will trigger you to wake up and break the paralysis. Your chest muscles are very hard to move so it feels like you are being choked but you are not. You are just in a dream state and in a normal state of paralysis, evolved probably to stop us acting out our dreams. The difference with us is for some reason we become conscious during this time, while the message to paralyze us is still being sent by the brain. Some brilliant scientific boffin please do a doctorate on this and tell us WHY?
You are almost certainly not going to die, despite your panic you will not be permanently paralyzed.
It *****, it is like being buried alive, but ultimately will not harm you. Of greater danger is sleep deprivation from fear of sleeping, and in rare cases underlying cardiac symptoms being activated by the panic. VERY RARE. VERY. Thought to be implicated in SADS - sudden adult death syndrome.
May post my own story in a bit. BTW, you say you are not 45, how old are you? There is a theory that young adults grow out of it. Not with me, am already in my forties now. But if you are still young there may be hope there.
Poll is a bit confusing. Eg. most people have had at least one episode of this in their life. I suspect you are looking for serial sufferers like me.
Have answered other posts on this before, you may want to search the site or others. Also found the mystical explanations. Just not my thing, sorry.
Hard times right now for me, apologies if I sound gruff
wish
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