Sleep Paralysis

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Smith1776
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Sleep Paralysis

Post by Smith1776 » Sun Jan 24, 2021 10:56 am

Have any of you guys experienced sleep paralysis?

I've had it on occasion throughout my life. I was recently reading a Reddit thread on the subject (they pop up pretty frequently), and it always seems like people suffer terrifying visions when it happens to them. People often report seeing "shadow people" in their rooms when the sleep paralysis hits. Just as the name implies, they're amorphous, dark figures that stare at you as you're unable to move.

It occurred to me that the "presence" I feel when sleep paralysis hits me has never been malevolent. The last time it happened to me the presence in my room was a country music band. Yes, really. There was legit even music playing in my head. Amusing more than scary.
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by Smith1776 » Sun Jan 24, 2021 11:02 am

That does look scary.

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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by I Shrugged » Sun Jan 24, 2021 11:03 am

Well you are supposed to be unable to move while dreaming. Is that the same thing? For sure I've had dreams where say a bear was coming at me and I couldn't move.
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by Vil » Mon Jan 25, 2021 1:50 am

Sleep paralysis is different from the atonia experienced by the body when sleeping, I believe. I used to suffer a lot from it during the wake up phase when I was a kid. I am saying 'suffer', as it's one of the most terrible things I've ever experienced. It's such a nasty feeling that I still recall it vividly. The issue with me was that my mind was fully awake, but I was not able to move any part of my body, regardless of the efforts. My heart literally would've exploded in efforts to start moving. Once I moved one of my hand fingers, then it was the battle won as I was able to start moving other parts of my body too. I have never had any sort of hallucinations in this phase, as my brain was literally working on 100% (while my body was still at or around 0% .. ;D )

EDIT: Actually, I was not aware that one can even hallucinate in this phase, but from what I just saw in Wikipedia it is definitely part of the game for some people:
Sleep paralysis is a state, during waking up or falling asleep, in which a person is aware but unable to move or speak.[1][2] During an episode, one may hallucinate (hear, feel, or see things that are not there), which often results in fear.[1] Episodes generally last less than a couple of minutes.[2] It may occur as a single episode or be recurrent.[1]
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by l82start » Mon Jan 25, 2021 7:15 am

Vil wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 25, 2021 1:50 am
Sleep paralysis is different from the atonia experienced by the body when sleeping, I believe. I used to suffer a lot from it during the wake up phase when I was a kid. I am saying 'suffer', as it's one of the most terrible things I've ever experienced. It's such a nasty feeling that I still recall it vividly. The issue with me was that my mind was fully awake, but I was not able to move any part of my body, regardless of the efforts. My heart literally would've exploded in efforts to start moving. Once I moved one of my hand fingers, then it was the battle won as I was able to start moving other parts of my body too. I have never had any sort of hallucinations in this phase, as my brain was literally working on 100% (while my body was still at or around 0% .. ;D )

EDIT: Actually, I was not aware that one can even hallucinate in this phase, but from what I just saw in Wikipedia it is definitely part of the game for some people:
Sleep paralysis is a state, during waking up or falling asleep, in which a person is aware but unable to move or speak.[1][2] During an episode, one may hallucinate (hear, feel, or see things that are not there), which often results in fear.[1] Episodes generally last less than a couple of minutes.[2] It may occur as a single episode or be recurrent.[1]
sleep paralysis can also be an opening (mental) state for an out of body experience. if you can will yourself to move using the same "intention" that you use to move in a dream, instead of being stuck by trying to move with your awake mind, you can float above your body and move around.. i have never had a scary sleep paralysis (other than it being a bit freaky feeling paralyzed) i have also levitated and done OBE acrobatics.. never for very long though, the OBE tended to snap me awake when it happened.. haven't had a sleep paralysis or OBE for a couple decades now.. i wonder if the brain ages out of it..
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by dualstow » Mon Jan 25, 2021 11:17 am

Smith1776 wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 24, 2021 10:56 am
Have any of you guys experienced sleep paralysis?
..
Yes, all through my youth, and then dissipating as I got older, thirties.
It scared me when I didn't know what it was, and I used to have nightmares about witches and demons. A great deal of legends and old wives' tales (am I allowed to use that term? O0 ) about succubi and evil cats stem from sleep paralysis (SP). Assertions of alien abductions, same.

It was a physician who told me what it was when I was still pretty young.

I haven't been tested yet, but in my case I think it's complicated by sleep apnea. If I sleep on my back, sometimes I'll still experience sleep paralysis, but maybe I've mostly aged out of it like l82start.

I'm always trying to temper your drive to get married soon, but I will say there is one good thing about having someone sleep next to you. Even when paralyzed, I can breathe, so if I'm aware that I’m stuck in S.P., I start breathing loudly and rapidly, she shakes me awake, and I snap out of it. If I'm alone or can't rouse her, I try to wiggle my toe. Sometimes that leads to regaining full mobility.

Really an unpleasant, scary thing.

EDIT: Looks like I had a very similar experience to Vil, as well as the same attempted solution.
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by Tortoise » Mon Jan 25, 2021 12:47 pm

I've never experienced sleep paralysis, but I've experienced a lot of hypnogogic hallucinations, which are closely associated with sleep paralysis.

When I was a young kid, I would sometimes wake up shortly after falling asleep when the house was dark and everyone was asleep, and I'd hear really bizarre but realistic sounds -- like pots and pans crashing loudly in the kitchen, or "boing boing" sound effects like you'd hear in a cartoon. This stopped by the time I was maybe 6 or 7 years old.

Then, when I was in my 20s, I started having visual hypnagogic hallucinations. About once or twice a week, I would wake up shortly after falling asleep and see a huge, ominous-looking spider dangling right above my face. A few times I woke up and my pillow appeared to be covered in hundreds of tiny little bugs moving around that glowed in the dark with a bright turquoise color. Very realistic but bizarre.

The first few times the spider/bug hallucinations happened, I literally jumped out of bed terrified and flipped on the light switch, but after that I got used to it and knew right away it was a hallucination whenever it happened. I'd just think to myself, "Oh, this again..." then roll over and go back to sleep.

Similar to dualstow and l82start, it tapered off in my 30s, and now in my early 40s the hypnagogia only happens to me once or twice a year at most.
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by dualstow » Mon Jan 25, 2021 2:59 pm

Holy crap, that sounds crazy!
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by I Shrugged » Mon Jan 25, 2021 3:00 pm

You all are making me feel a lot better about my sleep habits.
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by Xan » Mon Jan 25, 2021 3:00 pm

Is there some link between being a PP investor and this sleep paralysis thing? I've never heard of it before but it seems to be endemic around here!
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by dualstow » Mon Jan 25, 2021 3:01 pm

Xan wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 25, 2021 3:00 pm
Is there some link between being a PP investor and this sleep paralysis thing? I've never heard of it before but it seems to be endemic around here!
We all want sleep well at night portfolios. O0
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by WiseOne » Mon Jan 25, 2021 5:09 pm

Sleep paralysis is common, guys. And completely normal. Worry not if you've had it. It just means that you got woken up out of REM sleep, while you're still paralyzed (which is normal during REM). The paralysis takes a few seconds to go away. And yes, you might remember your dreams because of the timing.

It certainly can be a scary experience, and leads many people to go to the ER. A bit of reassurance and they get sent home. No tests or anything required.
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by barrett » Tue Jan 26, 2021 11:33 am

dualstow wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 25, 2021 11:17 am
I'm always trying to temper your drive to get married soon, but I will say there is one good thing about having someone sleep next to you. Even when paralyzed, I can breathe, so if I'm aware that I’m stuck in S.P., I start breathing loudly and rapidly, she shakes me awake, and I snap out of it. If I'm alone or can't rouse her, I try to wiggle my toe. Sometimes that leads to regaining full mobility.

Really an unpleasant, scary thing.
Wife and I have a similar arrangement only she is the one trying to wake up and I don't know it until she calls for help. What I hear is a bit muffled but in her "dream" she is screaming. For her it is malevolent skeletons or something else creepy all of which are trying to do her physical harm. And if I have to spend a night away from home, they are much more likely to show up. When I wake her up, I make sure to talk to her for a bit so that she has a clear break from whatever it is that's out to get her.

As you say, DS, extremely scary and unpleasant. These events are so real for my wife that I have a hard time convincing her that nothing was really in the room.
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by Cortopassi » Tue Jan 26, 2021 12:48 pm

WiseOne wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 25, 2021 5:09 pm
Sleep paralysis is common, guys. And completely normal. Worry not if you've had it. It just means that you got woken up out of REM sleep, while you're still paralyzed (which is normal during REM). The paralysis takes a few seconds to go away. And yes, you might remember your dreams because of the timing.

It certainly can be a scary experience, and leads many people to go to the ER. A bit of reassurance and they get sent home. No tests or anything required.
I recall experiences when young like Vil. Terrible.

This is something, man, if I was religious, this would be another reason for God. How on earth did evolution decide it would be good to paralyze us during REM? Did we have thousands of years of natural selection where people fell off cliffs and died if they did move too much during REM? Crazy.
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by Xan » Tue Jan 26, 2021 2:16 pm

Cortopassi wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 26, 2021 12:48 pm
WiseOne wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 25, 2021 5:09 pm
Sleep paralysis is common, guys. And completely normal. Worry not if you've had it. It just means that you got woken up out of REM sleep, while you're still paralyzed (which is normal during REM). The paralysis takes a few seconds to go away. And yes, you might remember your dreams because of the timing.

It certainly can be a scary experience, and leads many people to go to the ER. A bit of reassurance and they get sent home. No tests or anything required.
I recall experiences when young like Vil. Terrible.

This is something, man, if I was religious, this would be another reason for God. How on earth did evolution decide it would be good to paralyze us during REM? Did we have thousands of years of natural selection where people fell off cliffs and died if they did move too much during REM? Crazy.
If we weren't paralyzed during REM, then we'd be physically doing all the things we dream we're doing.
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by l82start » Tue Jan 26, 2021 2:22 pm

Xan wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 26, 2021 2:16 pm

If we weren't paralyzed during REM, then we'd be physically doing all the things we dream we're doing.
it keeps you from waking up with broken bones and bruising..

interesting how many have terrors associated with sleep paralysis, it was certainly uncomfortable and disconcerting when it happened to me, but no nightmares , and once i realized i could use the awake/dreaming mixed state, OBE flying is fun even if only for a few seconds..
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by dualstow » Tue Jan 26, 2021 5:26 pm

I hear you, Barrett. Your wife has my sympathy. I wonder if there’s something that can reduce the number of occurrences. For me, sleeping on my side to mitigate snoring also reduces the chance that i’ll have S.P.
Xan wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 26, 2021 2:16 pm
If we weren't paralyzed during REM, then we'd be physically doing all the things we dream we're doing.
Yep, it’s really the converse malfunction of sleepwalking.
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by dualstow » Tue Jan 26, 2021 5:29 pm

l82start wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 26, 2021 2:22 pm
OBE flying is fun even if only for a few seconds..
I used to be into the whole astral projection thing as a teenager. O0 Tried so hard. I experience lucid dreaming here and there and that’s pretty cool, because I can fly in my dreams once I’m lucid. Turns a nightmare into an adventure.
After not being able to travel very far for a year β€” ok, I’m thinking of Mr Leavy. I guess I could technically travel β€” adventure dreams are a consolation prize.
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by l82start » Tue Jan 26, 2021 5:41 pm

lucid dreams are awesome, there are tricks to achieving them but i only put in limited effort ..so limited results
obe is not exactly the same, and the only time it has happened to me is during SP, strangely it happens using the same control that lucid dreaming has..
not sure how they compare to astral projection.. which i think is done awake?
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by dualstow » Tue Jan 26, 2021 7:33 pm

l82start wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 26, 2021 5:41 pm
not sure how they compare to astral projection.. which i think is done awake?
Yes, but I am skeptical that it’s real.
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Re: Sleep Paralysis

Post by Smith1776 » Tue Jan 26, 2021 10:40 pm

SLEEP PARALYSIS TO THE FUCKING MOON. πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€πŸš€

Oh, wait. Sorry, wrong thread.

Interesting stories, guys. I never imagined so many of you would have similar/related experiences. I was hesitant to start this thread because I imagined you'd all be like "What are you talking about?"

I got sleep paralysis a lot as a kid, but I never really told anyone about it. I stumbled upon a documentary one summer evening in elementary school. It showed dramatic images of what people were seeing, and I thought that the documentary was saying the shadowy figures were for real. I got really freaked out for a while.
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