Sleep Paralysis

[Lionheart]

I used to experience sleep paralysis / "old hag syndrome" quite often, but for some reason I don't anymore. I understand that it's disturbing and unsettling to awake paralyzed and to experience the hallucinations that often accompany S.P.

The only thing that I found helped me was to scream. For some reason the scream comes out sounding like a silly croak to others that may hear it, and I had to struggle to do it, but it served to wake me up immediately.

As for PTSD nightmares, Prazosin has been a real blessing, as I don't experience those anymore either and hope that you have good results with this medicine!!!

 

[CrazyHorse]

Hi Lionheart,

Thank you!:)
I am not on any kind of medicine.

 

[.Bubbles.]

I don't have it, but my fiance does. He doesn't scream - just make grunting noises. It sounds a truely horrible thing to go through! He hasn't found anything that really helps, but he says since he's met me and been happier it's calmed down a lot. He hasn't had an episode for a good couple of months now. Sorry I can't be of any help, but just wanted to let you know I feel for you!

 

[CrazyHorse]

Thank you all! I've tried screaming, but nothing comes out. I can get myself out of it most times, by focusing really hard on trying to move a limb and not panicking too much before the hallucinations begin. Lovely Jubbly, if you hear your boyfriend making the grunting noises, just touch him, or otherwise wake him up, but I guess you already do that :). I am sometimes able to signal to my boyfriend by breathing heavily, and then he knows I am in trouble. But he is a heavy sleeper, so he rarely wakes up.

 

[CrazyHorse]

Sorry: your fiance ;). Congratulations :)

 

[CrazyHorse]

P.S My mother suffers from SP too, so does one of my sisters. It runs in the family, so if you have it, it is very plausible that one of your family members do too. What really puzzles me about SP, is why everyone seem to have the same hallucinations? Or at least very similar. Hence the name 'Old Hag syndrome'.

 

[Britt.f7]

I don't have hallucinations, which is good. I just can't move or talk. I may be able to open my eyes but not for long. I use to pass back out. It was horrible when the kids were little and cry out. Between that and my blood pressure dropping significantly if I was able to jump up, often bringing me to my knees, my husband became the one to attend to the kids.

 

[MomOfTwo]

I experience sleep paralysis. The psychiatrist I seen told me that it is from lack of sleep. I find if I lay on my side I don't have it as often. If I am on my back it happens a lot. The doctor told me that your body in a certain phase of sleep actually goes through paralysis and slows your heart rate down and your chest do not expand the same as when you are awake. I do feel like I cannot breathe when it happens. When people are awake during this phase of sleep it is frightening but everyone experiences it during sleep but just are sleeping through it. Her explanation made me feel better about it.

It feels like someone is sitting on your chest and it is because you want to breathe deeper but your body is in a state that you do not have control over if that makes sense. I feel like someone is in the room and I try to scream but cannot. It takes what seems like minutes but is probably seconds for me to finally be able to move my finger and I turn to my side and sometimes wake my husband up because it has scared me so much. It is really scary. It feels like someone is taking over your body or trying to suffocate you. That is my experience anyway. She told me it is one of the symptoms that people suffering from PTSD have.

 

[DCP]

This has happened to me as well. I am so glad I found this thread. I have had this experience several times and have not met anybody who has experienced this. I was able to open my eyes a bit but could not turn my head.

It was especially frightening the first time. In addition to being unable to speak or move, I could feel energy above my body. Like there was someting floating above me keeping me down but I could not look to see. Every time it happened to me I had been on my side and was only barely able to see directly in front of me. It seemed like an eternity. I was trying to move but did not have any ability to do so. I then could gradually move my fingers then arms and finally able to turn my head to look up to see if I could see anything above me. By the time I was able to move the sensation of this active energy floating above me had gone.

My psychotherapist was unfamiliar with SP. I now think is is related to my PTSD. I have had other sleep issues as well.

 

[MomOfTwo]

This has happened to me as well. I am so glad I found this thread. I have had this experience several times and have not met anybody who has experienced this. I was able to open my eyes a bit but could not turn my head.

It was especially frightening the first time. In addition to being unable to speak or move, I could feel energy above my body. Like there was someting floating above me keeping me down but I could not look to see. Every time it happened to me I had been on my side and was only barely able to see directly in front of me. It seemed like an eternity.

I wish I would have found a thread like this as well and suffered for years before finding out it was just related to sleep deprivation. The psychiatrist told me that the reason it feels like someone is sitting on your chest or like you cannot breathe deep is because your lungs can't expand normally because they are in a deep phase of sleep that everyone goes through. It is a crazy feeling though. I was so happy to learn it was normal. When I explained to the pyschiatrist laying on my side I feel 'safer' and she agreed because sideways it is easier to expand your lungs......

 

[CrazyHorse]

Yes, it is nice to know you are not alone with this problem either :)

Actually, it is not quite correct to say SP occurs from sleep deprivation. I have had SP all my life and have studied it thoroughly. There is no obvious pattern to be found with SP. Sleep deprivation is one theory among many. (a theory that not fit my experiences) The same goes for the lack of lung expansion explaination. In fact, no one knows for certain what causes the brain to 'wake up' while the body is in a paralysed state. Nor is there any explaination for the hallucinations that often follow SP, and why these hallucinations are similar to people all over the world.

 

[MomOfTwo]

Yes, it is nice to know you are not alone with this problem either :)

Actually, it is not quite correct to say SP occurs from sleep deprivation. .

I actually believe the doctor and have read that it is very common in people who suffer from sleep disorders like narcolepsy. I only suffer when sleep deprived. I don't necessarily believe everything I read online... especially some studies that you don't know what sort of controls were in place or whether it was a 'real' study.

I am sure there are probably some people like yourself that do not suffer sleep deprivation and therefore are not part of the 'cookie' cutter image that fits this profile. Hopefully they will figure it out for you or do a sleep study on you to find out what stage of sleep you are experiencing these things in.

I know many people who have had sleep studies done including myself and it was helpful to find out how much I was actually sleeping. Have you done a sleep study or studies yet?

I am so happy to find out through psychiatry that I am not crazy or that there is not someone in the room hovering over me or sitting on my chest. I am at peace knowing that my body is in a fully relaxed state and that is why I cannot move at all when I am in that state.

The lung expansion thing is that in a wakened state you take much deeper breaths because you are moving and require it. I was told when you become aware during this phase all of a sudden you want to breathe deeper and cannot because your body is in the phase of deep relaxation so your lungs cannot expand like they do in a wakeful state. Totally makes perfect sense to me and after having it all explained to me I feel better about it.

It still happens and I am still fearful but I am able to get back to sleep most times knowing that my experience is not related to some 'ghost' or something in the room. :) I focus on just trying either to move or talk. My husband woke to me whispering one time because I could not get my voice out and it freaked him out and it was me going through sleep paralysis.

I do find it only happens sleeping on my back. Side-sleeping seems to make the difference for me.