Sleep Paralysis

[MoodElevator]

In my teens I experienced pretty regular bouts of sleep paralysis (maybe once a week). I would for long lengths of time become terrified of sleeping because I might go into the paralysis. The resulting sleep deprivation would make it a million times more likely that it would happen to. Recently, I assume from all the stress from my father dying and my much older sister severely antagonizing me and providing no support whatsoever to the process, I've been experiencing this again. Do any of you experience sleep paralysis? If so: How do you cope with it? Do you have any suggestions on minimizing it?

 

[p-no]

Hi Mood,

Can you explain a bit what sleep paralysis is? I'm not a native speaker and although I understand, I am not sure if what I do is what you mean.

Thanks.

 

[PerfectlyFlawed]

I have experienced S.P. and you wake up in your nightmare. I even saw shadow people. I just try to take muscle relaxer or Benadryl in order to get a 'deep' sleep.

 

[CrazyHorse]

Hi MoodElevator :-)

There is a good thread about SP here in the sleep section. I will be happy to respond to this thread too, when I have some more time :), but I think you will get some answers from that thread also.

 

[Queen Boudica]

I suffered from it a lot on and off including when I was a child and I had a monster sitting on me in bed and growling. It is terrifying. I think stress and anxiety is a derfinite trigger.

I would not take a muscle relaxer. I took Valium for my back, only a small amount and I had the sleep paralysis come back. Try self-hypnosis, breathing and relaxation techniques.

 

[cherryblossom]

There is a good thread about SP here in the sleep section.

I'm not sure if this is the thread CH is referring to . . .

[DLMURL]https://www.ptsdforum.org/c/threads/sleep-paralysis.28179/[/DLMURL]

 

[CrazyHorse]

It sure is ;-)

 

[MoodElevator]

Thanks for the link guys, it didn't turn up when I searched. I can avoid the paralysis if I am super sleep deprived and smoke a bit of weed. But I don't wan't to depend on anything to sleep. When I was in my early teens I got heavily addicted to benzodiazapines so I could sleep and get to school so my mum wouldn't aggress me as much.

 

[Demon]

I have experienced this and it is scarey as hell. The very first time I experienced this I was in bed with my partner I felt and sensed a very dark film over the whole bed it was very uncomforable I wanted to move but couldn't.

Frozen, the stronger the feeling the louder the sound got like a whirring noise. I wanted it to go away. The second time I experienced it ...I was living in a little quaint house (like a cabin) I had candles lit in my lounge room. I was feeling a little unwell so i went to lay down. Once in my room I started to feel that same big heavy black blanket closing in on me. I could hardly breathe and once again was that horrible whirring noise I was fighting for it to go away.

Finally it let go of me. As i was trying to catch my breath I looked up at my bedroom door. There was a bright light shining through. I jumped up running to the lounge room the candle had caught light to a box in the room. It was almost like this thing (whatever it was) wanted me to die and I dont know. Through me fighting it I managed to break out and save myself.

This way the last time I experienced this.

Never quite knowing what it was and was to scared to ever tell anyone about it as i thought they would thing i was crazy ( the whole time I experienced this I thought i was awake) little did I know i was asleep in R.E.M ) It was years later I was asleep on a friends lounge and I woke at 3am in the morning to a tv documentary about this thing i had experience being in american terms OLD HAG SYMDROME .. google it you will be suprised it was then it was put to rest and I knew what had happened ...it has never happened again since then .

 

[Al.g]

I've had them quite a few times, first couple were pretty intense, although I didn't see anything scary, I did think I was going to die because I couldn't more or talk, I would try to move and speak/yell my brains out but nothing, I thought I was moving a bit, trying to slide off my bed, but my arm twitched and I was right where back where I started, like it never happened. That tripped me out solid. I thought it was from doing mushrooms, but that was weeks prior.

I looked it up online after it happened a couple more times, and found out it was sleep paralysis. I doesn't really scare me enough to bother me because I know it's all in my head and I'm not going to get hurt. However when it happens it's pretty scary... The sound you hear like a heavy rhythmic whooshing and the kind of dark blanket that starts to overcome me is the dead giveaway I'm slipping into it, and if I squirm enough I can get myself out but it takes a bit of effort...

It has happened quit a bit over the pas year, I've been stressed though so i suppose that makes sense.

I'd like to have video of it happening to me to see what it looks like compared to what I think is happening, I'm always trying to move around, but think I just groan and moan my ex was pretty sure that's all that I did..

 

[Jyar]

Thank you Mood for sharing this. I first read your post a few days ago and I've been looking into my own sleep disorders which sounds similar to SP, but not quite. None-the-less it has prompted me to search out a sleep study facility to get a proper diagnosis.

I have no suggestions on how to minimize the hell you're experiencing, however I do wish you well. I hope that you find some peace and serenity so you can enjoy restful re-energizing sleep.