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Sleep Paralysis.
- Post starter Go Hungry
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Hi Go Hungry,
Paralysis is actually the normal state when you are in "dreaming" (Rapid eye movement) sleep, it seems to be a natural way to stop us from flailing around as we dream.
Perhaps it evolved to stop our baboon forebears from falling out of our family tree [/tongue in cheek]
Occasionally the paralysis persists for a few seconds after we wake up, or at least, become lucid. The paralysis is certainly why running away in a dream is like running through treacle. Legs just don't work, it's much easier to fly instead.
It's possible that sleep paralysis persisting for a few seconds into a lucid state was the origin of the myths of the parasitic supernatural beings, the incubus and the succubus. It can be quite disconcerting if you don't know what's happening, and I can understand why someone might invoke demons to explain it.
It's a few months since I last experienced paralysis on waking up, and I actually quite enjoyed the relaxed warm heavy feeling.
hope this helps.
Paralysis is actually the normal state when you are in "dreaming" (Rapid eye movement) sleep, it seems to be a natural way to stop us from flailing around as we dream.
Perhaps it evolved to stop our baboon forebears from falling out of our family tree [/tongue in cheek]
Occasionally the paralysis persists for a few seconds after we wake up, or at least, become lucid. The paralysis is certainly why running away in a dream is like running through treacle. Legs just don't work, it's much easier to fly instead.
It's possible that sleep paralysis persisting for a few seconds into a lucid state was the origin of the myths of the parasitic supernatural beings, the incubus and the succubus. It can be quite disconcerting if you don't know what's happening, and I can understand why someone might invoke demons to explain it.
It's a few months since I last experienced paralysis on waking up, and I actually quite enjoyed the relaxed warm heavy feeling.
hope this helps.
Recovery4Me
VIP Member
During EMDR therapy, some repressed memories of childhood trauma merged through that type of dream. It was a short series of three or four. The paralysis (although toted common) was different in the aspect, that it represented the child quality of not being in control of the situation.
Once I grasped that, it was a healing thing allowing integration, I learned techniques to pull out of the deeper levels of sleep. I look at my hands, tell myself I am in a dream and shout wake up. During that stage of dreams within dreams, it may take a few tries but true tonal quality of hands flexing is pretty indicative of being awake. I then get up and make sure that I am seeing in color as my dreams do not hold the complete hues of all things.
After this uncomfortable process and the residual feelings of the memories, there was integration and processing in my adult state, healing the frightened child and knowing it would not happen again. It took a few months, but I became more whole and spent less energy subconsciously avoiding triggers that I was not fully in touch with.
Happy healing.:hug: You are possibly near a break through in movement.
Once I grasped that, it was a healing thing allowing integration, I learned techniques to pull out of the deeper levels of sleep. I look at my hands, tell myself I am in a dream and shout wake up. During that stage of dreams within dreams, it may take a few tries but true tonal quality of hands flexing is pretty indicative of being awake. I then get up and make sure that I am seeing in color as my dreams do not hold the complete hues of all things.
After this uncomfortable process and the residual feelings of the memories, there was integration and processing in my adult state, healing the frightened child and knowing it would not happen again. It took a few months, but I became more whole and spent less energy subconsciously avoiding triggers that I was not fully in touch with.
Happy healing.:hug: You are possibly near a break through in movement.
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joeylittle
Sponsor
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/sleep-paralysis
I get this, specifically the hypnopompic kind (that's when it happens upon waking, as opposed to when you're drifting off).
@Anarchy, you're referring to the hypnic jerk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnic_jerk), when you refer to the possibly vestigial remainder of a "don't fall out of the tree" impulse. Just for fun, here's an article about what you're talking about, re REM sleep (if anyone else wants to read it) Dead Link Removed
Anyway, @Go Hungry, it really is common to have a hallucination when in sleep paralysis - sometimes it's visual, sometimes it's only sensory. When this happens to me, I either see someone in the corner of the room, or I have someone sitting on my chest. It's really hard to breathe when you're in sleep paralysis, because you aren't in control of what your body is doing, basically - I'm curious what you experienced in this regard since you were using a CPAP.
Mine tend to last a few minutes at the most. Stress is supposed to be a huge factor in developing sleep paralysis. But, if you didn't feel a pretty big surge of panic, it might not have been a full on sleep-paralysis, it could have just been a rough transition out of REM coupled with some dream/reality crossover, especially if you were in a dark room.
I get this, specifically the hypnopompic kind (that's when it happens upon waking, as opposed to when you're drifting off).
@Anarchy, you're referring to the hypnic jerk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnic_jerk), when you refer to the possibly vestigial remainder of a "don't fall out of the tree" impulse. Just for fun, here's an article about what you're talking about, re REM sleep (if anyone else wants to read it) Dead Link Removed
Anyway, @Go Hungry, it really is common to have a hallucination when in sleep paralysis - sometimes it's visual, sometimes it's only sensory. When this happens to me, I either see someone in the corner of the room, or I have someone sitting on my chest. It's really hard to breathe when you're in sleep paralysis, because you aren't in control of what your body is doing, basically - I'm curious what you experienced in this regard since you were using a CPAP.
Mine tend to last a few minutes at the most. Stress is supposed to be a huge factor in developing sleep paralysis. But, if you didn't feel a pretty big surge of panic, it might not have been a full on sleep-paralysis, it could have just been a rough transition out of REM coupled with some dream/reality crossover, especially if you were in a dark room.
- Post starter
- #5
@joeylittle I think my CPAP helped a lot since I didn't have any trouble breathing... I was under a great deal of stress at the time. Plus it was back when I was drinking, so I thought the lack of movement was just because I was so drunk. I don't even really remember being so afraid. It was just weird... But alcohol does weird things to a person, so I don't know if that had anything to do with it.
I get this too - more so when drifting off though. It's pretty scary for me being unable to move for a minute or so and feeling like something or someone is above me or looking at me. From some things I read up on it, mine is probably related to sleep deprivation - I find it pretty tough to go asleep, stay asked, or to transition from light to deep sleep. Also sleeping on my back is the only time it happens - I usually try sleep on my side as it's more comfortable for me. I would definitely think alcohol would be a relevant factor. Sorry you had to go through this. Glad the cpap at least was helpful in that you didn't have any breathing difficulties. I can't move or breathe when it happens. I also get the hypnic jerk thing feeling as though I'm falling into a void - I am again usually laying on my back and grab my sheets as I wake. Just wondering, do you know what you were dreaming about or thinking about before it happened or before you fell asleep?
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Haven't had it for a while, but several times I've been unable to open my mouth...like teeth clenched so hard I'll break my teeth and I have no control...I'm aware they really are like that and I can't relax. But I do relax when I'm fully awake. Unfortunately I do have several crowns at this point. My dentist wanted me to try a mouth guard. I tolerated that for less than five seconds. I agree with others that the paralysis bit might be normal sleep stuff. I sometimes have lucid dreams where I'm half aware but can't move (like dreaming I have to get up but can't). I am a little more curious when I have repeating scenarios, like the mouth thing...might be related to having been intubated a few times in my earlier or life, or maybe just that I hold tension in my jaw. But it's scary when I'm in the middle of it, feeling aware but without control.
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