Sleep paralysis?

[thepostalservice.]

I've had what I believe to be sleep paralysis just twice. However, I didn't experience any hallucinations.

About a month or so ago, I 'dreamt' that somebody/thing came into my room. I kept my eyes closed as I thought it was just a member of my family getting something. But after a short while I opened my eyes to a little boy, sitting cross legged on my chest. I tried to scream but I couldn't open my mouth and I couldn't move my body - just really restricted neck and eye movements. I didn't sleep properly for weeks after this and still sometimes get 'flash backs'.

Was this sleep paralysis or just a dream?

[Evera]

Sounds pretty creepy. I would have reacted similarly.

Probably a combination of both. I have had it happen to me. Although for the most part, in my experience, I have rather sensed the presence of other individuals with me, and have avoided looking at them for fear of seeing something unexpected and frightening. At best I've only seen shadow.

Not sure though. Hope this helps.

[smitty1962a]

I've had it happen to me to. In my case, I didn't see anybody, but I thought that someone was walking around inside my room. By the time the paralysis wears off there is never anybody there. It is creepy but I think rather harmless.

Smitty

[uofmboy55]

the most vivid time i had sleep paralysis was simular to yours. i woke up with something sitting on my chest. i got the filling of a female, though it was just a shadow. when i woke up it was there, lips to mine. as soon as eyes opened it poofed away towards the top of my room. i couldn't move for about 15-30 sec. after this i thought it was weird and freaky, then i heard sevral people, world wide get it something like 15 percent of world population. anyway scientificly what happens is in rem your body produccess a chemical to give you the paralysis. sometimes you snap out of the rem state while your body is still being effected by the chemical. now having said that. i dont know wheather its because we are still part in sleep and part away we see thing(aka a dream) yet we are actually aware of real surroundings so we are like oh no ghost or demons(which i believe in) but i dont know why everyone always feels that evil amongst them so i hope this helped some and as i post on this site yall forgive my spelling im not a good speller

[swift]

I have this issue...a lot. I am consciously aware of the room and what's going on in it, I've been able to follow conversations while sleeping this way sometimes. But then too, usually is inserted a demon. It could be a jagged energetic blight of shadow, or a room full of hobgoblin looking thingys clinging to every surface of the walls and ceiling, once it was just an incredibly menacing voice, and once when I was pregnant it was a pitch black whispy shade reaching out for my belly.

Yuck. But none of them has tried to sit on my chest...yet. Which is supposed to be typical of sleep paralysis, having somthing to do with..some people believe...your level of physical discomfort in sleep being manifested by your subconsicous (which is trying to wake you up). I think it could also be a wake to lucid transition period, or way station. Your brain shutting down your body before your fully asleep. I experience a tingling, buzzing sensation before I have an episode as such, I think that's the process of shutting down movement in the body.

[Mattimeo]

Yes defenitly sleep paralysis NOT a dream I reconize the syptoms they are normly scary and the only movment you can do is eye neck and toung movment I have had this happen to me more than once and reacted in a VERY simmler way as to what you did

[mr. Zim]

yea, if you look around the forums you can find tons of similar posts. And ironically it all happens to people that have experienced sleep paralysis before (usually) a couple times before the incident. The story is always the same. Hear or senses something, takes a peak and sees a silhouette or shade of a person. They freak out or get scared and then it ends with the thing somehow vanishing by like jumping into the person's chest or something of the sort.

I think I've experienced sleep paralysis before but when I "had" it I was freaked out by an extremely annoying sound that repeated for at least 10 minutes. I was convinced if I had moved I would die... So I never figured out if I was paralyzed by sleep atonia or of fear.

[thepostalservice.]

Wow, thanks for all the replies

[Xylent]

some causes might be your sleeping position

I too have experienced similiar events but not as sever just paralysis with control of head but no vocal functions

I usualy favour Supine position "sleeping on back" for sleep which according to wikipedia is a cause of sleep paralysis and according to other posters on this forum

I also sleep with two pillows which will bend the neck slightly closing the air pasage in throat slighlty which causes breathing problem to wake you up

solutions I have found to work are to tilt head backwards as much as possible to open air passage " First aid I think sais this and you have control of head/neck musscles during sleep paralysis " and breath through mouth as hard as you can to try and wake oneself up

My mother also has had sleep paralysis and she has asthma suggesting difficulty breathing sometimes during sleep

I agree with the poster that replied with it bieng the brain most probably paralyzing the body so as to not have limbs moving wildly example when dreaming of running.

searching up on sleep paralysis on wikipedia gives a sensible explanation for me

in REM you dream realy crazy things so there must be a hallucinatery effect from the chemical released from the brain that also keeps the body paralyzed as to not harm itself during sleep

Also people saying they imagine something sitting on thier chest already suggest Supine position which causes of sleep paralysis

Quote Wikipedia

" * Paralysis: this occurs after waking up or shortly before falling asleep. The person cannot move any body part, and only has minimal control over blinking and breathing. This paralysis is the same paralysis that occurs when dreaming. The brain paralyzes the muscles to prevent possible injury during dreams, as some body parts may move during dreaming. If the person wakes up suddenly, the brain may still think that it is dreaming, and sustains the paralysis.

* Hallucinations: Images or speaking that appear during the paralysis. The person may think that someone is standing beside them or they may hear strange sounds. These may be dreamlike, possibly causing the person to think that they are still dreaming. Often it is reported as feeling a weight on one's chest, as if being underneath a person or heavy object.

These symptoms can last from mere seconds to several minutes (although they can feel like much longer) and can be frightening to the person. There may be some body movement, but it is very unlikely and hard for a person to accomplish."

People will sometimes use the words Succubus or Incubus to describe the problem but I think the supernatural explanations are merely caused by the hallucinating state from waking up immediatly like that from REM sleep maby ?