Sleep Paralysis

Has anyone experienced sleep paralysis? If so, do you see or hear things? I always hear a high pitch whistling sound everytime it happens...

Jam it back in, in the dark.

That high pitched sound is probably tinnitis, for one thing, which is just some natural sound that is generated by your ear nerves when no other sounds can be heard. Try sitting very still, and very calmly, away from any possible noises, and you will probably hear it then too.
And no, I don't think I have ever experienced it, although I believe my brother did once a long time ago, when we lived in the same bedroom. He didn't seem to have a whole lotta fun.

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I get sleep paralysis all the time. Happens when I wake up directly from REM sleep. I also experience apnea a lot .

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Strangely it's only happened when I've had incredibly frightening/demonic dreams. I guess it's me trying to wake up from them too fast. Being paralyzed after being freaked out in a dream is terrible; it adds to the fear greatly. When it originally happened I thought that indeed something supernatural was occurring. I found out many years later that this wasn't the case at all. Science for the win!

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Sometimes it feels like my body is being levitated. What's strange is that sleep paralysis only happens if I'm lying on my back. I've heard a few other ppl say this as well. Anyone ever experienced it on their side?

I was speaking idiomatically.

When I was around eight, I think I had this type of thing, though my memory is so cloudy that I cannot remembe whether or not it was an actual dream. I was certainly paralysed, whether it was purely psychological or not.

Basically, I was in my bed, and everything in my room was completely normal — nothing surreal at all. Then, this blow-up skeleton in the corner of my room which I had a general mild fear of (as you do when a child) came to life, and slowly moved towards me; it was the slowness which truly traumatized me. I mean, we're talking some seriously intense fear here: how would you react if you saw a skeleton moving towards you at an incredibly slow pace while unable to move?

I recall being aware of my mother in the bathroom next door, and trying to scream for her but couldn't; I was just unable to produce a sound. I think at some point I either woke up or snapped out of it, and never mentioned it to anybody as I always assumed it was just a nightmare. Not happened since though, as far as I'm aware!

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Wow...I didn't know this experience had a name .

I've always experienced sleep paralysis, but it's been happening a lot more often lately, right before I fall asleep (which apparently is hypnagogic sleep paralysis). And like you mentioned, GrimReaper, sometimes I feel like I'm being levitated or flying. It usually is when I'm laying on my back, come to think of it....so odd. I've never had fear or nightmares involved with my paralysis, though. I usually kind of enjoy the sensation. Then again, maybe I'm just weird...

FELIPE NO

I might be experiencing something similiar to what Arkhangelsk is describing. I can't say I've ever woken up at night and had this happen, but I've had these strange feelings right before I go to bed. Most of the time it'll be like I instantly fall asleep, but I can still feel my body while I'm sleeping. This usually causes me to instantly wake up, but I lose all sense of time... I can't tell if it's been 1 minute (which it has nearly every time), or if it's been 4 hours.

Perhaps thats not even close to Sleep Paralysis, but its the only thing I can think that's similar to it.

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Yeah, sometimes it'll happen multiple times all within minutes. I'll be able to move a few seconds between episodes...I usually take this opportunity to switch over to my side so it won't happen again. A lot of people believe it's actually a ghost or something on top of you holding you down...you guys ever heard of this belief?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I had a couple of cases of sleep paralysis as a child. I remember waking up, trying to move and then get scared because I couldn't. Then I screamed from the top of my loungs, but no sound came. It was a little scary, but I haven't experience this since I was little.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Ahahaha... I have heard that belief before, but that's not nearly the craziest one I've heard. Apparently some people associate it with alien abductions, but as to the truth... who knows?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

That seems to be the common case, no matter how hard you try, you can't make a sound...I don't know about you guys but my entire body would be paralyzed. I can't even move my fingers.

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Some people associate sleep paralysis with narcolepsy and lucid dreaming -- which I've never experienced, but I have a friend who always lucid dreams and doesn't understand how anyone else cannot lucid dream.

I used to think it was like my soul trying to pull away from my body... which apparently is not completely original, because it's also associated with out-of-body experiences.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Umm, it happens to me quite often actually. Never heard noises though. Usually silent cause I'm in my room and it's usually do to the fact that my foot was underneath something and got too warm partially waking me up. I just can't move at all or really do anything except think "OMFG WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!". Managed to open my eyes once though, except I'm not sure whether I dreamt I opened my eyes or if I actually did.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

It happened to me twice. I didn't hear anything, but I woke up seeing a huge black shadow towering over me. I can't really come up with a logical explanation for this other than maybe I was in a phase of REM sleep where the body is paralyzed to prevent thrashing during dreams.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Nehmi

but I can still feel my body while I'm sleeping

This is how I always sleep, though I certainly can't claim to fall asleep instantly (more like 2-3 hours). Throughout all my dreams, I can feel myself laying down in my bed, and can't move in the dream...at least not directly. I can think about moving to move myself, just like I can take pretty much take control of most dreams I have. But I can't move naturally.

Another weird thing is that I almost never see other people in my dreams. I can hear them, feel their presence, but not see them. Not sure why that is, or if its related to the first "problem" I mentioned.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

It used to happen to me now and then but no longer. The first time was rather frightening and I was around 17. After that experience, I decided to research the phenomenon and came across several accounts, each with various explanations ranging from scientific conjecture to superstitious wives-tales.

What I read, however, was that sleep paralysis tends to happen in stages, all of which matched my own experience. From that point, I had a frame of reference; if it happened again, I'd be able to at least monitor the progression in a somewhat scientific manner. Sure enough, I awoke with the paralysis soon after, recounting the stages in my mind as I let them progress.

Unfortunately, as much as it all happened as anticipated, I still didn't enjoy it much. But I was bouyed by the fact that I'd endured a bout without becoming totally freaked. I understood the way it worked and had accepted some reasonable explanations on both sides of the scientific coin. The paralysis was no longer a fear factor to me; it was mostly a curiosity.

Around one year later, it happened once more. I was startled since the lag between had been significant but my mind quickly recalled everything I knew. Only this time, I wasn't in the mood.
There's a point at which the paralysis reaches a peak, often accompanied by a "crushing" sensation upon the chest by some, or "floating" by other. I got the "crushing" experience. As I lay there, feeling like I was trapped, I decided to abandon all previous knowledges and simply try my best to move. I summoned some nerve and quickly counted off. I suddenly swung my right arm up above me and soon my entire body was upright in bed. My heart was racing but I had full mobility as though I'd never lost it.

By all scientific reasoning, I'd beaten sleep paralysis by willing myself to move before the "natural" progression was complete. I've looked into the subject but haven't found any accounts from other people who've done the same, leading me to wonder how I precisely managed to override the phenomenon where so many are helpless.

But once I proved my own willpower was stronger than the sleep paralysis, I stopped having it.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Those witches felt the crushing flow of defeat for the first time, and probably decided to torment some other poor soul.

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I had exactly one bout of sleep paralysis several years ago -- very much like Syndrome's experience, only that I was only half-awake. For a few seconds, I couldn't move or speak. Somehow I managed to get my arms and the rest of me moving again. Scared the shit out of me, but it never happened again.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I haven't had sleep paralysis for a good few months now, fortunately. It's an awful feeling. Usually happened when I took a nap. I'd wake up seemingly normal until I tried to get out of bed. I couldn't move at all, even though I kept trying and trying. Once I even felt like I fell off my bed, but luckily I woke up completely.

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I've had it a few times, but I can't say it's ever happened to me when laying down. Usually it's been when I'm in a short little sit-sleep like on a couch or recliner or something. From what I remember, I could kind of move my eyes, but nothing else. Couldn't speak or anything. Pretty scary feeling, particularly the first time I experienced it. Every time it has happened, I've managed to get out of it by, with much effort, suddenly jerking my upper body to the side or something. It had to be sudden or else I just wouldn't move at all.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I don't know if I ever had sleep paralysis but I do know that sometimes when I'm asleep I'll feel like I'm floating, but the moment I realize it I just suddenly feel a falling motion as if someone took out the floor from under me. Usually jolts me awake.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I think I've had this happen to me...twice. I'm sleeping and then I wake up, but I guess I'm not really awake because I can't move! So I move my hand, or try so I can get out of bed but I can't!

I really want to wake up because my eyes are open, but I just can't...

So I close my eyes and shut them tight and although I think in my head,

"crap, those nasty aliens finally have come to experiment on me. Wait, there are no aliens. I would see them!. It must be something else. Whatever it is, I'll going to wait till this is over," I finally manage to sleep again in what feels like a really long time.

I don't ever want to experience that again. I talked to my sisters about it and they said they have never had that happen to them. Lucky.

FELIPE NO

Seems like the vision of a black smoke or shape is a common experience. Although I haven't seen anything my friend told me once he saw a black shape, clearly that of a man, he said the shape tried to choke him too. That is creepy.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Eleo

Strangely it's only happened when I've had incredibly frightening/demonic dreams. I guess it's me trying to wake up from them too fast. Being paralyzed after being freaked out in a dream is terrible; it adds to the fear greatly. When it originally happened I thought that indeed something supernatural was occurring. I found out many years later that this wasn't the case at all. Science for the win!

I used to have stuff like this happen to me as a kid. I remember quite a few times trying to wake up from a nightmare. I was only able to open my eyes. I was terrified and I couldn't scream, open my mouth, turn over, move something, etc. It's an awful feeling. I was literally screaming in my head, but no sound came out of my mouth. It felt like something was sitting on me, pinning me down.

I don't have stuff like that anymore, thank goodness.

Jam it back in, in the dark.