Sleep Paralysis.. Happened to anyone?

[W4FC B3N]

Is Sleep Paralysis Normal? Causes, Explanations, and Stories

Have you ever woken up from sleep only to discover that you cannot move a muscle? With the exception of maybe your eyes and your breathing, you find yourself virtually frozen in bed. For some this situation is then made exponentially worse by hallucinations that manifest in their surroundings, threatening them while they cannot even muster a scream.


Such experiences are caused by what's known as sleep paralysis (or SP), a phenomenon that occurs every night in the typical sleeper to prevent him or her from acting out dreams during REM sleep (more on this below). When this paralysis outlasts sleep, as it sometimes can, you get instances like those described above. Waking up to SP can be an extraordinarily frightening situation, as you might know from personal experience or can tell from the personal stories on this page, but rest assured that it is not uncommon and typically not a cause for too much concern.

It's happened to me once, felt like I was lying in a coffin with my arms across my chest and thought I was dead but trapped in my body, was pretty freaky. Only happened about 2 months ago when I was in Spain.

 

[Mally]

Happens to my mate a lot, it scares the **** out of him. Usually caused by drugs.

 

[Raikan007]

Happens to my mate a lot, it scares the **** out of him. Usually caused by drugs.

lol hhahhaha, too much acid? I have never had it (as I dont take any drugs) but have heard about it, I did suffer from Insomnia for 3 years when I was 10-13 or so! Was horrible..

Ben, its because you don't sleep the entire weekend and barely during the week while working! Too much drinking as well mate.. get some sleep and cut down on booze and you should be fine

everything in moderation (except hard drugs)

 

[Average Joe]

Sounds like u were date raped ben.........

Thats never happened to me. Closest I've been is being so hung over that i cant move for a while after i woke up....

 

[Aannddyy]

Whaaaaat? So surely if you were woken up by somebody when you were asleep you would be paralysed? I'm so confused

 

[W4FC B3N]

LOL! Neil, I'm not that bad XD. Not since a few months back anyway.. <)

 

[GodCubed]

Whaaaaat? So surely if you were woken up by somebody when you were asleep you would be paralysed? I'm so confused

Basically, your brain think you're still asleep, but you're awake. As your brain ignores instructions to move while you're asleep (conscious ones anyway) it ignores ones that you give when you're trying to get up. Thus, sleep paralysis.

 

[W4FC B3N]

I've always thought it was extremely interesting since It happened to me and have read up on it quite a bit, the supernatural side and the scientific side.

 

[Average Joe]

Gunna have to have a day off work and use this excuse....

 

[Ben]

Is it connected to drugs/alcohol?

 

[GodCubed]

Is it connected to drugs/alcohol?

Not always, though alcohol 'helps'. Happens to narcoleptic people a lot.

 

[Mally]

Is it connected to drugs/alcohol?

I don't much about it but I do know that the only people who I know who get it take a lot of drugs. Put it this way I wouldn't tell my mum if it happened to me.

Not sure about alcohol though because it would be a lot more common than it is...

 

[W4FC B3N]

It's connected to drugs, alcohol, stress, sudden changes in environment, sleep deprivation, quite a few things can trigger it, it can sometimes happen in a perfectly healthy being.

 

[Raikan007]

drugs, alcohol, stress, sudden changes in environment, sleep deprivation

drinking Ben, too much, stressed out cause you have not slept at all and you start work in 3 hours changes in environment, too much pub hopping and 24 hour Maccie D's and finally sleep deprivation! sounds like you Ben not sure about the drugs though!!

 

[W4FC B3N]

Hahaha! You've got it out for me I'm not a bad guy!

Drugs, I've only ever smoked weed once or twice but I hate the stuff, other than that, I wouldn't go near it, why risk my dad losing his job (police officer) by getting locked up in possession of them?

 

[Raikan007]

hahahah only pulling your leg matey I drink too love my beer/wine and whiskey! but I do need sleep, I play Ps3 or Fm11 till early hours occassionally but am stuffed the next day at work so try not and do that too often, weekends the same but always have stuff planned with the missus so dont want to sleep all the time, I dont like sleep I feel its a waste of my time to be honest but you need it the older you get! hahhhaa

was just joking around!

 

[GodCubed]

I've had this happen to a friend. Best bit was he had a lecture that morning and was late, so he was getting more and more worked up because he couldn't move and he needed to get going.

Hahaha! You've got it out for me I'm not a bad guy!

Drugs, I've only ever smoked weed once or twice but I hate the stuff, other than that, I wouldn't go near it, why risk my dad losing his job (police officer) by getting locked up in possession of them?

Good man. I've done it more than a couple of times and found it alright, but it's not worth risking your dad's career for it.

 

[tubby]

I've always thought it was extremely interesting since It happened to me and have read up on it quite a bit, the supernatural side and the scientific side.

...what supernatural side? It is as GC explained it, there is no supernatural element to it.

 

[GodCubed]

...what supernatural side? It is as GC explained it, there is no supernatural element to it.

Some people use it as a rational explanation for seeing ghosts, because it's quite common to have hallucinations whilst sleep paralysed. I think that's what he means, anyway.

 

[tubby]

Some people use it as a rational explanation for seeing ghosts, because it's quite common to have hallucinations whilst sleep paralysed. I think that's what he means, anyway.

How very un-rational. Doing something that often comes with hallucinations isn't a rational explanation for ghosts, otherwhise mushrooms would be supernatural and LSD would be paranormal.

***** slap the unlogical!