Sleep Paralysis normal yet terrifying state of being unable to move, either at the onset of sleep or upon awakening. This commonly occurs when a person is moving into or out of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the deepest part of sleep.
The team to describe sleep paralysis before going to sleep is called “Hypnagogic”, and as your awaken up from REM its called “Hynopompic”. Sleep paralysis has other names that it can be referred to such as predormital, hypnologic, familial, and hypnopompic but all relate to the same issue.
Sleep paralysis is when your brain wakes up from the Rapid Eye Movement (REM), but your whole body is paralyzed state. Your mind becomes fully conscious in bed but your not able to move your body. This is a is an unusual neurological phenomenon that happens to more children than adults. It is not uncommon for people to experience this every week.
Is Sleep Paralysis Dangerous?
Anybody who experiences “sleep paralysis” for the first time usually wants answers right away. They feel like they actually experience a nightmare awake. You wake up feeling like you were actually living in a bad dream for a couple of seconds or even up to a couple of minutes. As scary as it seems the good news is that nobody has even died from sleep paralysis or had any psychological issues.
This is just a very scary and uncomfortable feeling that we never want to experience again. The worst part about sleep paralysis is that you feel stuck and have no idea why your frozen in this state.
Some issues people who suffer from sleep paralysis have trouble getting a good night sleep in fear that it would happen again. The more you learn and become aware of sleep paralysis the easier it gets when your trapped in that moment of hell.
When you are stuck in sleep paralysis and know that you are and it would be over in a matter of seconds it helps calm the mind. Most of the time the sleeper is awakened by a sound, a touch or snapping right out of the state.
What Happens During Sleep Paralysis
Through out the night our body goes back and forth between NREM (non-rapid eye) and REM sleep. Most of our sleep consists of NREM, the state that we are most relaxed and not much brain activity going on. When the NREM is over we switch over to REM sleep where our eyes move rapidly.
More vivid dreams occur during this time and our body is completely relaxed. The body is in a comatose state where you can move a muscle. Once you become aware before the REM cycle of sleep is completely done your will experience a feeling where you cant talk or move.
Types of Sleep Paralysis Dreams:
In many studies researchers have found out that “hypnagogic hallucinations” can occur during sleep paralysis state. Hypnagogic hallucinations can happen in both hypnopompic paralysis and hypnagogic paralysis of sleep paralysis. Whenever this happens the dreamer has vivid and haunting images that feels almost life like.
Depending on the dreamer some experience a feeling like somebody is in your room, being suffocated, falling, or hearing voices talk to you before you sleep. A term to describe that feeling is called the “Hag Phenomena” and has been happening to people for thousands of years. Below you can see some of the type of hag phenomena people experience when they are sleeping.
Sleep Paralysis: Symptoms & Causes
There is no exact cause on why some people get this horrible sensation called sleep paralysis. Its doesn’t matter if your male or female it all depends on the factors below that we listed. Sleep paralysis is very common and happens to 40% of the general population. You will find younger children experiencing this feeling then most adults.
Signs:
- Vivid images – feels like the dream of all dreams
- Hallucinations – people experience a large bug or insect trying to eat them
- A devil or demon in your room
- Unable to breath – Somebody sitting on your chest or being suffocated by the covers
- Falling to the ground
- Life like sensations – Impending doom
- Odd smells or random voices
- Intruder in the room
Common Causes Include:
- Not getting enough sleep
- Drinking access alcohol
- Medical conditions ex narcolepsy
- Leg cramps
- Change in your sleep pattern
- Passed down from family
- Low levels of melatonin
- Change in your lifestyle ex eating habits etc.
- If you sleep on your back
How Can I Stop Sleep Paralysis?
Sleep paralysis doesn’t harm or effect your body in anyway, but getting this can be quite traumatizing and wish you never got it again. Stress plays a big role when your dealing with sleep paralysis so make sure you take time to reflect things you need to change in your life.
- Change your sleep patterns. Get your 7 to 8 hours a night sleeps
- Your anxiety levels might be very high. Find out ways you can stop anxiety from taking over
- Change your environment around you. Did you make a sudden change in your life that’s not working out
- More likely to experience when you sleep on your back
- You might be depressed? Find ways to snap out of your depression
- People who suffer from Narcolepsy are more prone to sleep paralysis
- Check your family history. Most of the time your parents might have the same issue
- Work out at the gym or meditate
Sleep Paralysis Tips
Once you read up on the subject being stuck in the state makes it a lot easier. If you are concerned about this issue there are ways you can battle it so it doesn’t happen again. Below we have listed ways you can combat this problem and face it head on:
- Once in the sleep paralysis state don’t fight it. Let it ride out and say to yourself it will pass
- Reduce your stress levels or anxiety levels
- Go to bed early and get a good night sleep
- Remember it doesn’t kill you
- Turn it in to a good experience. Some people report having a mystical experience during it.
- Focus. Try your best to snap out of it. If you force yourself hard enough you will wake up
- It is a medical phenomena! Don’t think your going crazy, and try not to associate it with bad thoughts
- Relax. Don’t work yourself over an issue your going to snap out of in seconds.
- Meditate before you go to bed.
Why is it that when I’m in a dream I can’t move, then at some point while in my dream, I say to myself this is only a dream… then usually I wake up in a few minutes, and once back no paralysis?
In 6th grade I had a sleep paralysis experience, I woke up fully aware of my surroundings but I couldn’t move or yell, i tried to yell out my moms name but nothing came out, my whole room was red, nothing else was around me, it was all red and I was completely paralyzed, when I woke up, I had a bad stomach cramp as if someone had stabbed me multiple times and it hurt to move around, I managed to get my self down my bed and slowly crawled to the couch and laid on my stomach curled up… Read more »
My first sleep paralysis, I heard a growl, hands started to shake, and then I felt myself float upwards. I cried so bad. Whenever I have it now, I force myself to calm down and slow down my breathing. Sometimes I would hear voices before going to sleep, most of the time it would be my name being called. I once felt someone tap my neck twice. Another, I fell into it while I was still awake trying to fall asleep, and I felt my upper body being pulled. Like someone was grabbing my collar with their two hands and… Read more »
Eighteen days ago, my uncle suffered a cardiac arrest due to excessive consumption of opium, and in the hospital, the forensic pathologist performed an autopsy on my uncle’s body, and after being identified by my other uncle, they allowed him to be buried, and my deceased uncle was buried. But the forensic report has not yet reached his family and we can’t find out what the main cause of death is because the deceased had no history of heart disease. The dream of the cause of my uncle’s death should be clear to me. I saw my late uncle in… Read more »
I had a sleep paralysis around a month ago. It was my first ever one and it really did freak me out. There was a white figure trapped in between the wall and my bed, staring at me, this figure did not look natural. I soon attempted to move, I didn’t move in the dream, but I could feel my body forcing open my eyes and attempting to speak, I woke up with my hands opening my eyes. Just wanted to share!
I have had sleep paralysis many, many times over the years and I feel like i have gotten some control over it, but its still terrifying every single time. After many times of just being paralyzed, i experienced seeing a shadowy figure walk up behind me and bend over my face while speaking gibberish in a deep echoey voice, I thought it was a demon. After a while it didn’t scare me as much. But then recently, I started hearing actual clear voices, and the most recent time, I heard a voice whisper “oh, its nice over here”… That one… Read more »
I just experienced the most terrifying dream paralysis state I’ve ever had; it’s as if I’m still dreaming, seeing various people in my flat, who have malign intentions towards me; in the dream I kept trying to phone the police, escape the flat, strike out at the invaders, and was generally locked in conflict with them. At the same time I was aware of my body but couldn’t move it, in past times I have had to try extremely hard to move a leg over edge of bed and push myself into floor to escape the horrific state, this time… Read more »
I’ve had sleep paralysis all my life and every time it happens it is the scariest thing I’ve ever been through, and I’ve had a pretty rough life. This time I was in a brick /stonewalled house and I was in love with this man. Well I pulled him aside and told him I was stuck in this dream and he reached out his hand and grabbed my jaw in his fist. I felt the pain from that moment in the dream and after I woke up.
I get sleep paralysis all the time!! I can never see anything, but im able to hear my tv/AC unit if they are on.. The way I get out of it is I try to open my mouth.. it usually works.. but it feels like it takes forever!! I normally fall into it if I try and nap on the couch or in a chair.. Sometimes I can feel myself slipping into paralysis and I can’t stop it! It is so scary!
I do experience sleep paralysis from time to time.And yes it is very scary. Your brain is functioning but your body cant’t move. However, during this state I could move my bigger toes. I do pray during this state while trying to squeeze my toes as hard as I might. And then I wake up. And this sleep paralysis always happens when you sleep on your back. My uncle advised me to cross over my other leg to the other if I ever sleep on my back. And its effective.Not sure why
i had this really scary/weird dream?? i don’t really know if this is sleep paralysis or just a bad dream but i couldn’t move at all, everything felt real. my chest felt really heavy and all i could hear was heavy breathing that sounded like a man. it felt like i was drugged or something and i was in my bed, (seeing through my eyes, i could not see myself), i drifted off and woke up a few seconds later (what it felt like) and all i heard was the breathing. i honestly felt my heart drop. i was thinking… Read more »
Several months I woke after hearing a voice say “you will die at 77”. If this was a premonition of sorts I have 7 years left.
I have had sleep paralysis many times, and it is terrifying. I can actually see myself lying there and can see and hear my surroundings…I try soooo hard to throw my leg off of the sofa, but it seems impossible. Even I sm almost out of it, I’m still so tired and often fall right back into it, and have to start all over. I have figured out, that in my case, it’s the tv being on that causes it. I think my brain hears it and my body is still asleep…so now, I don’t fall asleep with the TV… Read more »
Ive never seen images but ill often wake up to hearing something fall or maniacal laughter in my head that i think is actually happening around me, and sometimes when i try to go back to sleep it will happen again maybe a minute later and i cant move again. I for years have heard as if something was in my room with me like loading of a weapon or a few times a time bomb and it gets worse when i cant see whats happening and freaks me out, i know i wont die but i every time feel… Read more »
I simply just woke up from sleep paralysis and felt like learning more about it, every time i would close my eyes i could movemy body but when i opened them i was in the same position. i was desperately trying to move because when it started, and i tried to move i felt my bed move like something or someone was on it other than me but i was on my side, making it feel like it was behind me constantly whilst i didnt even know what it was. It helped being able to read about it and see… Read more »
Glad we can help. Try spinning or turning off your bed next time if you want to astral travel.
I don’t have sleep paralysis often but when I do it’s like I can’t scream, but I don’t know why I need to scream.
This is a very common occurrence with sleep paralysis.
I had this too! I was trying to scream, but I could only hear my body making muffled noises.
I have been recently experiencing lots of sleep paralysis the past few months and every time it is absolutely frightening. It seems that I’m half awake and things are happening in my room and some one approaches me and my eyes start to spaz out and have this feeling that one one is reaching from my sheets and the air is being sucked out. Today, so eve I’ve gotten somewhat used to this situation I had more consciousness and was completely awake the whole time and every time I tried to lift my hands there would be this electric wave… Read more »
Hello Hannah. Are you more stressed than normal these days? Sometimes I wiggle my toes and I snap out of it faster. Also the ringing in your ears might in fact be a prelude to an OBE or astral projection.
Thank you for getting back to me! I definitely feel more anxious than usual so I’ve been trying to cut out social media and trying more self care routines. I’ve had a vivid OBE before about 4 years ago, and I saw my own body from above and it almost looked like I was having a seizure. I recently had a huge spiritual awakening and it feels like I’m able to do things that are just not physically possible or explainable. It’s all a haze too because things are happening so quickly. Are there any factors of this experience that… Read more »
You are welcome Hannah. The stress in your might be related to sleep paralysis so try your best to reduce it as much as possible. I can only assume based off of what you told me might be connected with the starting phases of an OBE or before you depart from your body. A lot of unusual occurrences tend to emerge during sleep paralysis so it would hard to say really. Is the experience dangerous? No more than your OBE in the past. You don’t necessarily need to practice any sort of rituals as somethings are just the way they… Read more »
Had a nightmare my Late elder brother holding my arms tightly and I couldn’t move, he was wearing white shirt and spectacles
I had sleep paralysis and woke up from it in another nightmare. A dream inside a dream if that makes sense. But how can this be explained when sleep paralysis is meant to be a state of half-sleep-half awake? How can I be in that state when I am fully asleep and in another dream?
No one can “snap out of depression”. See your medical doctor for advice. Depression is real and should be treated by a professional.
Yeah I don’t think so…..if your eating health. Fruits vegetables, exercise N get enough sunlight there is no reason anyone should be depressed….sorry.