View Full Version : Sleep Paralysis
I suffer from this every so often and had a spate of it last night. Does anyone else suffer from this?
It's really horrible and although there's a pattern to it, it still manages to freak me out every time.
I will be "wide awake", with my eyes wide wide open (they feel the size of plates) but my breathing will be really really shallow... almost not enough to survive. I am completely and entirely paralysed. I can't even move a millimeter. I'm normally on my back and after a minute of realising I'm shafted... I will start to hear thuds coming from the landing. Then.. from no where... a lady will appear in the door way. She's always facing away from me, wearing a big white gown of sorts but it's torn and dripping with blacky red blood. Her hair is tangled and arms contorted behind her head with her legs bent inwards... it's almost as if she has broken arms.
Then... she'll start to move. It's a weird moving. A bit jaggered like and blurry. The only time I have seen movement like it was when watching the House on the Haunted Hill film - when you see people moving through the video footage. It will be heavy but quick movements and each step is a thud noise. She will then suddenly appear at the end of the bed... and waver a bit still facing away from me and moving erratically... and then appear right next to me. I can't see her properly by this point as I can't move or turn my head... but she will loom over me, this time facing me, head down and hair stuck to hair face but shadowing it enough to not make out any features... and then... her face will suddenly be an inch or two away from mine, bright green eyes, almost glowing, terrified eyes.... I can even feel her breath on my face... and "hear" her scream (it's a weird noise... I can't describe it). After this, it's all over. I wake up, sit bolt right up, covered in sweat and try and move all parts of my body to make sure none or it stays in "paralysis" mode.
All the flipping time it is happening though I am desperately fighting to move or twitch or scream. I will take in a "deep" breath in to force a scream out and it ends up being the quietest of noises you can summon from the back of your nose. Every time I panic. I know that just one word out of my mouth or a slight movement from me will wake me up and it will be over... but 90% of the time I'm just stuck.
I don't get scared of dreams... In fact... I love them generally... but these ones are just terrifying.
*shudders*
*am knackered from a disruptive nights sleep*
TinkerBell
15-07-2008, 08:14
Awwww no, that sounds HORRIBLE :(
*Big hugs*
Oooooh that sounds horrid!
I have only ever had it once. I had been having a nap in a chair in front of the tv, and woke up, but couldnt move. I was wide awake and could think, could hear the tv, and could hear the other person in the room sitting on the sofa awake, but couldnt do anything other than breathe. It was horrible, and I did start to panic a little, and then after a few minutes it just wore off.
It has never happenned since, and its not something I'd like to repeat.
But your scary lady thing sounds absolutely horrid!
I don't get sleep paralysis but I do suffer from night terrors.
House on the Haunted Hill Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYq_EEi5aAE)
The only bit I could find like it movement wise is about 1min 30... where the guy shakes his head around. It's ashame I couldn't find the jerkiness of it... but it's so quick.. yet slow... and blurry.
Weird.
Tis a bit freaky deaky :)
Sometimes I am lying on my side and I can see the back of Pickys head... and then it'll start shaking and he'll turn it to face me and it's not his face... but it's green eyed and covered in blood....
I then wake up, facing Picky but he's lying away from me and I'm like "I don't want to wake him in case it's not him and he's covered in blood!" but at the same time I'm scared and need a hug and need to make sure I'm not sleeping with a bloody covered green eyed scary man!
Sounds awful.
I occasionally get sleep paralysis but without the visions you get with it. I tend to go back to sleep and wake from it later, although once I couldn't and kept trying to scream and woke up with a raw throat from it!
I once fell asleep with my eyes open. That was totally bizarre!
I get it every now and then. No pattern to it, completely random. Dream is usually along the same lines of trying to defend myself in some way but unable to.
Good lord, I would be soiling the bed if that happened to me. I know what you mean about the movement and that would really freak me out :(
I love nightmares, and that one sounds awesome!
Those parts in House on Haunted Hill are probably the scariest I've ever seen in a movie. Just something about them sends chills through me. But I like it! :D
LeperousDust
15-07-2008, 09:19
Pheebs that description sounds truly horrendous. I don't mind dreams, and even bad dreams (i was drowned last night whilst being electrocuted...) but they're dreams what you described is halfway to being almost normal, that would freak me out completely (or at least I'd try but nothing would happen). I hope to god i never suffer from that...
I love nightmares, and that one sounds awesome!
Those parts in House on Haunted Hill are probably the scariest I've ever seen in a movie. Just something about them sends chills through me. But I like it! :D
Thing is... I love nightmares too! Zombie dreams are THE BEST! I always end up having my neck ripped apart... but I wake up and I'm like "coooOOOoOOl" and then try and dream it again so I can do something a different way!
But these.... it's like what LD has said... it's so so real! I can see Picky move next to me - I'm awake I'm just hallucinating and I just can't breathe right or move. At least in my dreams I can generally exercise some form of control but here... I'm screwed!
Wanna have them instead?! *swapsies* I'll take the pirate ones you in exchange for the weird freaky paralysis ones!
And you're not wrong about the film footage! When I first saw it I was like "ZOMG... am I sleep dreaming in the middle of the cinema?!?!? WTF?! Waaaaaagh!" Sends shivers down my spine and makes me clench up ready to throw a punch and then run! ;D
Last night I dreamed I was taking part in a bank heist. Now that was awesome.
LeperousDust
15-07-2008, 10:33
Dreamed? ;)
I can't understand how any of you would enjoy bad dreams?! I have nightmares and my girlfriend wakes me up cause I'm moaning or screaming, I don't usually remember anything apart from feeling truly awful!
Having said that sleep paralysis sounds cool :)
LeperousDust
15-07-2008, 11:23
I don't know how to describe it, but i think like belmit i do get "thrills" from my nightmares, but i don't dream (well i do i dont remember) all that often anyway, i'm glad to remember some of my brains action at night, otherwise its boring or sometimes i feel like i've had restless sleep...
I don't know how to describe it, but i think like belmit i do get "thrills" from my nightmares, but i don't dream (well i do i dont remember) all that often anyway, i'm glad to remember some of my brains action at night, otherwise its boring or sometimes i feel like i've had restless sleep...
I know what you mean about feeling like you've had a restless sleep when you haven't dreampt but my nightmares just fill me with the worst emotions, mostly massive fear although its not directed at anything because when I wake up I don't remember!
That sounds very scary :(
I like zombie dreams too :D They don't scare me at all. Usually the dreams that do scare me tend to be relatively mundane.
I can't understand how any of you would enjoy bad dreams?! I have nightmares and my girlfriend wakes me up cause I'm moaning or screaming, I don't usually remember anything apart from feeling truly awful!
Having said that sleep paralysis sounds cool :)
Paralysis = Horrible!
I think... the reason I tend to like my dreams be them scary or not is because I tend to do things I wouldn't normally do/be able to do... so it's like you're watching/in a film! It's like what-you-would-do-in-that-scenario kind of thing! It's not very often you can get stabbed and wake up alive! Or fly over some mountains! Or have to barge out of a house and drive like a loon away from tonnes of zombies!
Some dreams worry me though... ones that are realistic and when I wake up I think "oh god... did that really happen... did my parents die in a car crash" and I have to ring them up and check they're okay! They're not so fun :/
Used to a lot, very occasional know and not as vivid.
I've seen a flaming Satan, doctors injecting me, dark presence in my room, room full of snakes etc. it's well scary. Until you remember it's just sleep paralysis.
Piggymon
15-07-2008, 12:17
I used to get it alot, but without the visions.
I'd "wake up " but like you my breathing would be very shallow and I couldn't move anything apart from my eyes. I couldn't even speak or shout out.
Very scary and the only way to come out of it would be to try and go back to sleep but it's hard when you're so scared :(
Haven't had an episode in a long time * touches wood*
Very scary and the only way to come out of it would be to try and go back to sleep but it's hard when you're so scared :(
Haven't had an episode in a long time * touches wood*
That's what I said a few weeks ago, hadn't had one for ages. Then last week at the end of a nightshirt I feel asleep, opened my eyes and couldn't move.
The vision ones are worst, but if you have them often, then you remember what they are aren't so aren't scared.
Christ that's scary. I'd absolutely hate that, I'd just be thinking that my spine has somehow broken and I'm paralysed forever. :(
Christ that's scary. I'd absolutely hate that, I'd just be thinking that my spine has somehow broken and I'm paralysed forever. :(
:shocked:
I don't think like that... it's more of an irrational "OH BUM PANTS POO NO NO noNOnoNONOON ONono NO bad person! NO bad person please... SCREAM... ScrEEEEEEAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam... one... two... three.. SCREEEEEEEEAAAAM.. AH NO! A BAD PERSON... PICKY WaKE ME UP! THE BAD PERSONS HERE... I can see you moving PICKY! HEAR ME SCREAM *manages to squeek pathetically* ARRRRRRRRRGH! NOoOOO! SCREAAM *wiggle eyes around manically hoping that will help* Ok ok ok... must twitch finger.... ShUUuUugar it won't twitch.. .WAGH SHE'S CLOSER... **** **** **** she's gonna suffocate me... she will do... SHOOOOOOOOOOUT SOOOMETHING NOW! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! Oooh Please leave please please please leave WAGH SHe's NEXT TO ME..> PIIICKKKY... PICCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKY........ Please don't turn roudn scary lady... I'm sorry you're dead... Please please please.... NooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooOOOO"
Heh. Sounds comical reading that but that's exactly what I think... and it's echoey in my head and drawn out and horrible!
Richard Slater
15-07-2008, 22:07
yikes... that is far more scary than I have ever experienced. What do you do after you have woken up?
yikes... that is far more scary than I have ever experienced. What do you do after you have woken up?
Wiggle my toes. Last thing always to wake up are my toes :)
Normally I will get up and go for a wee so I can "wake up" fully and then go back to bed and curl up in a ball! If I immediately go back to sleep it will happen alllll over again. Boo!
No bad paralysis dreamers last night! Yaaaaay! Though I vaguely remember something about an apple tree farm!
Apple tree farm? You're weird! I on the other hand dreamt that I met Armin Van Buuren, very firm handshake!
LeperousDust
16-07-2008, 11:58
I was right in the middle of a nightmare i know it, but i woke up. All i know is it wasn't yet scary, i was having a nightmare with built up tension and a twist. But i've no idea what the twist was going to be. Really annoyed me! I'm dreaming a hell of a lot more than usual though, and loving it!
I have had sleep paralysis twice... both very scary as you have said - can't move at all... or wake up, never mind how much you try.
The first one I was in bed and I actually saw myself from the ceiling - I was floating above myself but then switched back to me in the bed, there were visions araound the bed getting closer and closer to me and bright lights flashing towards me... hate it.
The second one I was at the local station and we were trying to get away there was an emergency and there were red and white lights flashing towards me, but I couldn't move.
Haven't had one since *touches wood* but they aren't v nice :(
BB x
Annnnd again last night. I had a couple a month or so ago too.
Darn blooming scary things. Was a small girl with a doll this time though (covered in blood and crippled looking, doing that freaky blurry head shake and movements)
Was quite hot though so tried to cool down again before trying to sleep and had a really weird dream!
I was kinda of... captured by Hannibal Lecter and it was in the future of sorts. Cities would have these kind of games/freak shows held in huge sci-fi type areanas where there'd be people punting business in the lower decks whilst duals and acrobats would be displayed on the main stage and shown throughout the city on massive screens on the sides of buildings. Hannibal Lecter was a frequent showman and would collect ladies and torture/kil theml on stage in the most bizarre ways possible (erk). I was part of this show and there were three other girls there.
There was a similar link to our performances planned for the evening - we all had to wear items or rigid clothing. So this one girl to the right of me had like a band of metal piping over her knees which were bent but open at the kneecap and I overheard them saying something about her caps being smashed in (looovely) or otherwise bent the opposite ways (I'm guessing the piping was on hinges of sorts which I couldn't see).
I had some weird frame work around me. My arms were upright and bent with piping up to just past my elbows so I couldn't move them. I had solid top joining it with a solid hood and a cage over my face. On it was painted a fancy coloured suit but it was covered in scorch marks and things :/ I was explained by Mister Lecter that my death/torture would be setting me on fire. Prior to the solid suit top being put on I had a petrol covered balaclava shoved over my head.
So. Waiting time. We were allowed to wonder off in our suits for our final 5minutes prior to the show and so I ran off looking for something to let me escape. On the main floor was like a Home Exhibition and within it I found a shower cubicle demonstration, so I jumped in it and tried to shower off as much petrol as I could (with the use of no arms). I then found two girls who previously went to my school who had a nice fat sniper rifle. I told them if they were to take out Hannibal Lecter before he hurt us lot, I would pay them biiig money. They agreed and I went back to the stage.
It all started - big dramatic music and a flashing spotlight over us "contestants"... which then stopped on me. Hannibal approached and realised I had washed so started spraying me with petrol again - so I flicked it back at hime and managed to get him covered too. He just smiled though and flicked his lighter open and swoosh! I managed to break free of his grip (he was laughing manically whilst being on fire) and ran to the shower cubicles and de flame myself (it was hooooooooot).
And that was it.
How weird?
Sounds like poor sleep hygiene to me. Have you tried relaxation and meditation techniques before you go to bed? Try reading a "nice" book before you sleep, and avoid any strong cheese or spicy foods.
And don't watch any more zombie films!!! :D
Sounds like poor sleep hygiene to me. Have you tried relaxation and meditation techniques before you go to bed? Try reading a "nice" book before you sleep, and avoid any strong cheese or spicy foods.
And don't watch any more zombie films!!! :D
Hahaha! What you've described is nigh on impossible! ;D You need to meet me :) Anyone that has met me - can you envisage me having some quiet time and meditating?!
;D
I enjoy my dreams!! Like last nights was cool in some weird way! I just don't like paralysis... and I think the only times I seem to get them is when I am very hot in bed/ill :)
Always had sleeping problems though and have tried every trick in the book. Got a couple of methods that help me snooze out betterererrer now though :) I'm currently going through a lack of sleeping phase at the moment but not enough to completely inhibit my ability to do anything the next day - I end up functioning pretty normally, just extra clumsy and there's a high chance I'll fall asleep whilst watching a film :)
Well I was just reading up on sleep paralysis and I think I have narcolepsy as well.
Reading wiki and I see it's linked to narcolepsy, thought don't know anything about that, other than the funny comedy take on it and well. What I thought was either reasonably normal or just odd sleeping. Patterns may well be a bit more.
Symptoms:
A person with narcolepsy is likely to become drowsy or fall asleep or just be very tired throughout the day - check, always feel tiered, for ever falling asleep when a passenger or on train/plain
cataplexy - check if I laugh I lose muscle strength, nightmare if I'm carrying something heavy
sleep paralysis - check
hypnagogic hallucinations - check
automatic behaviours - I don't think so
You suffer any of these as well pheebs?
Yeh but only as much as I would say the average person has if they don't sleep great in general :)
I normally have enough energy to supply a small industrial unit! So with me bouncing about and then not sleeping well... I'm bound to feel sleepy from time to time during the day! And falling asleep on buses or trains and things... doesn't everyone do that? It's the prolonged rhythm and monotony of the journey that does it to me!
:D
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