Hi,
I do not know exactly what is going on. I
have had two episodes during sleep that
are most closely related to sleep
paralysis but I am not sure.
About 3 years ago I was in a light sleep
and heard a loud crack...like the remote
falling on the tile floor. I thought to
myself "damned cats!" I tried to turn and
open my eyes and couldn't. I then began
to feel a weight on my chest and a pulling
sensation of my entire body in a downward
direction. I tried to move and speak but
I couldn't. Just then I got a massive
wave of sleepiness like when you get a
sedative just before surgery. I gave into
the sleep and woke later feeling fine but
scared.
Last week I moved to my son's room at
around 6am. I fell asleep and was having
a disturbing dream about my mother. I
began to wake from the dream. I felt my
body waking up, I heard my fan, and even
felt what position I was in (on my right
side). Just then I felt this
heart-stopping electric jolt that was
centered in my chest and radiated
throughout my body. At the same time I
felt my body jerk in the same fashion as
when a person gets shocked with paddles in
cariac arrest. I also felt as if my head
had struck concrete. The jolt was
painful. I said to myself "what the hell
was that?" I then tried to open my eyes
and couldn't. I tried to move and
couldn't. I then thought to myself
"another epsiode like the one several
years ago..." I then thought about the
jolt and continued trying to move. I
actually began to think that perhaps I was
in the ER for some reason and didn't know
it and had been shocked with paddles. I
thought "there is nothing wrong with me,
why would I be getting shocked in the ER?"
I kept trying to move and then I felt a
force trying to pull me onto my stomach
and that enormous wave of sleepiness that
I felt in the other episode beagn as well.
I then freaked and started thinking I was
dying. I figured I should resist so i
began clenching my jaw and saying "I am
not going." I kept trying to pull away
and move, open my eyes, etc. I felt my
strength going and I decided to give it
one last effort. I said to myself again,
"I said NO I am not going" and I tried my
hardest to move. Then my eyes popped
open. I do mean "popped" like when
someone sneaks up on you and scares
you...your eyes nearly pop out of your
head! I could then move but my limbs were
heavy, my left arm was numb and ached. I
also have a sharp pain in my chest and I
felt my heart beating rapidly. I felt my
pulse on my neck and it was fast but not
hard at all. I then got this wave of
depression and laid there crying. The
weirdest thing is that my cat burst into
the room and was meowing hysterically. He
jumped onto my chest and continued yowling
until I acknowledged him. I looked at the
clock and it was 8:02. I had been in bed
for only 2 hours.
Are these experiences common in sleep
paralysis?
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NightStar
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Jul 2008 Posts: 169 Location: Galesburg, IL USA
Thanks: 8
Thanked:7
Posted: 08-12-08 16:28pm
I use to suffer sleep paralysis and one
time I was called into the hospital for a
EEG and they had me come in with no sleep.
In the middle of the test I had one happen
and at the same time I got a shock up my
spine and the nurse heard me
hyperventilate but she just patted me with
her hand but didn't shake me enough to
wake me up.
After that day I made sure to never go
without sleep again, I figured that is was
sleep depervation that set it off. Last
time I had one happen was like 4 or 5
years back but I have not had it happen
since then.
Hope that helps you as I know it is scary
to have happen. I usually had a feeling
that someone was in the room with me
during the paralysis and it scared me not
being able to move.
I have not felt as if anything is in the
room with me during these episodes. The
night before the last one I did feel my
hair being stroked and then a feeling as
if my shorts were being lowered. I
figured it was my imagination and went to
sleep. The episode happened the next
night.
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NightStar
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Jul 2008 Posts: 169 Location: Galesburg, IL USA
Thanks: 8
Thanked:7
Posted: 08-13-08 06:53am
I use to have a boyfriend in the room with
me, so when ever it happened I would
purposely hyperventilate. My ex would then
shake me out of it.
I use to have a cat that would walk up on
my chest and paw at me - but that was
never enough to wake me out of it. But I
remember that - miss that cat.
Sometimes I had hallucinations audio I
would hear things in my sleep right before
getting the paralysis. I use to have
nightmares, when I was a kid I had suffer
abuse and it haunted me for a few years.
The paralysis was happening a lot back
then.
I was told that I suffered post tramatic
stress disorder I always figured that the
sleep paralysis was just a part of it, and
that I grew out of it. I don't have
nightmares any more either.
