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sleep paralysis - I feel exhausted and dizzy and emotional

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August 10th, 2007
I have been suffering from this indescribably horrible event during my sleep for many years now. Usually when it would happen and I would come out of it, I would simply turn the TV up louder, turn the light on and then go back to sleep and it wouldn't happen again. But lately it is becoming so debilitating. Last night was probably the worst of all. What happens to me is that my brain wakes up but I can't wake my body up and I start panicking and can't breathe. There have been times when I come to the realization that I am going to die because my heart is racing so fast and I am unable to get any breaths in at all and I'm so far into it that I can't wake my body up. This is when it is the worst for me. I am convinced that I am going to die and I am fully alert in my mind. I fight with everything I have to get my eyes to open but when they do open I don't have the strength to wake my body up. Finally when I am able to wake my body up I am literally gasping for air. Sometimes when it happens I am so worn out that I fall right back asleep and the same exact thing happens again. As others have said on here, don't fall right back to sleep because chances are it will happen again. Last night, I had such a horrible experience because I really thought I was awake and sitting up trying to wake my body up. But I wasn't. Then I guess I had a hallucination because I heard my mother come into my room and speak to me and hug me. I felt her weight against me and she was upset and I literally FELT her and I kept trying to say her name but I couldn't and I wanted to console her but I couldn't get myself up. I tried so hard. And then she lifted off of me and was gone and that's when I was able to wake up. It was absolutely terrifying and it made me want to call my mother in the middle of the night to make sure she was alright but I didn't. She is okay but the realness of it was just so intense. I was too afraid to go back to sleep and I have been having more of these episodes so I went online to try and find out what the heck this is. And now I know and it's good to know I am not alone but it's still a horrible thing to have to go through. When I wake up in the morning after having experienced sleep paralysis i feel exhausted and dizzy and emotional. I am really stressed out at this point in my life so I feel this may be why it is happening more often. It also tends to happen to me when I am overly tired. I absolutely hate it and I guess the next time it does happen I will try to just ride the wave and take deep breaths but how do you do that when you can't catch your breath???? Sleep is so important and no one should have to go through this!!!!!!
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First Helper xochristyxo
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ash_essex_86
replied September 26th, 2007
I know, ive been getting it exactly how u described it and i only found out today that its sleep paralysis. The good thing is no matter how much it seems like its going to, it actually cant harm you at all. But i hear what you are saying, whether or not it harms you doesnt matter, its still a really overwhelmingly terrifying experience and it leaves you not wanting to go back to sleep after its happened. Its just totally bizarre
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kmabethy2005
replied September 26th, 2007
Experienced User
i don't think i can count how many times i have woke myself up when i'm dreaming, and in my dream, i know that i'm sleeping. but it still scares me to think of what will happen next in my dreams. you reminded me of a time when i was sleeping on my couch and my ex bf was camping, while i was dreaming, it was as if i were awake, and he was above me and i had my arms over my head. i had a literal conversation with him, and when i awoke, nobody was there. another instance is when i was in bed, and someone came in and ate chips while i was sleeping?! talk about wierd. i wonder if it was one of those out of body experiences that people talk about. call me strange lol but this has happened to me so many times, that i think i could write a book about it Smile
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ash_essex_86
replied September 27th, 2007
Sleep paralysis is known to be caused by raised emotions, thats only one factor than can cause it though theres many others. Also, i wonder if the feeling of exhaustion is bcoz we have worn ourselves out trying frantically to get up?
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kmabethy2005
replied September 28th, 2007
Experienced User
i do agree with the raised emotions, and i also agree that it isn't the only factor, i have recently quit a highly stressful babysitting job in my home, and i still have some of the symptoms of sp, if anyone gets anymore info, definitely share it, and i will do the same Smile
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jujudnr
replied September 28th, 2007
have you has any sleep tests done? it sounds like you may have Narcoelspy
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PsychNurse007
replied October 15th, 2007
A sleep study does sound like a great idea to rule out any serious condition that may be happening while you sleep. I have had sleep paralysis before many times and I know how much anxiety it produces. It's basically like a panic attack while you're sleeping! You can't breathe, your heart races, you wake up sweating, you feel like you're dying. What helps me the most with mine is truly just relaxing. I know it sounds stupid but it really does help. It may take a while to get to the point to where you accept it and understand what's going on but eventually you can control it. Next time when it happens or you feel it coming on just think to yourself "I am in control, this is just a dream" and try to move a part of your body like your fingers. If you're having serious sleep issues with this, going to a doctor may help, I would recommend trying something to help with the anxiety part of it like ativan, or klonopin, which are commonly used for anxiety and panic attacks and these meds will help you relax to get to sleep too. Also, try not to sleep on your back, I know my episodes ONLY happen when I sleep on my back although you may be different.
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Nicky504
replied March 14th, 2010
Can someone help me? I think I'm also suffering from sleep paralysis almost everytime I fall asleep. I researched the topic and my only difference is that Im never "dreaming." I began to fall asleep and suddenly "awake" before I began to "dream" but yet am paralized. I can see my husband lying next to me, can see and hear the TV. When the room is quiet I hear a extremely loud roaring sound in my head, its so long that when I finally awake I have a headache. My husband now stays up during the night because i'm so scared. He listens for my moans because thats my signal to awake me. I can feel myself lifting out of my body but yet Im in complete control, with the exception of moving my body. When Im "lifting" I get so paranoid I pull myself back. One time I let myself lift as far as I could but got a burning sensation in my body so I became paranoid and pulled myself back. The paralysis can last anywhere from a few seconds to 2 minutes. I am currently taking lisinopril for high blood pressure and norco for fabromyalgia but have been expereincing this before taking these meds. Im afraid that if I "lift" from my body I wont be able to return and I fear going to sleep at night. Please help. Im not sure where else to turn. Thanks
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xochristyxo
replied February 8th, 2011
This is late, I apologize and I hope your problem has resolved by now.
But, if it hasn't, I've come to find a good system for getting out of sleep paralysis.

It happens to me a lot, usually when I'm totally exhausted, and I find that the moment I realize what's going on, the best thing to do is to focus on one part of your body. A small part, like your pointer finger of your right or left hand. Using that finger, focus on feeling the sheets of your bed (or your blanket, pillow, whatever it's near.) Don't think about the fact that you feel like you can't breathe: I talked to my doctor about this, and she said that even though you feel like you aren't breathing, you are because your body is the same as it was when you were asleep, and since you were breathing when asleep, you are still breathing. It's just the panic that makes you think you're not. Anyway, focus on feeling the sheet and if you can, focus on just moving your finger up, to the side, anywhere you can. Usually for me, the moment I can move my finger, I can move my whole body. But it's so much easier to focus on moving just one small part, instead of trying to shake yourself out of it.
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Marisa_H
replied May 21st, 2011
this has recently started happening to me and i think its as a result of stress from exams but i dont experience the panic. i usually just try moving a finger or so and eventually i wake up but then i feel dizzy and then fall back to sleep. the annoying thing though is that sometimes i dream i'm awake only to realise that i'm not. at the end of it all i wake up with a huge headache.
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Ryta
replied June 10th, 2012
?
I've started getting really bad SP I'm only 17 so I don't know what I could really be getting them over. I had one last night where I was with my boyfriend he was talking to me about my exams and just then I thought I had woken up but I found myself forcing myself to ; I was trying to flick something but I didn't have enough strength to because I was so tired then I began screwing my face then I woke up. Any ideas on why I could be experiencing them? I thought maybe my exams but this has been happening for awhile now ..
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Billqe123
replied March 6th, 2013
sleep promlem
Wow im 15 i couldnt stop thinking about this all day last Day i was sleeping but i was totaly aware i was sleeping i couldnt move so i decided to hold my breath to force my body to wake up so i thought it did but all it did was start another dream of me sittng there like as if i was sleeping then i tried again i held my breath then another dream started i started getting realy scared so i thought i would try to move sudunly and fast i couldnt move at all i then relise that theres somone else in the room and it ended up being an creepy old lady then i woke up breathing despritely for air now its 6:32 AM and each time i lay down i feel dizzy and im realy tired i need sleep HELP ME! also i feel ill when i lay down aswell as dizzy im also on iron pills and resently i had my sleep cycle wrong i was sleeping all day and staying sup all night at the moment im okay on the cycle but that dream ir what ever it is scared me!
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