Is this episode of dreaming happening for the first time?
Have you been experiencing other sleeping problems before?
Are you going through stressful period of life?

Hi, thanks for your reply.

I've never experienced this before or ever had sleep problems. I have suffered alot with depression (started as postnatal) but i have it under control and am not on meds at the moment.

Theres nothing particularly stressful in my life, apart from 3 kids lol.

I'm just shattered all the time due to lack of good sleep and its affecting everything i do.

Do you usually have this experience when you are about to drop off to sleep, or just upon awaking from sleep?
Do you get a feeling of 'presence'?
Do you feel an intense sense of dread and terror when you have these episodes?

you have a sleeping disorder, go see a sleep specialist, they can monitor your sleeping and give you the help you need. I have the same problem you do, and the docs told me I can't breath well at night and my body builds up adrenalin and cause me to have nightmares and anxiety attacks. Sounds like you have the same problem. When you wake up and can't move, it's because the chemicals released into your body to make it immobile so you don't move and hurt yourself, it's normal.

I have been having a similar problem...that is...with the pain in the head. I will be dreaming, and then all of a sudden i will start experiencing an excrutiating pain in my head. This is not a headache or anything of the sort. It is a throbing pain as if my brain is expanding and contracting and is just getting ready to explode. In the dream, i feel alot of pain and pressure in my head and i start screaming....and then i wake up. The only thing that scares me is that when i wake up, i actually feel a little pain in my head. It's nothing like when i'm dreaming...but this leads me to believe that the pain that i feel is happening for real, and not just in my dreams. It's kind of like a aftershock. I don't know what to think.

I have a similar problem to all of you except this doesn't happen frequently. I sleep on my stomach, and occasionally I will have an intense, throbbing pain in my left rib/lung. I am aware that this is happening but can't wake myself up. It feels as if someone is doing a hymlic manuveur and I'm going to sufficate. I would love to know whats wrong with me!!!

Wow that really sounds terrifying... I read this because I wanted to find out about my breathing problems at night too. I'm pretty much sure that it's because I'm physically not able to breathe, but my deep sleep and dreams don't allow me to wake up. I sleep on my stomach a lot as well and I'm sure I just have my face in the pillow or something. I can't breathe well in whatever dream I'm having, like it's part of the plot, but I do nothing about the fact that I'm literally smothering my face or laying weird. I feel like it goes on forever and it gets Really bad, but I must just move my head before I basically sufficate, then repeat. I'm afraid I may actually, completely unintentionally, sufficate myself in my sleep, so I'm gona talk to my doc. I can definitely understand how built up adrenaline from the distress influence my dreams: they're bad and blurry with major anxiety.. probably because I CAN'T BREATHE.
Though I don't get them, I think your head and rib/lung pains are absolutely happening for real, not because you're going crazy, but from a literal lack of oxygen and you're strife to breathe normally... like the throbbing head pain from puking a lot or dry heeving, or after I would make my face turn beat red in front of my friends when I was 5... I was pretty dumb.

it happens to me very often especially when i sleep on my back i feel like i cant breath move or yell or even talk i feel like people are moving around me talking and they cant realize whats happening to me than in tht dream i try to calm my body and force my self to wake up once i do its all gone it first happened with me a 1998 a week before my dad could die and since than its been happening i guess it happens when your body is not relaxed

Hello everyone, I stumbled upon this forum because of sleeping disorders I have also. It all started with me as a teenager. I would go to sleep and feel as though I wake up, but could not move or speak. Sometimes I would feel as though I'm dying but could not wake myself up. This particular disorder has somewhat gone away as I've grown into adulthood. I am 31 yrs. old now and it comes back every so often and still scares me. My other problem is when I sleep on my back I have trouble breathing and gasp for air in my sleep. I am overweight and the problems sleeping on my back could be due to sleep apnea. Maybe weightloss could cure the sleep apnea? I don't know. But the disorder of not being able to move or wake up is frightening with a capital "F".

here's my issue, my friend has had a problem when she sleeps and she wakes up and has to take a deep sudden breathe because she wasn't breathing...she is a 23 yo athlete, well now it has advanced to where she was in the parking lot and blacked out, she said it felt as if it was exactly like the sleep problem, she woke up with a blanket on her and people standing around her...docs don't know what is wrong andi'm trying to research teh creap out of this, but its kinda hard to do.

This really reminds me of me. The first dream I had like this was a month or two ago maybe more. I dreamed I was in a rain forest and it was on fire and they told us to get in the ditches and crawl so we would be safe but I caught on fire and felt an intense burning sensation, at this point I figured out I was dreaming somehow so I tried to wake up. Everything was dark, I couldn't breath or move and it was so hot and I thought "Oh my god the house is on fire and I'm dying in my sleep." I tried for what seemed like ages to wake up. I tried calling to the person that sleeps in the same room with me..."Help, help the house is on fire..." but I didn't feel like I said anything I didn't hear myself say anything, but apparently he did and he flipped on the light switch and I woke up when the light turned on. I felt like I woke up with a gasp but he said that I didn't gasp. I've had more than one since then but the most recent one was yesterday. I dreamed I was in a huge house that had a ton of ghosts. Then me and these people I obviously knew (but I had only seen one of them before) went somewhere....then the only thing I remember after that is everything was dark and I felt like I couldn't breathe or move again, finally somehow I was able to wake up, and guess what? I felt like I woke up with a gasp. I asked the person who stays in the same room with me to watch me to make sure I don't stop breathing since we generally go to sleep at different times, and he says he hasn't noticed me not breathing....but he really isn't that bright to be honest o.O. Its getting to where I just don't want to sleep....

it happens to me also, since childhood, i'm 30 years old now, happens i would say once o twice a year, usually when i sleep on my back, and it would happen also like 4 to 7 times a night, can't wake up, and i don't want to go back to sleep, but like the third time it happens, i can control and yes, i can imagine myself flying in a relaxing place, , beach, island for example, though it hurts like hell in the beginning, but i found a way to control that , after that it stops, but i know it's sleep dosorder, try doing this, think of a nice place, make the pain go away, it helps me, good luck!!!!!