sleep paralysis

[anything at all]

I really hope this isn't triggering to anyone in any way.. the last thing I want to do is upset anyone after being upset myself but I just had the scariest thing happen to me tonight and now I'm wide awake and shaken with no one to talk to for comfort.

I'm pretty sure I was fully asleep and I'm dream but suddenly I was back in my bed and unable to move. It felt like something crawled over me and grabbed onto my arm and squeezed so hard.. It felt like it was biting me too!! I could not move to shake anything off or do anything about it. This happened at least 3 times in waves. I also experienced a grabbing feeling on the other side of my body, as if someone was laying next to me and trying to hug me insanely tightly. Again I couldn't move at all and this also happened a few times.

I wanted to be able to cry or scream during these moments as they were painfully uncomfortable to me but I couldn't do anything. I could also occasionally see a tall dark figure in the corner of the room.

Thankfully I either properly woke up or was able to move again.

Ughhh. I've never experienced anything like this in my life before. Is this Sleep Paralysis???

Has anyone ever had just a one off of something like this and never again? I'm so terrified that it's going to happen again.

 

[Abcd.White]

I hope your ok now and you’ve managed to calm down. I can’t imagine how scary that must have been. I had a slightly similar experience last week when I was home alone I thought my husband was beside me it felt like someone was in bed with me and grabbing me. i have no idea what it was but it was unsettling x

 

[Hairraiser]

Hi, yes it sounds like sleep paralysis. I experienced it a few years ago when I lived alone, it’s absolutely terrifying so I can understand why you are so frightened.

They say it’s caused by stress/worry, is there something that’s worrying you at the moment? Or a change in your life?

If you read up, it is quite common, although I’m not sure if it’s something that reoccurs, as I only had it happen once!

the only way I can describe it is by someone physically sitting on my chest, holding my head down to the side, can’t breath but I can speak quietly, and there is a figure in the corner of the room watching over me. At the time I had a large poster of Marilyn Monroe on my wall, and that’s where the figure stood, so in the end I had to throw it away, it freaked me out too much
If it does happen again, make sure you go to see your doctor, it can seriously affect your wellbeing and sleep.
I hope you are able to get back to sleep soon and try to think of something nice in the meantime!

 

[BlueRose]

I have a few sleep paralysis.
They say sleeping on your back, going to bed at different times and waking up at different times can cause it.

I always feel someone sat bottom of my bed watching me or I get some one leaning over me.
I feel awake up I'm not. I have woken up to a bruise where I was hurt in my sleep like twice. I don't know if it was a warning or what.
The other day I thought my partner was leaning over me to wake me up cause it was like he was 100% yet he had something on I knew he couldn't be him as I knew he wouldn't be wearng the item. But felt so real.

I have now put s camera in my bedroom to see what happens. But nothing much.

I just feel I have gone into to much of a deep sleep.

I didn't know the name of it till I watched Jack Osbourne the other day and he said about it.

 

[Pixie1]

Yes I can totally relate to your experience. A few years ago I went for an afternoon nap and some time afterwards (I'm not sure how long I was asleep) I looked up to see a dark figure of a man standing watching me at the bottom of my bed! He was dressed all in black and looked very sombre. I tried to scream and get away from the situation but I couldn't move! I felt like I was stuck to my bed and in my head I was using all my strength to scream but nothing was happening! Eventually I woke up (I think) but for a long time afterwards I felt very jittery and scared and it took a while for me to realise that it may just have been a dream because it felt so real! To this day, I'm still not sure whether or not my experience was a dream because it seemed so vivid and so real. Thankfully, I haven't experienced it again, and hopefully I don't experience it ever again! It was so horrible!

 

[anything at all]

Thanks for the replies x

I feel better than I did though I'm wide awake and unsettled, it's so windy outside too, which isn't helping!!

I have the odd life worries but nothing new and I haven't felt any more worried than normal today.

I was asleep on my back, which is something I never really do, was just so tired from my day so crashed that way.

 

[theghosttown]

I’ve had it a few times and it’s horrible. Sleeping on my back definitely triggers it so avoid is you can x

 

[Dollylovesshoes]

Me too,I have experienced SP a few times,last time was I noticed somebody sitting on my bed,I could feel the weight as such,person leaned over to me and started to strangle me,I tried to scream but couldn’t move or scream,cry it was terrifyin,yes I was sleeping on my back,I read somewhere that it’s usually that that can cause sleep paralysi.

 

[SamBamford]

I've experienced this as well, it is scary. I feel as though something is clinging to my back with its hands holding on around my chest. Not quite awake and not asleep but unable to move. Another time I felt as though something was entering inside me through my ear. It started as a solid, twisted around into an swirling mass and in through the ear. It happened once while in hospital. The person in the next bed said I was making struggling noises. To me I thought I was being mugged by a demon. As horrid as it is I don't think it lasts very long.

 

[WhatABore]

Hope you're okay.
I have had this happen several times and it scared me even more when I Googled it and the exact image that I saw came up.
It's horrible.
Luckily I was in bed with my partner and he panicked at me breathing super heavy and woke me up. Otherwise I don't know how long it will have gone on.
It still terrifies me every time. And the only thing I've noticed that makes it happen is sleeping on my back. So I ensure I don't now.

 

[Londoncailín]

I have experienced sleep paralysis since I was a child. It got much worse when I was in my early 20’s. It then disappeared for a few years and returned in my mid 30’s. It’s a horrible thing to experience. I really feel for all those who have been through it.

 

[idk2]

Yes, sounds like sleep paralysis! Over the last 2 years, I've been suffering with it intermittently whenever I'm incredibly stressed.
Like others have said, I feel like someone is in the room with me and watching me sleep, usually dark figure just standing there. I've woken up screaming before - that was a funny night. I was so terrified I woke myself up screaming but when I realised I was actually so scared I screamed, I started laughing . I've also had dreams that people I know where just in my room or in a place of work, just watching me sleep when I shouldn't be sleeping but because I couldn't move, I would be laying there watching them laugh or worry they couldn't wake me up. It's bizarre.

 

[McNuggets]

Definitely sounds like sleep paralysis.

Usually caused when you are over tired or when you’ve taken something like co-codamol.

It happens when you are passing through the stages of wakefulness and sleep.

It is absolutely terrifying. I feel like I’m screaming inside but my mouth won’t open!

 

[anything at all]

Thank you all for posting, i didn't think it would be this common.

I hope you all never have to experience it again too x

 

[Gemgemgemgem]

Oh wow, the figure things sound so disturbing. My brother gets it often and it's a figure of an old, evil looking lady.

I've had SP once, but thankfully no strange figures lurking. None that I noticed anyway. I had fallen asleep on my back with my newborn laid on me while in bed. I became conscious as she began to slip to the side of me but I couldn't move nor speak to wake up my husband. Luckily she didn't fall off me and I quickly came round, but I remember the struggle to make my body do something, anything. I think if I saw a figure I'd never sleep again!

 

[DoctorWho]

Yeh I’ve had it a few times, mainly after taking drugs though hope you’re ok.

 

[anything at all]

It happened one other night since - thankfully not as bad as the first time !

I woke up quite quickly as my cat was doing her usual in the middle of the night craziness

 

[CarrieW24]

I've had sleep paralysis for years. My common symptoms outside of being unable to move, are feeling like I cannot breathe (like something is sitting on my chest), and audio/touch hallucinations. Thankfully I've never had a visual hallucination, I think that would be the scariest!

It feels very very real.

It took me years to stop being afraid. The more I read up on it, the better I've felt. Now it doesn't phase me.

I've noticed over time that for me, personally, it happens when I'm overly tired and sleep very late (like 4am or something), when I take a sleeping pill, or when I sleep on my back. I now sleep on my stomach, because I'm unlikely to end up on my back that way, and it's reduced the number of times its occurred. I still don't have a regular bedtime, since being a mum and having a toddler that wakes at night. Once my child is older, I think I'll have even more control of it because I can set a regular bed schedule without been woken during the night.

 

[Monkeybum]

I get sleep paralysis too, intermittently over the years. I never sleep on my back and get it when I'm fast asleep on my front.

It feels like someone is pressing down on my back so I can't move and there's always something/someone scary in the doorway approaching me.

I believe it's when my brain wakes up from a deep sleep before my body so to pull myself out of it I've trained myself to focus on moving one bit of my body, usually my little finger, and that seems to work.

Such a scary feeling. Quite reassuring to read it's not just me

 

[Trolleydollycoffeelover]

It happened one other night since - thankfully not as bad as the first time !

I woke up quite quickly as my cat was doing her usual in the middle of the night craziness

do you work unsociable hours by any chance,nightshifts etc? A lot of my colleagues (cabin crew) have it, especially on work trips, so much so they have often labelled hotels as being haunted when it is in fact sleep paralysis caused by a combo of extreme tiredness,night shifts and no routine ie waking up in different time zones.