Sleep Paralysis: The Horror

[Ayame]

Sorry for using colons like the name of a cheesy sequel, but I decided that Sleep Paralysis (while it could fit into dream threads) should totally get a thread devoted to the terrible, terrible fear that it instills in your heart.

So, so, before, I was curious. I searched for information about it as an intrigued bystander, unknowing of the terror.

But a week or so ago, it struck.


I was lying in bed, apparently waking up fully from some pleasant dream, thinking about some silly event in a book or a plot idea- when I heard a scuffling behind me, near my dresser. At first I thought that it was just my cat, lurking in my room, but it persisted. I got a little worried, and I thought that it might be a person, and though I dreaded peeking, I decided that I should sit up, maybe take a look to reassure my self, and run, whimpering and screaming like a little girl.


Unfortunately, I could do no such thing. No, not only could I not sit up or scream for help, I could not move at all. I realized then what it was, something I'd read about. I didn't know if it was sleep paralysis, or just a normal nightmare- though I frantically tried to move, I wondered if I really would be moving, or if my limbs would only move in a dream.

And then something touched my face from behind, and I heard a woman's voice asking, "Are you? Are you? Are you?" softly, almost as if she hadn't actually said it aloud.


I was horrified, trapped there in the room, trying pathetically to move my leg just a little bit so I could possibly thrash about and alert my mother. (She wouldn't have heard, but it was the only thing I could try.)


And it ended. I don't remember exactly at what point, but I was able to move and it was strange, because the room had been a lot darker (because of the thoroughly menacing atmosphere?) when I was just laying there.

So it was scary. Intensely scary, and thought I knew it wasn't real, it was horrible.

 

[Amoeba]

Happened to me since I was about 13, about 20 or so times a year roughly, more or less. The doctors told me it was epilepsy, but I thought that sounded fishy, good thing I declined medication to control it because sleep paralysis is pretty harmless. If you experience it enough times it's no longer scary and you can learn to control it with your mind, and make it go away at will.

For those who don't know, it's believed to be caused when the brain awakens but the body is still paralyzed from a chemical that naturally occurs to prevent you from acting out your dreams and sleepwalking.

 

[Tarvos]

I don't experience this, but I do know a great band that has written a record about this phenomenon (complete with letters from people in the artwork describing the whole thing). It sounds pretty scary to me.

dredg - El Cielo is a concept record based around sleep paralysis. You may want to listen to it (don't worry, it's not some horrifically shitty death metal album).

 

[Shiny Grimer]

Ugh.

This has happened to me before.

I feel like I'm waking up, but apparently I'm not fully awake. I try to move, but I can't. Slowly, I regain the ability to move and then I wake up entirely. I can't even speak or sigh. Believe me, it's very scary.

 

[ultraviolet]

This happens to me every Saturday when I actually want to sleep in. It's really, really irritating because afterwards I don't want to go back to sleep in case it happens again.

If I concentrate really hard I think I'm moving and getting up and walking around, but then I realise that I'm actually just dreaming about it and I haven't moved at all. :<
I've found that if you remain calm and wait patiently for it to go away (or concentrate on going back to sleep) it tends to go away faster or seems a lot less scary than trying in vain to flail about. Basically, as soon as you realise what's happening, calm youself and think about something else.

 

[Dannichu]

That sounds... absolutely terrifying, actually. Poor you.

 

[Murkrow]

It's happened to me a few times. The latest being a few months ago. Before that I was about five when it happened.

I was terrified when it first happened. I was hallucinating a massive spider on top of me D:.

Although I read about a couple of years ago so last time it happened, I wasn't scared, just very uncomfortable. I just did what I usually do when I have nightmares and aware of it - close my eyes (which I could still move) and thought about waking up. I did almost straight away so yay.

 

[Kai Lucifer]

That sounds... absolutely terrifying, actually. Poor you.

Pretty much my words exactly. Poor you.

 

[nothing to see here]

I don't think I've ever had this happen before...

If I concentrate really hard I think I'm moving and getting up and walking around, but then I realise that I'm actually just dreaming about it and I haven't moved at all. :<

...but this sounds really familiar. I've definitely had "wake up and think I'm starting to get up and get ready for school like normal, but ten minutes later my mom yells at me to get up and I'm still laying there on the bed" dream-like things.

I don't ever remember feeling weird or not being able to move, though... it was more like just going back to sleep after waking up.

 

[Mudkipz]

This actually happened to me a while back. I was terrified, and the worst part was I had to pee.

 

[Ice tiger]

This has happened so many times to me, and every time I half wake up, being suffocated by my pillow, but being unable to move, its terrifying D: I'm afraid I may one day not be able to start to move fast enough and die ;-;

 

[Lucas₇₅₅]

I've never had it, but I've always wanted to, just to experience it.

 

[Echo]

For those who don't know, it's believed to be caused when the brain awakens but the body is still paralyzed from a chemical that naturally occurs to prevent you from acting out your dreams and sleepwalking.

I lack that chemical. ;-;
I sleepwalk regularly... and usually end up hurting myself.
You people with normal sleepychemistrystuff are lucky. ;_;

 

[Ibiku]

Wow. All of this sound absolutly horid. I'm glad it's never happened to me...... Yet....... *shifty eyes*

 

[RavenMarkku]

Oh man.
I HATE this.
When I first heard about it, it was when my 19 year old cousin had slept in the computer room (which is now my room). He experienced it the first night he slept here and kept researching it.
A few weeks after he had left, I experienced it and I still remember what it felt like as clear as day. Scared the living hell out of me.

 

[Zora of Termina]

Haven't had it.
Is it bad that I want to have it now though?

 

[Amoeba]

I find that the scary part is thinking "what's happening to me? Am I dead?" sort of feeling, but once you find out what actually causes it it's really not very scary unless you get into the sort of situation that Ice tiger mentioned. I've almost breathed in my spit a couple of times due to sleep paralysis because you can't even swallow.

 

[Shiny Grimer]

I lack that chemical. ;-;
I sleepwalk regularly... and usually end up hurting myself.
You people with normal sleepychemistrystuff are lucky. ;_;

According to my parents, I regularly sleep-talk.

 

[Zuu]

I've had this happen once, maybe twice. I'm assuming it was sleep paralysis, because I felt entirely conscious but I could not move, no matter what I tried.

The first time I saw an eerie light shining from the hallway, and I heard footsteps and small, raspy noises. Then they stopped and I heard some noise at the door over and over again (either raspy breathing again or scratching) and then the room darkened. Then after a while of freaking out it faded away.

Second time, my... walls turned into a weird amalgamation of human faces? Except they were all eyeless and skinless and tortured and moaning and shit. :| Lame.

well the second time might have been just a nightmare but i'm convinced the first one was really sleep paralysis. oh well~

 

[ultraviolet]

I got it this morning. .__. About three or four times. I wish it'd stop.

Apparently I've also sleepwalked before (I woke up at three in the morning, turned all the lights on in the house and then stood in the hallway, according to mum) and I also sleeptalk.