Sleep paralysis stories typically involve unusual and frightening experiences. Perhaps you have one or two of these disturbing tales of your own to tell.
If not, I’ll first share one of mine to give you an understanding of what it can be like.
Then we’ll take a closer look at whether sleep paralysis demons or ghosts really exist. Or if science can provide a logical and comforting explanation.
My sleep paralysis experience
Imagine the following scenario: it’s been a long day, you go to bed later than usual and fall asleep quickly through sheer exhaustion.
But instead of waking up peacefully in the morning, you half wake in the middle of the night. And in the darkness of your bedroom, it slowly dawns on you that you can’t move your body…and that someone, or something, is watching you.
A weight pushing on your chest
You feel a weight on your chest, pressing you down and preventing you from sitting up. And not only is your whole body paralyzed, but you can’t so much as move your lips to call out for help.
You’re not sure who or what is pushing on your chest. Even though you seem to be able to move your eyes just a little, it’s too dark to see anyway. Regardless, you just feel that there’s a presence there. Something strange. Something frightening.
This happened to me last year and was a very unsettling experience. Fortunately, there was no demon, ghost or burglar in my bedroom.
After a minute’s panic, the feeling passed. And I was then able to stumble to the bathroom to make sure my face wasn’t decorated with demonic symbols. It was a classic case of sleep paralysis.
What is sleep paralysis?
Recurrent isolated sleep paralysis is classified as a parasomnia, which is a group of sleep disorders involving unwanted behaviors that accompany sleep.
The main symptom is being awake and unable to move your body. It might also be accompanied by hallucinations or dreams/nightmares whilst still awake.
It typically lasts from a few seconds to a few minutes before movement is regained. And although it may feel like it at the time, it’s not believed by medical organizations to be harmful.
What causes it?
The exact reason for why it happens to some people and only on some nights isn’t known. However, scientists do have a theory about what goes on during sleep paralysis.
During the night, you cycle through different sleep stages. When you enter the REM stage of sleep, your brain stops your muscles from moving – known as REM atonia. One explanation for this atonia is that it prevents injury from acting out your dreams in bed.
During sleep paralysis, the atonia starts, or continues, while you’re awake. And during this time, you might also experience what’s known as sleep hallucinations, or dreams while you’re awake.
So your body and brain are temporarily out of sync while transitioning between sleep stages, potentially creating a frightening experience.
As Dr. Michael J. Breus neatly explains:
Sleep scientists believe that sleep paralysis may occur when the transitions in and out of REM sleep and other sleep stages don’t go smoothly.
How many people experience sleep paralysis?
Sleep paralysis stories like mine are surprisingly common. In 2011, researchers aggregated 35 sleep paralysis studies to find out how many people had experienced it at least once in the past year, finding:
- 7.6% of the general population
- 28.3% of students
- 31.9% of psychiatric patients
And according to the handbook of sleep disorders, it will happen at least once in a lifetime of 40% to 50% of normal subjects, but is “far less common as a chronic complaint”.
Who is more at risk of having sleep paralysis?
Scientists might not know the precise reason only some people have sleep paralysis yet, but there are a growing number of risk factors becoming apparent.
For example, researchers who analyzed 42 studies found several risk factors and associated conditions:
- Sleep problems, changing sleep patterns and shift work.
- Sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia and nocturnal leg cramps.
- Stress.
- Some psychiatric groups, particularly those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety and panic disorders.
- Substance and medication use.
- Physical illness.
- Personality and anomalous beliefs.
Is there a genetic component to sleep paralysis?
In 2015, British researchers published a study of 862 twins and siblings aged between 22 and 32. They did find some evidence of a genetic role, but only a small one:
In this sample of young adults, sleep paralysis was moderately heritable
Interestingly, they also found other independent risk factors, including:
- Disrupted sleep cycles
- General sleep quality
- Anxiety symptoms
- Exposure to threatening events
Polls – readers’ experience of sleep paralysis
I polled readers of this article for a year to find out what kind of sleep paralysis episodes they had.
Note that it’s likely that many people who search online about it will have had the more frightening episodes, skewing the results.
But they still provide a fascinating insight into what people experience and how they cope.
Poll 1
In poll 1, the most common episode was thinking there was a demon or other being in the room.
Poll 2
Poll 2 shows that many readers find sleep paralysis terrifying. Again, those who search online for it are likely to have found it particularly disturbing.
Poll 3
Poll 3 shows that many readers first experienced sleep paralysis during adolescence.
Poll 4
Poll 4 shows that most readers don’t experience sleep paralysis on a regular basis.
Poll 5
Poll 5 shows some of the ways readers deal with episodes. You’ll find more coping mechanisms below.
The not so scientific explanations for sleep paralysis
Since first writing this article several years ago, there has been an extraordinary number of comments. And the comments show that not everyone accepts the scientific explanation.
Interestingly, some people struggle to accept it even though they consider themselves to be scientifically minded generally. I think these cases highlight just how realistic the experience of sleep paralysis can be; how it can linger in your memory and makes you question what happened for a long time afterward.
The possibility of demons, ghosts, spiritual beings, and aliens all crop up from time to time in the comments too. And while many people accept their experiences as hallucinations or dreams, some people choose to believe another explanation – that those entities are real.
Despite these beliefs, there’s one clear theme: nothing bad ever actually happens, other than being frightened and perhaps losing some sleep after an episode.
Around the world
Cultural beliefs also appear to play a role in how sleep paralysis is perceived by some people.
In Fiji, for example, the demon is sometimes seen as a deceased relative coming back to discuss an important or unfinished matter.
In Chinese folklore, it’s also seen as a ghost rather than a demon or intruder.
Some people in Iran and Pakistan interpret it as demons or spirits taking over your body. This could be due to black magic performed by an enemy.
The common theme is that the entity is usually something to be feared. I’m yet to find a culture which believes it’s a friendly creature!
Sleep paralysis treatment
When to see a doctor
Fortunately, most people don’t experience sleep paralysis very often, and no treatment is usually required.
However, if the following apply to you, it’s a good idea to speak to your doctor:
- It happens regularly.
- You’re anxious about sleep paralysis and going to sleep.
- You don’t get enough sleep.
- You feel very sleepy during the day, sometimes fall asleep suddenly or lose control of your muscles.
What medical treatment is available?
If you see a doctor, they might take the following action:
- Refer you to a sleep specialist to assess if you have another sleep disorder, like narcolepsy.
- Treat any underlying psychiatric condition.
- Discuss any medication or substance use that might be a factor.
- Explain the biological processes involved in sleep paralysis to reassure you.
- Talk to you about developing good sleep habits. This is thought to help reduce the frequency of sleep paralysis.
Readers’ techniques for coping with sleep paralysis
Over the years, many readers have described how they cope with sleep paralysis, and I’ve created a list of the most frequent ideas below.
The first seven in the list are also suggested by sleep experts. The rest are a mix of personal opinions. Please bear in mind that none are guaranteed to work:
- Don’t let yourself become too sleep-deprived.
- Stick to a regular sleep schedule.
- Try to reduce stress and anxiety in your life.
- Try to vigorously flutter your eyelids or move your eyes, as this tends to be an area of the body that’s less affected by the paralysis.
- Focus on wiggling just one finger or a toe.
- Don’t take recreational drugs or drink alcohol in the evening.
- Don’t sleep on your back.
- Stay calm.
- Tell yourself that you’re in control. You can order the experience to stop.
- If you feel a weight on your chest, imagine there’s something friendly causing it.
- Film yourself sleeping so you can see there was nothing in the room.
- Don’t think about what it could be. Your imagination will probably make up something scary in the darkness.
- Organize your bedroom in a way that makes you feel safe and secure.
- Don’t hang dressing gowns, coats, or hats in places that make them look like figures in the dark.
- Sleep with a night light, music, or radio on.
- Remind yourself that nothing bad will happen.
- Imagine your body rolling from side to side in your mind and count each roll. Focus on this and try to grow the capacity for movement from there.
- Count numbers to focus your mind on something else.
- Don’t sleep with a high pillow.
- Keep your eyes shut and try to clear your mind.
- Squeeze your eyes tightly shut if you can control the muscles.
- Keep well hydrated – drink water before going to bed.
- Talk about it to family or friends – they may have experienced it too.
- If you have it once, get out of bed for a while to reset the brain.
- Many people say prayer helps. Some also say that calling on their religious beliefs and commanding what they see to leave helps them.
- Check if any sleeping pills or herbal remedies you’re taking are causing it.
- Use sleep paralysis to lucid dream by relaxing and going with the experience instead of fighting it.
- Once the episode has passed, tell yourself that you overcame it, are not afraid and will always overcome it.
How I recently stopped an episode of sleep paralysis
I successfully used two of the above techniques to stop a recent episode of sleep paralysis.
I woke to find myself in a strange position with my arms crossed on top of my body. And I could literally feel strong hands pinning my wrists to my chest.
I have to admit I was immediately petrified. The whole event was blurry, and I think I was having some dream overlap, but can’t remember exactly what now.
Stay calm and wiggle a finger
Two things sprung to mind after a moment of panic: stay calm and try to wiggle a finger.
The calmness I only managed with moderate success. But I did manage to focus my efforts on moving a finger. It felt quite odd – like my fingers were wiggling in different directions!
Eventually, I felt my arms loosen as well, and soon afterward I was able to shake the whole sensation away as I regained full control.
I then spent a few minutes doing some breathing exercises to ground myself and calm down, and then fell asleep again.
I think just knowing about the finger wiggling technique was enough for me to remember it when the sleep paralysis occurred.
Share your story of sleep paralysis
Have you had sleep paralysis? What happened, and do you have any suggestions to help others deal with it?
Please feel free to share your experience in the comments below.
I fell “asleep” I know the position I am in. And I feel 2 fingers grazing my right 2 fingers. Trying to captivate me and have me grab on. It’s hard to hook fingers and my thoughts were to tell whatever it is to pick me up like a baby. I then feel the arms slip under my head. My heart is racing fast. And i wake up. I feel a huge adrenaline rush. It’s like I really want to be taken but at the same time I don’t know what will happen. I’m afraid so I forcefully wake up. Then I fall back asleep into a dream.
Believing in God and sleeping ( on time obviously ) surrendering yourself and your anxieties to my god ( in my case lord shiva) has actually helped me to feel peacefully and made sleep paralysis a thing of the past … however I remember how terrifying it can be, so sleep on time , wake up early that helps in catching sleep on time during nights , pray , surrender your body to sleep and thoughts to your god ….take care !
I experienced sleep paralysis for the first time last night and honestly… I have never been so scared in my life and I have seen ghosts. I’ve always been a big believer in the afterlife, but after my experience with seeing a ghost, it confirmed it for me. I’ve always been able to feel the presence of spirits ever since I was little.
Anyway… I’m guessing that it must have been around 4am (my phone was on charge on the other side of my bedroom, so I’m clueless as to if I’m correct on that) I looked across my bedroom because I could see something small (it looked like a bottle lid) being thrown across my bedroom floor and that’s when I saw a completely black figure… Just darkness! It was just standing there, facing me!
I tried to scream, but that’s when I realised I had NO control over my body or my voice. I was laying there, just wishing that my phone was next to me, so that I could call my mum to come to my house and pick me and my son up (my 2 year old son was in bed, fast asleep next to me) So, I just layed there, shut my eyes and tried to scream for it to go away. I remember just thinking in my head, over and over again, go away, go away, go away! I couldn’t even wriggle my fingers, so even if my phone was there, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything anyway! I felt my body getting lighter, but I felt so drained of energy. I had nothing left. I didn’t want to move, even when I had regained control of my body again. Still felt like something was in the room with me. Hoping that I don’t experience it again. The second time would still be just as scary as the first!
I feel like there’s someone watching or following me but when I sleep I get this really weird feeling kind of tickles on my head or back what does that mean?
I had my first experience two nights ago. I have always had very vivid, often scary dreams. As a kid my mom even thought I was possessed based on my screams from these dreams through the night. So, with this being said I wasn’t positive if what had happened was just a terrible dream or actually sleep paralysis but now I’m leaning more toward the paralysis. I felt as though I had woken up in bed as usual to go to the bathroom or reposition and then noticed the bedroom door creeping open slowly but eventually all the way. It was very dark because I have a hard time falling asleep with anything on the TV or as a light or sound source. I was able to move my eyes and neck a little and I felt like I saw the outline of someone standing next to the bed on my boyfriends side so I started squinting trying to make out what it was but once I had convinced myself it was a demon I felt very panicked. The demon I was seeing just stood there on the side of the bed staring though. I tried to reach for my phone discreetly and that’s when I realized I couldn’t move my arms or legs. Then I tried to speak out to warn my boyfriend but I couldn’t get the words out, just groans. It was like I had aphasia. I was able to get out a scream at this point and that broke me out of this paralysis state. I got control of my heart rate at that point and went to sleep as usual. The next morning my boyfriend asked me why I screamed and I just kind of said oh I did that in real life? But, shrugged it off because I’ve always talked in my sleep. The more I thought about it the more I remembered I really did have my eyes open during this and I remembered seeing everything in my room as it usually is, I was able to take in all of my surroundings. The details were so great that I had to be awake, but how? Then with research, I was able to pinpoint the sleep paralysis. Now, I’m having an internal struggle on if my soul has been tainted or if the entity was real or if it’s just a hallucination that my mind came up with because it’s my greatest fear. This happening along with my current exploration of finding exactly what I believe in spiritually has been overwhelming. I have this overwhelming feeling that I need to be cleansed and just wiped clean to put this behind me or find out what sort of bad magic is following me so I can correct it. All I know is ever since this happened I can’t stop thinking about it and it made me feel dark.
This EXACTLY what I’m going through right now. Haven’t had a good nights sleep in a while because of it.
I had a couple of those mostly “the Intruder” and “hard to walk/run” thing. Those hard to walk dreams suck, your leg wont move but had no problem standing just can’t move..
The worst I had is the Shadow thing. I slept straight, hands on my stomach, covered from head to toe and radio on. The dream was there was a shadow standing near me ( like staring at me ) on the same sleeping posture and without covers. I can also hear the radio program the same after i woke up.
I also had those falling from a high place dreams when i was younger. Is it consider a sleep paralysis?
How about those repeating dreams anyone had that?
It was 4:30 am when the event occurred but before that around 2:00 am I had already been awake thinking that there was something looking at me through the crack of my open door. The door wasn’t all the way shut it was just open to where I can see a thin strip of light coming through. So I stayed up on my phone until I got sleepy. Mind you I was already up around 2:00-3:00 from scaring my self into thinking something was looking at me through the door. I tried not to pay attention to it while I was on YouTube looking at videos to try to get my mind off of it and to go to sleep. I was in a dark room with only my phone light and a tiny bit of light coming from the hallway into the crack of my door way. I began to get sleepy around 3:30. So I found a live video of family guy on YouTube to watch until I doze off. Finally I went to sleep and for some reason kept waking up for some odd reason so I turn off my phone which was still playing the video. I layed on my side facing my door trying to go to sleep and as I went to sleep I felt awake at the same time so I opened my eyes and seen that my door was open more that I remembered and as I’m looking I see a human figure walk down the hallway. I close my eyes in fear and try to scream out for my sister but can’t I eventually tried to move my body but felt as if I were paralyzed. I wiggled my toes around and eventually moved my foot causing me to move my whole body and waking up. I woke up and looked at the door and seen that it haven’t been moved a bit it was still closed with the thin bit of light coming through. I didn’t know what to do at that point so I layed in bed and got my phone in a hurry calling my sister that was in the other room telling her what I just seen. I was terrified it’s 7:27 am as I’m typing I havent been sleep since.
I experience this for the first time. I felt I was awake. I first felt as if someone got onto my bed, which I have felt this many times, but this time I actually felt someone or something crawling on the bed. But no one was there. I kept thinking to get up but didn’t because I thought it would go away. Then I felt the feeling of someone holding down and when I tried to rebuke it away in the name of Jesus I couldn’t. When I finally did, there was a big jerk on my body and it was over. I cleansed my apartment with sage and stayed awake for around 3 hours and slept on the sofa. This was July 21st at 1:46 am. To this day haven’t slept in my bed.
What is the purpose of “sage”? I really need to know because there is something very demonic going on, and it attacked me at 6:10 am, August 7, 2018 (this morning ).
It happened for me 3-4 I’m sharing today’s experience. I heard someone opened my window at 7.30am tried to open my eyes to see what’s going on but I’m unable to open my eyes and unable to move my body parts. Then after couple of minutes I opened my eyes.
I think it’s kinda messed up when you say it’s a personal choice to believe in demons. If it was a personal choice I wouldn’t believe in them. That would be my choice bc then I wouldn’t have to sleep with a light on every night. It’s not as simple as choosing to believe in God or science. I was subjected to horror movies at the age of 3. To this day I am terrified of anything relative to death but intrigued. It’s not my choice. It’s that fact that that is what I had learned when I was younger and I have had experiences with demons and spirits that make it pretty hard to say it’s not real. It’s not a choice when you’ve actually encountered it. If someone tells me a triangle has 3 sides and teaches me that and shows me am I going to say that it doesn’t?
Hi there
I think there’s a difference between learning about Maths in school and learning about reality from horror movies. We learn all kinds of things when we are younger, and believe all kinds of things. A part of growing up is to work out for yourself what was accurate and what was made up.
Regards
Ethan
I honestly don’t know what happened to me and im quite freaked out by it. I believe it was something along the lines of SP but im not sure. I lied down after work to take a nap I put an alarm on for 20 minutes, but as I was dozing off I thought I was asleep but I also felt awake. I couldn’t move I kept trying and I kept thinking I had gotten up , but I could just feel myself laying down still. I was hearing something as if someone was whispering in my ear but I couldn’t understand. I kept looking in the hallway I kept seeing a figure but it kept changing and repeating it kept walking down the hall but the face was distorted and changing and I kept trying to move and I couldn’t until my alarm went off. I woke up super confused and I have no clue what had happened it felt so real and I could remember it so vividly that I felt as if it couldn’t be a dream.
this is my second time have this sleep paralysis I’m only 17 and my first time it only lasted for a couple of seconds but this time it was a couple of minutes and sometimes I’m afraid going to sleep now since it happened to be the first time
I was sleeping with my stomach against the bed, and my arms under the pillow. I woke up to a demon that looked like a human putting its arms INSIDE each side of my ribs. I couldnt move. It hurt, it tickled and I felt kind of stupid and evil at the time but at the same time I wanted it to stop. So I tried to scream for help. The demon pretty much told me it owns me “I repeatedly said In my head “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Then it slowly lifted the weight off of me and I woke up slowly
I have experienced sleep paralysis more times than I can remember to count. It first occurred in my childhood and continues to this day. I am now able to control (lucid dream) the experiences. It has caused no harm to me but I often wonder if it is real or fantasy.
I’m not sure if what I experience is sleep paralysis or something else. I’ve had quite a few dreams this past year all with a different story but the same experience.
In the middle of a dream, I collapse. Sometimes it’s a sudden fall and sometimes it feels like a slow motion fall to the ground. No one else around me seems to be bothered by it. Then I start spinning in a circle while in a fetal position or I just start “floating” across the ground in odd directions not really going anywhere in particular just staying in the same space.
As I’m doing this I just think to myself this looks like those ghost movies when people are being dragged around by ghosts. But I don’t feel like something or someone is pulling me, it just feels like a force is moving me around.
Eventually I can move again and my body feels groggy then it will happen again. It will repeat like this multiple times before I actually wake up. When I wake I’m completely fine and can move just feel weird that I had such a weird dream.
This dream last though was different because this time I dreamt that I had collapsed in front of someone who happened to be a doctor and he kept me in the room to evaluate my experiences. When friends came to get me out I told one that “I can’t leave”. When I tried I collapsed and I was flown into the room, off the ground and at a speed, and dropped. The doctor wanted to evaluate what happened when I became paralyzed and what I would do when it happened because he believed my body was doing all this as an unconscious way of getting something it wanted.
All of this is not a dream within a dream experience. Last night I actually woke up during one of my paralyzed moments because my husband left for work then I slipped right back into the dream right where I left off.
I don’t understand when these dreams happen and what they are. I don’t feel scared really, a little nervous, but I usually just wait the episode out and I know there will be many more during the course of the dream.
I literally thought I was the only one!!! I keep having dreams where my body feels so heavy I just collapse and I have no control. A few times I have been floating as well !!! Sometimes it’ll happen in familiar places with people close to me such as my sister and it’s like she’s ignoring that I’m freaking floating asking for help!!!
I had sp occur once several years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday. I was watching TV downstairs and my husband, my dog and cat were all asleep in the living room. After the show was over it was exactly 2am and I decided to go to bed by myself, which I never did…I wanted to stretch out. (Note: my dog and cat always went to bed with me.) So I went to the bathroom brushed my teeth and got in bed. I felt my cat jump up on the bed like she usually did before she would lay on me and go to sleep. She walked around my pillow again like she usually did and wouldn’t lay down so I kept reaching for her to get her to lay down but I couldn’t find her. So I fixed my pillows again and got comfortable. Then she did it again and then again…each time I couldn’t touch her even though I heard her, felt the pillow move as she walked. Finally I sat straight up to get a hold of her and she wasn’t there. I immediately thought that was really strange. I swore she was just there and I didn’t her her jump down. So I laid down again and closed my eyes and right away I felt the same thing and when I went to get up and grab her I was paralyzed and felt like I was being held down by my throat by two hands. At the same time in my left ear I heard this whispering in an ancient language of some sort but I KNEW immediately it was demonic and I was terrified. And it kept talking but I couldn’t understand it. I then felt like I was being choked at the same time. My eyes were open and I could see the hallway and the TV light from downstairs flickering on the hallway wall but couldn’t move or talk. I was saying Hail Marys and it wasn’t stopping then I said in my head “Jesus Christ get this off of me” and immediately I could feel the fingers actually being pulled off from around my throat. Then as soon as they were pulled off I sprang up threw a heavy queen size comforter across the room and ran downstairs. I turned all the lights on woke my husband up, and the dog was already started awake and there on the back of the couch was my cat exactly where she was from when I went upstairs. I told him the whole thing got my rosary out and had every light on. My husband said I must have been dreaming but I told him it was not a dream. I even could still taste the toothpaste. The time was 2:21am. So needless to say I didn’t sleep. In the morning I started searching the internet and I kept getting sleep apnea results finally I found an article from the university of Waterloo and boom….element of almost everything I experienced was there in black or white. This was roughly 13 years ago so the internet was a little different. Anyhow, I was relieved and scared at the same time. I had never ever heard of sp before but I knew straight away that it was demonic. When I looked at what things were going on in my life it filled in pieces for me. I was questioning my religion a little, I had a lot of anger in me at work toward people so I think I in a way was weak spiritually in a way. There is no question in my mind that God is real now and so is evil. I’m not afraid of it happening again so much because I have faith now in my heart. But when people say they don’t believe in heaven/hell I tell simply you better I know it. Some believe some don’t but at least I warn them. The only question that I haven’t had and answers too is if I had brought my dog or cat to bed would it have happened….I think animals see things we can’t and I wonder if it waited for me to be alone.
I’ve had sleep paralysis a couple times in my life. But the one I just had today was way worse than the ones I’ve had when I was younger. As a child who grew up in a religious household and experienced sleep paralysis, I never told my parents about “seeing demons at night” because I have no idea what the heck they’re going to do, but they’re going to do something. Now though, my faith has changed and angels and demons are not something I really pay any mind to. This morning, my sleep paralysis started with a dream of going to the hospital with my boyfriend to get checked out. When I went into the room, the doctor smiled at me and said “You better start praying” then added afterward, “Where’s your little boyfriend?” I run out to tell my boyfriend to run but he was gone. Then, supposedly, I wake up. I try to reach for my phone to text my boyfriend about my crazy dream but my fingers weren’t working. I looked around the room and everything was slightly hazy, I couldn’t get up. A figure was standing at the foot of my bed and was just staring at me. Knowing that it was sleep paralysis, I tried to move my finger because it woke me up the last time I had sleep paralysis but this time it didn’t work. I tried to force myself to get up, even to the point where I could feel the wood at the foot of my bed hitting my head but my body kept going back to where the pillow was. Since I have a Samsung, I figured I could use Bixby to call my boyfriend so he could wake me up or call me or do something. The phone talked back and said “You don’t really know how to use your fingers, don’t you?” Then I started telling myself this is a dream, I can control this, I just gotta focus and wake myself up. Then the figure at the foot of my bed spoke and she had like a surround sound speaker type of voice and she said I can only wake up if I accept Satan as my saviour. And I thought to myself talking to this thing is going to scare me even more than I already am so I work on moving my body. Soon enough, I moved my head to where my window was and looked at the sun. That’s when I actually woke up for real.
Being able to move and breathe didn’t feel as good as it did when I woke up.
One time I remember I had sleep paralysis for the first and only time, I remember I kept hearing noises in my room in the middle of the night and when I woke up I had this weird feeling that someone was watching me. I couldn’t go back to sleep because I had that really weird feeling that someone was constantly watching me so I gathered my phone charger, blanket, and pillows. I went out to my living room so that I could sleep on the couch. I felt safe in the living room because the couch was literally next to the same wall connecting to my parents bedroom. I finally was able to relax again and started to go to sleep. I woke up again to the feeling of being watched, and that scared me because I was only used to getting that feeling when I was in my room. I was able to open my eyes to see three demonic children around the coffee table that was only two inches away from the couch. I couldn’t move anything but my eyes. I tried to get up but I just felt as if I was frozen, I couldn’t even move my fingers. I got really scared because behind these demonic figures I could see shadows just swirling around and they never got close but the children did and they sounded scared and even angry at times talking to me in a different language. I was just trying to yell for my mom at this point but I was unable to yell at all. The feeling of her being in the next room over asleep as I was being attacked bothered me because I knew she was so close and yet I was still unable to get help. The more I tried to yell the more pressure seemed to be added to my chest making it harder and harder for me to breath. I knew I was awake and before I had even seen the demon children I knew I didn’t have any dreams that could have generated this because that night was dreamless, I saw nothing but darkness. I was not able to move until the figures started to turn around and head towards my room away from the couch since I was in the living room. I realized I was crying because I felt overwhelmed and helpless. I woke my mom up and told her everything and she thought that I had opened up a portal to a different dimension. I was more thinking she would have not believed me but instead she fed into it more giving me ideas that something worse could have definitely happened and she was worried. I guess you could say my family is kind of open to the paranormal aspect of life and there have been experiences before that prove to me that ghosts and demons are real.
I often feel upon sleeping that something is with me holding a hand over my mouth as I’m trying to call out to my husband. He had never heard me until recently.. He mocked the sound I was making and I managed to be awakened. He has now heard me three times very recently, though this has been occurring over a long period of time.. Unsure how long..now that he heard me I no longer am aware of it..but he now wakes me in the middle of the night saying I’m waiting, the same muffled cries. I don’t feel paralysis ever just a hand firmly over my mouth.. I’m afraid this change, where awareness was taken from me, is problematic. Why is it hiding in my deeper sleep?
One time. Teenager. Woke to see a blue featureless humanish shaped being standing above me pushing down on my chest. I could not move, I could not speak. It was there for maybe 10 full seconds before it faded away. I know I was awake because I didn’t sleep the rest of the night. Too scared to move for most of it. It looked like static electricity in the shape of a being.
My theory on this is that the experience stems from a negative energy, be what it may, trying to take hold of you or attach itself to you versus sleep paralysis.
In 1988 I lived in a house with my first husband. The marriage at first was blissful but then became toxic and negative. Very often I had nightmares where I am convinced I am awake and there would be someone lying on top of me and holding me down on the bed. Similar to everyone else’s experiences I wasn’t able to scream or move. It was terrifying. I’m not one to have nightmares ever so this was strange. One night the experience was exceptionally weird where I thought I was awake and looked to my bedroom sliding doors to see that the windows were frosted over and outside was a huge black bat just hovering there. My feeling was it was the devil trying to get into my home to get to me. My daughters both young at the time experienced nightly nightmares. This went on for ten years yet my husband never experienced anything similar.
My first marriage dissolved at which point I re-married and moved from the house. For the next twenty years the experiences did not occur again. Why did the experience stop for 20 years but happen almost nightly previous to that.
Now fast forward to the last few weeks my husband and I again moved homes. Our marriage relationship was becoming negative and I wasn’t sure why. The night before I had to have a hip replacement I had to move into my husbands bedroom on the main floor. That night I think I’m awake and am in a dark room looking for a light switch. Before I could turn on the light someone grabbed me from behind and put me into a bear hug. I tried but couldn’t scream. I bent down and reached up the mans pantleg to try to dig my nails into his legs so he would release me but he didn’t. I knew it was a man as he had hairy skinny legs. From researching this phenomenon on the internet I started reciting the Lord’s Prayer at which point I woke up. I went down to my bedroom and grabbed my gold cross, came back up to the bedroom, waved the cross telling whatever negative entity was here to leave and again recited the Lord’s Prayer. No experiences have happened since.
I do believe that a negative energy had attached itself to my husband and was in his room. Cleansing the room and reciting the Lord’s Prayer made it known to the entity that they were not welcome in my home.
As a sidebar years ago in the house where I did not have these experiences my husband brought back an old wicker chicken he had found hidden under a deck he was renovating. The joke at his work was that the bird was creepy. I told my husband to bring it home as someone had made the wicker bird and why throw it out. Anyway I placed it on my bedroom windowsill and for the next two nights I experienced nightmares. Like I said I never have nightmares so I took the bird and burned it out in our backyard, placed the gold cross on my windowsill and told the negative energy to leave. It did and my dreams resumed to happy ones.
My point is that I do believe there are negative energies that try to attach themselves to us to feed off our positive energy. If you don’t take control and let them know that you believe in God you will succumb to their negativity and they will suck the life out of you. Bad things will start to happen in your life. How many people do you know that are negative or always have bad luck?
Anyway perhaps the theory of sleep paralysis does play a role in here somewhere but my true gut feeling is that there is negative energies out there waiting to take hold of us when we are weak or vulnerable.
My advice is similar to other people’s advice which is be prepared to recite a prayer or something if this happens to you and I bet you will see that the entity will release its hold on you.
so I’ve experienced sleep paralysis before. and it’s always been the same, I’m on my stomach and feels like something is holding me down and I can hear a crazy voice behind me and just feels super uneasy and can’t speak. but the last time I had this happen it was so much more intense than ever before and just felt like I needed to share and see what anyone can make of all this. so that morning after the wife went to work I had played some crazy “ghost voices” from YouTube on my phone to joke around with the kids. well later that night, we had fallen asleep watching a movie and I kept dozing off on my back, and when I did there was someone beside me which I assumed was my wife and “it” was watching the same movie but on a cell phone and as i dozed off and woke back up constantly… the movie on the phone always picked up where I left off watching it before I dozed off… then I dozed off again and whatever it was beside me started playing those SAME crazy ghost voices that i had played earlier that day on the phone and then things got real creepy as it pressed the phone to my head and started laughing… then I woke up in a state of sleep paralysis and the black shadowy figure beside me started crawling on top of me with the same creepy laugh and I tried to get my wife’s attention but couldn’t speak. only when I continuously called out for god’s help in my head like I had read on other pages to do did it finally let up and I was able to move. and once I could get up I had 3 dots in the form of a triangle on my stomach… wish i would have took pics but wasn’t really sure what to make of all of this… any ideas? sleep paralysis really a “paranormal” experience or was I just tripping balls wide awake? lol
I honestly am not sure what to take of what is going on. Ever since I met this Indian man last Saturday at a Walmart in fort worth tx I have been feeling really strange. He offered me a job well me and a few friends of mine went to apply for this job the building looked abandoned and what was weird is we were there 2 hrs and he talked to me and my friend Jade most time but it’s like he was more interested In talking about our nationality and he Asked my friend if she had kids. Well the really strange thing that is scaring me is out of nowhere my daughter asked him sir what’s ur name and he told her his name well after he told my daughter his name she was staring at him and he stared directly at her only and said something in another language to my daughter. This happened on Wednesday june 13 2018 . So last night we were at a friend’s and we were in the kitchen at the table eating as I got up out the chair to put my dish in the sink I looked at the window I saw a pale baby white looking lizard and it almost seemed as if it was staring right at me and focusing on me I got Scared immediately after noticing this lizard my daughter then looked toward the window and she saw the lizard too but she wasn’t scared.
It’s probably a good thing! I mean when do you ever get to see a lizard like that right?! Plus staring at you, I would take it as a good sign. The white lizard is looking out for you and your kids.
Doctors try to make the connection between SP and people being treated for psychiatric or mental conditions as though those of us who experience SP may not be totally mentally stable, but honestly- wouldn’t you feel like you are going crazy if you were being tormented by demonic powers and night, hearing their voices, or seeing these beings? Of course you would! That doesn’t mean they are crazy because other people aren’t seeing spiritual things. I firmly believe that most people who see demons or angels, or have these visitations, but don’t have an actual chemical imbalance are not mentally crazy. They are able to see into the spirit world. I agree that they need to yield and decide to accept Jesus as their Lord to be free. They may need demons cast out of them People are in denial if they don’t accept that their is a spiritual world. Why would you trust a doctor who can’t see, hear, or believe in the spiritual world (as though they were there from the foundation of the world) but not trust God’s word? The bible explains so many things that happen spiritually but people choose not to believe it.
I think its expected but so sad how “science” tries to say sleep paralysis is a fact not spiritual…but medical. Oh really? And you can probe into people’s rooms, brains, spirits, and eyes and see what’s happening on a medical level? Yeah, no definitely not. It’s a theory and its once again trying to explain away the spiritual things people don’t understand and can’t technically prove. The body may medically experience the paralysis on some level (aside from the many times people move just fine all night tossing and turning…hmmmm), but I’ve had multiple experiences with “sleep paralysis”, and it stops immediately when I think of the name of Jesus or try to speak it… The day after I became a true Christian, is the day sleep paralysis began for me….I was terrified. I told my mom about it and she said it started happening to her after she became a Christian as well and the bible says to call on the name of Jesus because His name is above every name in heaven and on earth. He is the Lord of Lords, King of Kings, and there is no salvation apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ…religion can’t save you, and science definitely can’t. The bible is clear that We are in a spiritual war and demons do try attack you when you are most vulnerable-even when you are asleep. Sometimes they come in the form of shadows, or relatives (which are also demons pretending to be relatives-they are called familiar spirits), and sometimes there are open doors of rebellion and sin in your life that give demons permission to harass your life (especially if you aren’t a believer in Jesus Christ as your savior), and other times, they don’t have permission, but try anyways. So Call on the name of Jesus and you will break free. Now that I’m experienced in spiritual warfare and know how to fight effectively. I can actually feel an entity coming into my room when I’m asleep and when I feel their presence coming closer, I sit up and say ” In the name of Jesus get out of my room, get out of my house! You are not welcome here! I belong to Jesus Christ!”- And They go. I also pray scripture over myself and put the full armor of God on- Read Ephesians 6:10. I love to pray Psalms91 over my family at night as well. Please Don’t allow yourself to be tormented any longer , ask Jesus to come into your heart and be filled with His Holy spirit. He will set you free from sin, shame, guilt, and the powers, spirits, and principalities of the dark heavenly realms. Leave the kingdom of darkness and be transformed by the kingdom of light! God has no equal so choose the right kingdom.
wow.. yesterday too experienced a very strange spiritual attack. But I was not dreaming. I saw a shadow of an unclear creature. But it was trying to take my spirit in pain. So I called for Jesus and mouth was unable but Jesus helped me out
I’ve had this happen more than once it happens almost nightly I’m afraid to go to sleep its always the same I can’t move and there are shadow men all around me they are holding me down I
And I can’t breathe or cry out. I don’t know what to do
I just have a sleep paralysis again, a long time since my first… Let me tell you first how my day was. I and my fiance attended a party, went to buy a sticker wall paper, and headed home. It was around 3pm, then we both took a nap. After 3 hours, we woke up and later took our dinner together. Then, we watched a Korean Drama The Rich Man online, finished 6 episodes, I think, it was past 2am that we slept. I said my prayer. Slept.
When I experienced sleep paralysis, in my dream, it was vivid, I still can recall that I missed a religious procession, then I saw Jesus, long and curly haired, like the crucified one, dancing on the same spot, naked. He appeared reddish in skin color. As if he was covered in blood. Don’t ask me, I just knew that He was Jesus. Then, a new scene unfolded, we were reciting a prayer, then suddenly, in the dream, an unseen force reacts and the cabinet with glass sides tend to throw candle residues on us. It was like getting angrier as we recited a prayer. And before long, I started to feel breathless, someone was controlling my hand. I couldn’t get up. I felt like being choked up, I could hardly move, no matter how I tried with all the strength that I have, I was saying that God will kill you, for in my mind, I also knew it was the devil. God will kill you, repeatedly I said… But the force was too strong, it didn’t fear God. I then started shouting, nothing comes out from my mouth loud words. I started to moan, and moan harder, intentionally to attract attention, then minutes later, my fiance woke me up. I told her about it and even said that a devil was trying to kill me. She shrugged it off by saying that it was just a dream. I said the prayers from Our Father down to Glory Be… I wanted to reflect on it. In my thoughts, I said that the devil lost in the battle. I have the love of God. The devil has nothing. I wanted to have a confession with a priest. The past years, I have experienced all the negative emotions. I kept on harboring resentments… So much hatred in me because of people whom I dearly loved failed me big time. After processing all these, I thought, I want salvation.
I’ve had sleep paralysis for years now. However, in all my episodes, I’ve never seen anything. I just feel paralyzed and voiceless with an ominous feeling in the room I’ve never been able to shake. It’s definitely happened dozens of times. One particularly odd time was when I was sleeping in my dad’s car in a parking lot. I started vividly dreaming of men dressed in black with ski masks taking the car with me still in it. I would wake up only to fall immediately back into the episode. Except each time, the episode progressed as if it had a timeline. I know it was just a dream, but part of me believes I was in another dimension. I must’ve woken myself up 10 times just to snap back into the horrors. I finally decided to get up for good.
I hate the fact that I cannot yell. It makes me feel helpless and horrified. Yet, sometimes I can yell, but only in my head. If there’s another person in the room, they can’t hear me because it’s in my head. On a few occasions, it felt like an orb of light was being extracted from my chest. I would fight the feeling and wake up, only to fall back into the state. I didn’t fight it one time and I don’t know how to describe it. Bear with me. It felt like my soul was leaving my body, and I could see myself sleeping on the couch. That was weird as hell. I still can’t shake that one.
Recently, I was sleeping at a motel and my friend woke me up early because he had work and was stressed, fussing around while cursing, thinking they were going to be late. They finally left and I went back to sleep. Then I heard the perfect auditory of his voice, but part of me knew he wasn’t there. I woke up and called out his name. I was definitely hallucinating. I fell back into sleep as if a hypnotist was putting me to sleep on demand. I started hearing his voice again. I woke up, then it happened again. His voice, but he wasn’t there. I fell back asleep and I felt my hand and hair being touched. It felt as if someone was grabbing my hand and trying to drag me out of the bed, but very slowly, like a very weak entity giving its all. So, I decided to stay awake and google “How to stop sleep paralysis.” I know how to wake myself up, but I just fall back into the episode once I close my eyes. It’s like once I close my lids, I fall back onto the bed like dead weight. The search wouldn’t load, and I thought I had been awake long enough to avoid another episode, but as soon as I closed my eyes, except this time I wasn’t paralyzed, something whispered, “You’re mine.” I even felt the breath on my face. I immediately woke up, and I knew I wasn’t dreaming that time. I frantically grabbed my stuff and left.
Now, a week later, I’ve felt the sensation of someone grabbing my hand and trying to drag me out of bed. It feels like I’m being turned sideways with my hand suspended in space above me. I opened my eyes last night while it was happening, and I was rotating. I don’t know if I’m psychotic, or if my mind is playing tricks on me, or if this is or isn’t explained by any rational means. I don’t use any medications or drugs, so that isn’t a possibility. Whatever it is, it keeps me up at night and captures my fascination to the utmost degree!
I know exactly how you feel…I’m awake right now because I just experience this! Only thing this happens to me at least 5-10 a week and been going on for years….the part I hate the most is waking up and going right back into the state( so I can relate)!!! The only thing that’s gotten worse about these experiences (as years has gone by)) is the feeling of something or someone suffocating me and the bad migraines I catch right after struggling out of these episodes, years ago these two things weren’t occurring till about 8 months ago… My secret is sleeping (literally) on top of my husband or at least half of my body on top of him, interlocking legs, so that I wiggle my by big toe/toe nail against his leg really hard or with all my mite, and he automatically wakes up and shakes me. .lol… Of course, this was a plan that I thought of doing and made him knowledgeable about it, so he knows what the toenail scratch is and what to do!! Of course some nights he’s “dead to the world” (like tonight) and I have to struggle alone but I’m a pro at it!! The funny part is that sometimes it may take up to 5min of me scratching his leg before he’s up …and every time I have these experiences they’re all different, and it’s something I can’t seem to get used of, even though I’ve had so many!!
I had a dream where I was at school. It was recess and only 3 kids + me were there. It was a cloudy, cold day. Then in my dream, I thought of a siren. Suddenly, I couldn’t move at all and for some reason I could yell for my mom. It sounded something like “MO-OM!” over and over again. (the – indicates a pause) Then I felt something big thrown at my chest. It burned for a little then it stopped. Maybe a big toy? After that, I thought of a sword and I couldn’t move. Then it stopped and I heard some old circus music. I tried to stop it from playing. I kept trying to stop my head from playing the song. Slowly, I go into that phase where I can’t move. Suddenly, I open my eyes wide open (in real life) while breathing heavily almost about to cry. It happened again but this time, I closed my eyes and it happened. I opened them and it stopped. Wanna know something bizarre about this? I just had to close my eyes for it happened. I tried to do it again but I couldn’t. I don’t know what this is so please help!
I was asleep but aware of noise from the tv and felt something on my bed then started blowing in my face. I could not move or speak. When i was able to wake up, there was No one there and my tv was still on.
Happens to me 5 times, first time feels someone is sitting on my chest, 2nd time saw some, 3rd time I’m traveling to a war zone and 4th time an old man in my room and 5th my relatives visit and they’re in my room. all the times unable to wake up for a min and when I woke up all disappear although some surrounding still there like TV was on. every time it’s getting more and more real feeling. I’m depressed about this, and now fear to sleep alone. Don’t know what to do I’m unable to sleep at night. although I found a temporary solution when we sleep Straight Soldier Position it happens so don’t sleep in this position.
Also I forgot to add the dark entity is a big figure. I can tell it wants to do something bad or is not their for good. If you try to scream good luck it’s a loss cause because your mouth moves and nothing comes out. I scream “mom mom” and never has she ever heard me. Something I will never forget is I got dragged to my parents room in one of these episodes and I was being touched all over and or being tickle. It’s such a frightening event I hate experiencing. Please email me with information on how to prevent this because I’ve tried and I’m just tryna be dedicated to school and being scared to sleep is not helping me.
Hi I’m Calise and I’m 13 years old. I have sleep paralysis every night. It is a frightening experience and I have fear of going to bed. I wake up as I’m drifting off to bed then bam, I can’t move. My eyes can but I can’t. I then try to jerk or move my body before “it” comes. “It” is someone or something I feel is an evil presence if I wait to long during my episodes I will find myself next to “it” or the thing on top of me causing me not to move. It happens more then once at night and I get so spooked. Not sure what to do. My family ignores and says it is nothing but my oldest sister who has had it forever with much worse cases. She says lay on your sides and wake yourself up right away.
1st one, I just came out of hospital and am coming down from meds. “I felt someone trying to fold me in half and place me in a Hessian sack. I tried to shout but could not.”
2nd one, I was looking up at my wardrobe where I saw a beagle dog looking down on me moving his head from side to side, and his eyes were red. I reached for the light after finally moving.
3rd one, was just tonight. I saw a glass figurine standing by my bed on the side where my wardrobe is, I tried to move and finally managed to move one arm to hit it away, then I shouted out to mom. I then put the light on after a few seconds of heavy breathing.
Now, I believe these are mainly due to my meds as I have fibromyalgia and other stuff. I have a strong faith and I’m realistic. Although these dreams seem real and I call on God to help me get rid of these horrible realistic dreams, it really scares me. But I know my God would not let anything hurt me. I feel like I need to know why they happen and your article was very good and helped me understand it was my meds. It’s still only a little comfort but I trust my God will see me through the night safely. They still scare me. Xx
I’ve experienced it this morning, I woke up, paralyzed, and tried to scream a bunch of times for help but I just couldn’t. Luckily, I didn’t feel anything choking me or any pressure on my body and there was no bad entity, presence in my room.
I believe i have had sp ever since i can remember. when i was younger when they were happening i was happy about them. Reading these stories have helped me so much to understand i am not crazy or alone. As an adult i want to believe the scientific aspect of them but also note i am not diagnosed but never suffered from narcolepsy symptoms i have a regular hour job and normal stresses throughout my life. I usually go to bed early with my fiance and thats 9pm to 6am wakeup. But my story is all different. When i was younger they would take me to far away lands or i would be an animal or in a historical event before learning about it age 5-9 one that was vivid i could not move and was being held down physically but in my state i was being hushed by a presence of an indian in my room that wanted to show me something so he grabbed me and i was living in their tribe, where it differs than a dream is that it is very real than regular dreams i have because i feel souly present i feel water or i am in a state of living and awake and i am returned from the experience seeing my body. I have had family memebers visit me that have passed on or i have felt i am being taken to another dimension. The older i was they stopped for a little bit 17-22 but especially now they have gotten worse and feel darker than before than what i remembered.
I am always on back my eyes will be open and it feels and looks like the blanket is getting pressed on me so hard that my lungs are getting crushed paralyzed cannot move or choked at the same time. I cannot make a sound no mayter how hard i try. These one are darker it will make the hair stand up on the back of my neck and it will also cause goosebumps i usually see dark figures. Othertimes it feels and looks like i am getting pinned down and someone is stealing my soul out of my body and wanting to take it somewhere. I usually try to move a foot or finger to make it stop say i am in control i am with God and turn over as fast as i can. If i sleep on my side or stomach i can feel it trying to happen but does not. I feel if i am turned facing any outer walls it does like open spaces for instance a recent one that caught me off guard i was turned on my side facing an outdide wall and something was holding me still and paralyzed and it looked as if there was a vortex hole and there was a shadow figure pointing at me to come with it but i would not allow myself i was trying desperately to scream for i was awake but no sound coming out. I will never forget that one. I think i will try the helpful tips and make my room a safer place its just interesting how open i was when i was younger and now its a terrifying experience.
Hope this helps someone.
I’ve just woken up after an episode of sleep paralysis and it’s the first time I’ve ever had it. It was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever been through and I’m scared to go to sleep as I’m not quite sure if it was sleep paralysis or a paranormal activity. It felt like there was actual pressure involved. I felt tingling and pressure. At first I thought it was my cat but as it started moving up to my face I could see there was nothing there and I couldn’t do anything about it. I tried to move but couldn’t bit all of a sudden… I could move my head, I quickly turned my head to the side and heard a pop in my ear and was able to move again. I sat up, turned the light on and felt like I was being watched. I’m not sure what’s just happened but I’m still shaking.
Hey, there.
I experienced my first sleep paralysis episode a couple nights ago. I’m 25 years old and also 10 weeks pregnant.
Since the pregnancy began, I’ve had quite vivid and strange dreams, remembering several of them each night.
This isn’t common for me, so I know it’s just a symptom of being pregnant.
It makes sense to me that this time of constant vivid dreaming would be the time I’d experience other sleep abnormalities. The episode probably had something to do with my recent anxiety/paranoia about darkness
and possibly my struggles with staying asleep as I constantly wake up throughout the night.
Sometimes I’m awake for 1-3 hours before I’m able to sleep again. This is mostly due to my inability to get comfortable (restless limbs and joint soreness).
So this is what happened the other night:
I woke up around 2am to use the bathroom, and when I got back to my room, it was very difficult for me to fall back asleep. I wasn’t on my phone or anything, just tossing and turning.
I cried from frustration, and it wasn’t until probably 4:30-5 that I finally passed out.
When I sleep, I listen to sounds from this app on my phone called “Relax Melodies.” I was listening to the sound “Oscillating fan” the night this terrifying event occurred.
I’m unsure of the time, but my room was still dark. I felt myself coming awake, and the oscillating fan sounds from my phone kept cutting in and out
with songs and voices.
It sounded like a static radio with a weak signal, picking up various stations.
As I was waking up to this,
I heard vague whispering near my ear by the edge of my bed
and sensed a shadowy presence beside me.
I was laying on my right side, facing the wall.
Immediately I felt the presence grab my side (hip/lower back area), and it pinned me down.
It felt like someone was pushing me into the bed as I struggled to move. I couldn’t move at all, except I could open my mouth in an attempt to scream for help.
I tried to scream three times but couldn’t; my voice just cracked. I passed out from the fear
only to actually wake up. I felt a release on my hip, and I could move again.
In my exhaustion I told myself it was only a dream and fell back asleep.
But as I recalled the event later that morning, I could’ve swore I was awake for it.
The whispers and grasp on my side felt so real to me. It’s difficult to convince myself that it was all in my head, but I’m choosing to take the scientific, logical explanations because I’d go insane if I thought otherwise.
I want to be able to lay in my bed at night without fear.
What’s puzzled me is that the paralysis wasn’t the first thing to occur (or the first thing I noticed).
Possible explanations:
My lower back and hip have been sore and crampy, so maybe that contributed to the physical sensation of being pinned down in that area.
I also think I vividly dreamed the static radio and whispers,
causing a fear that abruptly woke me during REM sleep, my muscles still being shut down from that state.
So my mind was waking up faster than my body could react to it. I think such an abrupt awakening into paralysis could’ve caused it to feel like a grabbing sensation at first.
Then again I must not have been fully awake then either because I don’t think I actually tried to scream.
I might have, but it was a very calm, relieving moment after my voice cracked and I was released.
It was like the whole thing never happened.
The most difficult struggle I’m facing regarding this occurrence
is believing that something so real to me was only a hallucination or a dream.
That’s what I must believe though, unless I’d prefer drive myself mad.
I have had sleep paralysis as far as I can remember in fact many times. You feel that something is sitting on your chest or is trying to strangle you and you are too weak to free yourself, especially when you are stressed. I think it runs in families because my siblings have this condition. My daughter who is in college has the same problem and hers has been worse because whenever it happens she screams and her room-mates complain which has really affected her self esteem and her studies. I call out the name of Jesus whenever it happens and as soon as I do that the spirit leaves me. Personally I think it has something to do with supernatural than scientific explanation.
I try SO hard to call out to Jesus also (I’m a Christian), but my voice won’t allow it? I think I might search YouTube for a pastor or teacher for their opinion on the topic, God bless.
spending the night with my fiancé. went to sleep and went into SP. i dreamed a woman was sitting on the bed next to my hip and she was blowing a mist of some kind into my face. on the bed next to me were 3 small toddlers. there was a row of beds along the was lined up end to end. we were in the middle bed.
i couldn’t move a muscle. i couldn’t get away from the woman blowing this mist into
my face or maybe my open mouth.
i was terrified.
it ended and i sat up and took a drink of water from the bottle on the night stand.
my fiancé was glad i was awake. he said i was sitting up in my sleep making weird noises and swinging at something in the air.
so i was able to move even tho i was in my dream totally unable to move. i was moving and he said swinging my arms and moaning and sitting upright.
so i guess one can move during SP cuz that proved i could.
i have had several other incidences where i dreamed i couldn’t move and i was really moving. i had one dream where i couldn’t move and when i woke up i was on the floor knocked out from my arms giving away as i crawled and smacking my head on the cement floor when my arms gave out.
another time i had SP after surgery. i was sitting in my recliner and had an episode that seemed to last for hours. i know during the episode i had the urge to use the bathroom and couldn’t get there cuz i couldn’t move. i ended up having to throw the recliner out because i urinated in the recliner.
so yes i have these episodes but i am still able to move even tho i am paralyzed in my mind.
does anyone else move in their SP but feel like they can’t move or aren’t moving?
I’m here reading this as I needed to figure out why I’m having this feeling and dream. I don’t the exact time but roughly when I’m having the dream which is around 3am. Anyways I’m always sleeping in bed with my girlfriend. I tend to find myself sleeping on my stomach most nights with my arms cross except for this time, thus time I somehow fell asleep on my back. As I’m dreaming I see my room, my feet as they are under the cover and my arms and hands resting on my covers. As I lay here(which I see very vividly and feels oh so real, I notice this being. This being looks like that of a scary lady with no eyes and extremely quick. As I try to get up that’s when the figure rushes over to me, covers my mouth and holds my arm. I know my girlfriend is beside me, yet I try kicking and screaming to alert my girlfriend to help me, yet there is the being now looking over me as I frantically try screaming and moving. After what seems to be a few minutes of this experience I awake. It’s 4:35 am and I’m officially awake. I then proceed to wake up my girlfriend to ask her why she didn’t hear me screaming(this is the 2nd time this has happened, with the first time my girlfriend actually woke me up as I was screaming, though the noises I was actually making were those as if someone was holding my mouth closed) and so she held me as I looked weary and not ready to sleep again. Weird feeling
I don’t know if this is sleep paralysis, but there have been times when I’m falling asleep and i hear this awful loud roaring sound in my head, and it won’t stop, i can’t move and seems to last for hours.
Omg.. this was why I was in the comment section in the first place.. to see if anyone else heard this roaring sound. My experience happened about two months ago.. I also woke up and heard like a frieght train Getting closer and closer but it sounded more like a deafening scream that would last for about 30 seconds and the stop.. meanwhile I’m trying to move or scream but nothing helps.. I feel an intense pressure on my chest and I was certain it was demonic because of the heaviness in the air… then after a few seconds of freedom from the crazy screaming it would start all over again, starting low to very high pitch like a train. In all it happened three times before I was able to move and I was so frightened to fall back asleep. I kept feeling the presence was in my room.. It felt so real that I was scared to sleep for a week.
Also I forgot to add that during the screaming in the ear my body was vibrating like crazy during the duration of the scream.. when I read about it on several websites they keep mentioning that it’s literally the last step before Astro projection which just sounds insane to me.. but they explained my exact experience to a tee which is freaking me out not gonna lie..
Now I’m scared that happens to me too but instead of screaming I hear a loud noise like a dog whistle that starts from a low pinch to a high pitch by the side of my ear and I feel as if something was sucking the life out of me. It scares me to sleep cause sometimes I feel like I won’t be able to take it and die