Sleep Paralysis Stories: Demons Or Hallucinations?

image of a classical painting representing sleep paralysis

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.

chart showing the results of my poll about the type of sleep paralysis experiences people have

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.

chart of poll results for how scared people are during sleep paralysis

Poll 3

Poll 3 shows that many readers first experienced sleep paralysis during adolescence.

chart with poll results about the age people first have sleep paralysis

Poll 4

Poll 4 shows that most readers don’t experience sleep paralysis on a regular basis. 

chart showing poll results about how often people have sleep paralysis

Poll 5

Poll 5 shows some of the ways readers deal with episodes. You’ll find more coping mechanisms below.

chart showing the results of the poll about techniques for stopping sleep paralysis

The not so scientific explanations for sleep paralysis

image of a woman floating above the bed

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.

3,365 Comments

  1. Hi so this just happened to me not even 30 mins ago. I was sleeping and I heard what I thought was my kids going up and down my stairs which are hard wood. I try to get up but I can’t move I’m on my stomach face down in my pillow can’t breathe trying to scream for my boyfriend but no noise came out of my mouth. This lasted about a min maybe more. When I was able to move I was going to kill my bf for trying to kill me but I look over and he is sleeping. Then my friend messaged me asking me if I was ok she had a creepy feeling something was wrong with me. Okay last night same thing happened except my face was not in my pillow and I didn’t feel like I was smothered but my stairwell sounded like someone with heels on going up and down hard wood stairs I was paralyzed was able to move again asked my bf to check on the kids he says they are asleep. Is this sleep paralysis?

    • Hi Amber

      Thanks for your comment. That does sound pretty much exactly like sleep paralysis. The inability to scream out, the paralysis, the sounds you heard all are common experiences people have during sleep paralysis.
      Regards
      Ethan

  2. I got my first at the age of 18. Woke in middle of the night couldn’t move had the feeling something was in the room with me couldn’t see it but overwhelming feeling someone or something was there I tried to speak and nothing. I remember the next day thinking i had a horrible dream. Many years later in my early 20s Married with kids it happend again in the middle of the night I woke couldn’t move feeling something was in the room with me I remember being angry and trying to tell whatever it was to screw off I remember trying to yell f off and only hearing a moan. It was a few years later that a heard a story on a radio show called coast to coast that had used the term sleep paralysis it sounded just like what I had experienced so I did some research online and it was comforting to find a scientific explanation. after I had one last attack it started same way middle of the night woke couldn’t move or speak but this time was different I didn’t panic or have a sense of dread like there was something in the room with me. I just road it out and haven’t had one of these since. I tell you after the first 2 I felt like I was in a bad horror movie but after looking it up it seemed to help a lot with the last one I had and thank you it was several years ago

    • Hi Charles,

      Thank you for sharing your sleep paralysis stories. It often happens that people experience just an isolated one or two episodes, and then nothing for a long time, if at all. It’s good that you managed to stay calm the second time around. I think this is one of the keys to getting through it as quickly and smoothly as possible.
      Hopefully you’ll go many more years without a repeat experience.
      Regards
      Ethan

  3. I am a 36 yr old female who has been dealing with sleep paralysis since the age of 13. Although i never knew initially what was happening. I grew up a firm believer of ghosts and demons. So i always thought that was what i was experiencing. I started out with just having fear that a ghost was pinning me down and i couldn’t see anything. About 5 years ago i began hallucinating during the episodes. And actually believed in one that i saw satan at the foot of my bed. I also had out of body experiences with them as well About a year ago i actually started finding the episodes funny and actually hoped these things would happen welcoming it to happen. I have recently been having severe day time sleepiness and it is so bad i am no longer allowed to drive so i scheduled a sleep study to find out what is wrong with me. But yesterday i had the worst episode ever of sleep paralysis where i was absolutely unable to wake up. Normally i always know when it is happening and i simply keep repeating in my head to wake this isn’t real after a few seconds i wake. But yesterday it didn’t work and the fear i was going to die over came me. I finally woke from the episode in absolute panic. My lamp was lit in my bedroom and my cell phone was in my hand turned on. I sat up in bed n was going to text my boyfriend to tell him what happened and at that moment i realized when i feel asleep my lamp was not on and my cell phone was on my bed table. I suddenly thought omg im not awake im stuck in this dream world. I looked up from my phone and the entire room turned pitch black and i started freaking out which woke me up for real this time. I felt so exhausted upon waking i immediately feel back to sleep and when i did it happened again. Which scared the crap out of me. I tried to move and i fell out of the bed in my dream. But i wasn’t able to stand i started reaching for the bed to stand up but the covers kept pulling of the bed and this fear that something evil was on my bed frightened me. Finally i woke and was terrified to go back to sleep. Fear that i may never wake and be stuck in this parallel dream world forever is terrifying. I dont know or understand why this is happening to me and i just want it to stop. But dont know how to make it stop. I need help.

    • Hi Stephanie,

      Thank you for your comment and for talking about your sleep paralysis. The episode you describe though, in which you woke up repeatedly in the dream but was still sleeping, sounds like what’s called false awakenings. I actually just finished an article about it, which I’m sure you’ll find interesting as it seems to me that it’s exactly what you went through.
      Your experience is also very interesting, and I’d be very grateful if you could take the time to describe it in more detail in the comments of the article about that. I’m sure other readers will also find it helpful to read and know that they’re not alone.
      You can find it here:

      False Awakenings: Dreaming About Waking Up

      Regards
      Ethan

  4. Woke up at 3:07am shaking. I was laying on my stomach and felt as if something is holding my head down. I remember a name being mentioned in my dream. I am afraid for some reason as I am saying this, but it is Mira. I do not have anyone in my life by this name nor have I watched a TV show, read a book, or movie relating to this name. I am 28 years old and had the waking shakes and paralization for the first time. I have however felt as if I had been floating over my bed twice in my life.

    • Hi there,
      Thanks for your comment. It sounds like you have experienced sleep paralysis from what you describe by waking up feeling pinned down and paralyzed, as well as what sounds like the sensation of an out of body experience. I wouldn’t worry about the name thing though. Sometimes there’s little point in trying to make sense of the things your brain comes up with! The shaking sounds a little unusual though. Have you spoken to your doctor about that? It might be worth asking them for their opinion.
      Regards
      Ethan

  5. I’m 14, and at one point last Summer I had several sleep paralysis experiences within the span of about a month. My first experience I remember waking up in the middle of the night, lying on my back to see a man standing at the end of my bed, just staring at me. My eyes were open looking at him, but I couldn’t move my body at all, nor could I speak. I remember he didn’t really have any eyes, they were just black holes. Terrifying, but one thing that stood out to me the most was that he had brown curly hair. I had never seen anyone like him before. One of the other experiences that had stood out to me as well was one of my last ones. I was lying on my stomach and had woken up to this demonic like creature sprawled out on the wall beside me, almost alien like. I remember staring right at it while again, my whole body was paralyzed. My breathing had increased rapidly while I had tried to scream for help. To stop the paralysis from continuing I find that thinking about a good friend of mine helps.

    • Hi Jillian
      Thanks for your comment and for sharing your sleep paralysis stories. That’s often he way it goes for some people; all of a sudden out of nowhere you have one sleep paralysis episode, then a few in a row, then perhaps nothing for ages or even never again. Hopefully it will be never again for you, especially considering how freaky those sound.
      I like the idea of thinking about a good friend. Positive thoughts are always a good thing.
      Regards
      Ethan

  6. I have just come round from an episode now. I am too scared to go back to sleep. I have this happen around 3 to 4 times a week and it is exhausting. I get to the point where I darent go to sleep and I have to make sure everything in my room is as it should be, no clothing hanging from strange places or hats or wardrobe doors open or else when I am paralysed and I can see but not move, these things that shouldnt be in that place can stand out and morph into bad things. My husband’s work helmet hanging innocently on my exercise machine was all I could see and it was like a white scary face. I threw it out of the door and told him off for leaving it there. I must sound insane to him making sure nothing is out of place and rigorously checking the bedroom as I do, demanding he closes cupboards etc or it could turn into a nightmare. It sounds ridiculous. When I am in a bad episode it is horrible. I feel like I am shaking and I am trying so so hard to awaken my other half. I’m screaming his name inside, trying desperately to touch him so he wakes up…. nothing. All the push and will in the world can not move any part of my body. Not even my neck or little finger, I try scratch him with my toe nails nothing. Cant even budge my toe.. just frozen in fear. It seems to last forever but it probably doesnt. I dont have a clock in the bedroom so I dont know. Just trying to breathe normally and waiting for it to subdue seems to take forever. When I do come round I feel like screaming or crying but theres no point. Sometimes it can happen again as soon as I go back to sleep so I try stay awake after it happens. Afterwards as always, I’m laid here staring at the bedroom door with the feeling of unease. I am exhausted mentally. I expect the door to burst open and some bad entity to come in but I know in reality it wont happen because I have had this for as long as I can remember, even as a very young child I used to tell my mum about being trapped and the bad man in the corner. I hate this disorder and wish I could wave a magic wand and get rid of it. Its so hard telling people because they just think you’re crazy. I have tried everything. Different positions, keeping hydrated, everything. I am not overweight, I dont smoke or drink. I am slim and healthy but this thing is like a mental drain which often leaves me feeling fuzzy headed and like I have a sponge in my brain for the day and I cant focus. It is so strange.
    Thank you.

    • Hi anj
      Thanks for your comment and for sharing your sleep paralysis experience. Sorry to hear that it’s been disrupting your life and sleep for so long. That must be a horrible burden to have dealt with all these years.
      Perhaps there’s something in the readers’ tips section you haven’t tried? I would also suggest that if it does happen, get up and go into another room for 10-20 minutes, have a relaxing drink of milk or tea, read something light-hearted and try to relax. Then go back to bed again. You might find that little break helps to stop another episode. If it gets to the point where it’s causing you serious disruption during the day, I would also suggest speaking to your doctor about it. They might be able to help in some way.
      As for checking the bedroom, that’s something I can completely understand. I always make sure I don’t have a dressing gown or other clothes hanging on my door for example because I know it easily morphs into the image of a man if I wake up feeling confused and see it in the semi-darkness. So you’re not crazy for doing that in my opinion.
      Regards
      Ethan

  7. I am 14. I have been having these experiences at least two times a week. I don’t panic whenever it happens, I just think “Not this again” and remain calm. I haven’t been getting sleep because I can’t fall asleep when I’m supposed to at 10 or 11, so I get on my computer and stay up till at least 3 AM. (I’m also still on summer break, so going to bed early isn’t a high priority for me) Then when I’m tired enough, I doze off with no problem. But when I wake up, that’s when it happens. The last time it happened was Yesterday, and I felt like I was floating. I wiggled my fingers until my right arm woke up, woke up my other arm, and then finally snapped out of it. I’m not sure how long it lasted, but it only felt like 30 seconds. I didn’t experience any hallucinations or pressure on my chest either.

    • Hi Evan

      Thanks for your comment. I can understand that it’s not always easy to go to bed at the time your parents decide you should, especially during holidays when you’re not usually so worn out during the day.
      Keeping to a stable sleep pattern is really important in getting good quality sleep though. And not having a stable schedule is generally thought of as being a trigger for lots of different sleep problems, sleep paralysis included.
      It’s great that you stay calm, and have managed to develop the finger wiggle technique. My advice would be though to also try and go to bed earlier, and perhaps try reading instead of playing the computer until late. I know it’s difficult when the computer is so much fun! But it will help you sleep better if you go to bed a bit earlier than 3 and try reading instead.
      All the best
      Ethan

  8. I have SP a few times every week. Sometimes nightly, but as I am aging it is becoming less common. It started when I was a pre-teen. I am now 27. I am STILL afraid of it. I find the only thing that makes it go away is to call on Jesus. Nothing else works but as soon as I either say “Jesus save me” or sing “Jesus loves me, yes I know” it immediately goes away. Unfortunately for me when I am having SP, even after coming out of it , when I try to fall asleep again I slip right back into it. Over and over. I have never been harmed by it yet and still after over 15 years of weekly experiences I am just as fearful. Most likely because some sort of audio hallucination comes with it: TV, running water, laughter, snoring. I have only had 3 visual hallucinations. Scared me so bad I couldn’t sleep alone. I do believe its an evil spirit.

    • Hi Bri
      Thank you for your comment. I can understand why it scared you so much, especially if your personal belief is that it is an evil spirit. Personally, I don’t think it is and that the hallucinations and sleep paralysis are a product of your own natural function at night. It’s good that you’ve found something which can help when it happens, and also good that it’s happening less to you as time goes by. But a few times a week still must be a drain on you. Hopefully you’ll have some new ideas now for dealing with it.
      Regards
      Ethan

  9. I suffer from schizophrenia so hearing voices doesn’t scare me however SP does. I just woke up scared out of my mind. I woke up and felt something next to me. At first i was curious so I touched it. I kept touching it then it got up and was over me. It had human skin with alot of wrinkles no eyes. I was petrified. I used all my strength and slapped it over and over then it vanished and i felt a pain in my chest. i heard my heart beating and felt it attacking me.

    I have had a lot of SP during my life and they keep getting worse. Everytime i get free i see a bunch of creatures pinning me down or holding me. The worse SP i had was about 8 months ago.I had SP everytime i went to sleep for 5 days. I was sleep and felt something hold me. It said its name was zero and i woke up. The next day i went to sleep it happened again i couldn’t move and it licked me. The days went on and on till finally when i was free i got up and punched it to death it was pale green with a mask. I kept punching it till it didn’t move. Ever since then when i’m in SP i am filled with rage and anger and want to kill it. And now a new thing has appeared. I will try and take your advice and be calm…i will try next time it happens… I will take your advice cause I am not sure what to do. Thanks for posting your story.

    • Hi Aqua

      Thank you for sharing your story. Whether you have a mental health issue which can cause hallucinations or not, I still think that a lot of the advice remains the same. And trying to stay calm is definitely a good thing to try and achieve. I’m not sure though if sleep paralysis is the best explanation for all of the events you describe because you seem to be able to move at times and then continue to interact with the hallucination. Have you spoken to your doctor about what happens during these episodes? They might be able to help you work out what the best explanation is, and therefore how best to tackle it. But in the meantime, I think trying to keep calm and not allow yourself to be consumed by rage is a good and positive step.
      Regards
      Ethan

  10. I’ve had sleep paralysis episodes for as long as I can remember. Usually about 3-4 times a year. Lately they’ve been getting worse and a lot more realistic. I “wake up” to someone crouched next to my bed, repeatedly calling out a name (not my name, but I don’t remember what name it is). I can’t move or open my eyes or tell it to stop. At the same time I swear I can feel my cat who recently passed away running around on my bed with me and climbing all over me. I know about the finger wiggle method – all the methods of waking myself – but in the moment I don’t remember any of them. I struggle to get up and feel like my body is made of lead. I get off the bed but the covers are still strangling me as I lunge towards my bedroom door to turn on the lights (I forget about the nightstand lamp completely). Just as I reach the lights I am back in my bed again struggling to open my eyes and it starts all over again. This goes on for what seems like hours. I live alone, and I sleep with the hallway light on outside my open bedroom door, the music playing on low, a fan on pointed at me to feel the air to help me wake up, and my curtains open facing the bright city lights. I do have narcolepsy, but up until lately these nightmares haven’t been recurring often enough to be an issue. My problem is that I don’t remember the tricks to wake myself up because I don’t understand what is happening in that moment. It’s causing problems in my life because I am extremely out of sorts and exhausted in the morning. Also terrified of going to sleep. Once I’m awake I understand what it is that’s happening to me, but how can I remember what is going on while it’s happening so that I know what to do?

    • Hi Sarah

      Thank your for your comment. I can understand your frustration at not being able to remember the techniques, or even realise what’s happening to you in the moment. I think sometimes it’s a case of reinforcing those techniques in your mind as much as possible.

      You could choose a few of them, and even write them down next to your bed on a piece of paper for example. Then when you go to bed, just take a moment to remind yourself of them. You don’t need to spend ages on them, as it’s better just to relax rather than worrying yourself about it. But a few moments to remind yourself before you go to bed should help.

      You can also during the day do some visualization work. Imagine yourself waking up in the situation you describe, but instead of what happens to you, imagine an alternative ending where you do wiggle your finger and then wake up.

      One other thing though is about what you describe with reaching the light switch, then waking up back in bed. It sounds to me like that might be something called false awakenings. Have a read of that article and see if it makes sense to you at all.

      I would also suggest talking to your doctor or sleep specialist about it. If it’s reached the point of being that scared to sleep, they might be able to provide you with some extra support and ideas, and if nothing else some reassurance.

      Stay strong
      Regard
      Ethan

  11. my experiences were on three occasions. the first was me waking up with a strange woman sitting by my bed stroking my hair saying my full name like she was contemplating something. the next was the same but she talked about something i don’t really remember what and then she simply got up and walked out the door. the last was her standing in my room next to a celtic dressed man he muttered something in some weird language and she said that i wasn’t ready for the journey yet. freaky.

    • Hi sgt kerero

      Thank your for your comment. Yes, sleep paralysis can be very feaky indeed. Especially when you have such vivid hallucinations as you did. Hopefully you won’t have too many more experiences, and if you do will be equipped with some practical techniques for dealing with it now.
      Regards
      Ethan

  12. This would be my 3rd episode of sleep paralysis. They happen at random times.
    However last night was rather disturbing for me. I was having a normal dream and then all of a sudden I was over come by darkness it looked like a mist of thick darkness surrounding me and completely stopping me from seeing any light I couldn’t move my body. I forced my self awake by digging my fingernail into my leg and the same thing happened again when I fell asleep but this time I couldn’t move it felt like I was going to die. eventually able to move my arm and awaken from the darkness. I turned on my bedside lamp and went back to sleep.

    • Hi Sarah
      Thank you for your comment. I’m not totally sure from your comment whether you’re describing sleep paralysis, or perhaps dreaming that you’re paralyzed, which is also quite common. Do you think you were awake in bed, but paralyzed, when this happened? Or were you in fact asleep and dreaming and then woke up? There is quite a big difference between what the two possibilities mean, so it’s important to be sure which it is to be able to fully understand what happened to you.
      Regards
      Ethan

  13. I get sleep paralysis, but mine is different from anything I’ve heard from anyone else. When I get sleep paralysis my heart starts beating fast and (what feels like) irregularly until I fight my way out of it. I’ve been to the doctor because I’ve had other weird heart related symptoms and they haven’t been able to find anything.

    This morning was different however. I woke up early feeling some anxiety, tight chest. As I started drifting back off, I fell into sleep paralysis. As usual it felt like my heart was doing things it shouldn’t have been doing and I started breathing more rapidly and I could hear myself making these snorting sounds (which is a recent thing that has started happening when I’m trying to get myself out of it; maybe I’m trying to talk, I don’t know; it’s hard to say exactly what’s going through my mind through all of it because it seems to happen so fast). But this time my heart started hurting, or maybe it was the chest area. Either way, it felt very real.

    So yeah, I’m freaked out. I was used to that other stuff by now so if it happened I’d still be able to go back to sleep eventually, but after earlier I’m afraid to.

    • Hi Nick

      Thanks for your comment, and I can completely understand why it is worrying you. Whether there really is anything happening with your heart or not, when it feels like something wrong, it’s not a pleasant experience at all.

      The problem is, sometimes when you have experiences like sleep paralysis, there can be temporary physiological effects and also the feeling that something is crushing your chest (and/or heart) due to the depressed breathing which happens during the paralysis. But trying to replicate that feeling when sitting in a doctor’s surgery during the day might be impossible.

      If you say there are other times when you feel like it beats irregularly, then there might well be. It may be within the realms of being normal though, and again it could be that when you go to the doctor there is nothing to pick up.

      My advice if it continues to worry you would be to speak to the doctor again. They might be able to offer you a 24 hour monitor to see if that can pick anything up. And if you go again, then they might realise that it’s a real concern to you and not just a one-off and see if they can help explain to you what does or doesn’t fall into the spectrum of normal heart behavior.

      Regards
      Ethan

  14. Hello, I had sleep paralysis happen to me 3 times. They all happened to me about 2 years ago. I never researched until now. Basically because it only happened the 3 times. The only thing different in my experiences is that I was not sleeping when it happened. The one time i had just gotten home from work and wasn’t even in bed for 5 minutes. I felt it come on though. Slowly. Almost like I was going numb. And because I wasn’t already sleeping I was some how able to open my eyes enough as though i was squinting. I SAW the blankets around me form over my body and while I was struggling to scream and wake my boyfriend my dog started freaking out and barking. I saw a few things that made me question my own sanity during that time but it stopped after that night. Other things have happened to me but that’s a different story. I basically forgot about it until the other night, I think it happened again. I remember trying to get a scream out. It was a struggled scream, almost a moan and it’s freaking me out. I thought about the out of body thing but that doesn’t explain the forming of the blankets Around me. So I don’t know what to think

    • Hi Shell,

      Thanks for your comment, and I can understand why your experience left you feeling confused about what to think. Sleep paralysis can happen as you are falling asleep as well as when you’re waking up, so that’s not unusual. And it’s quite common to experience hallucinations with it, so the moving blankets episode could easily fall under the category of sleep paralysis. I’m assuming that it’s what you thought you saw, rather than you actually believe they moved by themselves, though these kind of hallucinations can be so real that you can easily believe something actually happened.
      Hopefully you won’t have many more episodes in your life – it sounds like it happens very rarely. If it does happen again, try to remember some of the advice from the article and it might make it easier to deal with.
      Regards
      Ethan

  15. I am 14 years old and I have always been able to feel evil spirits. Before my 14th birthday I had an OBE. I had a dream that I woke up,but only to find out that I was still asleep. It then felt like I was floating. I remember even how high I was. I was about 2 feet out of my body, but I was unconscious. I then felt a foot stomping on my stomach pushing me down into my body. When I woke up my whole body was shaking vigorously as if I was seizing , and I remember my lips. My lips where quivering and I felt like something ran across my chest. Once I quite shaking I felt a fear rush across my body. I felt the evil spirit about 3 feet away. And the closer the spirit the more painful my back draws. Then the other day I was telling my mom and she said it was an OBE. I did research and started recording everything. That night I started to fall asleep on the recliner and I felt the spirit over top of my head, and my back drew up and the pain was almost unbearable. I started to pray, then I realized I couldn’t move. It took almost all my strength to barely open my eyes. The spirit basically paralyzed me and was making me extremely weak so all I could do was pray all night until I fell asleep. I still feel it but not as bad and I don’t know when I will have another one.

    • Hi Courtney
      Thanks for your comment. It sounds like a very unpleasant few experiences you’ve had. I’m wondering, when you said you woke up with your body shaking, was this something you think you imagined as part of the paralysis, or were you actually shaking? If so, it’s probably a good idea to speak to a doctor just to make sure you’re ok and not having any problems when you’re sleeping. Did you tell you mum about it? She might want to get you checked out just to be sure.
      In terms of the actual dream and OOB experience, it does sound like it could have been. But also, it sounds like what’s sometims called a false awakening, where you dream you woke up, but were still dreaming. This can be very confusing and you can wake up thinking all kinds of things actually happened.
      Hopefully you’ll have found some useful information in this article, and if it happens again to you, try some of the ideas like wiggling a finger. You might find this a useful way of dealing with it rather than only fighting it through prayer.
      All the best
      Ethan

  16. I’ve only experienced sleep paralysis once, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. I was 18 at the time and suddenly I woke up because I could hear the drawers of my wardrobe being opened and closed very violently. The person who was opening them I believe was the lady who was hosting me in her house; I was completely sure although she was wearing a long black cloak. I still don’t know why I was so sure about this, I just know that I kept trying to yell her name but no words would come out of my mouth. Then she turned around; I couldn’t see the face of the person but I can assure you I’ve never been more terrified. Then I was suddenly awake. My drawers were all closed and when I went down to the kitchen for breakfast she was lovely as always, but somehow the image I had of her changed completely.

    • Hi there

      Thanks for your comment and for sharing your sleep paralysis story. It sounds very disturbing, and I can completely empathize with your view of her changing. I often have dreams which are so vivid, the feeling from them carries on for the whole of the next day. It’s very strange, and even though you know it was a dream, you can’t shake the emotion it left you with.
      Hopefully it won’t happen to you again, but if it does, you’ll have some ideas for dealing with it.
      Regards
      Ethan

  17. I have experienced it several times. today during the daytime i was sleeping on my front and i had sleep paralysis. after one of my friends annoyed me by using insulting words, i was so furious, put a radical end to my relationship with him. I isolated myself in my room as an introvert and went to bed. when my brain woke up, my body was paralyzed. my body -of course including my eyes – was totally closed. but i was aware what was going on. i tried to move my body but i couldn’t. then my cat came onto my bed, which was a hallucination because my cat was in my mothers house in reality. so i was astonished how the cat could come to my bed from mums house. i didn’t have the vision of the cat just its voice purring and a feeling that it was near me. maybe its frequency, aura or whatever called. i was not afraid during the paralysis. even i said to myself that i was not afraid. i tried to move my finger and then slowly the rest. i succeeded in my finger but the rest was impossible. i stayed calm and waited. i started to repeat the prayers and say the sentence meaning : i start by the name of merciful Allah which is an Islamic one. after some seconds i was fully awake.

    • Hi Ebru
      Thanks for your comment. It does sounds very much like sleep paralysis, and I guess in some ways you’re lucky that your mind was thinking up your cat rather than some of the scary things people often experience.
      It also sounds like you did a couple of the key things to deal with it – try to wiggle a body part and stay calm. And many people say that prayer helps them. I think anything which can help you take your attention away from the potentially scary experience of sleep paralysis is worth trying.
      Regards
      Ethan

  18. I am 13, I have sleep paralysis almost every week and it started when I moved into my new house 2 years ago, every time it happened i would always wake up unable to move and talk and I would see a tall dark shadow beside me / at the end of my bed, with exception of one time I felt as if I was floating. I just recently had one about an hour ago and I can’t get back to sleep, I woke up unable to move and talk but I could move my eyes, there where 3 tall dark figures in a circle around me and I felt as if they where trying to suffocate me/ drill into my head after I was able to move again I had a panic attack because of how terrifying the experience was.

    • Hi Sophia
      Thanks for your comment, and I can totally understand why you couldn’t get back to sleep, and why you had a panic attack. Have you spoken to your family about it? I know sometimes people are worried others will think they’re crazy, but it can be really helpful to have someone to talk to about it, or just to get a hug when you’re feeling scared. And if they don’t quite understand what’s going on, then you can show them this article, and hopefully they will look into it with you, help you to understand it, and find ways to cope with it better if it happens so regularly. They could maybe get you a little night-light for example. But also just knowing you can go to them if it happens will be a big help.
      And of course you can yourself try to remember some of the tips other readers have given. For example, try to put all your focus on wiggling a toe or finger, then your leg or arm and the rest of your body. Try to stay calm, and tell yourself that nothing bad will happen. You’ve been through it before, so you can get through it again:-)
      Take care
      Ethan

  19. I am 60 and have had recurring episodes of this, but not many in the last 5 years or so. I would feel like I was being pulled off the bed by my ankles or that my legs were being spread open. And I was unable to move for what seemed like a long time but was actually only a few seconds. I felt an “evil” presence and even my eyelids felt paralyzed. When I finally opened my eyes I would be surprised I was still in a normal position on the bed and still under the covers. Always felt terrified while it was happening and confused and relieved when it ended.

    • Hi Michele
      Thanks for your comment. I sometimes think that those kind of experiences must be amongst the most terrifying. To see and hear things is bad enough, but to actually physically feel like some unknown force is dragging you off the bed by your feet sounds like the stuff of horror films…
      I hope you’ve found some useful tips in the article which you can use if it happens again.. I especially recommend the moving a finger or toe, and trying to remain as calm as possible.
      Regards
      Ethan

  20. I have only had this happen to me once, when i was 17, and when i asked my dr about it he just looked at me like i was crazy. I woke up feeling like there was 1000lbs on my chest, crushing me. I couldnt move at all and while i didnt see anything, the feeling of a “bad” or evil presence was definitely there- i instantly thought the devil was sitting on my chest, trying to smother me. I struggled to move or wake up but only was able to eventually fall back to sleep instead. I woke up the next day still completely terrified, but i am 28 now and it hasnt happened since.

    • Hi Rachelle
      Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately there are more than 80 different sleep disorders, and not all doctors are experts in them! So sometimes until they’ve had exposure to it for one reason or another, it can happen that they don’t know much about it. But it also partly depends on how you describe the experience etc to how they will perceive you.
      It’s good that it only happened once though. Hopefully it will stay that way.
      Regards
      Ethan

  21. For me I’ve been getting sleep paralysis for about a year now. At first I would only get it like every 2 months or so but now I get it almost every single night. Last night I got it twice in a night. My first one I just hallucinated a dark figure by my closet. Another early one I knew to think of happy thoughts so I thought of babies and a baby popped up in front of my face. Soon my sleep paralysis became way more scary. I would hallucinate my mom screaming angrily in my face. Or my little brother standing at my door watching me sleep. Another I hallucinated that I “woke up” from sleep paralysis and ran to my parents room and my dad says “everything’s gunna be okay” and then pins me down onto the bed, that moment I realize I was still in sleep paralysis so I “wake up” again and the same exact thing happened so I couldn’t finally wake up until a third time after hearing a voice say “you wanna wake up?” My most recent ones have been more scary in sleep paralysis flying came to my mind so I started raising out from my body and I was almost fully out with only my foot still in my body but I got scared that I wouldn’t be able to get back in so I went right back in but then a strong force tries to pull me out of my body so I fought it back to stay down and it starts almost choking me and then it angrily whispers in my ear in an demonic electronic voice gibberish that I understand was saying something like why don’t you come out of your body!! And then last night my second sleep paralysis was the scariest a force was pulling my hands and instead of staying calm and waking up like usual I fought back the force and all of a sudden the huge demonic voice screamed at me “GIVE ME THIS. I WANT MORE OF YOU” this was terrifying I knew if I wanted to get out of it I would have to stay calm so I stayed calm and woke myself up. I always wake myself up by staying calm and moving my fingers until I’m awake. I’m scared to go back to sleep though the experience is truly utterly terrifying. It’s hard to discuss this considering a lot of people don’t understand what sleep paralysis and don’t believe it. My parents don’t believe that sleep paralysis is a thing they think it’s just nightmares so it’s frustrating. This is the first post I ever wrote about it

    • Hi Car
      Thank you for your comment and for sharing your experiences. It sounds like you have quite a lot of different and scary experiences going on. When you talk about staying calm and trying to wiggle your finger, it definitely makes me think of sleep paralysis. Equally the out-of-body experience you describe also sounds a lot like sleep paralysis.
      However, I did get a little confused about the one about waking up and running to another room. That does sound more like a bad dream rather than sleep paralysis to me. I’m wondering if perhaps you have both sleep paralysis and nightmares? And on top of that probably hallucinations when falling asleep or waking, making it even more confusing.
      It’s a shame your parents don’t believe that sleep paralysis exists. Perhaps show them this article, or even an article on a website they may already know like

  22. I’ve thought to have sleep paralysis before, but for me it’s always when I’m just about to fall asleep. Every time it happened before tonight, I would just hear people talking to each other, but tonight I had visuals too. I turned over and decided I should go to bed, since it’s so late. After that, I thought I was asleep but I could still hear the tv, but I was at my boyfriends house (we just had an argument and I was upset; his house is about 3-4 blocks away), and everything was dark. His dog attacked me and he actually really likes me (at this point I just kind of felt like I was having a tiny nightmare and I was half asleep). After the dog attacked me I seemed to open my eyes, and my whole room melted away to black and white tiles with the sound of maniacal laughter. Once the room stopped spinning with tiles, I noticed either a clown (which I have no fear of) or a “demon” right aside from my bed (which is where my tv stand is). This only lasted a few seconds or 1-2 minutes, but I’m not sure. I somehow woke myself up, I was so appalled by the images I was seeing that I just had to get out of that somehow. I don’t know how I got out of it, I thought I was dead. But after I woke up I heard a bump in my room (which might have been the house settling), but that was too freaky, so I went and got one of my dogs to stay in bed with me for the night.

    • Hi Megan
      Thanks for your comment, and I can understand why your experience was so freaky at the time. I’m wondering whether it was actually sleep paralysis or not though, which you yourself also seem to have questioned. Were you actually unable to move physically in bed at some point during the experience? You don’t mention this key point.
      Otherwise it could have been a nightmare which just also seemed to take place in your bedroom. Sometimes it can be confusing to tell whether you are in bed and hallucinating things in your bedroom, or asleep and dreaming of stuff happening in your bedroom. Which do you think it was?
      Regards
      Ethan

  23. I’ve suffered from this since I was around 6. It used to happen when I was very upset. now in the past few months it’s been almost nightly. No matter the position I sleep in, no matter how early, the only way it stops is if I sleep with the TV on. I just want it all to stop.

    • Hi Cynthia
      Thanks for your comment, and I’m sorry to hear you’re struggling with sleep paralysis at the moment. Have you tried experimenting to see if it stops with just the radio or music? You could perhaps use that to slowly get yourself back to normality, if you find it annoying sleeping with the TV on. Or perhaps even a soft night-light might help you. Has something been upsetting you recently, or causing you stress or anxiety? If it has, then perhaps finding a way to deal with that might help.
      Regards
      Ethan

  24. I Just encountered my second episode of sp.
    This has been the 3rd time in 2 years i’ve encountered it. Although today was different because i was sleeping on my stomach. I remember falling asleep at 1a.m., mind you i was tossing and turning for about 2 hours. I woke up from it at 1:30. I remember waking up feeling as if someone was on my lower back pushing me into my bed. I couldn’t move but i could hear the tv on in the other room. I tried yelling for my brother in which went from me yelling to not being able to whisper in 2 seconds. My eyes slowly closed and when i opened them i could see a black shadow on the other side of my bed. I quickly closed my eyes again and within seconds i woke up really thirsty, my chest was pounding and it felt like someone was there with me in my room.

    • Hi Jeff
      Thank you for your comment and for sharing your story. It sounds like quite a classic case of sleep paralysis, and understandably quite disturbing for you. From what I can gather, trying to scream doesn’t seem to work very well for most people. If it happens again, instead try focusing your attention on wiggling a finger or toe, and then work your way up your body. This seems to be the most effective technique for stopping sleep paralysis.
      All the best
      Ethan

  25. Hi, my name is Des.
    It’s been thrilling to read about other people’s experiences with sleep paralysis, since I very recently had my first encounter with it myself. So I thought I’d share what I experienced.

    My first encounter was actually rather comical.
    I have known, and read, about the phenomenon and I’m generally quite a curious sort of person, so I was in fact excited, even thrilled, when it happened to me!

    I woke up one morning realizing that I could not open my eyes, or move at all for that matter. For a moment I thought it was rather odd and I did get scared at first, but then I understood that I was in a state of sleep paralysis, and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.

    After what felt like a good ten minutes (probably just a matter of seconds) I became aware of a sound. A low frequency hum that just got louder and louder, until I felt like my eardrums would rupture, however there was no pain involved. The next thing I knew, I felt someone or something actually sit down on the bed next to me. I could feel the mattress being pushed down, but of course I could not open my eyes to see who, or what it was that had just sat down next to me.

    My response was to try and hug it (Still makes me smile when I think about it). See, I figured if I could just force my arms to wrap around it, and hold it there. I could perhaps keep it there for long enough for me to wake up and discover what it was. Of course that brilliant plan did not work out since I still couldn’t move, and the being slipped away from me as I finally woke up.

    As sleep paralysis stories go, this was perhaps not the most exciting one, but I do like my approach to it all. “Ohhh scary threatening experience, and someone just sat down next to me even though I ought to be alone in my apartment? Yeah, let’s hug it!”

    Knowing about the phenomenon probably helped me to keep my cool, and just enjoy the ride.

    • Hi Des
      Thank you for your comment, and I have to say you made me smile with the light-hearted nature of your experience. So in that way, it may not be the most exciting story as you say, but it’s certainly an unusual and funny change from the scary experiences most readers describe.
      I really like the idea of trying to somehow capture whatever it was your mind had conjured up and see what it actually was. And I also like the idea of keeping your cool, enjoying the ride and embracing the whole experience with a curious mind. If everyone could do that, it would probably help them a great deal.
      All the best
      Ethan

  26. Hello I’m 31, and experienced a sleep paralysis episode last night. In my younger days I had this happen often, and it happened normally when I was extremely tired and not getting the proper rest. Last night was a bit different then normal. I would say I was ten minutes into sleep when it started. I was shaking and screaming trying to wake my husband to wake me up. I started seeing evil things like floating such as skulls, demons etc. I’m a religious person so I repeated in the name of Jesus. I woke up finally, looked at my husband who was snoring away and went back to sleep. The next morning I asked my husband “honey why didn’t you help me last night while I was being attacked in my sleep?” His reply “ummmmm what in the world are u talking about woman” LOL, moral of the story is its just sleep paralysis nothing more nothing less. After this episode I slept just as peaceful as ever. Praying thru it does work tho! :)

    • Hi Misty
      Thanks for your comment. I’m a little confused as to whether it was actually sleep paralysis or a bad dream though. You say you were about 10 minutes into sleep when it happened. Did you then wake up unable to move your body and seeing those things? Or were you seeing them in your dream and trying to scream out within the dream?
      Regards
      Ethan

  27. I had an incredibly vivid experience like this last night/this morning. I was completely exhausted over the last 3 days, and so slept 11 hours.

    After completing a very vivid, positive lucid dream, I suddenly was in my room, on my bed, at dawn, with my eyes seemingly open. I heard my front door open, despite it being locked. Immediately, I knew that something horrible was entering my room.

    I’ve had very mild sleep paralysis before, waking up but not being able to move for 10-30 seconds, but have NEVER experienced visuals before. I had read about similar experiences, so I knew exactly what was happening, but an irrational, powerful fear began to war with my rational mind.

    I tried to will myself awake with all of my strength (I actually thought I was still asleep and not paralyzed. I’m still not sure which I was). But I couldn’t, and in seconds a figure appeared beside me.

    It was all in white, a button-up plain white shirt, with no head. Its sleeves had no hands as it raised them in the strangulation pose.

    At this point, my mind was clashing between irrational terror and a sense of, “I know this isn’t real, but I want it to end. Wake up!”

    That continued to not work as the thing advanced, so I tried to will up my beloved cat to attack the thing or at least appear beside me, similar to how I deal with unpleasant images in lucid dreams. This didn’t work, but the mental exercise (I could literally feel myself imagining, but not seeing the imagery like I visually and clearly saw the Thing) distracted me somewhat from the fear.

    The thing put its hands on my throat, but all I felt was a light airiness, and then I jolted awake in my bed. I immediately knew what had happened, and my heart wasn’t even pounding very hard, but I was still a little freaked out.

    Articles like this, telling me that I’m not alone in experiencing this, have been incredibly helpful. Thank you.

    • Hi Jake,
      Thanks for your comment and for sharing your sleep paralysis story. I can understand exactly why you felt a little freaked out! Especially if this was the first time you have experienced such a vivid episode of visual hallucinations along with the sleep paralysis. I think that you’re right in that the effort of trying to visualize your cat probably helped take your mind and focus away from the hallucination. And reminding yourself that it’s not real is also an effective way of helping yourself keep as calm as possible in understandably difficult circumstances.
      Maybe next time, if there is one, try the wiggling a finger or toe technique and see if that helps, both to regain movement and shift your focus.
      I’m glad you found the article useful, and thank you for saying so. You’re most definitely not alone!
      Regards
      Ethan

  28. Until tonight I did not know what was going on. I was trying to sleep but my wife wanted to read. For about an hour or so I was in and out of sleep responding to my wife’s movements or even her talking to me. Finally after a while my wife got tired. We are cuddly people, so she likes to put her head on my shoulder, which usually puts me on my back. After 10 or 15 minutes of trying to fall asleep with no success, I started to get a ringing in my ears. As soon as the ringing started my body went numb and I couldn’t move. I never get the feeling of an intruder or possession, I just feel stuck and because of that I begin to panic. I don’t like the feeling of being held down so I start to feel claustrophobic. Fortunately after years of this happening I have just through trial and error found that all I have to do is wiggle my foot which leads to my leg from the knee down to move then my hand usually is freed. From that I am able to come out of it to be able to sit up. I’ve also found that it occurs when I am on my back and if I want to remain on my back all I have to do is get up and take a walk to get a drink. I have also been able (before I got married) to keep moving my leg and the numbness and audible ring in my ears stay away and I eventually fall asleep. In the instance of just now I was unable to move my hand and completely move my legs. My arm was around my wife and I didn’t want to wake her, however I had to get out of it. This particular time I was able to muster a moan and she was able to move me cause she got scared. I came out of it and told her what happened and she thought that was weird. After reading his site now, 3:20 AM, I finally understand for the first time that I am not alone.

    • Hi Ian,

      Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you found the article comforting, and I’m sure you realised from the quantity of comments that you’re definitely not alone! I think that knowledge can often make a big difference in how you react to something as potentially frightening as sleep paralysis, and help you keep calm.
      I think the wiggling a toe or finger is one of the most widely reported effective ways of dealing with sleep paralysis. Just keep focusing on that idea whilst trying to stay calm if it happens again.
      Regards
      Ethan

  29. Hi there, many years ago, i’ll say from teens to mid 20s I used to go through this but I’m 35 now and hadn’t had an experience for a long while. This morning however i’ll say about 5:45 in the morning my eyes could partly open and I felt a presence I felt my covers pulled off me and I felt like something was looking at me and just looking at my body I felt this I tried to move and shout but I couldn’t it was all a blur but when I finally got use of my muscles again I actually flt the presence flee. But funny enough when I looked at the covers they were still over me. But I really felt something. Are u sure it’s not another being floating around trying to do something to me? It’s never happened to me like that before.

    • Hi Sherlyn
      Thanks for your comment. I personally don’t think it’s another being, no. Many previous readers have also left comments saying how they felt the covers were being pulled off them. Sometimes they also wake up with them still there, or find they have pushed them off the bed. But in no cases did anything bad happen to anyone. We can have very real feeling hallucinations of touch and physical movement. Try not to worry about it, which I know can be tricky.
      Regards
      Ethan

  30. Last night I experienced this for the second time in my life, the first time in around 10 years. I was sleeping on my couch which is up against a wall opposite the front door of my apartment. The thing that really spooked me is that I could hear someone trying to unlock and open my door. My instinct said to jump up and grab a golf club or something to defend myself but I just could not move at all. After a minute or so I fell back asleep. But I am wondering, could I have hallucinated the sounds at my door or could it be that the sounds at the door were real and that is what woke me up into the sleep paralysis state? Unfortunately I have had an intruder enter my apartment once before – not a burglar but my roommate at the time left our door unlocked and a drunk wandered in and passed out in our living room.

    • Hi Max
      Thanks for your comment. To be honest you’ll probably never know which it was, unless it happens repeatedly in which case you can probably assume you’re hallucinating the sounds. I guess the noise could have influenced the sleep paralysis state. But equally it could have been a complete hallucination or even just a light sounds which your brain then latched onto and turned into the feeling that the door was being played with.
      Hopefully it won’t happen again!
      Regards
      Ethan

  31. I’ve just experienced what i believe to be my first and hopefully only SP. I’m visiting my dad with my 3 children. I fell asleep thinking about my guardian angel that I have always believed to hover over me. I’m not sure why particularly I was thinking about him tonight, but when i feel vulnerable or like something bad might happen I visualize this guardian growing larger to cover my whole family. My husband is away from us at the moment and i was thinking of him growing over half the country to cover him. I fell asleep feeling safe and relaxed. Only around 45 min later i awoke suddenly. My eyes popped open and i felt a presence of pure evil lurking, it was dark in the room and i couldn’t make a figure out but some kind of stringy haze above me and my baby who was in the port a crib next to me. I don’t recall if i couldn’t move but I screamed out for my Dad and as soon as i could register to move I got out of the bed and met my Dad in the Hallway. My heart was racing and i was absolutely panicked. I told him what i saw and felt and he said he’s always thought they’re was a ghost in the house, and was almost not surprised it happened. I’m up over and hour later and i cannot get the goosebumps to stop and I’m flinching at every small creak. There is also an intermittent smell passing through the room that is extremely foul. I have no idea if that is related. I found this site looking for some way to calm my nerves and explain what the hell just happened to me. I am too afraid to go back to sleep. Help me calm down please!

    • Hi Sarah
      Thank you for your comment. I can understand why you felt so scared following this experience. Without the paralysis bit, it’s hard to say whether it actually was sleep paralysis or not. But the fact that your eyes popped open and you were able to scream for help makes me doubt it.
      So the question would then be, what was it? I imagine that it could have been either some over-lapping of a dream you may have had. Or it could be just a simple, though frightening, hypnompompic hallucination. It’s very common for people to see things in the darkness either when falling asleep or waking up.
      I think you probably then became understandably very anxious, even more so after your dad’s comments about the ghost, which then led to your being hyper-vigilant and sensitive to noise, smell feelings etc.
      I think that in situations like this it’s important to remind yourself that it’s just your very powerful brain playing tricks on you. Turn the lights on, read a book or have a drink for a while. Maybe even watch something funny on television. Do some relaxation techniques or meditation if you like that sort of thing. Then try to sleep again and don’t allow it to make you fear going to sleep.
      All the best
      Ethan

  32. About a year ago i was experiencing sleep paralysis almost every night for about a month. I would “wake up” in the middle of the night but i could not move or talk. Looking around i noticed a tall shadowy figure standing at one end of the hallway outside of my room. In the blink of an eye, the shadow had moved to just outside my doorway. Another blink and it was standing in the far corner of my room slightly behind my door against the wall. One more blink and this figure was right in front of my face. I could clearly make it out and it wasnt just some shadowy figure… it was a rotting human skeleton with torn robes. It had many sharp horns on the top of its head and its eyes were blazing red dots in a skull where our eyes are normally. It would reach for me with its hands which had long and sharp claws instead of regular fingers. It also had jagged, razor sharp teeth and would growl at me just mere inches from my face. It was absolutely terrifying. On nights when this didnt happen, there would be loud scratching on my bedroom door when i was fully awake. I’d get up and open the door: nothing. Close the door and lay back down: commence creepy scratching noises. Things would fall off of the counters in the kitchen while i was watching tv. Sometimes the computer would boot up by itself on max volume even though everything was off and turned down. When i no longer saw this figure in my sleep, all of this suddenly stopped. Going into the basement was still scary though. It was always 10-15 degrees colder in the basement and it just felt as if something evil was standing beside you the entire time down there. I have since moved and have not experienced anything like this ever since. All i know is even remembering this happening is still scary to think about at times.

    • Hi Pam
      Thanks for your comment and for sharing your very creepy sleep paralysis story with us. That sounds pretty awful, so I’m not surprised it still scares you just thinking about it.
      It does sound exactly like sleep paralysis though, so I think you can probably put to rest the idea of there being something evil involved. Hopefully reading the article will have helped a little with reassuring you.
      I have no idea why moving has stopped it happening, but to be honest there could be lots of different reasons. Even something as simple as the set-up of your bed or bedroom can have an impact on your sleep.
      By the way my laptop sometimes boots itself up in the night, normally when it has done a big update and it decides to perform some scheduled maintenance. There are a few reasons a computer will boot itself up, and you can usually find it in the control panel settings and stop it happening automatically:-)
      All the best
      Ethan

  33. I’ve had a recent episode of sleep paralysis . I was half way sleep & it just felt like the room was spinning then I went paralyzed I couldn’t speak or move I also heard the sounds of footsteps and keys dangling but I’m here by myself. This happened in the day time and how I got out of it I wiggled my fingers and mouth then I just snapped out of it I was kinda dizzy afterwards.

    • Hi MiaBia
      Thanks for your comment. It sounds like sleep paralysis, even if it was in the day time. Well done for finding a way to get out of it though. That’s a really good technique, so try to do it again if you experience it in the future.
      Regards
      Ethan

  34. I’ve been through this stage so many times..I’m a teenager & I live in a house that’s not new. I don’t know when was it built. I remember when I fell asleep. I end up in a dark room. Then suddenly, I can’t breathe in my dream or reality. I see myself in my dream with my head in my pillow. I try to wake & move but I felt paralyzed. Tried to scream for help, but I couldn’t. Nobody was there but me. I tried to tell my parents, but they think I’m crazy. They believe I stay in my room too much. The next day, in the afternoon, everyone was in the living room, but I was in my room alone. I was laying at the foot of my bed & watching tv. On corner of my eye, I see a figure watching me. I jump & ran out my room as fast as I could. I was so scared.

    • Hi Alissia
      Thanks for your comment. I’m not sure if what you experienced is really sleep paralysis, but rather dreaming of being paralyzed. Lots of people get the two confused, and sometimes it’s hard to tell what someone really went through. But if you’re definitely asleep and dreaming when it happens, it’s not sleep paralysis even though it sounds logical that it is! For it to be sleep paralysis, you actually need to be awake mentally but unable to move your body, and then possibly seeing, hearing or feeling strange things.
      I’m not sure what was going on in the second incident. But I think that if you continue to see things like that when you are awake, it would probably be a good idea to talk to someone about it.
      And if they’re right and you do spend too much time in your room, then try to get out more and you might find it helps you to sleep better at night too:-)
      Regards
      Ethan

  35. My name is Courtney and I am 30 years old. I have had many episodes of sleep paralysis in my life, all being a little different each time. I also frequently have very vivid nightmares that wake me from a deep sleep which I know is different all together but I wonder if not connected.

    I was reading through some of the research and find that much of it correlates with my experiences but not exactly. I actually had an episode last night which prompted me to read more about sleep paralysis. This is my story:

    I remember being woken from a deep sleep around 2 a.m. with a horrible cramp in my calf. After it calmed down I sleepily walked to the bathroom and came back to bed falling asleep pretty much instantly.

    At some point I was having a dream and I remember being aware in my mind that it was in fact a dream (I must have been close to waking up). Something in my dream startled me which I assume promoted me to try and wake up? Well instead if fully being awake I was in a very confusing hazy state almost like being drugged. I don’t think my eyes were open but I could see my surroundings almost like I was dreaming but conscious? I was lying in bed on my side with my back toward my husband. The view of my room almost seemed to fade in and out like I was trying to look around but it felt like I kept almost “melting” back to sleep. I began feeling very frightened at I don’t know what and tried to move. It almost felt like my brain could feel my body moving and it was very slow almost like slow motion but my body actually wasn’t moving at all. I felt like there was someone in the room behind me where I couldn’t see, standing beside my husband’s side of the bed. My mind immediately thought it was a burglar and, I guess in my half-awake-half-asleep state, even heard my husband say “You want a piece of me?” as if talking to the intruder (yes pretty funny I know). I began to panic and suddenly sensed the burglar was trying to get me. I felt something hit my backside but not hard just softly, I could even feel the covers slide across my legs from the touch. Then in my mind I sensed that he shot me and all of a sudden I could hear nothing except a loud sharp piercing noise (like you see on movies when someone temporarily loses their hearing from an explosion). I began yelling for my husband “TJ TJ”. I could feel my mouth trying to move but it felt like my whole mouth was full crammed full of cotton. I could actually hear the muffled sound of myself trying to call out for help.

    At that point I finally managed to wake up completely and when I opened my eyes I was still lying perfectly on my side in the same position I fell asleep in. About 5 minutes later the alarm clock went off and my husband rolled toward me. He said you woke me up about 10 minutes before the alarm went off making the most God-awful noise. He said he was getting ready to grab his phone and record me but thought better of it (of course I would have killed him if he had). So I told him it was because I was having a horrible dream and I was trying to call out to him for help, and next time that happens please just shake me until I wake up.

    So that was that. I always have this lingering feeling after these episodes that just makes me feel creeped out! I don’t like when this happens at all. But like I said during most of mine I just feel drugged and like I’m moving in slow motion. Thank you all for bearing with me and I really enjoyed reading your experiences as well!

    • Hi Courtney

      Thank you for sharing your story of sleep paralysis. I can completely understand the feeling of being creeped out into the next day. I have exactly the same thing sometimes with sleep paralysis and with nightmares.

      It does sounds very much like sleep paralysis from what you describe. It’s amazing really how our brains can create such a vivid and multi-faceted hallucination in such a short period of time, but it does.

      It’s interesting that your husband hear you making an unusual noise. I doubt you’re the only one who has done something like that.

      Hopefully having read the article you’ll feel better equipped to deal with it if it happens again. As I’ve said to many previous readers, I especially recommend trying to wiggle a finger or toe rather than calling out for help.

      All the best
      Ethan

  36. I meant to also say during one of these sleep paralysis dreams I once felt a scratch by my underarm whilst I was asleep on.my stomach, I could still feel it for days as it felt so real although there were no marks.

    • Hi Sandie
      Thanks for sharing your sleep paralysis story, and I can understand why you find it terrifying with things like that happening.
      I think if you find that it’s comforting to do something like hang a stone on the bed, and you found it helps keep you calm, then there’s nothing wrong with doing it in my opinion. Sometimes just a little reassurance can go a long way in helping keep our minds happy and calm.
      I also understand about the scratch feeling like it was there. Sometimes I have dreams which feel so real, when I wake up I can spend the whole day with a feeling like it really happened! It can be quite disturbing.
      Hopefully you’ll have found some tips you can use if it happens again, such as moving a toe or finger. Try to stay calm, remind yourself that you’ll be ok and focus on moving your body bit by bit.
      Regards
      Ethan

  37. Hi, I’ve been having these sleep paralysis dreams, I’m always in my bedroom still in bed, I first feel the pressure like something just climbed in bed next to me, I can hear light breathing by my neck, it squeezing is getting stronger, I am telling myself to open my eyes and wake up but I can’t, and can’t move, I eventually open my eyes and it all goes away. The feeling initially used to be like something climbing up the bed towards me on my legs, at first I wasn’t scared, but the next time felt like hands round my neck, the next time was like I sensed something in front of my face, and I was too afraid to open my eyes, I was teffified, and the recent has been whilst sleeping on.my side it’s squeezing me, but the last one was different. I was telling myself if you don’t wake up you will die in your sleep, and I could see little white lights.
    I’ve been having these dreams a couple of years now, sometimes once a month, sometimes a few months inbetween and one time, 3 in one night. Glad to hear it’s nothing sinister and I’m not alone, I do however just for caution hang a hag stone on the corner of the bed. When I first did this I had no sleep paralysis for about 6 months, I think cause I calmed my mind that this would protect.

  38. Hi my name is Deja and I’m only 17 years old. I’ve experienced sleep paralysis ever since I was 15. But this “sleep paralysis” pattern changed. When I was 15- present, I usually get paralyzed while laying straight on my back with legs & arms parallel. I knew how to handle it when it first happen. All I would do is keep my mind on moving my hands and feet with out panicking. It worked fast for me. But that’s not why I’m here. Its 3:43. I woke up at 3:20am. Now the question is why I woke up. So let me tell you…..I was sleeping on my side like a baby, you know where your legs are bent and your arms are bent to but your hands are together under your right ear. But anyways. I was dreaming about something. But I was sooo cold. The reason I was cold was because of the a/c but I like the feeling of good fresh air. Then I hear drops from someone else’s a/c drops on mine. It’s normal when you hear things like that but it was getting so creepy. It started to sound like someone was knocking on the door. I woke up and looked around and everything is normal. So I went back to sleep in the same position. Then I started to hear a loud sound as if I was next to a truck and they honk their horn. You know, the siren in your ear!? Well that started to take over my ear and creep me out. I started to shake but I was only shivering. Then I felt something. Like a person was on me. I get that it was pressure but what got me up so fast was when I felt fingernails scratching the middle of my head. It felt like adults hands. It got me so shocked that I woke up immediately. So as of right now I can’t sleep because of it. So I honestly I don’t know if it was sleep paralysis. I wasn’t paralyzed either. I didn’t move when I felt the scratching because it felt good but then got me scared because no one was here & I wasn’t scratching my own head. Just please tell me it’s something someone else has also experienced cause I’ve never experienced something like this

    • Hi Deja
      Thanks for your comment and for sharing your story. That sounds very creepy indeed, so I’m not surprised you were scared by it. I think that if you’ve experienced sleep paralysis before, then the logical assumption would be that this was also a hallucination, albeit a different, scary and very vivid one. If you were to read through the hundreds of comments, you would find several people who describe feeling like someone is lying next to them and touching them. I can’t pinpoint exact comments, but I do remember reading that kind of story many times in the last 2 years since writing this. I think even if you weren’t paralysed, it was probably what’s called a hypnopompic hallucination, which is a hallucination that occurs upon waking up. And they can include tactile hallucinations. Take a look at that link and you’ll find more info. about it which you may find useful.
      Try not to be scared, and just remember your hand moving trick if it happens again. Even if it’s not sleep paralysis as such, it will still help you to break out of whatever is happening.
      Regards
      Ethan

  39. I’ve dealt with this for years.. It won’t go away. It all started at a house we moved in to. It happens to me and my brother. We still experience sleep paralysis. We used to think it was a little girl with dark hair because that’s always what we saw. But lately I’m not so sure it’s just a girl. I can’t even began to explain the amount of fear I have when I realize I’m in sleep paralysis. This thing will stand by me, breathe in my ear, climb on top of me. It’s feels so real and it’s actually painful. I recently tried calling out to my fiancé when I was in sleep paralysis and this was the first time I was actually able to speak out loud. When I did it put its hand down my throat. Somehow I blocked it from going all the way in. I’m so scared. I always worry that when I die this thing is going to take me.

    • Hi Linda
      Thanks for your comment, and that sounds like an incredibly scary thing to go through, especially the part about putting the hands down your throat! Very unpleasant indeed.
      I’m not sure why you and your brother seem to see the same thing when you have sleep paralysis. Perhaps something in your shared childhood as equally influenced both of you to imagine a similar thing when you have sleep paralysis.
      I don’t think you’re going to be taken by it and the best thing to do in my opinion is find a way to try to relax about it and prepare yourself to break out of it if it happens again. Try some of the tips in the article, such as wiggling a finger. Hopefully this will help you to relax and take your mind away from creating such a vivid image.
      Regards
      Ethan

    • I had my first sleep paralysis event when I was about 14 years old. I woke up – and along with not being able to move – I had this sinking feeling. I was losing consciousness and I thought I was dying. I thought to myself that it was too late to do anything, so and I gave into it and everything went black. I woke up later, it was still dark outside, and I couldn’t believe that I was alive. I don’t know how much time had passed, but I went back to sleep.

      After that first time, I knew what to expect. When I would realize that I was awake but couldn’t move, see or speak, I would try to move my body esp my feet to keep from losing consciousness and to snap out of it. Then all of a sudden I would jerk and be awake. It was always terrifying. I never felt pressure on my chest and never hallucinated. It would happen in cycles. There were times it happened night after night. I had them more often when I was young and then again in my 20’s but since then I can go for years without an episode. I never told anyone about it until the last few years. I thought something must be terribly wrong with me and I didn’t want anyone to know. I told my husband after we were married. I don’t know anyone in my family who had this problem.

      • Hi Nancy
        Thank you for your comment and for sharing your story. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you – as you’ve probably seen from the comment and polls, many, many people also experience sleep paralysis.
        It’s great that you developed a technique for dealing with it, and hopefully now it happens less, you’ll be able to deal with it more easily each time if it does happen again. Remember the feet moving, and try to stay calm and remind yourself that it’s something you’ve beaten all throughout your life, and so will do again.
        Regards
        Ethan

  40. I too experienced this quiet a lot everywhere i move and every new place i have slept at. It all started when i was young. I saw a dark figure standing in my doorway and from that day it started happening every few months. The best thing i know to do is to stay calm and fall back to sleep. Don’t think about it and when u feel relaxed again try to wake up. That is my experience. But one time i had a friend who slept over and he felt and saw what i was going through and woke me up. I woke straight up, it left me alone when my friend was waking me up. That was so weird and i told him my experience with this and he said its demons pressing on u that is what his culture believe he is an islander. Anyways gotta go to sleep now…..

    • Hi Mike
      Thanks for your comment and for sharing your story. I think that staying calm is an excellent thing to try and do. I’m not sure I understand the part about your friend seeing the same and being able to wake you up. I’m a little confused about what happened there.
      Regards
      Ethan

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