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.
Hi. I’ve been having these problems I’m not sure what are the causes. My first one was when I woke up and felt a hand shaking me and choking me and I couldn’t scream or get up when I opened my eyes I saw a figure standing by my door . I tried to fall asleep again but it stayed in my head . Now I sleep with the radio on a night light it has helped but I still experiencing these. a hand choking me Like its sucking air out of me and it’s hard to explain but I’m scared.
Hi Ashley
It sounds very much like sleep paralysis, so you can read about the possible causes in the article. I can understand why your experiences must be frightening. My advice would be to take a couple of the ideas in the article and try to remind yourself you will try them if it happens again, for example focusing all your attention on moving your finger. And trying to stay calm, hard as that might seem now. But if you plant those thoughts in your head before you go to sleep, hopefully you will remember them when you wake up in sleep paralysis.
Regards
Ethan
Hello! I experienced sleep paralysis several times. One scary moment was when i woke up feeling that something was holding my legs tight. I also heard heavy scared breathing and felt something was shaking. Well..it felt like someone was scared and held my legs tight. I was unable to move. I have a question. Someone told me that low blood pressure can cause nightmares. Is it true? I noticed that when I was taking some pills as treatment…pills that lower my blood pressure..I experienced dreams that seem to be real. Now it is quite difficult to explain them but I will try. Once I dreamed a man with a scary mask at the door of the room I was sleeping in. The thing that always made me fear was that the dream had the same atmosphere as it was before I fell asleep. So somehow while I was still awake in bed looking at the room I suddenly fall asleep and dream and confuse it with reality. Of course I always woke up with short timed paralysis because the next thing I did was to jump out of bed screaming. English is not my native language so hopefully you could understand my comment.
Hi Gabriela
Thank you for your comment, and it is perfectly clear. To answer your question, I’m not sure if low blood pressure in itself causes nightmares. But apparently some blood pressure medication can trigger nightmares.
It sounds like you have had the full mixture – from nightmares to sleep paralysis, and some strange mixing of the two. I think this is quite common for people to experience, especially if they have them regularly. The leg holding must be particularly unpleasant, and understandably scary. Perhaps you will find some ideas in the article which you can use to help yourself next time it happens.
Regards
Ethan
I have been having these experiences of not being able to move or speak for several months now and not always when I’m either drifting of to sleep or just waking up. It has happened when I’ve instantly closed my eyes and still very much awake. Also, half way through the night when I’m in a deep sleep. Although, the sleep paralysis explanation is a good one and can explain some things, it fails to explain why I experience these episodes when I’m not tired or when I’m not in the REM state, even in different sleeping positions. I can now sense when I’m going to have an episode and no matter what I do I can not prevent it. At first it started as a feeling like a presecne was in control of my body and I would often hear voices saying things. On one occasion I heard a male voice call my name several times and then a female voice telling the male to leave me alone. Now I often get shown things as well as feel a presence, at first never thought much of what I could see. Then I was shown interview situations that hadn’t even happened yet. I wrote down what I saw and three days later the exact same thing I was shown happened. The first situation I was shown, the location, given a persons name, the uniform of what was worn and what the setting looked like. There were other uncanny things that I was taken back by. Then the experiences started getting a little more intense because I was not just shown my own future events but national events before they happened. There seems to be a pattern of seeing future events, which is, three days prior to things happening. I was shown two hostile situations at different locations and at different times it literally felt like I was there and then three days later I would see these events unfold on the news. I know it sounds crazy, but each time I was shown these events I would tell someone I knew and then three days later they appeared on the news, I would tell the individuals whom I’d told to watch the news and to their surprise what I had told them was there in front of their eyes. I can’t explain why this happens, SP is not a good enough explanation for me. These episodes I’ve been having are not always pleasant because I feel the emotions and they feel real. Even seeing these events unfolding feels as though I relive them with the victims. I don’t have an explanation for these episodes and everyone seems to have a variation of symptoms, but I don’t see how future events can be classified by hallucinations. I definitely think more research needs to be done around this area to give a more insightful perspective.
Hi there,
Thanks for your comment and for sharing your very interesting story. To be honest though, I have no explanation whatsoever for you. I doubt that what you are experiencing can be called sleep paralysis, but I don’t have an alternative idea for you either.
If it is causing you distress, then my recommendation would be to talk to your doctor about it, especially hearing the voices if it’s happening during the day as well as the night.
I imagine you might read this and think I’m just fobbing you off due to the strange stuff about seeing visions of the future. I’d be very interested to hear back from you with something you’ve seen about the future though, as I think would many other readers!
So please feel free to pop back and describe something you think will happen, and it will be date-stamped here for all to see!
All the best
Ethan
Hi, i had an experience just like you mention in the first part but the thing is I knew that I am sleeping but I wonder why I am awake.. then I felt strange and I felt someone will put his body over me or will push me so I put my blanket all over my body then I see the shadow coming over me ..closer and closer.. and I know I need to wake up myself..I said move, shout .. just in time I woke up.. and I see myself just the same in my dream .. same position but without the blanket.. That is the first time that happen to me..
Hi Princess
Thanks for your comment. I’m not sure from your description whether you had sleep paralysis, or were having a bad dream. Were you dreaming during all of this? Or did you wake up from a dream and were unable to move and still seeing things in your bedroom?
Regards
Ethan
Hi :)
I think I experienced sleep paralysis twice. The first time started out as a ridiculous dream where two girls laughed at me (I have anxiety so it’s a big deal in nightmares and so on) and then they turned into black shadows and I felt that I got lifted, kind of dragged up towards the sky and a I heard a sharp noise. And since I had read about SP before I was like aware it happens and I got panicked so I snapped out of the dream real quick and for a few seconds I couldn’t move at all and I was so scared but then I “woke up” and it was all fine. I am not sure this actually was a SP because I might have made it into one myself in the dream or something..
But two days ago it really happened!
I felt bad so I went back to sleep thirty mins after I woke up from my night sleep.
I slept at my back at the couch and listened to the radio. I dreamed that I sat on the computer and the light went off and then I was attacked by something. And then I was shifting from being awake and to the feeling of being dragged down. It feels so real like I’m getting pulled by a girl who sings/screams and it’s all dark. Then when I opened my eyes I Laid with my arms crossed over my chest. I tried to reach for my phone but I could not move! If I closed my eyes the dragging down came back and something bit me in the leg! I think I screamed because it actually hurt. when I had the feeling I got pulled downwards I was aware I had a SP, but I didn’t know I had one when I had my eyes open before I heard someone in the bathroom and tried to get up. I wasn’t able to move a muscle and I heard footsteps in the hall and bathroom and I also heard and remember what they talked about on the radio.
Another of my recurring fears from dreams is losing my sight and when I laid unmovable on the couch my eyesight was so blurry like someone was pushing my eyes hard while I had them open. I repeatedly tried to pick up my phone and computer. I saw them in front of me blurry and the iPhone was a white line but then they disappeared (the phone & pc) so I realized I hadn’t picked them up for real. I also thought I got up two times but it felt like there was only half of me on the floor and then I was “thrown” back in my unmovable position again.
Thank god I had my alarm on so when it rang it was like I woke up again and then I walked around in the house like a zombie not sure if I was awake or not. Turned out I was :p
I didn’t panic or freak out because I kind of knew what happened and i thought like it was probably my mum and if I really had to get up I would.
Me and my dog were the only ones in the house and its a chihuahua who slept on my legs the whole time.
I don’t feel like there was anything supernatural in the house and the thing in the dark was a animal or a girl.
I nap a lot in day time and it happens frequently that I hear noises, could be voices saying random things or big bangs that comes sudden and feels like its right in my air.
Sorry for bad English . :))
Hi Arden
Thanks for sharing your sleep paralysis stories with us. As you say, it’s sometimes hard to tell if it’s sleep paralysis or a bad dream or being paralyzed. But I think it does sounds like you’ve experienced it for real.
I think if it happens again, not panicking is a good thing for sure. And perhaps next time try one or two of the techniques described in the article, such as trying to move a toe or finger.
All the best
Ethan
Hi Ethan,
Your homepage got my attention. Most of the explanations of sleep paralysis made sense, but they still didn’t quite answer my sleep paralysis experience. At the moment I can explain it with complete energy depletion.
It was Sundays early morning 3 am, I laid down on my thorax and closed my eyes, almost instantly I started to dream, feeling the body going in complete hibernation mode. That same moment someone grabbed my left hand and started to pull me down under the floor(I am sleeping on a mattress which is placed on floor), then I felt another hand grabbing my left hand. At this moment I was still with my eyes closed, I took a look at the one who had grabbed my hand, it was a girl, that I had fallen in love with recently(she flew back to her country 2 weeks ago). She looked sad and emotionless, she kept mum saying no word what so ever. She was looking down in nothingness(pitch dark nothingness around), it was her and at the same moment I felt it was not her at all. It felt like something was trying to lure me in, then she started to pull my hand with all strength close to her chest. At that point I realised, that I am conscious and it’s too real for me to be dreaming and she is 12’000 km away from me. I was trying to pull my hand with all the strenght back, but no luck, I was still being, pulled down bellow the floor with even bigger force. Now it wasn’t even her any more, felt like my hand was being vacuumed in the floor. I opened my eyes and then I freaked out even more, I couldn’t see half of my hand which was sinked half way to the elbow in the floor. I became terrified when I understood that I have no control over my body, tried to shout or move any part of my body, but that was pretty much useless, then I recalled from somewhere that it was suggested to hold your breath in these kind of situations. Holding breath brought me back ability to control my body again. Like it was described in some of the examples before, I felt like there is presence of someone disturbing(I can’t even describe it in words).
I turned on my bluetooth speakers with cheerful music(it’s amazing, but it helped me to get over the horrific experience I just had in a momentum), went downstairs for a cup of water and I managed later on to go to sleep again. For the next 3 days I was thinking a lot about it and it got me thinking that my subconsciousness was telling me something that I am not entirely ready to understand.
I have my own theories, but I would like to know your yhoughts.
Regards,
Soul.Bind
Hi Soul.bind
Thanks for your comment and for sharing your story. It’s often hard to tell whether something is really sleep paralysis from the descriptions here, or very vivid dreams instead. Sometimes people dream that they are in their bed and weird things happen to them. Other times, they are conscious, but unable to physically move and then experience weird things. The latter being sleep paralysis. Was your experience like this?
Assuming it was sleep paralysis, I don’t really have any theories for you I’m afraid. The images that our brains come up with are not easy to interpret. And if there is a connection to things happening in your life, then you’re probably the best person to make those connections really. Though logically I guess it makes sense that if you are thinking a lot about the girl, then your brain may include her in one way or another in your dreams or experiences like this.
I think the main thing is to try not to worry about it too much. It does still fall into the realms of sleep paralysis, and I know other people have experiences similar things whereby people they know appear during an episode of sleep paralysis. The brain is a powerful thing and is capable of projecting images and feelings like you had.
Regards
Ethan
Hi.
Thank you for this useful post! It was really informative… Well to be honest, I have never experienced a sleep paralysis, I of curse have experienced nightmares before but not SP… I even didn’t know about it until I read some posts on FB and then visited this website.
And now, I know it sounds crazy, but I am curious to experience SP. I know what a scary and terrifying experience it is (Based on stories I read here) but I just can’t avoid the temptation to experience it, to see how it actually feels…
I also am interested in stuff like sleep cycles, REM, dreams, ghosts, near death experiences and things like that. I used to read a lot about ghosts and near death experiences. Based on things I red during the past years, I have come to the conclusion that there are no such things as demons or ghosts or near death experiences and these things are only illusions created by our brain.
I don’t know if this conclusion is true or not… I think this will be a great opportunity to put it into test! If I, intentionally, go through a sleep paralysis and see such stuff then I can be sure that all of these are only illusions, and one actually can’t use things like near death experiences to prove that other worlds exist or such things.
So that’s it! I was wondering if you could help me with this… And also would it be safe to actually do this? Considering that I have never had such experiences before…
Also, after doing this, will I be able to keep it under control? I don’t really want to end up becoming a person with recurrent sleep paralysis, you know…
I know it might sound foolish bat whatever…
Thanks in advance!
Hi Winston,
Thank you for your comment. Well, I think you are the first reader in the two years since I wrote the first edition of this article to say they’ve never experienced sleep paralysis but would like to!
To be honest though, I have no idea whatsoever how you would go about bringing an episode on, nor whether it might lead to on-going episodes.
But I would say that my personal feeling is that it’s not something to be wished upon yourself. Even with all the knowledge I have about it for example, I still find it very frightening when it happens, and am relieved when it’s over!
Perhaps another reader will have a suggestion for you.
Regards
Ethan
I have had numerous occasions of this sleep paralysis. But in my experiences i dont get a feeling of any intruder or demon. I just feel like i can’t breathe, completely paralyzed and i am always trying to scream but can’t. It is a very scary thing to go through. So far i have not been able to be aware (so to speak) to try to “control” it. I am 41 years old and just started noticing this phenomenon in the past 3 years or so.
i also have exploding head syndrome occasionally which is actually why i am on this site at 3:45 am. Trying to find some answers. Thanks.
Hi Chris
Thanks for your comment. I don’t think it’s that unusual to have sleep paralysis but without any ‘presence’ as such. I think several readers in the past have mentioned similar things.
I think perhaps the awareness will grow purely with the knowledge that it’s possible to be aware, if that makes sense. I think that reading this article, and thinking about trying some of the tricks like wiggling a finger, are like planting seeds in your mind. And hopefully the next time you experience SP, the seeds will sprout, and quickly!
Regards
Ethan
Thanks for leaving this open for so long.
I have had several SP experiences over the past year. The first was alarming and i just passed it off as a nightmare. I was dreaming about our couch up on end and I was unable to determine how it got this way. This scared me and I remember seeing my bedroom but I was also able to see the scene I had dreamt clearly in my mind. I could not move and could have sworn that aliens did it and they were still there. I began to scream only I couldn’t- eventually my screams became real and I snapped out of it. I could not form any words until I was completely awake. The last one was the worst to date. I was dreaming about looking in a mirror with a friend next to me. I look down and look back up and there is a hooded figure behind me leaning against the wall. His face was dark and he had white eyes. I immediately start to scream, but can’t and no words will come out. While all this is happening in my dream, again I am aware that I am in bed and can see my room, but cannot move. The figure is now in the room and crawls up the bed and sits in my chest. The face is gone replaced by blackness. I am looking directly at this thing. By this time the screams are being heard by my boyfriend as soft moans and he talks me awake. I have never felt like I could not breath, but not being able to move and talk I remember very well.
There have been other times in between that I experience SP, but these two have stayed with me.
If it happens again i will try and remember the tricks :) Thanks!
Hi D Will,
Thank your for your comment and for sharing your sleep paralysis stories. It sounds like you’ve experienced a classic case of your dream / nightmare overlapping with reality as you wake up in sleep paralysis. I can understand how it must have been very disconcerting.
I’m glad you feel the tricks might be helpful. I recommend remembering to try and wiggle a finger or toe. I again recently had sleep paralysis and managed to snap out of it using this technique. And interestingly I also think that focusing on moving my finger took my mind off the scary scenario that was unfolding in the paralysis. So it served a double purpose, both of which I think helped soften the event considerably.
All the best
Ethan
Hi ,
The First time was terrifying because I ignored what it was , then when i read about it here and there i sort of got more intrigued and i got into trying to induce it to myself (i know it sounds weird but i was curious and wanted to experience it again to have a different perspective) then today it came naturally after an absence of several months (maybe a year or so since the last induced experience) this afternoon i was taking a nap and i felt someone moving my sleeping position and then spooning with me in a sort of intimate,cheeky way ! it was actually sort of nice and soothing in a way (Ps : i am single and home alone ) so i was wandering if other people experienced a similar thing ?
Hi Mona,
Thanks for your comment. I’m pretty sure other readers have experienced the sensation of someone spooning them. However, I don’t think many have found the experience anything less than terrible!
I may be wrong though, so I’ll leave it to the readers to see if anyone can empathize with your finding it soothing.
All the best
Ethan
I have suffered with this for around 16 years now, when I was younger it wasn’t as big a deal. The last few years I went from only having the feeling of been held down to hallucinations but only sounds and the feeling of someone walking around my room.
It is worse when I am very tired but happens most nights. BUT I have now realised it can be turned into lucid dreaming if you can catch it quickly enough. Sure had some fun with that!
On a final note though my best advice for when it happens is to focus on moving a finger, a foot or scrunching up your face/eyes. And don’t go straight back to sleep! Get up! Wake yourself up enough or it starts all over again.
Sweet dreams.
Hi there K
Thanks for your comment. It’s great that you’ve managed to find various ways of dealing with sleep paralysis. Though perhaps not so great from your poijt of view if it happens so regularly. What do you mean by catch it quickly enough? It would be interesting to know how you turn it into a lucid dream.
Regards
Ethan
I have only had sleep paralysis three times. The first time was by far the most terrifying, as I woke up at about 3 am with ‘shadows’ holding down my feet and arms, and a feeling of weight on my chest. I was rasping for air and couldn’t move or cry out, I could only hear myself rasping and trying to scream. Eventually I woke up and slept next to my mum all night after mustering up the courage to leave my bed. I read about sp after than, and when it happened again I remained calm and focused on moving my little finger, it worked and I immediately went back to sleep.
The final time it happened I had sleep paralysis followed by lucid dreaming. I was held down again and couldn’t breath, slipped back into a dream but thought I was still awake so went to my mum, who just had a black whirlpool for a face. I screamed myself awake after that :D
Overall sp is the most terrifying thing that has ever happened to me and I dread having another episode, but at least now I know to focus on one finger and that it’s all my silly brain playing tricks on me.
Hi Sarah
Thanks for your comment and for sharing your story. I’m glad you found that the little finger trick helped you. And it’s helpful for other readers who I know are always on the look out for techniques to help them stop sleep paralysis.
Regards
Ethan
Hi Ethan,
I randomly stumbled upon this. I really appreciate what you’ve written here – with such attention, care, humility, and thought. You’re providing a great comfort to folks!
I have experienced sleep paralysis before, though I never knew the term for it until today. But I must say – I was sexually abused as a child, by my father, in the night. I dissociated when the abuse happened (checked out of my body). The sleep paralysis that occurs actually feels like the disassociation that can occur when someone is in a traumatic situation. I notice that I experience the most episodes of “sleep paralysis” during times when I’m struggling with what happened to me (working through it in my “waking” world) .
So I’m just curious – has any link been found between those who suffer from sleep paralysis and trauma (abuse, for example)? It may be in addition to the other scientific explanations.
Thanks!
Hi there,
Thank you for your comment and for sharing such a personal story. I can’t even imagine how difficult it must be to have dealt with over the years.Thank you also for your compliment – it’s always nice to hear people appreciate the site and articles.
In answer to your question, I think that researchers have indeed looked into such a link, though there isn’t an enormous amount of research done on the topic. Some research seems to point to people who experienced childhood sexual abuse reporting more incidents of sleep paralysis for example.
But there is nothing saying that it’s the only explanation for sleep paralysis, as people who didn’t experience abuse also report sleep paralysis.
You can read an abstract about this here, but might not be able to read the whole article unless you pay for it. It also gives you information about other research on the topic.
All the best
Ethan
I’d like to explain my most recent sp experience. I had woke up, realized I was still dreaming and realized what was happening. I got really hot and I saw what was clearly a demonic figure standing left of my bed, just staring at me. I was able to move only my head, so I looked away until it was over and I really woke up. I was awake the rest of the night, in absolute fear. I was afraid to sleep for a while. I found something to stop it and it actually worked. I went out and bought a few dream-catchers and hung them on the wall over the head of my bed, since then I haven’t had another experience.
Hi there,
Thanks for your comment, and I can completely understand the fear. In all the comments, you’re the first person to talk about using a dream-catcher! Interestingly, I started off another article about stopping nightmares by talking about dream-catchers. I’m not sure I believe in them working exactly, but perhaps the comfort they provide has helped you to sleep more easily at night. And that is just as powerful and effective as if they really worked!
All the best
Ethan
I’ve had a handful of SP experiences starting around age 30 (I’m now 36). Thankfully I stumbled across something about them online out of pure chance after the 2nd one. However it still doesn’t help me while I’m experiencing it unfortunately. My experience is always a dark evil presence in my room with me. I always wake up laying on my side and the “presence” is always behind me. Even though I know what this is and that it’s not real, in the moment I am always still terrified out of my gourd.
It’s interesting that a lot of people also seem to have episode of the “exploding head” phenomenon. I have that quite frequently. I didn’t read all 1,000 comments here, so I’m not sure if anyone else has mentioned it, but I also experience something else similar to that, but it’s a very loud knocking noise inside my head. It’s as if I was standing with my ear against a heavy wooden door and someone then pounds on it from the other side. It always wakes me up from a dead sleep and I always have to go check my front door because honestly don’t know if I heard someone knocking or if it was just in my head. Haha
I was diagnosed a couple of years ago with Chiari Malformation (although it’s something your born with), and I had decompression brain surgery last year. I haven’t had a SP episode since my surgery and I often wonder if that was the problem. Although the problems with that is 1) I still experience the explosions and knocking sounds, and 2) it’s highly improbable that everyone who experiences SP has Chiari. However, I have to say I’m somewhat (probably nievely) hopeful that they’re gone. I guess only time will tell!
Thanks for this great article! Very well written! :)
Hi Sarah
Thanks for your comment, and I’m glad you enjoyed the article – thanks for the compliment!
Sorry you had to go through that medical treatment. But as they say, every cloud has a silver lining, so losing the sleep paralysis can only be a good thing.
Regards
Ethan
I had sleep paralysis last night for the first time and it was terrifying and I couldn’t go back to sleep afterwards.
I was dreaming and then something in the dream wasn’t right so I realised that I was dreaming. Thinking I had woken up, I tried to open my eyes and roll over but I couldn’t move. It felt like someone was pinning me down to my bed, like a heavy weight on my chest and there was a really loud ringing noise in my ears. Also I had difficulty breathing. I remember feeling like I was falling through the air and I could see people screaming and I was so scared. I was worried what would happen when I would hit the “ground” – I thought that I would die or something, so I kept tried to push the thing off and eventually after a lot of effort I did. After, it still felt like there was someone there in my room hiding and watching me, so I just couldn’t go back to sleep because I didn’t want it to happen again.
Hi Maia
Thanks for your comment and for sharing your sleep paralysis experience. It seems like you had quite a ‘heavy’ experience as well, so I can understand why it was terrifying being your first time.
Hopefully it will stay as an unpleasant one-off experience. But if it does happen again, try to remember some of the practical things you can do which are listed in the article. You can break out of it, or find a way to relax and not get so upset by it. You just need to remember in the moment:-)
All the best
Ethan
Truth is
All this is so true even I don’t know why this is happening to me
I feel my utensils move
Torch light on automatically body can’t move
Can’t ask for help
Please help tell me if there is demon or its sleep paralysis
Hi Sam,
Thanks for your comment. I’m a little confused by it though to be honest. What do you mean by utensils exactly?
My personal belief is that there are no demons. So I would suggest it could be sleep paralysis if you wake up and can’t move your body.
Regards
Ethan
Hello my name is Jane,
I am pretty sure that I have had 3 episodes of sp. The first one was about 6 months ago it was definitely the scariest one since I had never experienced it before.
I woke up to this really loud electric noise along with words that were not pronounced all the way. I couldn’t move at all. I couldn’t scream even though I wanted to. I also could not open my eyes. It felt like someone was pinning me down and due to my religious beliefs I did think it was a demon.
I finally came out of the paralysis and I had a really hard time sleeping for the rest of the week.
Eventually I forgot about it and just shrugged it off.
The next episode happened about two months after the first. It wasn’t as scary because I didn’t hear anything i just was totally paralyzed and again couldn’t see or speak.
My final episode happened about a week ago. I think I was also half asleep because I was dreaming while being aware that I couldn’t move but all in all pretty much the same experience.
I decided to look up information on the internet see if my superstitions were correct or if science could explain it and I am so glad there is a very logical explanation, because this besides some night terrors i have had in the past is the scariest experience I have ever had.
I still believe that demons are real but I also believe that this is really just a sleep disorder that hopefully won’t last forever.
I usually don’t share my personal life online but thought I should just because this is a very very scary experience and letting people that are unaware of what is truly going on ant that they aren’t alone is a great gift to give.
Thanks for this informative and comforting website. I really appreciate it and I know others do as well.
Hi Jane
Thank you for your comment and for sharing your sleep paralysis stories with us. I’m very pleased you found the website comforting, and thank you for saying so.
I think for many people, finding out that there is an explanation they can consider is half the battle with something as frightening as sleep paralysis. Just knowing that it’s your own brain playing tricks on you can sometimes be enough to make it easier to deal with if it happens again.
Hopefully the 3 incidents you’ve had will be the end of it though. If it does happen again, then plant some of the ideas for dealing with it in this article in your mind, and they should help you out.
All the best
Ethan
I went to bed around 2 am and woke around 2:20 am from a dream that seemed really familiar. In the dream I was studying, which I had been doing earlier. I suddenly felt a strangle tingling sensation and it scares me. I don’t know if I think it feels evil or just that there is a presence and I don’t know what it is. I am fairly calm, like oh this is happening again, I’ll be fine. And something lifts me up all the way to the ceiling and then slowly lowers me back down until I am basically laying on the floor. Once I’m on the floor I am dragged to through my bedroom and to the bathroom and almost to my closet and then it stops and I wake up. I look at the clock and feel like I’ve been asleep for awhile but it had only been 20 minutes. It freaks me out while I’m having the dream and a few minutes afterwards but then I don’t have a problem going right back to sleep and everything is all good.
I have been working really long hours, trying to study for a test and also have been binge watching law and order SUV on Netflix. So I haven’t been getting as much sleep as I know I should. Hence going to sleep at 2 am.
Could this be sleep paralysis or just a life like dream? I’ve never felt like I couldn’t breath or felt pain just not in control of what was happening.
Any follow up to this would be appreciated. Thank you!
-K
Hi K
Thank you for your comment. To be honest, it’s hard to tell whether it’s sleep paralysis or a dream. If it is sleep paralysis, then it would seem like the out-of-body style experience that people sometimes have.
I guess the question is, do you know that you wake up first, and then have this experience perhaps with an element of feeling like you can’t move at some point?
Or do you fall asleep, then have this experience, and then wake up? In which case it would seem that a dream is the best explanation. Some dreams can be incredibly vivid, leaving you feeling that it really happened when you wake up.
It can be tricky to differentiate between the two sometimes. But I think the key is knowing you aren’t sleeping, and then weird things happening.
All the best
Ethan
Yes! Finally a professional explanation on this topic. Thank You very much! =) Well I used to get a lot of sleep paralysis and i would wake up very scared sometimes during the sleep paralysis i would feel like if i was floating or my blankets were pulled away from me, these scenarios happened frequently but i understood that nothing bad happened to me after i woke up. Also i am a very open minded person and alien abductions seemed a possibility since it is very real. It got more frightening when i would experience pain while sleeping paralyzed as if i was being poked on with a sharp object or hit with a belt several times and the pain would stay there after 1 or 2 seconds after i woke up. During paralysis i have also experienced a scenario where i was being sexually touched even felt very real penetration ( I have never been involved in sex ). After that started feeling a hand repeatedly after many sleep paralysis. To this point i couldn’t talk to anyone about it because they never experienced sleep paralysis and i was also very ashamed about what i experienced. I became traumatized and slept 40minutes to 1 hour after i layed down to bed always scared. It ruined my following day. Lastly had a experience which i am doubtful if it was sleep paralysis, i was sleeping then i feel as if i was pushed to the side and feel to an emptiness. I said to myself “okay Anthony you are being abducted this you’re chance to see stay calm and see what is ahead”. In this scenario i felt a strong wind on my body VERY REALISTIC. Then i opened my eyes to see while i was feeling the wind and i saw like if i was going down a space hole. Everything around me was green (part of my imagination. Then thankfully i woke up with fast heartbeat this time i felt extremely dizzy, i felt some body parts warm like my knee and toe was warm. It was very real.
Its been about half a year already since it happened and i have left my light on because i am scared. I am guessing i failed to get medical help because it was one of my realest sleep paralysis dreams i ever had on my life.
Now i am aware that my thoughts while being paralyzed can change the hallucinations from feelings to seeing, not that i control them but that it plays a role. Now i get them maybe once each week but i am more calm and at peace.
Thank you for reading my comment i know its very long and it may seem hard to believe. I promise this isn’t to scare anybody i need your opinion. My questions are
– Is it normal to “feel” (pain, etc) while sleep paralysis?
-Is it normal to feel dizzy after waking up from a sleep paralysis and or normal waking up ( I am aware that i am normally healthy)
-What can i do to feel better overall mentally ( for now i sleep when i am tired since i feel i sleep deeper)
=\ Thank You, your help is appreciated greatly =)
Hi Anthony
Thank you for your comment and for sharing your sleep paralysis stories with us. I will try to answer your questions as best I can, though remember it’s just my opinion!
1) other readers have reported feeling pain during sleep paralysis. There is such a thing as ‘tactile’ hallucinations, so it is possible to feel like you are experiencing touch and pain.
2) I think some people do feel a bit dizzy when waking up, either from an episode of sleep paralysis, or generally when waking up.
3) Regarding feeling better overall mentally, that’s a big question! It depends somewhat on whether or not you have a diagnosable mental health issue, and what help you can get from a doctor if necessary. But there are also lots of self-help steps you can take. If you do an online search for terms like ‘self-help for mental well-being’ or phrases like that, you will find lots of things. Sometimes, it’s a matter of looking and seeing if something jumps out at you, or sounds like something you would like to try.
I hope that helps a little
All the best
Ethan
I’m a fairly religious guy that believes in God, demons and angels, etc. My family has encountered quite a lot of scary experiences. I do not think ethnic or beliefs determine what you see. I am Catholic.
My first experience with somewhat of sleep paralysis was when i was about 6 years old and in a dream. I kept dreaming about horrifying things happening to the world and I was trying to protect my family in the dream but for some reason I have always froze and couldn’t move during it.
It stopped during a while and sleep paralysis struck me at the age of 14 I think and it was very strange. I wasn’t thinking about anything bad but what i first heard where knocks all over the walls. My cabinets and doors where moving opening and closing. And i think I heard voices or just one. Before that my grandpa had just died. I wasn’t that close to my grandpa because I had only seen him several of times. My cousins had and experience with it too that exact day my grandpa died. What my cousin heard was a kind of like pick-up truck passing by at a high speed and an earthquake at the same time. She woke up and asked her husband if he felt it too and he said yes. I thought it was very strange because they both had felt it at the same time.
My mother had an experience with sleep paralysis but in a different way. She was trying to sleep. She had her hands both pointing the same direction. Then she felt as if someone was holding her hands tightly together. She got super mad because she thought it was either one of us from her two sons. Then it just went away when she said to stop.
My other experience that I remember was when I had a pretty beautiful girlfriend. It was in the day and I was gonna take a nap because it had been a rough day at work. All of a sudden i just couldn’t move and I tried to scream at my mom for help. The I peaked at the end of my bed and i saw this girl just staring at me in a creepy way. Then as I continued to try to call her(
Hi Louis
Thanks for your comment and for sharing those stories. It’s amazing that so many members of your family have experiences these things. Not all of them seem like they are sleep paralysis of course, such as the one you describe about dreaming. That’s a common mistake people make, interpreting dreams of not being able to move as being sleep paralysis, when they aren’t.
The other incidents you describe do seem like they could be sleep paralysis though. However, if you actually believe the doors etc were moving, then that would be something else entirely! But it’s quite common for people to see/hear/feel like these things are happening, when of course they aren’t.
At least you can discuss and share these experiences with your family. Many people keep it to themselves through fear of being branded crazy. So it must be good to be able to talk about it.
All the best
Ethan
I just had mine 10 mins ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope it wasn’t too traumatic.
Ethan
Thanks for the website and articles made upon such great topics .
Firstly, I would like to take you back on flashback of my last 15 days when i have started listening to the so called binaural waves(ALPHA, DELTA,THETA and so on). I found an article,on there benefits to the brain and body(they enhance concentration , reaction time and good body growth) and i decided to try few of them(specially Delta binaural on 1.05 Htz ).I also listened to other waves but mostly focused on Delta(i probably listened to them 2-3 hrs daily in my free time because it suited my taste and i felt good while hearing it ), in the beginning every thing was ok and also i felt somewhat relaxed. But to my surprise after a few time( say 4-5 days) i got to experience some paranormal and psychic experiences(such as feeling someone is standing or sitting besides me and i could see people talking ,even my family members while my eyes were closed).To my wonder ,it happened on the 7th day that i was able to predict the next tracks which were played on T.V..even i could feel when someone was about to enter my room . Also i felt whistles in my head while listening to the waves. I know it sounds weird but this is the actual Case.But the limits were crossed last night when i was about to sleep , the sound and intensity of whistle increased and i felt a fearful face looking at me(maybe she was a bitch ). I was unable to move my body and a constant wave (like i listened while used to hear Delta waves) was flowing inside my body and mind . A flow of energy and wind was also present there inside my body and i was totally paralyzed. After that i woke up(maybe after 2-3 minutes) in fear and was still hearing some sounds of people talking.I was unable to sleep after that for 2 hrs ,but then i got back to a regular sleep with some fear. I checked few websites in the morning to find few hints but was unable to find anything (only a webpage claiming paranormal activities may occur due to excessive exposure to delta waves) solid. I’m worried now. should i continue with the waves because they are not the reason (or they are) for all this. PLEASE HELP!
Hi there
Thanks for your comment. The first thing I would say is that seems like an enormous amount of time to be listening to those sounds! My advice would be to reduce it to maybe once every day or two and perhaps just for 10-20 minutes. But before then, stop completely for a week or two and see if the other things stop happening to you. I think it would also probably be a good idea to speak to a doctor about this, and they will hopefully be able to provide some guidance for you regarding listening to the binaural waves, and the effect it may be having on you.
All the best
Ethan
This has happen to me numerous times and I believe its a demon or a spirit, becuase as soon as I start calling on the name of Jesus through my mind becuase Im struggling with my voice. It releases me. Just start saying Jesus JESUS and watch how it release you.
Hi Dave,
Thanks for your comment. It’s up to you what to believe of course, and many people have found that prayer is helpful when they have sleep paralysis. If it helps, then that’s the important thing.
Regards
Ethan
Interesting. I have had sleep paralysis in the past but up until the most recent 2 events I’ve simply brushed it off. It is a little uncomfortable, but I never until now felt any fear. Most bouts of SP for me are spread apart by many months or even years. This was within the last 3 weeks.
I am not a particularly spiritual or superstitious person. I don’t believe in the existence of demons and the like. But the last 2 times I have had sleep paralysis, I have had an extremely disturbing and frightening ‘dream’ to go along with it.
In it, I’m laying in my bed in the same position I fell asleep in and feel a presence. Somehow, I ‘knew’ it was an demonic entity in the dream.I could not move, though I tried with all my might. That feeling of being weighted down is the most frightening part. I asked, in my mind, for whatever being was in my room to shake my bed. And both times, the bed under my head began to vibrate, shake, and then stopped. I still could not move for minutes later and felt the presence.
I knew these were lucid dreams because of the feeling I got when I woke fully but both were so specifically accurate to my physical state and the state of my room that it makes me wonder. Most dreams have some kind of inaccuracy, some kind of details that aren’t perfect. Lucid dreaming does not begin to explain the idea of the same presence in both. Especially when I explicitly do not believe in such forces.
Hi Gabby
Thanks for your comment. I am slightly confused though, as from your description, it doesn’t appear to be sleep paralysis, but rather a recurring dream in which you are dreaming of being in bed, with the presence in both occasions. This is not technically sleep paralysis, as you were still asleep in both. Did you wake up at any point to find yourself consciously awake in your actual bed, but unable to physically move, and then sense the presence was really in your bedroom? This would be sleep paralysis!
Regards
Ethan
Although I’ve had sleep paralysis dreams since a kid, at least six to eight times a year, there was one year when I lived at an apartment complex, and I had them almost nightly. It got so bad, that I tried sleeping on the couch, but they continued until I moved. I still have them, but not that frequent. Those were terrifying, as I would wake up and I could hear the air conditioning (or heater) slowing down like it was breaking down, and everytime it would almost die out, the lights would dim. I knew I had to get up and turn on the lights because there was something in the wall coming for me, and in the darkness, it would take me. I knew I was really asleep, but I watched it all happening with my eyes open, and I couldn’t reach out for the lamp. There were nights that I didn’t go back to sleep. The paralysis and trying to scream and turn over, is bad too, but the thing(s) in the wall will remain the worst.
Hi Sherrie
Thanks for your comment. That must have been horrible, having sleep paralysis so regularly. And the wall thing sounds particularly unpleasant, especially with the recurring nature. Thank goodness it doesn’t happen so much anymore.
I hope you found one or two techniques in the article which you can try. I think it’s a good idea to have some ‘tools’ to deal with it, and there are some effective and practical tips you can try next time.
All the best
Ethan
The First Time Having Sleep Paralysis Was When I Was 13. I’m 16 And Last Night Was My 3rd Time Experiencing Sleep Paralysis. I Could See Myself Getting A Midnight Snack And Going Back Upstairs In My Room To Sleep. When I Reached The Stairs, I Saw Fiji The Demon At The Top Of My Stairs And He Was Yelling Something At Me. I Don’t Remember What He Said. Then All Of A Sudden, I Saw Myself In Bed. I Had No Idea If I Was Awake Or If It Was Just A Dream. It Felt Like I Was Somewhere Else And Felt Like I Was Floating…
I Tried Moving And Rolling Over By The Wall, But I Couldn’t. I Tried Screaming “Help” Or “No !” I Just Couldn’t Open My Mouth. I Looked Up At The Ceiling And I Saw A Dark Shadow Looking At Me. After I Was Fully Conscious I Still Could Feel An Evil Presence Standing By Me Looking Down At Me.
My Oldest Brother Is 19 And He Experienced Sleep Paralysis Alot Of Times And His Are Really Bad. I Think Because He Has Schizophrenia And That Makes It Worse. I Was There When He First Had That. My Dad Was Outside And I Was Trying To Sleep On The Couch. All Of A Sudden I Heard My Brother Saying “Karla, Karla” I Said “What ?” He Said “Help Me” It Was Like He Was Able To Hear Me In His Dream. He Then Started Talking Like A Demon Was Inside Of Him Or Something.
Hi Karla,
Thank you for your comment. I think when people have the kind of experience you describe, it’s difficult to say whether it’s just a very vivid dream, or sleep paralysis which has become an out-of-body type of experience. And perhaps only you would be able to work that out by thinking about the exact details. For example, at any point were you consciously aware that you were in your bed, but unable to mover your body? Or is your only memory one of being in the house and seeing these figures? If so it may be that you were dreaming of being in your house.
And your brother’s experience may also have been a nightmare or night terror. It’s very hard to distinguish sometimes!
All the best
Ethan
I have had two episodes of sleep paralysis, but neither involved intruders, demons, or an out-of-body experience. My first was when I was about 15 or so, and all it was was that I was awake, but I couldn’t open my eyes or move my arms and legs, and I felt like I was falling. The second one was actually today, while I was napping (I’m now 20); I remember being shirtless and my abdomen turning inside-out. I pushed it back in to try to fix it, but then all the skin from my face was there (my nose and other features). I tried to get the skin back up to my face, but I couldn’t move or even open my eyes (everything went black as soon as I saw my facial features appear on my abdomen). It definitely sounds like sleep paralysis, except for the intruder/demon part of it.
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for your comment. The first episode sounds like it could be sleep paralysis. The second one is a bit confusing though. I’m not sure what you mean exactly, not how you managed to move the skin around. It sounds like a nightmare rather than sleep paralysis! If you could explain in more detail what happened exactly, I’d be interested to hear about it.
Regards
Ethan
hi,
I think I encountered my first experience of SP last night at the age of 24. while falling asleep on my side.i felt a strange pushing sensation on my back, then two hands around my neck. my whole back vibrated, I was terrified and struggling to breathe.it lasted for a couple of minutes, I could see a black figure out of the corner of my eye but couldnt stop it or speak.when it had finished i could see a black shadow on my wall of aman with a hood up that stayed there for the next hour or so. im totally freaked out and still havent been able to sleep since.
my back and neck are aching today.
beth
Hi Beth
Thanks for your comment, and it sounds like you may have experiences a classic case of sleep paralysis. The first one is always the scariest it seems, and often it’s the only one, so hopefully this will have been an unpleasant one-off.
I do recommend equipping yourself with a couple of techniques for dealing with it if it happens again though. I personally recommend the wiggling finger one! I’ve tried this myself recently and it worked:-)
All the best
Ethan
HI, I experienced my first ever sleep paralysis last night and found it very scary and felt very real! It must of been in the waking in stage. I remember everything. At first I saw the volume on the telly go up and down so in my dream i turned the telly off. (I knew i was dreaming after as the telly was in a complete different place) Then my partner stated to shout “no get off me” and although I was asleep it felt like I was awake and felt so real i saw what was going on. Then all of a sudden I felt a presence walked around my bed to me and that’s when I became paralysed and felt I couldn’t move, open my eyes or even shout out even though I was trying to. I was also calling for my dad thinking he was next to me to help me, I just couldn’t get the words out. And when I finally opened my eyes I shouted out DAD and everything was normal. It’s such a scary experience when it happens the first time but after reading this it has put my mind at ease.
Danielle
Hi Danielle,
Thank your for your comment, and I think you’re right about sleep paralysis being particularly scary the first time it happens. And I’m glad you feel a bit better after reading the article. I’m not sure from your description though whether you were consciously awake but paralyzed physically in the bed, or dreaming that you were in your bedroom. They are two very different things. Which do you think it was?
All the best
Ethan
I just experienced my first SP paralysis that I vividly remember last night. I’m 27 years old and have had nightmares on and off for years, including the tendency to scream during nightmares that I’ll fail to remember the next morning. (this was mainly around the ages of 12-14) However, what I experienced last night was completely different and extremely scary.
The dream started off with me sitting in my church in the usual spot that I sit during a service. My late Grandfather (who died this past May) walked into the service and sat on the back pew. I noticed him at the service and tried to get the attention of everyone else, however it was like I was the only one that could see him. He looked virtually the same as he did at the time of his passing, except that he his hairline had receded slightly. (he never lost any hair at all) After this scene, I was whisked back to a room and was randomly discussing American Idol with some unknown individual. I remember mentioning a certain contestant’s name and the other individual agreeing with me that they were a good singer. Some time seemed to pass during this sequence and I started discussing the same American Idol contestant with another unknown individual. The individual stated that this person wasn’t on American Idol and didn’t even exist in real life. I remember getting extremely paranoid at this time and started thinking that the government was out to get me. Also, I remember seeing a fake zebra running with a herd of African animals during this time period. (random, I know)
After the fake American Idol contestant discussion, I was then whisked back to the church and another service. I was sitting in same spot as usual and I heard the door open. I turned around and my dead Granfather was leading a group of zombies into the church service. I knew several of the individuals (none of whom are dead), but I vividly remember that they all had cuts on their faces and were screaming. I also remember looking back at the pew and all of their faces were turning black. The rest of the people in the congregation still were oblivious to the situation, but I then slowly noticed that other people were realizing what was going on. I remember asking my Grandma if she had talked to my Granddad and she screamed “Yeah, he just cussed me out and that was it! The zombies routinely returned to the church service and just continued to hiss and scream the entire time. I also remember climbing a rock wall and that my church put on an ice skating performance (to songs from Frozen) during the time. The final situation which caused me to wake up was whenever one of my Mom’s teacher friends walked up to me in the lobby of the church and told me that they had paid someone to play my Granddad, but that the others were real.
I immediately was woken up and in a state of complete immobility. The covers were pushed up to my head and I felt the odd sensation that was someone was immediately beside me. To get out of this state, I started wiggling my hands and that seemed to work to an extent. I was then gripped with the fear that my family had been murdered and I managed to run out of the room to make sure they were still alive. Whenever I realized that my sister was still there (her room is right next to mine), I slowly started feeling better. I walked to the kitchen and noticed that it was 6:39 AM, but had a constant dread that something was going to be in my bed whenever I returned back to my room. I just sat there and didn’t fall back asleep until the sun came up. Words can’t describe the intense fear of waking up and feeling what I felt.
Hi Josh,
Thank you for your comment and for sharing your sleep paralysis story. I can understand why your were so scared by this very unpleasant-sounding experience. I think the combination of waking up remembering such a vivid dream, and then being paralyzed and having the feelings that you did, inevitably makes for a scary time.
I think you naturally found one of the best techniques for dealing with the paralysis, which is to focus on wiggling just one part of your body at first. As for the not wanting to go back to sleep, well I’m not surprised, and I think many people have that same reluctance after something like this.
Hopefully it will be a one-off in terms of how vivid and scary it was. But if it does happen again, try to stay as calm as possible. Remember that you’ve been through it once, and everything was ok in the end. And so it will be again if it happens again.
All the best
Ethan
Hello. I began getting SP about 7 years ago. Im 37 now. At first i was petrified. I had no idea what was happening to me. Ive learned over the past couple years that this is more common that I thought. Over the past couple years my wife has become used to my SP as it comes and goes. Sometimes ill experience it 3 times in a week, sometimes it will go 5 months without an experience. My wife says that i begin shaking and begin to almost moan in my sleep. She will then shake me until I wake up (when she is awake). It feels like she saves me after I wake up. What makes my situation unique is that its the same out of body experience now when SP happens. I wake up in my sleep and lie paralyzed. Its awful. I yell for my wife to help me. I pull away from my body as hard as i possibly can to attempt to wake myself. I Actually have some senses that allow me to feel her next to me. I will pinch her as hard as i can as i scream for her to help me. I competely feel her as I do this. In reality, all that is happening from her point of view is me shaking and moaning. Now, from my point of view, in my SP i can see her laying next to me. I see a perfect sleeping image of her next to me. Its as if i am completely coherent, awake iside my sleeping body. About 5 seconds later, I see her transparent “being” sit up from her sleeping body (with her sleeping body, still laying in the bed) and shake me and yell at me to wake up. The disturbing thing is that she is not sitting up at all. Shes still sleeping. My soul or my “being” or whatever you want to call it is communicating with my wife’s soul or “being” all happening while out bodies are aspleep. It may sound nuts but it happens all the time so i am not imagining it. Now heres the story that validates my experience. Last night i fell asleep in my bed, next to my 5 yr old daughter. My wife fell asleep down stairs on the coach. It a special night for my little girl because she got to “sleep with daddy”. About a half hour after falling asleep, i got my first SP experience in a month or so. It started out as a nightmare as it usually does and then bam! I am left paralyzed, wide awake inside my body. I (my being) can usually pull away from my paralyzed body a couple inches but obviously cannot leave my body as i am still “connected”. I was trying to pull away from my body to wake up as i usually do and i see my daughter sit up out of her sleeping body right next to me. She then reached out her arms and grabbed me and pulled me to wake me up as I was yelling for her or someone to help me. I completely felt her yank my arm. Then i suddenly woke up, my daughter sound asleep next to me. Can you or anyone make any sense of this? Its nuts but i assure you that this is what I am experiencing. My head always hurts the next day from my soul or being yanking away from my brain or inside my head. The inside of my head always hurts the next day. I completely believe that there is a scientific explaination as to why this happening but what is going on during SP is an out of body experience. There is no doubt.
Geoff
Hi Geoff,
Thanks for your comment and for sharing your fascinating sleep paralysis stories. First of all, to reply to the additional comment you posted, as you can now see, your comment wasn’t deleted. That must have just been how it appeared on your phone, or the fact that you didn’t notice a message saying it was being held for moderation.
I moderate all comments for three reasons. Firstly to ensure my spam filter hasn’t missed any junk, of which I get hundreds every day! Secondly, because I edit comments which are unreadable due to a total lack of punctuation and/or a huge amount of spelling mistakes. And thirdly because sometimes people write extraordinarily explicit comments describing horrific nightmares, which I simply can’t publish as they would offend and/or terrify some younger and more sensitive readers. Sorry if it felt like you had wasted your time writing it!
Now, as for your actual comment, to be honest I’m not sure I can provide any clarity on what you experience. I do believe that people have out-of-body types of experiences, though I’m not sure I understand exactly what is happening. But why you would experience your wife and child’s ‘being’ as you say interacting with you, I have no idea. It could be that it’s a part of your hallucinatory experience, and just extremely vivid and life-life. But I would just be guessing and offering my own personal opinion on it.
What I have come to understand from reading the hundreds of comment here, and on similar articles about other strange things which happen in your sleep, is that even when there is a common connection, or ‘diagnosis’ so to speak, there is an almost endless range of different experiences people have.
From my point of view, I choose to believe that they are all hallucinations, and that’s that. I know many people disagree with me and think there are supernatural things at play, religious forces or other realms of existence. But I think each and every experience described can be explained in terms of our mind’s incredible capacity to hallucinate, dream, imagine and create things. And of course the fact that our body often moves about and does things while we sleep, and there are many physiological processes happening while we fall asleep, sleep, and wake up.
As to why your head hurts the next day, I simply don’t know. If you feel that it’s because your soul or being is being yanked about, then that must be quite stressful to have to deal with and think about. So hopefully you’ll find something in this article which you can put into action to try and stop it happening in the future. Perhaps a technique for moving a part of your body might help to divert your intention from the OOB experience, ground you again and help you come out of it.
All the best
Ethan
Just got done with an SP experience not 10 minutes ago. I have been trying to document my habbits and activities to try and find a correlation. The SP’s are not so bad anymore because I have trained myself not to give in to them. I don’t try to move, anymore I just lay, breath, and try to say the name of Mary or Jesus. This is where I struggle.
The first time I woke up( always with my legs crossed and hand is in fists under my butt) and I was looking at a little man standing on my bed. He was just a normal proportioned man but in about 2 feet tall and was holding my hands. This was different tho because my hands were out in front of me and I had a feeling in them like 2 stong handshakes. There was a slight glow of red and then my head fell back and was asleep again.
However it didn’t end. It seemed like only a moment later I woke back up. I hadnt moved yet because I was trying to decipher what just happened. Then I tried to move. Everything froze up, I tried to tell for my dad but I couldn’t make a sound (the worst part) then I thought “say a Hail Mary” but as the word Mary ended a loud, deep, rough, basically demonic voice said “No!” I shot up at the waist and almost sitting upright and still paralyzed. Then I lost my sight completely. Everything was grey and on my left eye was a flash or sparkle(like the “team rockets blasting off again.”)and then it all slowly went away. Nothing in my life has ever been this scary.
Hi Ben,
Thank your for your comment and sharing your story. It does sound like a case of sleep paralysis, and perhaps mixing with a nightmare scene you dip in and out of. I can understand why it was so scary from what you describe. Especially if you are managing to sit upright, and then have further paralysis. I guess that’s just your body coming back under your control bit by bit rather than all at once, which is often what happens to people.
I think if you find prayer helpful, then that’s a good thing. But also perhaps add one or two techniques from the article to try if it happens again. And by continuing to document the experiences and habits, that also helps you to feel a level of control and empowerment over something which can often leave people feeling a bit helpless. Have you found any correlation at all?
And as you say, I think not fighting them too much, but trying to remain calm and relaxed is also a good technique.
All the best
Ethan
Hi,
I don’t know if what I experienced several times was sleep paralysis or not. Some things about the experiences seem like sleep paralysis, others don’t.
I had the only experiences I had when I was also going through a period of several years of PTSD related nightmares. I would have nightmares about some terrible experiences I had. I only had these experiences at that time of my life, a period of several years. I was in my 30’s at the time.
First of all, in the I-don’t-know-if-it-was-SP experiences I had I never had the feeling of being paralyzed. Ever. I think in all of them I was in between sleeping and waking–either waking up or going to sleep.
In one instance, a real person I knew but who was dead, whispered in my ear in an awful rasping voice, telling me who it was. This person was one of the people that I had the PTSD nightmares about. I was absolutely terrified.
In another incident the same person was doing something to hurt me and I felt the pain.
In another, I thought I was awake with my head under the covers and the same person began tapping on the outside of the covers with a pen. I don’t remember if I was stupid enough to ask who was doing the tapping, but I was told anyway and I was terrified.
In another rather different episode, I guess I was dreaming and felt something/someone awful pushing through the mattress of my bed…..I felt it.
During the same period I was also having horrible loud sounds, like explosions, go off in my head and terrifying me into wakefulness (exploding head syndrome I guess), and also thinking I felt earthquakes all the time and bolting out of bed in terror, but there hadn’t been an earthquake (I live in California).
I just thought I was having auditory and tactile hallucinations, then I read about sleep paralysis and exploding head syndrome and wondered. I rather thought it was all connected to the PTSD nightmares….
Any opinions?
Hi Laurie E,
Thank you for your comment, and I’m sorry to hear you’ve been dealing with all those different symptoms. I can understand why it must be confusing, trying to unpick what is what exactly. I think that without the actual paralysis, it’s hard to pin it on that exactly. But it is possible to have hallucinations which are not attributable to that. You can read up on hypnagogic hallucinations for more on that.
The sounds could well be EHS, but then they could also be under the hpnagogic hallucinations, or the PTSD. Or even a combination of all! To be honest, you might never quite get to understand each and every incident and be able to pin a label on each one. Your doctor might be the best person to help you work out whether the various different symptoms are due to the PTSD, and perhaps recommend a sleep study to find out if you do have any distinct sleep disorder.
Whatever it turns out to be, I hope you get on top of it soon and can sleep peacefully again.
All the best
Ethan
So basically I’m 13 years old right now, I’ve experienced sleep paralysis before but I don’t know how many times until 2 days ago I had a nightmare about a demon chasing me and trying to catch me I woke up and I couldn’t move, I couldn’t open my eyes or move my body I was so scared, I felt a evil presence in my room and I finally got out the trance I went back to sleep and didn’t worry about it that much. After I told my friends and they believe a demon was in my room in some sick way I wanted that demon to come back in my dream or reality so I can speak to it….. Am I crazy?
Hi Joelle,
Thank you for your comment, and I doubt you are crazy! Many people experience similar things, and aren’t crazy at all. It does sound like sleep paralysis, and I think other people also sometimes ‘enjoy’ the experience and try to talk to whatever it is they see. I guess if that’s one way of taking control, and not being scared, then there’s nothing wrong with that. But personally, I’d probably focus on trying to break out of it, by wiggling a toe or finger for example. Just remember it’s not real, and created by your own mind.
All the best
Ethan
I have had experiences that are similar to some of the stories that have been shared here. I always just brushed them off as nightmares, even though I had the feeling of being “awake” and not being able to move. But I was always able to distinguish that paralyzed/in-between sleep and awake state, from actually being completely awake and alert. Basically I always knew I was in some sort of sleep state, even if it felt real at the time.
But last night I had an experience that was totally different and has me really confused, and has prompted me to do more research on the SP topic. Normally when I have these nightmares/SP episodes it starts out as a dream where I’m being haunted by a ghost or evil spirit and eventually it starts to try to possess me or attack me in my bedroom, and I feel terrified and want to scream but can’t, and so I’ll start to pray (I am a Christian) and wake myself up because, I become aware that I’m dreaming. Usually prayer will make it go away and help me wake up. Sometimes when I first wake up I’m still paralyzed for a few moments, and still feel the presence of evil in the room for awhile aferwards. I’ll usually pray until I can calm down and fall back asleep.
Last night, however, I was dreaming about something completely unrelated, and I started hearing this noise in my bedroom. At first I thought it was my cat, because she likes to scratch on wood that’s under the bed. But then I realized it was more of like a grunting and snorting noise coming from area near the foot of my bed, but with a wooden sound to it, like a beaver gnawing on a log. Hard to explain it. But it was definitely completely separate from the dream I was having. I kind of heard it through my dream first, like you hear your alarm going off, and then I started to wake up a little bit and focus more on the sound. I then felt something moving from the foot of my bed towards me and it felt exactly like my cat when she’s walking on the bed. The grunting/scratching noise got louder until it was in my face, and at that point I opened my eyes because I was confused. I looked up at the ceiling and saw a dark figure with no distinct features, kind of like a smokey mass but shaped like a head and shoulders and arms. It was holding my arms down on either side of my head, and making that noise and looking at me. I couldn’t move or cry out. I got the sense that it was curious about me but didn’t really want to hurt me. And strangely I didn’t really feel that afraid, even though this time my brain was telling me it was real. So I said another prayer and immediately it disappeared and I sat up in bed.
Like I said, normally I’m easily able to distinguish between being awake and asleep, but this time I am very confused and not so sure. And I also find it strange that even though I felt it was real this time, I wasn’t as terrified as I usually am, even when I know I’m dreaming. And hearing the noise and being interrupted from a totally different dream to have an experience like this was new for me. But from other stories on here, it sounds like hearing noises and being woken from other dreams to have this happen is pretty common.
It’s easy to want to think something paranormal is going on because it all seems like something out of scary movie. But the more I’m reading people’s comments the more I’m starting to think that it’s probably SP, as there is nothing else going on in my house or my life that would indicate a haunting or demonic visitor. Either way though, prayer continues to work for me to make it stop, so if it happens again I’m going to stick to that :)
Hi Krista,
Thank you for your comment, and for sharing your story. It does sound very much like sleep paralysis to me, from what you describe. Even if it wasn’t accompanied by a higher level of fear, as you might imagine when faced with something like that.
I don’t think there is always a direct correlation between the thing you experience and the level of fear felt. Some readers for example see horrible things, but somehow stay calm. Other readers don’t have such vivid experiences, but still become filled with terror.
Perhaps there is a combination of your own physiology and way of thinking which plays a role in that. I think it’s a very personal thing how you react to whatever you see, feel or hear.
The main thing is that you have a technique which seems to work well for you. If you can remember to stay as calm as possible, and not get sucked into worrying about what horrible thing might happen to you, then you should be able to deal with it if it happens again. But hopefully this latest episode was just a one-off!
All the best
Ethan
Thank you so much for the advice, and for hosting this webpage, it’s been really refreshing reading other people’s experiences. I have to say, even though I didn’t feel a lot of fear at the time it happened, I have felt uneasy ever since, wondering if it will happen again. But I do feel much better knowing that there is rational explanation for what happened. And if it does happen again I think I’ll be able to handle it. This time was just more difficult because my husband is deployed right now, so it’s been a little creepier being by myself in a new place.
Hi Krista,
Thank your for your comment, and I’m glad you found the article helpful. Sometimes knowing you’re not the only one and that others share your experience can be a big help.
I can understand why it is more creepy if you’re on your own when it happens. But hopefully, as you say, knowing there is a rational explanation will help you cope if it happens again.
Regards
Ethan
I used to experience a lot of sleep paralysis since this past few months. I am very worried if sleep paralysis can lead me to death or what? Hahaha. It’s so funny coz everytime I wake up from sleep paralysis, I thought it’s the end of my world.
Hi Ivy,
Thanks for your comment. There is no evidence at all that sleep paralysis can lead to your death. And I personally don’t think it can in any way either. I know it can seem very scary, but don’t worry, you’ll be fine.
Regards
Ethan
P.S. Thank you Ethan for increasing awareness, compiling stats and allowing ppl to not feel so alone in there experiences
You’re very welcome Jack – I’m glad you found the article useful, and thanks for taking the time to say so:-)
Ethan
I posted my 2 cents on the hypnagogic hallucination page. CBF typing it again. Sorry but I have to say I find it annoying when ppl imply they aren’t 100% sure that they experienced sleep paralysis. You would know without doubt or you just simply didn’t have sleep paralysis and just heard a noise and woke briefly and fell straight back to sleep because you thought it wasn’t a threat.
Sleep paralysis in my experience always feels like instant danger and then progresses into a experience that you would know for sure if you had gone through it. It’s like saying “I’m fairly certain I got ran over by a train” – it’s not the kind of thing that you think may have happened. You know if happened and are so rattled that you dare not go back go straight back to sleep. For the first decade of re-occurrence at least. If you do you either have balls of steel or are full of something I’d rather not post.
Hi Jack,
I wouldn’t worry too much about other people’s experiences! Many people come to this article searching for things on their computer which best fit their own experiences. And sometimes it takes a while to really work out what actually happened to you. I think there can be a lot of blurring between dreaming and some parasomnias like sleep paralysis, so people often get confused. But that’s part of the reason I respond to comments, to also try and divert people away from thinking they have sleep paralysis, and suggesting that actually they were probably just having a bad dream.
I do agree that in many cases it’s pretty clear that you’ve had sleep paralysis. But if you’ve never actually had that extremely vivid and frightening experience, then it makes sense that people can get confused about whether they did or didn’t experience it!
Anyway, like I said before. Don’t worry too much about other people – I would just focus on dealing with your own particular experiences.
All the best
Ethan
Hi Jack,
My SP experiences are not at all frightening in that same sense you describe. I’m sometimes terrified that “this will be the time I won’t be able to snap out of it” but during a terrible SP episode I can wake up and slip right back into SP multiple (4+) times before forcing myself to wake up completely. I have never once sensed anything scary or terrifying around me, and in fact I have been able to repeat normal conversations happening around me verbatim after SP. I have an “oh crap, not again!” moment when I feel myself shift into SP, but no sense of danger whatsoever. All this is to say that while I am 100% certain that I experience SP and have my entire life, it doesn’t rattle me at all. I respect your experience but just wanted to say that it can present in many different ways.
Hi Claudia,
That’s a very valid point, and something I should have said in my previous comment. I agree that it’s not always terrifying, and some other readers have also reported not being scared by it. And like you, they are often sure it’s sleep paralysis, but for some reason or other their body isn’t hit so hard by the fight or flight response.
Regards
Ethan
Hello, my name is Teori Johnson i am 13 years old and i have been living in New Zealand for my whole life so this is my sleep paralysis story.
So it was the night of Sunday, 29 2015. I was just drifting off to a nice sleep, when suddenly i started to think about everything going out, outside my window. I could hear a police car go pass my house, also a helicopter searching for a person. I started to get thoughts about that person jumping through my window, trying to escape from the police.
Then suddenly i started to hear a loud humming noise. The noise was so weird. Then a person started to whisper in my ear saying “May i stay in here with you.” “May i use your bedroom to escape from the police.” It started to get freaky, so i suddenly shot my eyes open. A strange shadow figure appeared on the top of ceiling. I tried to get up, but i couldn’t my whole body was paralyzed. My brother was in the same bedroom with me. So i thought i could call out for help. I tried to scream and yell but i failed. I couldn’t do anything, i couldn’t scream for help or say a word. It was freaky. The figure was still on the top of me. It felt like the figure was pulling my chest up. My chest was suddenly pulled up, i was so f&*&%g scared i didn’t know what i could do. So i tried to move and shake around.
A few moments later i tried harder and harder and i succeeded, my legs started to move. But i was still shocked. The figure looked like an alien head, the head was oval like an alien, and i thought i saw a bright light i didn’t know what it was because i couldn’t see the face at all because it was just a shadow like figure. Has anybody else had the same experience? as me i’m only thirteen. After the whole incident i started to do research, and also started to read blogs like these ones. I also started to watch videos of people who had experienced sleep paralysis. My story is similar to all others.
Hi Teori,
Thank your for your comment, and sorry to hear you had such a freaky experience. It does sound very much like sleep paralysis from what you describe. It must have been quite frightening!
Well done for doing research to find out what happened. Hopefully the explanation in the article will make sense to you, and you’ll be able to relax a bit knowing that what you experienced wasn’t real, and that the mind is capable of playing amazing tricks on us!
I know you asked if anyone else has experienced anything similar, and perhaps someone will reply to you. But from reading hundreds of people’s stories, one thing I’ve learned is that rarely do people have exactly the same experience. The important thing is that people have similar themes – such as hearing voices whispering in their ear, seeing shadows, monsters, aliens, ghosts or other things and being paralysed. So in that way, many people have had similar things to you.
My advice would be not to read too much about it. You will find some very unhelpful websites which will just make you more worried! It’s better to try and forget about it, and just take a couple of techniques away with you to try if it does happen again.
Keeping calm and not allowing it to bother you is one of the best things you can do!
All the best
Ethan