Sleep Paralysis Stories: Demons Or Hallucinations?

image of a classical painting representing sleep paralysis

Sleep paralysis stories typically involve unusual and frightening experiences. Perhaps you have one or two of these disturbing tales of your own to tell.

If not, I’ll first share one of mine to give you an understanding of what it can be like.

Then we’ll take a closer look at whether sleep paralysis demons or ghosts really exist. Or if science can provide a logical and comforting explanation.

My sleep paralysis experience

Imagine the following scenario: it’s been a long day, you go to bed later than usual and fall asleep quickly through sheer exhaustion.

But instead of waking up peacefully in the morning, you half wake in the middle of the night. And in the darkness of your bedroom, it slowly dawns on you that you can’t move your body…and that someone, or something, is watching you.

A weight pushing on your chest

You feel a weight on your chest, pressing you down and preventing you from sitting up. And not only is your whole body paralyzed, but you can’t so much as move your lips to call out for help.

You’re not sure who or what is pushing on your chest. Even though you seem to be able to move your eyes just a little, it’s too dark to see anyway. Regardless, you just feel that there’s a presence there. Something strange. Something frightening.

This happened to me last year and was a very unsettling experience. Fortunately, there was no demon, ghost or burglar in my bedroom.

After a minute’s panic, the feeling passed. And I was then able to stumble to the bathroom to make sure my face wasn’t decorated with demonic symbols. It was a classic case of sleep paralysis.

What is sleep paralysis?

Recurrent isolated sleep paralysis is classified as a parasomnia, which is a group of sleep disorders involving unwanted behaviors that accompany sleep.

The main symptom is being awake and unable to move your body. It might also be accompanied by hallucinations or dreams/nightmares whilst still awake.

It typically lasts from a few seconds to a few minutes before movement is regained. And although it may feel like it at the time, it’s not believed by medical organizations to be harmful.

What causes it?

The exact reason for why it happens to some people and only on some nights isn’t known. However, scientists do have a theory about what goes on during sleep paralysis.

During the night, you cycle through different sleep stages. When you enter the REM stage of sleep, your brain stops your muscles from moving – known as REM atonia. One explanation for this atonia is that it prevents injury from acting out your dreams in bed.

During sleep paralysis, the atonia starts, or continues, while you’re awake. And during this time, you might also experience what’s known as sleep hallucinations, or dreams while you’re awake.

So your body and brain are temporarily out of sync while transitioning between sleep stages, potentially creating a frightening experience.

As Dr. Michael J. Breus neatly explains:

Sleep scientists believe that sleep paralysis may occur when the transitions in and out of REM sleep and other sleep stages don’t go smoothly.

How many people experience sleep paralysis?

Sleep paralysis stories like mine are surprisingly common. In 2011, researchers aggregated 35 sleep paralysis studies to find out how many people had experienced it at least once in the past year, finding:

  • 7.6% of the general population
  • 28.3% of students
  • 31.9% of psychiatric patients

And according to the handbook of sleep disorders, it will happen at least once in a lifetime of 40% to 50% of normal subjects, but is “far less common as a chronic complaint”.

Who is more at risk of having sleep paralysis?

Scientists might not know the precise reason only some people have sleep paralysis yet, but there are a growing number of risk factors becoming apparent.

For example, researchers who analyzed 42 studies found several risk factors and associated conditions:

  • Sleep problems, changing sleep patterns and shift work.
  • Sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia and nocturnal leg cramps.
  • Stress.
  • Some psychiatric groups, particularly those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety and panic disorders.
  • Substance and medication use.
  • Physical illness.
  • Personality and anomalous beliefs.

Is there a genetic component to sleep paralysis?

In 2015, British researchers published a study of 862 twins and siblings aged between 22 and 32. They did find some evidence of a genetic role, but only a small one:

In this sample of young adults, sleep paralysis was moderately heritable

Interestingly, they also found other independent risk factors, including:

  • Disrupted sleep cycles
  • General sleep quality
  • Anxiety symptoms
  • Exposure to threatening events

Polls – readers’ experience of sleep paralysis

I polled readers of this article for a year to find out what kind of sleep paralysis episodes they had.

Note that it’s likely that many people who search online about it will have had the more frightening episodes, skewing the results.

But they still provide a fascinating insight into what people experience and how they cope.

Poll 1

In poll 1, the most common episode was thinking there was a demon or other being in the room.

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

Poll 2

Poll 2 shows that many readers find sleep paralysis terrifying. Again, those who search online for it are likely to have found it particularly disturbing.

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

Poll 3

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

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

Poll 4

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

chart showing poll results about how often people have sleep paralysis

Poll 5

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

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

The not so scientific explanations for sleep paralysis

image of a woman floating above the bed

Since first writing this article several years ago, there has been an extraordinary number of comments. And the comments show that not everyone accepts the scientific explanation.

Interestingly, some people struggle to accept it even though they consider themselves to be scientifically minded generally. I think these cases highlight just how realistic the experience of sleep paralysis can be; how it can linger in your memory and makes you question what happened for a long time afterward.

The possibility of demons, ghosts, spiritual beings, and aliens all crop up from time to time in the comments too. And while many people accept their experiences as hallucinations or dreams, some people choose to believe another explanation – that those entities are real.

Despite these beliefs, there’s one clear theme: nothing bad ever actually happens, other than being frightened and perhaps losing some sleep after an episode.

Around the world

Cultural beliefs also appear to play a role in how sleep paralysis is perceived by some people.

In Fiji, for example, the demon is sometimes seen as a deceased relative coming back to discuss an important or unfinished matter.

In Chinese folklore, it’s also seen as a ghost rather than a demon or intruder.

Some people in Iran and Pakistan interpret it as demons or spirits taking over your body. This could be due to black magic performed by an enemy.

The common theme is that the entity is usually something to be feared. I’m yet to find a culture which believes it’s a friendly creature!

Sleep paralysis treatment

When to see a doctor

Fortunately, most people don’t experience sleep paralysis very often, and no treatment is usually required.

However, if the following apply to you, it’s a good idea to speak to your doctor:

  • It happens regularly.
  • You’re anxious about sleep paralysis and going to sleep.
  • You don’t get enough sleep.
  • You feel very sleepy during the day, sometimes fall asleep suddenly or lose control of your muscles.

What medical treatment is available?

If you see a doctor, they might take the following action:

  • Refer you to a sleep specialist to assess if you have another sleep disorder, like narcolepsy.
  • Treat any underlying psychiatric condition.
  • Discuss any medication or substance use that might be a factor.
  • Explain the biological processes involved in sleep paralysis to reassure you.
  • Talk to you about developing good sleep habits. This is thought to help reduce the frequency of sleep paralysis.

Readers’ techniques for coping with sleep paralysis

Over the years, many readers have described how they cope with sleep paralysis, and I’ve created a list of the most frequent ideas below.

The first seven in the list are also suggested by sleep experts. The rest are a mix of personal opinions. Please bear in mind that none are guaranteed to work:

  • Don’t let yourself become too sleep-deprived.
  • Stick to a regular sleep schedule.
  • Try to reduce stress and anxiety in your life.
  • Try to vigorously flutter your eyelids or move your eyes, as this tends to be an area of the body that’s less affected by the paralysis.
  • Focus on wiggling just one finger or a toe.
  • Don’t take recreational drugs or drink alcohol in the evening.
  • Don’t sleep on your back.
  • Stay calm.
  • Tell yourself that you’re in control. You can order the experience to stop.
  • If you feel a weight on your chest, imagine there’s something friendly causing it.
  • Film yourself sleeping so you can see there was nothing in the room.
  • Don’t think about what it could be. Your imagination will probably make up something scary in the darkness.
  • Organize your bedroom in a way that makes you feel safe and secure.
  • Don’t hang dressing gowns, coats, or hats in places that make them look like figures in the dark.
  • Sleep with a night light, music, or radio on.
  • Remind yourself that nothing bad will happen.
  • Imagine your body rolling from side to side in your mind and count each roll. Focus on this and try to grow the capacity for movement from there.
  • Count numbers to focus your mind on something else.
  • Don’t sleep with a high pillow.
  • Keep your eyes shut and try to clear your mind.
  • Squeeze your eyes tightly shut if you can control the muscles.
  • Keep well hydrated – drink water before going to bed.
  • Talk about it to family or friends – they may have experienced it too.
  • If you have it once, get out of bed for a while to reset the brain.
  • Many people say prayer helps. Some also say that calling on their religious beliefs and commanding what they see to leave helps them.
  • Check if any sleeping pills or herbal remedies you’re taking are causing it.
  • Use sleep paralysis to lucid dream by relaxing and going with the experience instead of fighting it.
  • Once the episode has passed, tell yourself that you overcame it, are not afraid and will always overcome it.

How I recently stopped an episode of sleep paralysis

I successfully used two of the above techniques to stop a recent episode of sleep paralysis.

I woke to find myself in a strange position with my arms crossed on top of my body. And I could literally feel strong hands pinning my wrists to my chest.

I have to admit I was immediately petrified. The whole event was blurry, and I think I was having some dream overlap, but can’t remember exactly what now.

Stay calm and wiggle a finger

Two things sprung to mind after a moment of panic: stay calm and try to wiggle a finger.

The calmness I only managed with moderate success. But I did manage to focus my efforts on moving a finger. It felt quite odd – like my fingers were wiggling in different directions!

Eventually, I felt my arms loosen as well, and soon afterward I was able to shake the whole sensation away as I regained full control.

I then spent a few minutes doing some breathing exercises to ground myself and calm down, and then fell asleep again.

I think just knowing about the finger wiggling technique was enough for me to remember it when the sleep paralysis occurred.

Share your story of sleep paralysis

Have you had sleep paralysis? What happened, and do you have any suggestions to help others deal with it?

Please feel free to share your experience in the comments below.

3,365 Comments

  1. So been experiencing these episodes the last year or so . Did lots of research and my experiences and research tend to tell me it’s SLEEP PARALYSIS. I have read all the stories and opinions and compared them to my experiences and I am about 25 %. convinced it’s SP . And I will explain to you why I feel this way , and hopefully you can help me . To cut to the chase , during SP you cannot move . You cannot speak. You are terrified . You feel and/or see a presence or energy . All of these I have witnessed . What I don’t understand is this . The last time this happens . I was sleeping on my belly . I opened my eyes . I was instantly TERRIFIED . I proceeded to turn over and look up and all around my room ( where now I see a DARK THICK CLOUD around 3/4 of my room ) . Then a RUSH of pressure enters the top of my head down through my neck to my chest and NOW I AM PARALYZED. I am questioning the fear I felt and things I saw and the movements I was able to make BEFORE I became paralyzed. According to my research , when I awoke on my belly , I never should have been able to turn myself over and lift my head off my pillow and look around my room . But I did . 100% was NOT sleeping . This situation is what’s keeping me at 25% and having the belief it’s something else other than SP . It only happens in this one room I started sleeping in . Moved into my grandpas house about a year ago following my divorce . This experience was the 5th occurrence . The first 4 I questioned if I was dreaming , sleeping , half asleep , or something else . Each time symptoms gradually progressing faster each time until this last time . Where when I turned over , told mysel I was NOT dreaming , looked around , then BOOM , pressure , energy , paralyze, fear . So that’s where I’m at with this . HOW WAS I ABLE TO TURN OVER ONTO MY BACK IF SCIENCE TELLS ME MY BRAIN PARALYZED MY BODY ???? Can you explain this ???

    FYI ( the other 75% tells me it’s maybe a spirit that has entered into my space and actually entered into my body starting from the top of my head ) I cannot explain why I am leaning towards this , it’s just a natural feeling I have .

    Thank you so much for your time !!

    • Hi Vaughn
      Thanks for your comment and for sharing your story. I can understand why you need answers if you’ve done your research and discovered that the paralysis element is usually there already when you wake up.

      To be honest I’m not sure why this happened to you. If I had to guess, I would say it could be one or the following 3 possibilities, just off the too of my head.
      1. Maybe this was just one of those unexplainable physiological things. For some reason your body was ‘released’ from paralysis briefly, only for it to then resume.

      2. Maybe you saw the smoke, either as a hallucination or a dream mapping omto reality, and your body and mind went into a fear response, but rather than fight or flight, you were frozen with the fear.

      3. Perhaps you woke up normally, but then started to immediately fall asleep again, and then had the sleep paralysis as you were falling asleep rather than waking up. This can and does happen.

      Those are just some of my immediate thoughts, and there’s no way ot telling which, if any, it might be.
      One thing I would say though is to rule out the spirit entering the body theory. I personally don’t think it’s the case, and it will be easier for you to bring closure to the case if you manage to boost that 25%
      Regards
      Ethan

  2. Wow, this really is some great coverage on something so uncanny. I was just searching the web tonight then was reminded when I got nearly scarred as a child. I never knew what to think of it, nor did I tell my mother what happened. It just sorta stuck with me but grabbed my interest to a whole. I’ve always been really into horror genre (more of the psychological aspect) something that really messes with you, that could actually happen.

    So it happened around 10 years old, in my room getting ready to fall asleep. Normally I left my Tv on a timer, so by the time it shut off I would just be laying there in the dark, it would take a bit longer for me to fall asleep. My room was in between my sister and mother’s, casually I slept with my door open. The washing machines was the only thing I could see in the hallway, nothing but dark cloths hanging above it. I would open and close my eyes to check how sleepy I was, while glancing into the hallway.

    A few minutes pass and at this time I saw some sort of a shadow, standing there, in front of the washer. I tried to come up with an explanation as fast I could; my eyes are just seeing things, those are just clothes hanging there. But it didn’t make any difference. This figure started to move closer, at this moment I saw it holding what looked life a chef’s knife. It was coming straight towards me, moving both slow and fast at the same time. I kept blinking, getting chills throughout my body, each time I opened my eyes the dark figure was getting too real for me. Its was getting faster the more I try to make it stop. It starts running up to me in bed, raising the knife up. I was panicking heavily, not a single thing I could do but blink, I was too scared to even cry out for anyone. This figure was about to stab me. The knife above its head came down at me immediately. At that moment I blinked my hardest, expecting the worst… Finally I opened my eyes, it was gone. The clothes above the washer were still there, just as nothing happened. There was nobody, no figure, just an empty space, I was freaked the hell out! I went to my mom’s room to tell her I was scared, and that I wanted to sleep in her room that night. Having no intention of bringing up what I saw to her. I just wanted to go to sleep. After that I stopped sleeping with my door open, and kept the tv most the night.

    I’m glad to know exactly what it was now. That was a good spook4me but as a young boy it put some trauma on my years, because I knew I was awake when it happened. Weirdly enough a few years later I encountered a real shadow person… Sorry if I’m going off topic here but I thought it’d be worth a mention.

    After we moved out of those apartments me and 2 of my friends were hanging out. We were heading to my room, which is at the end of the hall. We pass by the 2 guest rooms with opened doors, and in the room closest to mine, we all turn our heads to look in and I saw a figure of this guy sitting on the bed, who was slouched over, and even tilted his head down as we walked by. After entering my room we all just stood there, looking lost. So I thought that I’d bring it up first.. “You guys just saw that, right?” They both mentioned that, yeah, they saw that figure too. Sitting there, just as I explained it.

    Just thought I’d bring that up because I don’t know much people who are interested in this stuff like I am, especially when they have to sleep in that room, haha. This sleep paralysis thing is a real trip though, glad I came across your page there is some really valuable information here. Take good care everyone. :)

    • Hi Jim,
      Thanks for your comment and for sharing your story. Thanks for the compliment about the article too – I’m glad you found it useful. Your story is very interesting, but just one question – were you actually paralyzed during the experience? You don’t specify that, so I’m wondering if it was sleep paralysis, or just an extremely vivid hallucination. Ehat do you think?

      As for the second experience, well there’s not much I can say about that. Stories of more than one person seeing the same strange thing are always fascinating. My cynical mind would naturally think of alternative explanations, but I’m sure there are some readers who will relate to what you describe.

      All the best
      Ethan

      • Hey there Ethan, yeah I wasn’t too sure what to think of it at first, but after reading more into this kinda stuff lately I can conclude that it was just some really vivid form of paralysis. Being only able to blink, I seemed to be too frightened to move or speak. I was also laying on my back then. I can only remember it happening once, after that I take caution what goes on in my mind before I drift to sleep.

        Its crazy to hear that people get a force sitting on their chest choking them, or awake to a frightening scream.. That is no joke, I can only imagine how paranoid you would be after experiencing that. At least everyone here seems to have a little to relate to. Anyways thanks for taking the time to write back! Have a good one!

        • Hi Jim
          Good to hear from you again, and thanks for clarifying what you experienced. Yes, I think you’re right in that those kind of more dramatic and terrifying experiences can leave people feeling pretty shaken and disturbed.
          I like your idea of taking care of what goes on in your mind before going to sleep. I wonder if some positive visualization exercises would help ward off some of the scarier visions.
          Regards
          Ethan

  3. Hi there!

    Thank you so very much for this website. It’s so comforting to know that Sleep Paralysis is very common.

    I can still recall my experience as though it was yesterday. Funnily enough, I was not subjected to any horrifying vision..: I remember waking up and being completely paralysed. And then I heard a sound, a loud noise, almost like an helicopter would have been hovering immediately above me. As the sound kept getting louder, I immediately came to the conclusion that this must be what dying felt like, that I was quite probably passing away, hoping that it wasn’T going to hurt. And I realized that my husband was lying next to me, and I suddenly wanted desperately to tell him that I loved him, and to touch him before leaving… And so I concentrated with all my might on moving one finger of my hand closest to his body. As I succeeded, I awoke with a start, the aboslute certainty of my inevitable death still very much upon me, heart beating as though I would have been running in a marathon.

    I haven’t had another experience since, but what I remember the most is definitely the certainty that I was dying, snd the loud sound, like a buzzing, become more and more intense. I even remember thinking that my eardrums would burst if this kept going… And there definitely was a sense that I was leaving my body (I thought I was dying), and that I should do my best to anchor myself to something (my husband).

    Now, I am an atheist, and so I wonder if this perhaps changed the flow of the experience for me (my reaction was more physical ( as in thinking I might be dying instead of having a spiritual/out-of-body experience, and imagining the flow of my blood eventually bursting my eardrums to explain the loud noise…), but it definitely scarred me for life.

    This being said, I’d be very interested in knowing if anyone else has had that feeling of imminent death not necessarily linked to the doings of a demonic presence during their experience?

    Again, thank you so much for providing us with a place to discuss this horrific experience – feels like taking a load off of our chests!!!!

    Thank you!

    • Hi Rachel,

      Thanks for your comment, and I’m very happy you found the article helpful. I think that having a space to write down your experience and thoughts can be quite cathartic.

      It does make sense what you say about your interpretation of what was happening having an influence on what happened next. That’s an interesting idea, and one which would be interesting to explore through research.

      From what I remember, there are other readers who have said that they felt they were dying. But I can’t remember the details off-hand, so you would have to scan through the several hundred long comments to find them! Or perhaps someone is following this thread, or will come along later, who shares a similar story and will reply to you.

      I think the finger moving technique is one of the most effective, if not the best way to deal with sleep paralysis, so you did well to do that. Hopefully if it does happen again, you’ll be able to stop it a little sooner.
      All the best
      Ethan

  4. I just woke up from my second SP experience. A very terrifying one at that. My first one was in 2011 right after the first season of American Horror Story had started. If you have not seen that series there is a man in an all black “gimp” suit that appears. So I was taking a nap on the couch and I had fallen asleep on my back. I awoke to seeing that man in my kitchen ( I live in an apartment so I can see my kitchen, but not into it) he was standing there. I looked over to my boyfriend, who was playing a video game in front of me, I tried to yell to him, but nothing came out and I couldn’t move. I look back over to the kitchen and I saw that man had moved closer. I look back over and yelled my boyfriends name again, nothing. I look over and the man has gotten closer to me. Again, I yell out, nothing. Then I look over and that man is standing at the foot of the couch reaching down for my foot. I keep yelling and yelling. Finally my boyfriend heard me making squealing noises and then heard me scream his name. He gently awoke me as I have yelled in my sleep before. I told him what had happened and he knew I was terrified.
    Now back to today 10 July 2015. I went to take a nap in the bedroom and left the door cracked a little. I fell asleep on my left side ( I normally sleep on my right side) and I awoke to an entity kissing my lips. I can still feel the sensationof my lips being pressed down. This entity then sexually assaulted me. I look over to the door and scream my boyfriends name (same boyfriend from the previous experience) and that entity whispers in my ear ” He can’t help you. You’re mine now.” I can’t move and I just keep screaming his name. I also had felt that someone had gotten up off of my bed. Finally he hears me screaming and runs into the room to gently awake me again. He said I tears running down my face and I was white as a sheet. I told him what happened and he just held me.
    A little back story on me. I was raped a few times in my teens ( I’m now 28). So I’m wondering if that had something to do with this recent SP. I have also had an out of body experiance when I was 8. I was standing at my closet looking at myself sleep. I only remember that much of it because I had a custom made bed from my dad that was replaced with a trundle bed on my 9th birthday. I feel like I sound like a crazy person. The only person that knows about these SP times are my boyfriend and he has been very supportive and non-judgemental. I sleep with the TV or a blacklight on. I have found that the blacklight works better at illuminating my bedroom rather than a nightlight. My boyfriend has told me that I sleep walk and talk. So am probably going to go to a sleep study place to find out what is going on. What I find interesting is that I was in different sleeping positions for each SP.
    I finally did some research and found this website and after reading the comments I don’t feel as crazy. If this happens again ( hopefully not) I now know techniques to try to wake myself up and to not panic.

    • Hi Tamara
      Thank you for your comment and for sharing your story. I can understamd why it must be very disturbing considering what happened to you in the past. It’s great that you have a supportive boyfriend, and I think that going to speak to a sleep specialist is a very good idea. You obviously have a lot of things going on in your sleep at times, which is worth trying to deal with. I also think it might be a good idea to get some counselling if you are able to. Maybe you already did, I don’t know, but if there is an element of your past experiences influencing your sleep experiences, some talking therapy might be able to help.
      Regards
      Ethan

  5. This happens to me if I nap in the day on my back or if my partner goes to work early and I go back to sleep. Almost without fail. It used to be terrifying and sometimes still is, but I’m getting better at being in control and staying calm. I don’t know why it happens to me – healthy lifestyle, sleep well at night, no depression etc. I only found out it was even a “thing” a couple of years ago and that it had a name.

    • Hi Kathryn
      Thanks for your comment. It’s good that you’re getting better at staying calm during sleep paralysis. I think this is probably one of the most important things you can do in dealing with it.
      Sometimes there doesn’t really appear to be any direct, understandable cause for a sleep disorder. It just happens and we have to deal with it as best we can in the moment.
      Maybe tell your parter to leave the bedroom with ninja stealth so they don’t wake you up!
      Regards
      Ethan

  6. Yeah ive experienced sleep paralysis throughout my life. Im 38 but found out around 1998 that it wasn’t super natural. It happened much more frequently in my teen years, I also slept more on my back then, and its only ever happened on my back. I’ll never forget the worst time was after the movie IT played on t.v. when I was thirteen…I have never been more scared. I came here because my sisters fiance admitted to experiencing it often and the anxiety of it keeps him up, probably making it happen more often also. I explained it to him, but wanted to do some research since I haven’t studied it since college in the 90’s. Btw when it happens to me now, I just close my eyes and try and fall back to sleep, and I usually do. Unless I have to pee, then I just wait it out 30 secs to a minute.

    • Hi Jarrod
      Thanks for your comment, and it’s nice to hear that you’re using the article to help someone out. Perhaps you could just send him a link and let him read through. I know lots of people find reading the comment as much, if not more, useful than the actual article. Sometimes it’s good to know other people experience something similar and are still ok.
      Regards
      Ethan

  7. I have an episode of sleep paralysis almost every single night/morning – always when I am waking, never falling asleep.
    I usually hallucinate hearing a family member near by and try to call out for help. But that of course is a hallucination and never works. Sometimes I will let myself drift back off into sleep, but I usually have a fear that I will just wake up in paralysis again, causing me to panic and try to wake myself, which my doctor informs me is impossible – I am supposed to remain calm and let it pass. Ignoring whatever scary thing I hallucinate lurking in my bedroom. Now, there was one instance in my entire life (I am now 25 – symptoms started when I was 10) where I had a sort of “out of body” experience. Never really believed in it, I was about 17, living with my parents. One night, sleeping soundly. I suddenly woke up in paralysis, but it felt… different. I could actually stand up and kinda walk without feeling my body. So, I walked or… kinda floated out to where my parents were still awake and watching tv. It lasted what felt like was 7 minutes. I watched a few minutes of a blurry TV show and listened to my parents converse. The next morning, I told my parents who were skeptical until I recited their conversation to them. My parents resided in an upstairs bedroom while I resided in a downstairs bedroom. Was strange, but I could never recreate the event. I sometimes try when I wake up in paralysis, but i usually end up either falling back to sleep or just plain waking up.

    • Hi Julian

      Thank you for your comment. I was replying to a previous comment just a few minutes ago in which the reader talked about having an out of body experience and seeing things which they could then recount to another person to confirm what they had seemingly impossibly seen. And now your second story in a similar vein in one day! I might have to have a think about hoew frequently people report these kind of experiences, as they are certainly interesting. What conclusion have you come to about it? I’d be interested to know, as right now I still remain skeptical and atry to think of alternative explanations, even if it seems difficult to find them.
      Regards
      Ethan

  8. I’ve had a few experiences that were a little different when I was a child, I remember my first encounter was me skipping around a bonfire with a bunch of demoned looking nuns and getting woken up by mum asking me if I was ok as I was laughing for just under a minute while she was shaking me to wake up.
    My second encounter, I was laying in bed trying to get to sleep so I closed my eyes for a few minutes and then opened them to find my entire room and self covered in fluorescent see through taranchalas and a spider web reaching from wall to wall, I’d close my eyes and see nothing and once opening my eyes again I’d just see the same thing. Waking up mum beside me as I was fascinated rather then scared I asked her if she could see them and she just told me to keep my eyes shut.
    Now I am 19 years old and since the start of 2015 I’ve been introduced to recreational drugs which has cause some serious issues in my life which includes sleep paralysis. I woke up from one half an hour ago and it’s quarter to 3 now but I had only gotten into bed with my puppy around 2am. Tonight I thought it would be a good idea to sleep with a sleeping mask and as soon as I fell asleep within minutes of resting my head on my pillow (laying on my back) I was in my boyfriends bed I could hear him yelling get up its play time don’t you want to play? Then morphing into a demon he felt heavy on top of me, I felt like I was sinking into the bed screaming and yelling out ” help me!” “Luke please get this off of me!!” Trying to fight the demon with all my strength but not being able see anything I then tried to take my blindfold off but I was paralyzed trying to do everything I could just to take the blindfold off.. then Luke came and sat beside my head I could barely hear what he was saying as I was screaming in terror and suddenly felt all the heavy weight reforce itself by sucking the life out of me which I believe felt like my soul was being dragged out of my chest and for one split second it felt like I had just died and my spirit was making it’s way to god. Reaching my arm out to my boyfriend as I was floating yet hearing noises still unable to take my blindfold off my puppy ran over up chest and I woke up in a panic ripping my blindfold off my eyes finding myself on my own bed and immediately drowning in my tears and anxiety/paranoia of even to go back to sleep as I’ve had this happen to me 4 to 5 other times this year where I am getting pinned down, dragged by my legs off my bed, with a dark cloudy shadow above me while I struggle and completely panic to get my body to respond and my voice to be vocal screaming out to mum or Luke. And the one time that i had an episode was when I was either Luke, waking up gasping for air, it woke him up to immediately asking him if he heard me or if he felt me moving at all and he said no then asked me what’s wrong. I get scared to go to sleep at night cause every other time I’d experience it I’d fall back asleep and it would happen again straight away, like the daemon had just let me have a break to get my head space back to normal just to ^%$! me up again.
    I feel lonely. And terrified. As well as vulnerable due to have never being felt lifted and light but yet so close to death. While writting this I’ve had nothing but hallucinations occur in my room such as my sister (who is currently at her boyfriends) sitting on the floor facing the wall talking to me about the clothes I’m wearing. And a man In a black jumper with no face has just tried to offer me a bottle of water…

    • Hi AJ

      Thanks for your comment, and I’m sorry to hear you’ve been having such unpleasant experiences. It’s always particularly touching when someone says they are writing a comment whilst still feeling the effects of a scary experience.
      I think that you have a lot going on here, and whilst it’s hard to say whether al of your experiences are explainable as sleep paralysis, or whether they might be bad dreams or hallucinations, or a combination, one thing is apparent – you have quite intense experiences.

      My first thought would be that if you are having such vivid experiences and they are making you feel paranoid, then recreational drugs might not be the thing for you. I know if you have just been introduced to them, then it may be very exciting, fun etc and also a social thing with friends. All of which can be difficult to walk away from. But whilst many people do take recreational drugs without any great problems, at least initially, there are those who are just not suited to them and very quickly end up with psychological or social problems. My advice would be to think quite hard about whether the trade off is worth it. If your’re going to be lying awake at night, too scared to get into your own bed, then something’s not right.

      I would also suggest keeping an eye on how often you experience these kinds of hallucinations. If you have them whilst in the dark, falling asleep or waking up, that’s often attributable to sleep disorders. But if you’re sat in your room with the lights on, or during the day time and seeing things, then it could be a sign that something else is causing them. In which case i would reccommend talking to a doctor about it.
      Regards
      Ethan

  9. I had it for about twenty seconds. In those seconds, I experienced so much fright. My door was cracked and there was a subtle light from the hallway. Then it went dark and the crack grew larger in a very slow and smooth manner. Something about the cartoon like movement told me it was a dream. But my eyes were open and I could not move which just scared me more. My heart was racing and I began to sweat and feel a vibration/pressure in my chest. Eventually I wiggled my finger and moved my tongue which helped me wake up. The door was completely closed so I know it wasn’t real. But my religious upbringing still makes my mind wonder if it was a demonic presence. These stories have convinced me otherwise. But I’m still so scared that it will happen again I cannot sleep. Any advice?

    • Hi Kris,
      Thanks for your comment, and it’s completely understandable that you’re worried about going back to sleep. However, I think the best advice is to refuse to allow one brief, albeit terrifying, experience to ruin any more sleep than it already has done. It’s important to nor surrender to the fear, but to tell yourself that you will sleep find again, and that even if it does happen againm you overcame it once, so you’ll overcome it again. And if course now you’ve accepted that it’s not a demon, that should also help to make is easier to cope with next time.
      So my advice is to be strong, remember the wiggly finger thing, and remember to enjoy going to bed and sleeping again.
      Regards
      Ethan

  10. I’m 64 years old and experienced my first night paralysis at the age of 14, while attempting to astral travel. The first time was the most terrifying experience that I have ever had in my life. However, I knew that something significant had happened and I was determined to explore this phenomenon until I mastered it. At the beginning, I tried to enter sleep paralysis almost every night, but only succeeded about twice a month. Each successful entry resulted in similar and unbearably frightening experiences. Finally, after almost three years at it I succeeded and passed thru. I didn’t realize until recently that this state of consciousness has been experienced by so many, and that so little is known about it. I wish that I had kept a journal, but over the years I have retained many experiences and observations that I believe could result in much better scientific understanding and analysis of this phenomenon. I can also prescribe a routine to help the uninitiated enter this realm and experience it for themselves. (Some of the things that I have experienced are not currently recognized by science) I’m interested in sharing so please email me if you have questions.

    • Hi Karl

      Thank your for your comment. I know from previous comments that there are people who also find sleep paralysis interesting and would like to explore it more. I would also be very interested to know what you did to bring about sleep paralysis, and any subsequent state. So please feel free to describe what you did/do and I will publish it for other readers to think about.
      Regards
      Ethan

  11. I experience sleep paralysis at least a few times a month and more so lately. At first it was terrifying and I panicked but now I realize when its happening and start wiggling my toes and work my way up. There have been several times I thought I was yelling but my mom would tell me later that she heard me making faint sounds like squeaks and my eyes would be slightly opened. It scared my parents so much they would check on me several times a night because they were convinced I had breathing issues and was gasping for air. I usually see a shadow moving across my wall and have a feeling of pure dread and evil..no pressure on my chest just the feeling I’m being watched from across the room. I had one experience I will never forget I had fell Into sleep paralysis a couple times that night but the last time I was aware of what was happening and then suddenly I was standing in our kitchen and heard myself making a weird noise and I watched my mother hop off the couch fumble around for her glasses and run down the hall to my room. Then I was back in my room in my bed wiggling my toes as my mom was trying to wake me..when I came out of it I told mom I was fine and we both went to sleep. The next morning I ask mom if she was struggling to reach her glasses before she came to my room and she said yes and ask why.. I never explained why because I knew it would stress my parents out more. I was convinced I had an out of body experience but I’m not sure. As many times as I’ve had sleep paralysis that was the only time I felt I left my room. I am very spiritual and I also believe in the science explanation of the mind waking before the body. I only struggle with that feeling of doom and dread and wonder where it comes from the panic I understand.. But the evil feeling is a mystery to me.

    • Hi Kimberley,
      Thanks for your comment and for sharing your sleep paralysis story here. The part about your mum’s glasses is certainly very interesting. I know many people would say that it sounds like an out of body experience. Personally I’m still not entirely sure what I think about the possibility of leaving our physical body and being able to see things happening that would otherwise be beyond our ability to see. My natural skeptical side comes to the front in situations like that and I naturally start thinking about alternatives, such as at being a dream state of some kind, and the glasses being an amazing coincidence. But it’s up to you to decide what to think.

      As for the feeling of evil, doom and dread, I think that’s very normal in sleep paralysis. It’s probably going to be the part that takes the most work to deal with, as it is the body and brain’s natural reaction to the uncertainty of the situation it is in.

      Hopefully you’ll hve found some useful tips in the article which might help the next time it happens. Above all, try to remind yourself that nothing bad will happen to you.

      All the best
      Ethan

  12. Thank you so much! Helps a lot…
    I had this experience twice in my life. Not a pleasant thing. Scientific explanation will hopefully keep me calm next time.
    All the best!
    Marta

    • Hi Marta
      Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you found the article helpful, and I hope too that you remember the explanation next time. It can definitely help you keep calm by remembering that nothing bad will happen.
      Regards
      Ethan

  13. I have been through sleep paralysis before and while it was frightening and i saw and experienced weird things i have never had an experience like i did last night that is still unexplainable and rattling me to my core. I remember laughing in my sleep and halfway waking up to my boyfriend saying what is wrong and then i fell back asleep but only for a brief moment until inside of my head i heard a blood curdling scream, like nothing i have ever heard before, almost like a child screaming as loud as it can but worse than that, and i was paralyzed,i tried as hard as i could to just stay calm and in about a minute i could move but i immediately started crying, trying to breathe went into a full on anxiety attack, had the worst headache of my life, and felt sick in my stomach and started dry heaving because i could not throw up. I was seeing people in my room, i was hearing voices in my head talking to me, and i would think just let me sleep, and whatever it was kept screaming no, then finally said fine. I never thought my sleep paralysis was an evil entity or demon after i researched when it happend the first time but now all i can feel is fear like i have never felt before throughout my whole body. It is 11:30 am where i live and this happened around 3-45-4:00 am. I dont know how to feel or who to talk to about this, all i do know is that im scared.

    • Hi Jessica,
      Thanks for your comment, and I’m very sorry to hear you had such a scary experience. it’s understandable that you felt so scared afterwards. Have you spoken to your boyfriend about this? Or perhaps your family? It’s quite common, so you may even find that they’ve experienced similar things.
      I think it’s important to find a way to manage the fear that it can bring about. Part of that is believing that nothing bad will actually happen to you. And perhaps also having a few tricks up your sleeve when you go to bed, so that you don’t feel so helpless wondering what you’ll do if it happens again. And for that I reccommend re-reading the tips in the article and picking a couple to remind yourself of before going to bed if you’re worrying about it once the light goes off. For example wiggling your finger, relaxing, screwing up your eyes etc. just pick a couple and plant the ideas in your head by reminding yourself of them in moments when you feel anxious about it.
      All the best
      Ethan

  14. So, it’s happened to me twice within a week… First one I don’t remember, but this one I do as I woke up from it about a hour ago… 3:30 AM. I was lying on my left side, as that’s how I always get to sleep. My TV on. It’s always on when I sleep as it has a timer to go off after 4 hours of no activity..
    Anyways, when this sleep paralysis happend, it terrified me. It was all black in my room (TV still on when I woke up) and I had who I thaught…slender man…was in my face and all I could hear is horrible buzzing. Of course I tried to scream but couldn’t. All I could do was wriggle my eyes… Then every thing stopped and that was that.

    I went to my phone and got Google up and typed in body can’t move and strange noise before waking up, and of course sleep paralysis popped up. As I’m from the UK the top and first thing I went was NHS, then found another website similar to this, a few other random ones, then this. This site being the most informative and helpful (especially in the early hours of the morning)

    I do not believe I really saw what I saw. I love horror, and play games (never anything slender man… Although I have been tempted in the past) I am also not religious, but I do believe is ghosts. I’m unsure about anything demonic, but find it interesting. Aliens I ruled out after a split second as, I do believe there is life beyond earth, I just don’t think they fly around in ships and use us as experiments.

    I found out that it happens in teen years most. And as I’m due to be 20 this month, I have not ruled that out. Also I have started a new job where I work in the evenings that has effected my sleeping as I’m used to being in bed by 10 and be asleep before midnight . Whereas now I finish 11:30/midnight then if I missed out on dinner, I’d have that then sleep by 1:30… Although tonight I finished early so played Elder Scrolls online with my wonderful boyfriend, then went offline, played on hyperdimension neptunia on my vita, made some rose, camomile and lavender tea, had some cheese then sleep by 1:30.

    I believe it can either be the tea I drink before bed as that’s new within past few weeks, or food before bed as they are the two things that are both new, and done before both nights I had Sleep Paralysis.

    I was very much afraid when I woke up, as slender man in anyone’s face is pretty scary… But after finding info on what happened, this site in particular, I’m less afraid. I think I have a over active imagination anyways… (I know playing games and horror movies don’t help, but it’s what I enjoy)…As I used to see all kinds if stuff when I was in between being awake and sleep. Started off as little fairies (love them) dancing to mini cartoon like devil’s still dancing … That then went to clown spiders… They still appear from time to time, but only if I had a bad day (this all started when my GCSE exams started)… Worst case was I was in a bad place emotionally, and had one of these clown spiders turn to a cow boy that put a gun to my head (now that I think about it, that may of been another occurrence of SP as I couldn’t move..)

    But thank you to who wrote this post, to make me understand what’s going on lately. I don’t know how old this is or if I get a reply… But it’s much help. Sorry if I rambled on, but I think it all plays a part… I’m off to see doctors soon so might ask about more info on it as I’ve always found anything about dreaming/nightmares/the brain extremely interesting as would love to be a art physiotherapist.

    Started rambling again.. Sorry… Thank you for the final time…

    • Hi Jemma
      Thanks for your comment, and your compliment about the website. I’m glad you found the article helpful, and hopefully you will have found some useful tips you can remember should it happen again.
      I think that it seems very likely the various changes in your lifestyle have impacted on your sleep and possibly led to the sleep disturbances you’ve had this week, which do sound like sleep paralysis.
      I imagine that once you settle into a stable sleep pattern again, and perhaps cut out the late night snacks, you might find you don’t have it again. Personally I don’t eat cheese before bed because anecdotally my friends and I have often joked about having ‘cheesy dreams’. Whether it’s coincidence or not I don’t know, but I do find that cheese on toast at night often leads to vivid dreams!
      I would suggest not eating before bed and try and get your dinner in earlier if possible. I’d also suggest not playing horror games or films late at night, even if you love them. You may find that helps a little too.
      All the best
      Ethan

  15. Not sure if this is what I have but there have been a couple of times when I was asleep I would be dreaming and try to open my eyes and I can’t. It feels like something is holding me down and keeping my eyes shut, then I wake up gasping for air. It is very scary. Just wanting to know if this is what I have, I have just started doing this within the past year or so and I am 35.

    • Hi Melisa,
      Thanks for your comment. It’s hard to tell if it is sleep paralysis or just a bad dream. The difference is if the imability to open your eyes happens when you are definitely not asleep, then it’s probably sleep paralysis. But if it happens in a dream, then you eventually wake up knowing you were just having a bad dream, then it’s not.
      If you regularly wake up gasping for air, it might be s good idea to get checked by a doctor to make sure you don’t have a sleep related breathing disorder, just to be on the safe side.
      Regards
      Ethan

  16. I’ve just woken up from one, and thanks to the modern smartphone, am surfing in bed to distract myself. I’ve had episodes repeatedly over the last 15 years, and they all had two things in common: they occurred during/after moments in my life of extreme emotional stress, and I woke on my back. So for me it seems stress + sleeping position is a cause.

    The horrifying thing in my dreams is that the “presence” is always a “morphed” version of a loved one. It’ll just start out with me dreaming I woke up and everything is normal, and then the person appears and suddenly their features change (distort, etc) and they try to kill me (strangulation, eating??). I can’t move and will try to scream but no sound comes out. Scary stuff- and even scarier because I will then “wake up” again, think to myself “whew what a nightmare!” and then find out I am still asleep and the monster returns. Again and again, like a horror ground hog day. Sometimes up to 20 times in a row.

    When I then finally do wake up, I often have difficulty believing I am really awake. I will wake my partner and talk, but also be afraid he’ll “morph again”. I even once called my mom, cried on the phone, and asked her “am I awake? please, I just want to be awake now…” :(

    After reading a lot on the subject, I have managed to wake myself a few times by trying to talk to the “being” or myself, saying “this is not real, I am just asleep”. It helped me stop panicking and I’d wake up. It doesn’t work every time, though.

    After reading the above tips, I am switching my pillow. I used my “migraine” pillow tonight, which is softer and higher than the one I usually have. It is more comfortable when my head hurts- but I will definitely choose some physical discomfort over such a dream!!

    Is age a factor? (the poll seems to imply it is?) My son has woken up screaming and absolutely terrified a few times before his first birthday, and as he didn’t talk yet, was unable to express what happened. Is it hereditary or a coincidence?

    • Hi Yvonne
      Thanks for your comment, and it sounds like you have had some very unpleasant dreams indeed, so I can understand your distress.
      However, I’m not sure if you are describing sleep paralysis, or rather dreams in which you are beinv visited by these beings and then having what is often called ‘false awakenings’. I kmow many previous readers have talked about this too, though it would take a long time to find the, in all the comments!
      I think maybe for both you and your son, you might find it more helpful to read the article about nightmares and night terrors. It seems to me that this might account for both of your experiences.
      Regards
      Ethan

  17. This happened to me about 4 years ago I was talking a day nap woke up to something evil on my chest couldn’t move nothing but my eyes so I started sputtering the words &$@! you &$?! you I will fight you!!

  18. Also, I failed to mention before that I tried to call out to the person in the room across the hall. I could hear her snoring but the most I was able to achieve was a very faint moan. I could feel my tongue in my mouth and it felt relaxed and lazy. This is when I became a bit more frustrated than afraid but knew that did not help the situation either.

    I also believe I had been getting pretty exhausted during this week.

  19. This happened to me for the first time two days ago. I have always had extremely vivid and occasionally lucid dreams. However, this night was much different along with the events leading up to it.

    I learned over the past five to six years to pay attention to other conditions such as the moon, events in my life, other people, how I am taking care of myself via diet, sleep, mentality, spiritual being, etc. So, there were a lot of things leading up to this, including dreams from the night prior.

    Long story short, many things lead up to this. Including a dream prior in which I kept reciting Psalm 23 (that same night) which I do not fully know this much of. In the dream, I did not know it all, but got the idea that the purpose was a message, hint, warning, just me thinking a lot, etc. I woke up and I was somewhat comfortable but felt something else nearby and closed my eyes because I did not want to see it. Prir to going to sleep I kept seeing something like a shadow waving or moving something above me (especially when I rolled onto my left sde). I could hear it breathing, which I initially took as my own breathing until I listened and it was much deeper and shallow, but also like panting. Furthermore, it was not in synch with my own breath. I opened my eyes and I was paralyzed, I could hear and feel what was doing this. I was laying on my back with my head turned up to my left where the breathing was coming from. I saw a dark arm and hand over my chest and neck area. The more frightened and frustrated I became, the less control I had.

    This event was placing me into a deeper sleep or trance like state. I had been placed into a deeper sleep and out-of-body experience while dreaming in the past when I became too frightened by something. Once I figured out what was happening, I calmed down and prayed and was able to come out of it. I left my room and sat up in a bigger, more lighted area for a while. I could feel the after effects of it touching my neck for about 20 minutes…something like a cooler tingling sensation.

    I have been approached and seen things from time to time but never experienced the paralysis while awake/half-awake. This was not my most positive feeling experience but since then have accepted that and moved on. I do believe it will happen again though. The key thing to point out here is that this time I was awake when I saw this, but chose to continue to lay down.

    • Hi Bud,
      Thanks for your comment, and it does seem that sleep paralysis is what you experienced, although I do wonder as well what else led up to this experience. For example, it seems you experienced some kind of hallucinations previously, and also have the belief that you’be been approached in the past by something. This could all contribute to you experiencing what you did. I think you did the right thing in getting up for a while and sitting in the light if you were feeling scared. It’s always a good idea to try to reset your brain and thought processes before going back to sleep.
      Regards
      Ethan

  20. I’ve had terrible experiences with sleep paralysis.In 2010,when I was about 12 (in the 6th grade), I moved from my hometown and lived farther from my school. So every morning around 4:00 am, I would be dropped off at my former neighbor’s house (before I moved) and i would sleep until around six and would walk to the bus stop where i’d catch the bus to school. Well, anyway long story short the mother (elderly lady) of my former neighbor had passed away in Mexico. Apparently my whole neighbor’s family found this out through a phone call at like 4:30 am whilst I was trying to sleep on the living room couch. It was a sad morning, everyone was crying and it got to me too. I had met the lady who died month’s earlier and spent the rest of the day thinking of her. The next morning i was dropped off and walked in the living room looking at the couch I was about to sleep on, realizing just a couple months earlier she was sitting on that couch. Well, I ended up lying on the couch, thinking of the lady. I feel asleep for five minutes when the paralysis hit me. I woke unable to move, when this hooded figure (exactly like the one in the first image) with glowing red eyes put his hand over my face. I was terrified, I was absolutely sure it was reality, I couldn’t move. Then I woke up. It was terrible and it felt so real. I think the fact that I had death on my mind that whole morning lead to that sighting.

    • Hi Orlando

      Than you for your comment and for sharing your story. I think you’re right in that thinking about or seeing scary, unpleasant or morbid things can have an effect on our sleep. For people who are susceptible to sleep paralysis, nightmares or hallucinations etc, then an event like the one you experienced can definitely have an effect.
      Hopefully it won’t happen again. But if it does, try to remember one or two of the tips here which can help you deal with it.
      Regards
      Ethan

    • I just experienced a very terrifying version of what i think was sleep paralysis, there appeared to be a large man in my room but i was able to move my body, and my body went into fight or flight mode and i attacked the large black figure. The figure disappeared as i attacked it. is it still sleep paralysis if i was never really paralysed or at least I don’t remember being paralysed

      • Hi yungbruh,
        Thanks for your comment. I think it technically wouldn’t fall under the category of sleep paralysis. You might find it more helpful to look at this article about hypnagogic hallucinations instead.
        Regards
        Ethan

  21. This is a reply to an older post by Meg in 2014, not sure if reply will attach to it or not. I’ve been experiencing this since I was 4 years old. The images you described are the same. But, what caught my eye and pushed me to reply is what you said about someone stroking your hair, it felt nice and was overall calming…this happened to me too. I stil remember the dream I was having when it took place in exact detail, 30 years later.

    I was having a very peaceful dream, and was overcomed with a feeling a love and well being, and as it went on I began to detect someone rubbing their fingers through my hair, which made me slowly wake up, but like you, my eyes were still closed. I assumed it was my mom, maybe she had come in the room to check on me, so I smiled and said, mom, as I opened my eyes. But, what was stroking my hair didn’t disappear, I saw it and I screamed louder than I ever did before that night. Enough to where my Dad came stumbling in the room not 30 seconds later, and what I saw, he caught a glimpse of too before it vanished.

    I never forgot that night, and recently chose to do some research, so I put in the select key words of what I saw that night, “old witch,” and it brought me to this web page. I still remember what she looked like in epic detail, the tattered clothes, white hair, with a bristled shaw that pulled over her head. When I first laid eyes on her she was shaking her head, answering my question I had asked when I opened my eyes, and she was smiling, but not in a sadistic way, in a gentle way. But, she was hideous and I was 4 years old so yeah, I screamed like a school girl, which seemed to startle her like I insulted her feelings, which was odd.

    Me and my Dad spoke about it recently. He couldn’t sleep over a week after it happened and was always checking in on me to make sure I was okay for awhile after that. He said it have him the worst chill down his spine he ever had in his life and would never forget it. But, in this instance, SP was not present. But, other times it was…. Roughly a year later, similar episodes began to occur again, but this time I would feel rough tugging on my feet and legs. We had a dog that sometimes did this so I disregarded, even when it became more forceful in its tugging, I would kick it off, until the cover were ripped from me in the direction of the tugging at lightning speed. At that point my eyes jerked open but the rest of my body was frozen, I couldn’t move and was in fear, cold shock, and adrenaline went through the roof. After a few minutes I was able to will my self out of it by slowing my breathing. Once, I was able to move enough to get out of my bed, I stumbled and fell to the floor due to my legs not being fully functional, and dragged myself to the hallway and started banging on the wall and door, because I couldn’t make my voice work, until my both of my parents came to my rescue.

    I was able to point in to my room, my face was filled with panic and soaked with tears. My mom picked me up while my Dad turned on my light and went into my room. My covers were completely pulled under my bed under where my head was resting, scruntched up agaisnt the wall, upside down. I slept in my parents bed for over a month after that, and they took me to a Christian counselor. Every once in awhile it still happens, though it seems the gap inbetween keeps getting larger.

    The last time it happened was exactly the same scenario with the tugging and the blanket getting ripped off me, but at this time, I am married and my wife was in the bed when it happened, so she got to experience it too…. My family jokes with me all the time about how I am “haunted.” It was horrible for me as a kid, but the times it has happened over over the past 15 years, I shrug it off, I’ve gotten so use to it. I will even get mad and cranky at it and say, knock it off, I have an early day tomorrow, go haunt someone else for a change stalker, etc…. But, yeah….

    I have done lots of research on it and it’s been occurring for over a thousand years, but still no real reason or meaning behind it. Some of my research has led me to references to it such as Lillith or The Morrigan. Sometimes SP happens with it, sometimes it doesn’t, as I’ve gotten older it has been mostly the “doesn’t” type, but still some on rare occurrences. I am not convinced this is psychological. I went to shrinks throughout the worst part of the ordeal when I was a kid and even been evaluated as an adult just for kicks and they all say the same, I’m completely mentally healthy, with the exception of my high moral standards I place on myself and others.

    One thing bothers me about it to this day…whenever it happens, my life utterly sucks for awhile. I’m talking obscenely wicked bad luck…literally everytime. When my wife was with me the last time she got the bad luck and overall grim feeling of the world with it too. What’s up with that? If anyone has any real idea what this is, instead of the usual, scientific copouts, which equal they can’t explain it because they weren’t there, shoot me a reply on this board, I have it set for notifications.

    • Hi Jay

      Thank you for your comment. You didn’t reply specifically to Meg, but either way she would only read it if she chose to follow either her comment thread or the main thread. In my experience a lot of readers are still following these comments, so you never know.
      Since you have asked for replies from other readers, I will refrain from commenting, as my reply would surely be a scientific copout as you put it;-)
      All the best
      Ethan

  22. Okay, so this happened to me for the first time last night. It was probably one of the most frightening things that I have experienced… I have anxiety attacks almost daily, and USED to think they were the most frightening thing. This tops it.

    First, ill start off with me getting into bed after a long day and exhausted (as I normally am) … I didn’t even lay there and think about things like I normally do- I was that tired. And all of a sudden when I would be falling asleep it was as if I’d lose my breath, so I’d gasp for air, wake up and try and get my breathing back on track…(this happeNed about 3 times before I actually fell asleep). Then the scary part happened… I was asleep… and out of nowhere I wake up to find myself on my side, my whole body tingling(like my whole body was asleep like when your arm or leg falls asleep) and I couldn’t move at all…I was in the fetal position pretty much. I was so scared, I tried yelling for my mom but there was Nothing coming out…. I did have some weird visions dreams or whatever it is and it was like a bunch of dreams mixed together into one like in a fast forward pace….this may seem dumb but what I remember most from the dream was a cat that looked nice and it made me happy and then it turned into an evil cat like it was going to kill me and I was so so scared. Sounds dumb, cause it was a cat….but it’s just mind boggling and scary and I’d really love for it to never happen again!!

    • Hi Devery

      Thanks for your comment, and I can understand why you felt so scared! It does sounds like you probably woke up with sleep paralysis, judging from what you describe about waking up unable to move and tingling.
      Can I ask about the breathing difficulty though? Does this happen to you regularly? I think if you ever wake up gasping for air, it’s a good idea to get checked out by a doctor. There are sleep breathing disorders which many people have, and should be treated. I don’t want to make you feel any more anxious, but it’s better safe than sorry. Hopefully it was just an unpleasant one-off, but if you think you may have this more often, best to get checked out.
      Regards
      Ethan

  23. Hello everyone I’m 13 years old and i used to experience this every 2 nights and then it just stopped! How it felt for me was when i was just laying there. Then i just felt really cold and i couldn’t breathe i couldn’t move and i heard something whisper in my ear ( i couldn’t really make out what i heard.) and said “____ _____ Sleep ______ _____” It may seem a little cheesy\corny but i just wanna get this out there. I hope I have believers out there. And next time it occurs i now know what to do!
    ( My apologies if i misspelled some words.)

    • Hi Dylan

      Thank you for your comment. And don’t worry about the spelling – I usually correct spelling mistakes:-)

      Your story doesn’t sounds cheesy or corny at all. In all the comments here there are so many stories, it would be impossible to decide which are cheesy or not! They are all perfectly valid experiences.

      I’m glad you’ve got some ideas about what you can do if it happens again. That’s an important thing which can help you relax and sleep at night.

      Regards
      Ethan

  24. hi! 22 years old, female, experienced SP for the first time last year, was in bed next to my now ex- boyfriend and it felt like something was trying to drag me from the foot of the bed, I knew I was dreaming so tried speaking, my boyfriend woke up due to me making strange movements, however, had a very scary encounter of SP the other day.
    I was asleep in a nightmare I was driving my car and couldn’t change gear, I crashed my car and woke up, or so I thought I had. I had a ‘dull’ ringing in my ears, that’s the only way I can describe it, and couldn’t move at all, felt like I had something holding me down, I could hardly breathe and I felt a presence in the room, this presence kept trying to enter my body and Everytime it did I gasped for breathe, I kept saying ‘leave me alone, please stop’ but it took my breathe away around 3/4 times. I attempted to move and thought I fell out of bed and opened my door, I crawled to my mums room for help, this was all very difficult to do and I still couldn’t speak or breathe properly. I then tried to pinch myself as I knew if I was dreaming I wouldn’t be able to feel pain, and if this was real life I would feel pain, but I couldn’t feel pain so I kept pinching myself until I woke up. I woke up with tears down my face, sweating and not being able to breathe. It was so scary and i don’t know whether it was SP or a ghost or something similar. I’ve been very unsettled since then and was hoping you could put my mind at rest. That night I had eaten a toast with cheese on before going to sleep so i’m putting two and two together and hoping that eating that close to falling asleep had an impact. A reply back would be very beneficial if possible! Thanks, Ruby

    • Hi Ruby

      Thanks for your comment, and sorry to hear you had such a scary experience. I’m not sure from what you say whether you really had sleep paralysis or not though. Sometimes people dream that they are in their bedroom and something scary happens to them, but they then wake up from the nightmare. Sleep paralysis is when you have woken up, or are still awake, consciously but your body won’t move. So you know you are not dreaming (usually) and then hallucinate strange things in your room.
      From what you describe though, it seems like you were dreaming that you were in bed and then tried to crawl to your mum’s room. When you woke up, were you crawling or lying in bed? That would answer that question really.
      If it seems like you were dreaming, then perhaps look at this article about stopping nightmares and night terrors. You might find that helpful.
      Regards
      Ethan

  25. I have had these type of experiences off and on since I was 18 years old. My first experience was my worst experience. This was before I even knew it was a type of sleep condition with a name and everything. I awoke to what seemed like a black shadow figure on top of me. The shadow figure spoke in demonic tongue in my ear while trying to possess me. I actually felt the being enter my body and my soul or whatever it was started to lift out of my body. With all my strength I tried to fight it and enter back into my body. Finally after saying something to me I could not understand it let me go and I could move again. This is my reasoning for believing in the beginning it was a demon or some type of entity. It started happening more and more after that except the next few experiences are just me laying paralyzed with a black shadow standing in my door way and this always happens in the middle of the night whether someone is sleeping in the room with me or not. The more I have the shadow starts to walk towards me. I then was so scared that I started doing research on possessions and what not trying to look up what demon was after me and why thinking I’m going completely insane when I found out I’m experiencing sleep paralysis!! Everyone’s stories made me feel so much better that I’m not alone in this and I’m not crazy lol so I tried to shrug off my experiences as scary as hell they were I tried thinking it’s just in my head until my recent experience. I got a dog and he sleeps with me in my room with my husband and I every night. He is a very loyal happy go-lucky dog that never barks or growls. We also joke that he would probably lick a burglar to death. I woke up in the middle of the night paralyzed again to see the black shadow figure standing in the hallway and my dog was growling at it with it’s hair standing up!! When I finally was able to move again it disappeared and my dog ran down the hallway then came back in the room and jumped up on the bed beside me and slept with me the rest of the night! Has anyone else experienced this!? I am completely terrified again I haven’t been sleeping well at all because of it but my dog helps me feel some kind of comfort.
    I hope to get a reply! Thank you!

    • Hi Niki

      Thanks for your comment and for telling your story. What a shame that just as you had decided to accept this as sleep paralysis, the incident with your dog happened! I can understand why that must have freaked you out.
      I guess it could be that if you have sleep paralysis so regularly, maybe your dog was startled by something and that triggered your sleep paralysis? Or perhaps you had an episode, and your dog sensed the fear and then went a bit loopy and started barking at shadows? They do say that dogs are very sensitive to people’s fear etc. If that is the case, then perhaps your dog would be a better guard than you previously thought:-)
      Anyway, this is just me speculating as usual when readers present another form of sleep disturbance which seems to be hard to explain with the basic explanation for sleep paralysis! It’s up to you to find the same strength you had before and try to shrug this off as well. Maybe believing in your dog’s potential to look after you while you sleep will provide some extra comfort:-)
      Regards
      Ethan

  26. Hi, my name is Miguel.

    Over the past two years I’ve had about 20-30 times that I woke up without moving. But two weeks ago, it was different than all the other times. I was barely falling asleep and when I heard someone playing with the blinds in the window in my room, I said to myself how is that possible if I am inside, I ignored it.
    So then they knocked on my window in the room and in the sliding door and in my front door. So I checked and no one was there. 2 minutes later I went back to sleep and the same thing happened again so I got my pistol and rapidly went outside nothing was there, so I put the pistol back in the cabinet. Well I finally prayed and went back to sleep as I closed my eyes I felt someone crawling from my headboard. I have a 7 foot headboard and something was crawling down trying to get down to the mattress. I felt something fall and that’s when it happened I could move I felt it grabbed me, this time I had force and I was only able to move just a lil bit not a lot. I could talk but not like I normally would. I said ‘GET OFF ME” and out of all the other times this has never happened to me but it responded back and as he whispered in my ear, I felt the breeze and he said in a demonic voice ( I DON’T HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU” and then in spanish I was trying to pray and first two words came out and I was able to move again after I said those two words. I woke up my Hand was folded and the pistol was in my had pointing towards my head. remember I said I had put it in the cabinet I couldn’t move or walk I had my eyes open the whole time. So my question is how can this be Sleep Paralysis? I don’t believe this at all. I think someone is on to you doing supernatural things or something is haunting you. I’ve talked to all my coworkers and they all experienced the same just one time. But mine is every single week or day.

    • Hi Miguel

      Thank you for your comment and for sharing your story. To be honest, I’m not sure whether sleep paralysis is the only possible explanation for what you have described there. But what worries me is the fact that you ended up with a pistol pointed at your head. It could be that you were sleep-walking, or were acting out a dream as happens in what is called REM behavior disorder (where your body doesn’t shut down and you physically act out your dream).
      Whatever the explanation, my advice would be to talk to your doctor about this, and also to make sure your gun isn’t kept loaded. It would be terrible if you had an accident one night, so I think it’s probably a good idea to get some professional advice and see if they can help stop anything bad happening to you.
      Regards
      Ethan

  27. March of 2014 was extremely hard for me. I was experiencing sleep paralysis only on the nights my husband was working. He is a police officer so we had a routine that we would talk before I went to bed. My evening would begin with hearing something walk around upstairs. Then at around 10-11 pm I would head to bed. I hated going to bed because around 2-3am I would be awoken by something sitting on my chest. I feel it holding my arms down. I have had it hold my hands behind my back while I was laying on my side. I feel it sucking the air out of me but it feels like its sucking the life out of me. I started not sleeping till late. I was afraid to go to my bedroom. After a couple weeks I was so tired and wouldn’t sleep in my room. I fell sleep with my knees at my chest and my head laying against the back of my couch, sort of sideways with my arms tucked up holding up my chin. I experienced an extremely detailed and disturbing dream (I hope it was just a dream) of a man in my living room. He was just wearing a dingy pair of underwear. He was a white guy that had yellowish skin, dirty blonde gross hair it was unkempt, stood about 5’5-5’6 very thin, He had brown eyes and they were yellowed as well. He was glaring at me from across my living room at one moment, the next he was next to me and then he was holding my head up with his forehead eye to eye with me he was breathing heavily through his teeth spit was being pushed through it. I couldn’t look down at what he was doing and he was doing it very aggressively, he wanted eye contact. When I woke up I felt the sweat on my forehead and there was dewy wetness between my toes and I was freezing. I called my husband crying. I was then overwhelmingly tired and slept for nearly 17 hours in addition to the 3 hours I slept during the incident. This was so vivid that I genuinely felt I was violated. Is there an explanation for this? I am afraid to report it out of fear that I will sound like a crazy person especially with my husbands occupation.

    • Hi there

      Thanks for your comment and for sharing your experiences. It sounds to be like you are describing two different types of sleep disorder. The first does sound like sleep paralysis, waking up with the feeling that something is sitting on your chest, the feeling of someone holding your arms etc. And I can understand not wanting to sleep in your bedroom after that. I think that’s a natural reaction if you repeatedly have scary experiences like that.

      The second though, as you say yourself, seems like it was entirely a very bad dream. You might like to look at the article about nightmares and night terrors to find out more about that. Sometimes we have incredibly vivid dreams, good or bad, which can leave us feeling like something actually happened the next day. I personally quite often have dreams which leave me with a particular emotion during the following day based on how the dream made me feel upon waking.
      It’s possible that because you were having the sleep paralysis, your mind has become preoccupied due to the fear it has created in you. And that has then manifested in a nightmare in which your worst fears are played out.
      I think that it’s important to somehow find a way to deal with this fear, and reclaim your bedroom as a peaceful, safe and happy space. How you go about doing that is of course not easy, and relies on you taking the decision to not be afraid, and perhaps do some relaxation exercises before going to bed. Maybe sleep with a light on or some music or the radio. Anything you can think of which will help you to feel safe and secure in the bedroom.
      All the best
      Ethan

  28. I have had a few experiences but one in particular really stands out as it scared me to death. I was sleeping over at my boyfriends house one night and he ended up falling asleep on the couch. I remember just being startled awake and seeing something floating above me. It had its ghostly hand wrapped around my neck and I felt like I was suffocating. I very distinctly remember my boyfriend had fallen asleep on the couch and I tried to scream and tried to yell his name but of course nothing was coming out. Then it was abruptly over and I woke up gasping and gasping for air. For a long time I thought it was something out to get me until I started reading up on sleep paralysis. There have been several other times I have woke up gasping for air. And again thinking something was just out to get me.

    • Hi Mandy

      Thank you for your comment, and that does sound like a scary episode of sleep paralysis. Concerning the waking up gasping for air – have you ever had yourself checked out for any breathing disorder such as apnea? Even though it sounds like sleep paralysis, I think it’s always a good idea to get yourself checked out if you’re waking up gasping for air.
      Regards
      Ethan

  29. Hi Ethan,
    My experience started with what I thought was someone tapping me on the shoulder to get my attention in the middle of the night while asleep. I thought it was a dream. The experience got progressively worse, every couple of nights the same thing happened and the tapping progressed to pushing, then shoving. I still thought it was just a dream the next day. Still things progressed over time, when “it” came in the night the bed shook up and down, it was very hot (temperature-wise), “it” had very heavy breathing. As things got worse I realized I was paralyzed. One night I said to myself (while paralyzed) “the bed is really shaking up and down AND I am awake”. Whatever “it” was, it was very angry and did not want me in that bed. I sensed it was a man, but I never saw anything, I only felt it touching me, shaking the bed; I heard heavy breathing. I had at least 20-30 experiences, probably more as it started slowly and got worse every time, so I wasn’t counting at the start. My husband and I were staying at the in-laws house at the time of each occurrence (while they were away). The room had 2 twin beds, husband never even awoke, he thought I was crazy. The last night I slept in that room was more of the same but felt like “it” was trying to kill me, all the same phenomenon but 10X stronger. I refused to ever sleep there again (and I did not). Husband still thought I was crazy. The next morning I suggested that we do the “cat test”. He placed the cat on my bed, she reacted as if it was on fire. Then, placed the cat on his bed, she peacefully just walked around. We repeated twice, same exact results. My husband was spooked by this. Once I left this house, it never happened again, and it has been many years. I am trying to believe this was SP, as I’m sure you will say (as I have read many other stories and your comments), but so hard for me to believe since it only happened in that house over a period of 6 months. It had never happened to me before that, and has not happened since we left that house. If it matters I was about 32 at the time and drugs/alcohol were not involved.

    • Hi Bethany,

      Thanks for your comment and for sharing your story. You’re right in that my natural temptation is to say that it was sleep paralysis! Sorry for being so predictable:-)

      I guess if you’ve read lots of previous comments, you will have noticed that there is a wide range of experiences people have, but there are some common themes. For example, being conscious but paralyzed, feeling or seeing a presence, feeling physical sensations, and of course doubting that it is sleep paralysis but must be real because it feels so real.

      At the end of the day, I can tell readers it seems like sleep paralysis, but it’s up to you to believe it or not. I can try and explain every detail you mention, such as why it may have only happened in that house, and possible reasons why the cat reacted that way. But it’s your choice to read up on sleep paralysis and then choose to believe it or not.

      Luckily though it has stopped happening to you since moving, and hopefully it will stay that way. In which case me advice would be to try and put the whole unpleasant experience behind you and forget about it.

      All the best
      Ethan

  30. After nearly 20 years of pretending my experience didn’t happen I’ve just found this page by chance and can finally tell people what happened to me without feeling crazy. Thank you so much for the detailed article! Just briefly..

    When I was 12/13 I was in the family room, late evening, and got up to go to the kitchen. Whether I was asleep or not prior to leaving the family room I couldn’t tell you for sure but given the time I’d say it was possible. When I was finished in the kitchen I turned the light off I made my way back to the family room (just a few metres down the dark hallway) and just as I got to the door handle I became paralysed both physically and mentally by an intense fear of another (dark/demonic) presence. I wanted to reach out to the door handle and walk in to the safety of the well-lit room where everything would be okay but physically couldn’t. In an instant I was forced up by an overwhelming force to the ceiling of the hallway, my back pinned to the ceiling, looking down towards the door. I couldn’t make a sound. I’ve never felt so scared before or since. And then it went, I was free, and walked back in to the family room.

    What happened to me was so bizarre and unbelievable that I never told anybody.

    Reading your article there were several times where I thought “yes, that’s exactly it” such as the force to the chest, the feeling of a demonic presence, the out of body experience and the poll answers all seem to fit my experience. The only thing I’m stuck on is the sleep aspect. Like I say, I couldn’t say for sure that I was sleeping prior to the experience (however, it was getting late.. maybe 8:30ish) but I certainly don’t think that the entire thing took place in a regular nightmare. Could I ask what your thoughts are on this before I settle on SP being the answer? Thanks again for the great article!

    • Hi Simon,

      Thank you for your comment, and also for the compliment. I’m glad you found the article helpful, even if it doesn’t answer all your questions.
      To be honest, I’m not totally sure what to make of your story. As far as I can remember, you’re the first to mention suddenly having something like this whilst standing up and moving about your house. I could hazard some guesses, but really that’s all they would be.
      I guess one explanation is that it’s possible that you were sleep walking, then woke up into a sleep paralysis episode. Another could be that you had only partially woken up, went to the kitchen, and then had the episode on your way back.
      Another of course is that the entire episode was a dream. But if you distinctly remember actually going to the kitchen and doing something, then it might negate that.
      What also seems possible is that it wasn’t sleep paralysis at all. Perhaps you just entered into a fear response for who knows what reason, and that led to you being frozen on the spot. And following that, the strange experience of being lifted up, in some kind of out-of-body experience.
      As I said, I’m just guessing here. The chances are you’ll never know exactly what was behind all this. Sometimes we have very bizarre experiences which don’t fit neatly into any one category. Many previous readers explain what happened to them, and it seems 100% classic sleep paralysis. Others say things which make me think it’s probably a combination of different sleep/dream/hallucinatory experiences, but it’s hard to say exactly.
      My advice would be to put it down to the amazingly mysterious human brain and body, and not worry about it too much:-)
      Regards
      Ethan

  31. Hi!
    I have also had a couple of experiences with sleep paralysis. So far they have not been as terrifying and severe. I usually am just paralyzed for 5 minutes or so and then I am able to get up and move around again, but last night was the worst experience I had with it. I was incredibly tired when I went to bed last night, I had stayed up the past two nights on my phone and the internet and didn’t get any sleep. It finally caught up to me last night and at night I immediately fell asleep. I had woken up in the middle of the night. There was no presence there, it felt like reality. So, I decided to just go back to bed, but when I went to turn my body I couldn’t move. I tried moving my hands and feet but nothing worked. I was getting really scared by then. That’s when I saw it. A tall, dark demonic figure had entered my room. I tried to scream but my mouth felt taped shut. It was so strange too because I felt really drowsy as well. I felt my eyes try to close, but for some reason I thought if I closed them something bad would happen to me so I kept them open. The figure moved all over my room. It went to my closet, up on the ceiling, and then next to me. I was so terrified because it looked right at me. That’s when I finally decided to close my eyes and hopefully it would go away. I opened them again and it was gone. I thought it was over, but then it came out again. I was horrified and the same thing happened one more time until finally I was able to get up and run to my parent’s room. I told them what happened and they reassured me that it wasn’t real. I then went to the living room and watched some cartoons until I fell asleep again, without any trouble this time. I’m pretty sure it was because of sleep deprivation though. That’s when I decided to look up some more info and found this article. It’s nice to be able to know that I am not the only person that has experienced these terrifying events though.

    • Hi Sarah

      Thanks for your comment, and I can understand why that experience of sleep paralysis must have been so scary. The worst ones always seem to be when you see some dark entity.
      Your story does seem to lend some anecdotal weight to the theory that sleep deprivation can trigger sleep paralysis. I guess you know now to try to keep a stable sleep pattern, and resist the temptation that the internet brings to stay up until the early hours.
      All the best
      Ethan

  32. Hi,

    I started experiencing SP as a kid very intermittently always thinking there was some type of spirit involved or that I was just having a nightmare. When this started happening again in college (it always came in episodes happening fairly regularly, then would go away for years), I became a bit more aware of what was going on and eventually figured out it was SP. Of course these were the scariest experiences I’ve ever had, but once I knew what it was and what was happening, I started trying a few ways to control it. Everything people have mentioned in this post has worked, but since you still have to wait it out, it could still be a bit scary.

    Who knows if this will help anyone, but I try to imagine that the huge weight on my chest is a big friendly dog sitting on me and the rest of the experience becomes more annoying than anything and I don’t feel scared to back to sleep after it is over.

    • Hi Sara

      Thanks for your comment. I think the pattern you describe is pretty common – whereby people experience a few episodes in a cluster, then nothing again for a long period.
      I like your additional tehnique idea! I hadn’t thought about trying to imagine the weight is something different than what we naturally think of.
      I also agree that you do still need to wait out the sleep paralysis, and even if the technique works a little, there will still be some time you have to deal with it. But hopefully that will be less intense if your mind is focused on doing something like wiggling a finger…or conjuring up an image of a dog:-)
      Regards
      Ethan

  33. I am a very religious 17-year old girl. It happened two years ago, and it happened twice. One night when I was deeply asleep, it was as if I was already closing my eyes physically, but felt like my eyes were wide awake as I scanned around the room, it was my first time experiencing that….and I didn’t know sleep paralysis even existed back then, I was 15. As I was scanning the room with only my eyes moving…there’s this shadow near the window…it was standing there, I wanted to move and tell my sister who was beside me because I was frightened by its look, it looked like a demon or something, and then all of a sudden, I couldn’t move, I tried to reach for my sister’s hand to squeeze it but I couldn’t move, I wanted to cry, and shout for help, I closed my eyes, and suddenly I felt a hot breath…like someone was breathing next to my right ear, and as much as I wanted to just close my eyes and never see that shadow’s face, I peeked, and that was the worst thing that I’ve seen, its face was so blurry, it wasn’t clear, but I could see his sharp teeth and more like a pointy nose, and that demon whispered in my ear these words: “Don’t you ever fall asleep because if you do, you’ll never wake up again.” After that, I woke up…physically, I was sweating, I opened my eyes, and I could move, I thought it was just some silly dream, but my right ear felt so hot, I could imagine it being so red. The second time it happened, it was on the same year..maybe months after the first one happened. The same thing at first, I couldn’t move, I closed my eyes. It was happening all over again, I said to myself. Someone was on my bed…like at the bottom of my bed, my feet could sense that my bed was sinking as though someone stepped on it…and after that my whole body was heavy, so, so heavy. I never opened my eyes, but imagined the man to be the same as the demon I saw the last time…and after a minute or so, I woke up, sweating, and my heart was beating so fast. I told my mom about it, my sister, my grandma, but they thought I was just joking or it was just my imagination…but I swear to God, it was the most horrible thing that ever happened to me I thought I was going to die. I still experience paralysis some nights, but I learned how to conquer it by trying my best to move my fingers and toes because if I move one of my fingers I am rest assured that everything’s fine. Right now, I don’t experience it anymore but I cover my right ear with a pillow and cover myself with a blanket every night.

    • Hi Jane

      Thank you for your comment and for sharing your experience of sleep paralysis. It does sound like classic sleep paralysis from what you say, and it’s great that you managed to find a way to deal with it – by wiggling your finger. That seems to be one of the most successful techniques for breaking out of sleep paralysis, so it’s good to hear from another person who finds it works.
      Hopefully you will continue without having more episodes. Sometimes people do just stop experiencing it, fortunately.
      All the best
      Ethan

  34. The first time I experienced sleep paralysis is when I was twelve years old (three years ago). I was at my aunt’s house because I had stayed home from school that day and had fallen asleep on her couch, on my back. Well, I remember waking up and it was very blurry. That didn’t shock me because I was waking up. But then I saw something black coming towards me out of the corner of my eye. I remember thinking it was my cousin coming home from school because it was black and she wore a lot of black clothing at the time because she was goth. Well the thing sat next to me like it got down on its knees and was so close to me. I couldn’t see it, however. I couldn’t move at all. It wasn’t scary, shockingly. I think I was too dazed in my own slumber to think straight. I wasn’t scared at the thing next to me either because I couldn’t really see it. All I could see was the window and I knew that once I looked over to look at the unknown thing, it would go away. Well, I was right because as soon as I could move again, I looked over but the thing was gone. What was odd was that I completely forgot about the experience the second I was “free” again. But when I did remember it, I told my cousin and we just assumed it was a ghost because her house was already haunted. So I was just like “Okay, it’s a ghost.”

    But the first real scary experience with sleep paralysis was the second time it happened. I was at my house with only my stepdad in the house and I had my own room, downstairs away from where my stepdad was. I remember I fell asleep at like ten in the morning for a little nap. I didn’t really fall asleep, I was kind of drifting in and out of sleep. Well, I felt my eyes getting heavy so I decided to close them. As soon as I did, I heard this strange laughter. And I didn’t really hear it, it was like it was in my head. Like someone hooked an iPod cord into my head and started playing the evil laughter. The scariest thing about it was that it sounded like my mother’s laugh. I opened my eyes when I first heard it but then tried going back to sleep by rolling over on my side and closing my eyes. Well the laughter got louder and louder until I was on the verge of tears. My eyes flew open but by that point, I was basically frozen. And the laughter wasn’t just one voice, it was like multiple laughs on each other playing in my head, like an insane person. I was trying to call for my stepdad but I couldn’t do anything. This time, right after the experience, I didn’t forget it. I was just paranoid that it was a ghost.

    It didn’t happen again until a few months later and all that really happened was that I was in the middle of falling asleep on my back when I would hear a ringing sound in my ears and realize I couldn’t move. Then, to top it off, I would feel a strange, unwelcomed presence in the room. Like it was a bad spirit and I knew it wasn’t supposed to be there. I don’t know how many times I had to wake up my sister so we could go downstairs and get out of that room. Back then I was convinced it was a ghost or spirit. When these episodes would happen, I didn’t hear or see anything. It was like the presence was enough to scare me. One night, it happened again and I got so sick of it that I finally just Googled what it was and when I found out, I was so relieved that other people had been experiencing the same thing I was. I was also relieved to know that it wasn’t a demon or anything scary and that it was just a malfunction in my sleep cycle that is pretty common.

    Here are some tips for people new to sleep paralysis:

    -Try to avoid sleeping on your back, it tends to not happen as often if you are on your stomach, if at all. When you sleep, your back has a relaxation point that triggers the muscles to get turned off so you don’t act out your dreams, the paralysis. Sleeping on your stomach will still turn off your muscle movements when you go to sleep but it decreases your chance of happening when you are falling asleep or waking up.

    -DON’T panic. That is the worst thing you could do in a situation like that. Just know that it isn’t a demon or a ghost. Nothing is going to harm you. It’s just like a dream. Be sure to keep that in your mind while it is happening.

    -Try to keep your eyes closed when it is happening. This decreases your chances of seeing a hallucination you probably don’t want to see.

    -When in paralysis mode, focus on trying to wiggle a finger or something. Or even just picture you standing up from the bed and getting up. It helps make the paralysis pass through quicker.

    -Sleep with a night light or the TV on so you’re not completely alone in the darkness when it happens. That way it won’t be so frightening/

    -It helps to share a room with someone. Now, I know that isn’t possible for some people but it usually helps knowing someone is near you. They don’t even have to be in the same room, they could just be in the room right next to you.

    -Once you wake up, remember that you got through it and that the worst part is over. It usually helps to go play video games right afterwards if you can’t go back to sleep. Or to watch a funny movie. Anything that distracts you and has a bit of noise is usually good.

    -Lastly, don’t make a big deal out of sleep paralysis. It isn’t like a disease or anything. Just consider it to be a nightmare that happens every so often. To most people, it only happens a few times in their lives. Others, like me, usually experience it a lot but I have learned to deal with it. It isn’t that bad once you use your techniques to get out of it. When sleep paralysis happens to me now, it usually only happens for a few seconds before I force myself to wake up. It’s pretty easy once you get used to it, if you have to.

    Anyway, good luck and happy dreaming :)

    • Hi Logan

      Thank your for sharing your sleep paralysis stories, and for your very helpful tips for coping with sleep paralysis. I especially like your idea of watching a funny movie after it happens if you find you are too scared or anxious to go to sleep again. Whenever I watch a scary film, I always watch a comedy afterwards before going to bed to counteract the first film. I guess it works on a similar concept of ‘rebooting’ your brain with something happy and light-hearted.

      It’s great that you managed to discover all these things for yourself and have obviously developed a good strategy for dealing with sleep paralysis. I imagine other readers will read your comment and hopefully take some inspiration from it if they are going through a rough patch with sleep paralysis.

      All the best
      Ethan

  35. Hi everyone
    Well I have experienced this the 2nd time just now and while at it, I felt the most disturbing experience. Well here it goes, it happened in the morning while my sister was playing the piano and I’m having trouble sleeping because of the noise. When I had the time that I thought I was asleep, I was shocked because I am aware of my surroundings but I can’t open my eyes or move.

    Then suddenly this weird thing happened. There was something that grabbed me. It felt like a person though. It hugged me then took me to a place I can’t see since it’s all dark. This happened to me for about a minute then it took me back to my original state and when I tried to move, I can control it now. Can anyone help me or explain these things to me? I’m a Christian though. Just email me okay

    • Hi Allen,

      Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately I don’t email people who leave comments, and all the replies are on this thread.
      I think that what you experiences was either sleep paralysis, or perhaps a combination of sleep paralysis and just a bad dream. Sometimes there is some cross-over which is perhaps why you can feel like you are being moved or taken somewhere else.
      I think the main thing is to remember that this is a fairly common thing to experience and that you’re not alone. Try to remember a couple of the techniques for dealing with it, so hopefully if it happens a third time you’ll have a way to cope and perhaps stop it happening quicker.
      Regards
      Ethan

  36. So last night I had my most traumatizing episode of what I now know is sleep paralysis. I’ve had episodes in the past from which i now consider the “intruder.” Unable to speak, unable to move, and with an overly strong feeling someone was in my room with me and unable to do anything about it. Last night was a little different and my first experience with what I’m considering the “demon.” Which in turn made me google “sleep demon” and see “sleep demon paralysis” in the caption and click on it.

    So it started off like the rest…Feeling like someone was entering my room, me being unable to speak or move, and having the strong presence of someone being in it. My TV was on but with just a slight black screen lighting it. I tried to exit bed to turn on light and was unable and couldn’t yell for my roomate. The next thing i remember is feeling like i had finally stumbled out of bed and could not get my arms to work for the light switch. I managed my way to my roomates room (which I’m hoping didn’t really happen because he is such a hard sleeper) and mouthed to him with a panicked not even whisper to slap me and try to wake me up because I was having a dramatic experience in my sleep. Which from what I remember actually worked.

    Next thing I remember is being pinned down by a demon and him yelling at me that I was forgiven for my sins and me yelling back at him that I didn’t want HIM to forgive me for my sins. Next he was making my body rise out of my bed and I had a flash of him making me stab a random girl.

    I’m really not very religious so was completely disturbed when I woke up this morning. I turned on my light immediately and told my roomate there was no way in hell I was going back to sleep. However I did and had pleasant dreams.

    After reading information on this for the first time, I do recall sleeping on my back, possibly with 3 pillows while falling asleep to tv. I won’t be doing that again!

    • Hi Kevin

      Thanks for your comment and for sharing your story of what sounds like sleep paralysis indeed. I think it’s quite common to have a range of different ‘styles’ of sleep paralysis, so it doesn’t surprise me that you suddenly had a change in what actually happens during an episode.
      Though when readers describe what you describe, such as the flashes of imagery and rising from the bed, it makes me wonder if it is sleep paralysis (an out of body experience type) or if they are actually now dreaming. Or even half awake and dreaming in a way which makes them feel like the dream is happening in their bedroom.
      As I’ve said before, I think it’s sometimes difficult to tell a true sleep paralysis experience apart from a dream which is either one of dreaming you are in your bedroom, or your dream mapping onto reality as you wake up.
      Either way, the important thing is to find ways to cope with it and hopefully stop it next time. It sounds like you’ve already found some good ideas from the article and comments. So if it happens again, let’s hope you can deal with it.
      All the best
      Ethan

  37. Ok. I’m really unsure of all of this. I had my first ever “sleep Paralysis” last night. Let me start from a few days ago. My son is 15 months old and has been recently “talking” to someone. I put him down for a nap on sunday the 24th and he woke up and started babbling like usual, and then started repeating “no, no, no” over and over. He has never done this before. I walked into his room to get him and he didnt reach up for me like he usually does. He stared at his window across from him. His window has blinds that are always closed. When i picked him up he kept staring at his window until i left the room with him.

    On monday morning when he woke up i went in his room to get him and again he wouldnt reach for me and kept staring at his window. I tried to put him down for a nap that afternoon and he started talking to someone again.

    Last night or should i say this morning i had my first experience. My husband leaves for work at 4 in the morning every day so its nothing new to me for him to say good morning. After he left this morning i rolled onto my stomach and the air conditioner kicked on. I immediately felt something warm sit on my back and then lay down on top of me. I could not move and i kept trying to say “get off me” and found myself screaming in my head. I started to pray and nothing changed. It lasted for a few minutes and then i finally felt it roll off of me and i could move again. I got off my bed and there was a dip in my bed like someone was laying next to where i had been.

    I moved my hand over the bed and then i heard my son start to babble. I went to his room and he was laying down. I picked him up and took him to my room and the dip in the bed was gone. I have talked to several people about it but they all think that it is sleep paralysis. But it was just too real. I cant explain why it looked like someone was laying next to me and why it was gone when i came back.

    • Hi Brandi

      Thank you for your comment and for sharing your experiences. It does sound very much like sleep paralysis to me too, so I think the people you spoke to are probably correct.
      I think that when we experience very scary experiences like this, our brains are exceptionally good at making things even worse than they were, with its ability to be very creative and see patterns, connections and images where we normally wouldn’t even think twice. Perhaps with your bed it often happens that there is a dent left due to the distribution of weight in the bed, or you or your partner moving about. And it takes a while to come back to its original position. Especially if you have a memory foam mattress, mattress pad or even a normal mattress which just takes a while to spring back. As for your son, well I don’t know, but I think its common for babies and toddlers to become fixated by things temporarily and babble at them. But again, if you’ve had a horrible experience you might try and read something into it which just doesn’t exist. That to me would be the easiest explanation, and also one which allows you to try and forget about it and get on with life without becoming stuck in a circle of worrying about your sleep. And ultimately that’s a key thing!
      I hope that helps
      Regards
      Ethan

  38. Hello. Its great to read these experiences and know that I’m not alone. My first SP was last year on my birthday! I was traveling and in a hotel alone and I was actually sleeping on my left side. I felt the same experience as others with the chest pressure which was so scary. I wasn’t able to move at all and hallucinated the sight of a gray cat walking back and forth. I remember saying why the heck is there a cat in my hotel room! I then felt the evil presence feeling and began trying to move to wake up. With no luck, I then heard a demonic voice laugh and say, Christina, I love you. Scared the life out of me! Why was it so personal that he had to use my name? I wasn’t right for days! A year later, I had a second SP last night. I was sleep (on my left side again) when I heard my window slowly open. Scared as I don’t know what, I tried to turn my body to look but was completely paralyzed! It felt as if someone was holding my body from turning. At the same time, I heard two voices in a foreign language sounding like they were arguing. I kept trying to move and then I heard my window shut and was able to wake up. Scariest feeling I’ve ever been through.

    • Hi Christina

      Thanks for your comment and for sharing your sleep paralysis stories with us. It sounds like quite classic cases of SP, and even the personal voice element is quite common. If you look back through previous comments you’ll find several occurrences where people describe voices which appear to be addressing them in a personal way. Since it’s your own brain creating the hallucinations, to me it makes sense that there will be personal content.
      I think the main thing is to try not to get too worried about it happening. Try and remember a couple of the practical steps you can take to manage it should it happen again, such as focusing on moving a finger, and hopefully if it does happen again you’ll be able to snap out of it sooner.
      All the best
      Ethan

  39. I believe I experienced my first sleep paralysis episode this morning. I woke up thinking I was hearing my night stand open and closing repeatedly. I knew no one was home so I tried to turn my head to see what was opening and closing it but I couldn’t turn my head. my eyes were half way open the whole time. I thought it was a ghost doing it. I tried to say stop several times and believe I finally got out a whisper. but it didn’t stop. after what felt like a minute it finally stopped and I was able to sit up and fully wake up. it was so scary and felt so real but everyone told me it just sounded like sleep paralysis.

    • Hi Casey

      Thanks for your comment. It does sound very much like sleep paralysis from what you describe. I can understand why it was so scary, especially if it was the first time it’s happened to you. My advice would be to read back through the article tips section, take a couple on board and if it happens again hopefully you’ll be able to stay calm, now you know what it is, and perhaps stop it a bit sooner by trying one of the techniques.
      All the best
      Ethan

  40. Hi! I also have had a few too many of these episodes. First time happened while I was waiting on my bf and fell asleep, after having a couple glasses of wine. I felt the bed move and it made me roll towards it and when I opened my eyes, realized it wasn’t my bf. Instead, there was another man lying next to me with hollow eyes and he wrapped his arms around me pulling me into his embrace and I couldn’t move, or scream for what seemed like 20 minutes. All I could think of was the Lord’s prayer over and over until I could get a sound out and bam, the man disappeared. I also wanted to say that the man resembled my best friend David that had passed a few years before that and I know his organs were donated. The other times I had them were on nights I was so tired but didn’t want to fall asleep. I have also had wine those night and it’s usually the same thing. Someone in my room, and I can hear them talking to me and getting on top of me but as soon as I start feeling the SP I force myself to think of prayers and I constantly tell my mind to wake up. The last time I had it was last year and this one I woke up to terrified, and there was a small faceless girl hanging in the corner of my room. I have researched and they said that to avoid, chocolate, alcohol, and spicy foods because those are the foods that induce those types of nightmares. So far I haven’t had any since avoiding that. I have a very vivid artsy imagination, and I can read something scary and dream about it. So I just try to avoid all of that before I sleep. Hope this helps anyone else suffering this. The avoiding chocolate (which I loved eating chocolate ice-cream after dinner) really calmed down my dreams. I also stopped drinking alcohol, and I think it’s working so far:-)

    • Hi Dianne

      Thank you for your comment. It sounds very much like sleep paralysis from what you describe, and very unpleasant experiences too!
      It also sounds like you already have a good idea of what can help you. I guess it’s just a case now of deciding how much you like those ‘nice things’ like chocolate and alcohol, and whether you can continue to avoid them at night to prevent the sleep paralysis. And of course, staying away from reading or watching scary films.
      Good luck with it, and I hope you manage to find the right balance.
      Ethan

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