Jashobeam

Pf- I'm glad you have found a medication that is working for your daughter!

calico

Hi, the sleep paralysis thing happened to me a lot my freshman year of undergrad, but only when I was falling asleep. Yuck.

Something that helped me a lot: when you realize what's going on, and you can't move or talk-- start by wiggling your fingers and toes, and then trying to focus on getting your breath back.
starting with small tiny motions helped me get motor control back faster, and helped me calm down and feel some control over the situation.

HTH, and I really really hope you stop having these episodes soon-- I remember how intensely scary that feeling is... ick.

ladyishis

I also have had this my whole life..and it is very debilitating...but over the years-to those of us who sleep with partners...I have learned to moan so that my husband would wake me up...I told him while we were awake if he heard me making strange moans..to wake me...and I told him what was happening...

Then if he wasn't in bed...I have learned to recognize what it was and try to do like the other lady suggested and wiggle a small section of my body...It is terrible because sometimes you feel if you go with it ..you are near death...but good luck and it is more common than you think.

Policewife

I get sleep paralysis constantly.. I'll wake up and I can see (only through slitted eyes) and I'll be trying to scream for my husband to wake me up, because when I wake up like this I stop breathing, and I try to force myself to breath and I can't and I've stayed like that long enough to have my hands and feet tingle, its like suffocating and being totally aware of it.

BTW the paranoia that there is a ghost is common and sleep paralysis is often called "old hag syndrome" because people report the feeling of a presence while in this state and some report actually seeing human like shapes and shadows. I personally have thought I saw someone walk past my door while I was paralized and once thought I watched a box scoot across my room by itself.

In some cultures they speak of the "Old Hag" as being a deformed elderly woman who lies in wait to sit on the chest of a person who is asleep.. This will often have people fear they are beingh held down or someone is in the room with them

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tukeetukee

this used to happen to me all the time. Now I take 8mg of melatonin to kind of make me sleep harder so that i don't wake up during rem sleep. It's really helped a lot. And before I took melatonin, I tried Lunesta, klonopin, and clonidine and they all helped TREMENDOUSLY. I think the reason we do that is because we're not sleeping "hard" enough.. we're too conscious during sleep, so we end up waking up a lot. I also used to have bad panic attacks in the middle of the night because I would feel like I was falling in my sleep and wake up with a start, which would scare me so bad that I would have panic attacks and sleep supplements have helped me a lot.

My mom used to have problems with sleep paralysis and she takes generic Equate (walmart brand) Sleep Aid Liquicaps (OTC... it's the same active ingredient as Benadryl) and she sleeps like a rock.

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ttara123

Hmmm. I'm afraid to take sleeping aids because honestly, as it is, I sleep like a rock. Without any alarms or anything, I'll sleep for 12 hours straight. As it is, I have multiple alarms in multiple locations around my bedroom and bathroom, going off at 5-minute intervals for two hours before I actually wake up. No joke!!! A couple days ago they demolished the house next door. My dad told me how I'd be awake as soon as the crews got there and how good it would be for me because I'd actually start waking up on time. The day of the demolition, I didn't wake up at all. I walked out of my house a few hours after they started and there were backhoes and bulldozers and a house half-gone. I'd slept through it all! LOL!

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goygoy

I can't recall having it happen but it's a symptom of narcolepsy.

one-hit_wonder

Yes, this is a symptom of narcolepsy.
I'm trying to get referred to a sleep disorder clinic to see if I have narcolepsy and restless leg syndrome.

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Jashobeam

ttara- Wow! That's a heavy sleeper! Someone just whispers my name and I'm up, lol.

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coolpinkgurl

YUp, happened to me twice when I was a kid, scared the bejeasus out of me! Then when I was a bit older I found out what it was and it made me feel a whole lot better. I have heard almost everyone at some stage will experience this :O)

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mamacat01

Me too but I got this when I was younger. It's a really freaky feeling. I haven't had that in soooo long but your post brought the memory back up.

I get these two things now:

1. I'll be drifting to sleep and actually be aware I'm slowly going to sleep and will be aware I am dreaming. A couple times, with my eyes closed (obviously) I'll see what looks like a tv set coming towards me with a picture and start dreaming what I see. SO odd!

2. I will dream what's on tv if I left it on. Sometimes in the morning I will be having dream based on what tv show or movie is on but it's totally different than what the show or program is, just the words are the same or the topic is the same but it's in my dream.

Merci

i'm the same like that hahaha

i walk in my sleep, i hallucinate and wake up during rem. this usually happens if i'm in a stressfull period..or at least i think so.

the scariest thing for me would be hallucinating, but not because of the hallucinations. i wake up and get out of my bed and see usually some enormous bug walking around and freak out. once i slipped and fell really badly on my hip. the scary thing is that when i get out of bed i know that was i see is not real but i cant control my actions. i've woken up quite a few times with bruises and i guess i've gotten so paranoid that i dont open the window next to my bed.

also i had these phases where i would wake up during rem and couldnt move but i would soon relax because after ''struggling'' to move you realise that you're asleep. it's all about the brain and trying to rationalise why you cant move. i guess after a few episodes it's easier to relax because you already know whats happening

sapphirepl

I used to do that a lot with the radio! Brings back memories

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e.nigma

Sleep paralysis is quite scary - I remember I had a dream in which I was being possessed and I couldn't move ...and when I woke up my face was in my pillow and I really couldn't breathe. However, research does suggest that a lot of ppl get sleep paralysis by sleeping on their backs, so maybe change your position?

Also, when you are undergoing sleep paralysis and can't move, try wiggling your toes. Research also suggests that since the big muscles are paralyzed (during REM sleep - when you dream - you wouldn't want to be actually moving around/thrashing around/walking so your body is paralyzed; sleep paralysis occurs when you move too fast from REM to awakness) to GET OUT OF SLEEP PARALYSIS, wiggle your toes as they probably wouldn't be paralyzed and that would help wake you up. I don't know if it does work, but the reasoning seems sound to me.

Cheers!

hybridtheory45

Ooo I HATE when this happens. I had it happen a lot before college and it always scared the crap outta me. Then I took a psych course and learn all about it. It was a lot less scary but still sucky. Usually I have just enough control over my breathing to start breathing really hard and it kinda shakes me awake after a little while. I've never tried the toe wiggling thing. Maybe I'll try that next time because I'm always worried the breathing thing sounds funny to anyone listening. lol

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