Merry Christmas! Imagine, I'm 58 and I'm too excited to sleep!

I have experienced waking up in the night and being totally paralyzed two or three times. I was wide awake but not able to move. I did not feel any pressure as though something was holding me down; I simply could not move.

I know you're not crazy! I know two people who had to deal with it. The first was a college roomate; it scared the you know what out of both of us. This was long before the world wide web, the primary source of information and misinformation today.

We both went to our university's health facility (I was her only witness to these events and a trusted confidant. Plus, I was scared, too.) She found a real support system and a lot of relief.

I also had a long time boyfriend who would have occasional night paralysis and had tried to keep it secret. I hauled him to a couple of doctors before he became more comfortable with himself. Today, sleep specialists are everywhere.

It's called sleep paralysis, but occurs when the person is mostly awake...going to sleep or waking up. Read the attached link from Web MD and also do your own searches. It's not something to fear and you are far from alone.

Here is a link that might be useful: Click me

I have experienced what is called "sleep paralysis" many times. It started when I was in my teens. I KNEW I was awake, but couldn't move. It never happened as I was going to sleep, but always when waking. It scared me a lot. I remember once in particular, I struggled so hard to move and eventually was able to raise one arm and reach to my other arm to pull at it to free it. By the time I was able to be fully mobile, I was exhausted with the effort. I was afraid to tell my mother about it, but after it happened several more times, I did tell her and was surprised and relieved when she told me that she had experienced it as well. When I became an adult it just stopped happening. Then, when I was in my 50's it began again. I tried to do some online research. I wish I had seen an article like the one Rhizo posted the link to. I was half convinced that it had something to do with alien abduction, LOL. It's been several years since I've experienced any episodes now. They can be quite unsettling.

Thanks rhizo, that is exactly how it happens to me. Next time I see my doctor I will mention it to him. It is a very strange experience for sure.

Hi Donna, I thought I was being visited by some Spirit from my past.

It happens to me as well, but for a different reason.
I feel a weight on my chest and can't move and have trouble breathing.
I open my eyes and Smudge (our Maine Coon) is laying full size on my chest with his face in mine checking to see if I'm awake.

Sort of the same, but a little different. I woke up, but couldn't move or open my eyes. Tried for what seemed like a long time, but in reality, probably under a minute. Once I got my eyes open, the rest of my body started moving. Scary indeed!

I have experienced that same kind of sleep paralysis on and off since I was a teenager..and I'm 67 now...it ususally happens if I'm very tired...I can't move or open my eyes..sometimes a person seems to be talking to me, I've felt the weight that seems to be on me...the first time it happened I was home alone and when I could "awaken" I went through the house looking for a woman I thought was speaking to me...right before the "paralysis' happens I feel I'm falling into a dark hole, kind of spinning down, if I can pull myself out of it, then I wake up...otherwise it has to run it course.

It happened to me one time. My dad's sister had told me about it happening to her a few times so it wasn't scary just really weird. Another it is just another genetic oddity that runs in the family.

I don't have paralysis, luckily, but I do have bad hallucinations sometimes when I'm falling asleep. Usually about 20-30 minutes after I first fall asleep, but it's not always.

I wake up and see things around me that are VERY real initially, like I can clearly see them, but then they fade within 10 seconds or so. It's almost always threatening things. I often see thousands of cascading spiders down from the ceiling onto me, or intruders with weapons, or seeing gun turrets aimed at me in my bed ready to go off any second, or any number of terrifying things. Usually I just lay there, scared, till things disappear but sometimes it's so real that I have run out of my room dragging my blankets with me only to awaken in the hallway feeling silly. Or just last week, I hit poor hubby in the face a few times trying to wake him up because our walls were collapsing in the room.

It's scary how real it seems! I can only imagine how terrifying it would be to not be able to move. I wake up sometimes from nightmares completely tense and motionless and afraid to move, but it's not the same thing.

I think these are all normal, non-paranormal occurrences. But for what it's worth, I also believe in ghosts and spirits, and believe that those who have passed can communicate with us via dreams, or in the dream-like states.

Enjoying, I'll bet you feel a lot better knowing that so many others go through the same thing as you occasionally. Sleep disorders can be tricky, but they can be treated by the right kind of specialist. As infrequently as these events visit you, you might not even be concerned.

I'm sorry any of you have to deal with this. *MY* only similar event was during my first sinus surgery. The MD started to operate only to see me flinch. He spoke to the anesthetist -- who then left me conscious but unable to move a muscle. So, I got to experience the whole operation, fearing I would never be able to move again. Terrifying.

Yes rhizo, it is good to know I am not alone with this. It is such a strange experience.

Yes, quite a few times. Apparently it's so you don't start running, jumping, putting yourself in harms way when you're dreaming. Completely normal.

A few times when I was younger, and working different shifts. Once I experienced the 'gargoyle'--a small greyish being who entered the room and came toward the bed. I awoke before having the sensation of it sitting on my chest, but I've read similar accounts.

During childhood through teenage years I used to have the sensation of falling into a void, and being startled awake (hypnic jerk).

Here is a link that might be useful: Interesting article on sleep paralysis

This post was edited by mama_goose on Fri, Dec 26, 14 at 19:36

Never heard of this, but it sounds absolutely frightening.

This would happen to me in my teen years when I would sleep in on a Saturday. I struggled to move and knew if only someone in the household would make a loud noise, that I would be able to get up and out of bed.

I would have never thought this was such a common occurance.

One of my daughters also has occasional sleep paralysis. She's about the same age as I, when I first experienced it, and of course I knew what was happening when she was making a low keening sound after falling asleep on the couch. All I have to do is touch her to break the cycle. I remember bringing myself out of the paralysis by wiggling my fingers.

OT, but closely related, is the opposite phenomenon, REM sleep behavior disorder, where one is asleep, but able to move and act out dreams. Again, something goes wrong with the body's ability to sync the sleep/wake cycle, and RBD is even more frightening. My late aunt had RBD, and would be terrified of her dreams, and even more terrified and confused when she awoke in her kitchen or on her front porch, in the middle of the night. She eventually developed Lewy Body dementia, and I've read that although not everyone who has RBD develops Lewy Body dementia, the majority of LBD sufferers have the sleep disorder.

I apologize for going off on a tangent, but with LBD now being cited as the second most common form of dementia (behind Alzheimer's), everyone should be aware of the connection. One of my brothers has been a 'sleepwalker', so I am especially concerned for him.

**Edited to add: In the link below, click on the links in the left column, for more info on specifics.

Here is a link that might be useful: Symptoms/Lewy Body Dementia Assoc.

This post was edited by mama_goose on Sat, Dec 27, 14 at 9:15

It used to happen to me when my kids were small and I had a nightmare about someone hurting them. I know there is a name for it, but I can't remember what it's called. Hasn't happened in ages though.