Third Night of Sleep Paralysis

These past three nights I've had sleep paralysis just before waking up. My mind usually begins dreaming of a goal-orientated work sheet--because lately I've been obsessed with reading self-help articles and working in my goal binder. The imagining the worksheet takes a few seconds, then I dive into a nightmare. This nightmare was terrible, demons and children and not knowing if the children is good or evil. It was a very shocking dream.

Lately I've woken up early, and while I've had sleep paralysis I've been waking up at 7:20 very tired but alert, like a tired-with-energy kind of thing.

The only thing I can think of trying is setting aside the goals for today, only writing things down if they come naturally, and not from obsessively reading articles or forcing myself to come up with elaborate goal-setting activities.

I've always had nightmares but I do not like the feeling of sleep paralysis. It's very hard on me.

I'm sorry you are struggling with this. I've experienced episodes of sleep paralysis for many years... not so much though as I've gotten older. For many of those years I had no idea what was going on. I just knew it was terrifying. Over time I learned to focus my attention on the index finger of my right hand. And once I could move that one finger, the sleep paralysis would dissipate.

I vividly recall one dream I used to have. I had an aunt & uncle who had a long paved driveway that emptied onto a busy street. In the dream I would roll down the driveway into the street. And I'd be unable to move to get out of the way of the oncoming traffic. Fortunately the oncoming traffic never seemed to get close enough to hit me.

A few years ago, in our local newspaper I think it was, I read that if you sleep on your back you're more likely to experience episodes of sleep paralysis. Over the years I've become almost entirely a side sleeper. I don't know if that's part of the reason I don't experience episodes of sleep paralysis much anymore. But if you have a tendency to sleep on your back, you might try sleeping more on your side & see if it helps.

I'm so sorry your dealing with this. I know it can be terrifying. Last year, all I dealt with was Sleep Paralysis. It depressed me even more because I rarely got any sleep and sometimes I would sleep with the light on. So I can understand where your coming from.

I've had so many weird dreams, while other dreams started off good and than they would get dark and depressing. Some of them scared me so much, I would wake up, panting. So I feel like nightmares and sleep paralysis goes hand in hand. It seemed like my nightmares would trigger a Sleep Paralysis episode. Anytime I had nightmares, a episode would happen. Just know your not alone and I can understand how scary it can be.

Hey Lark, I used to experience sleep paralysis when I was a kid, and it's still some of the most vividly terrifying experiences of my life, so I get how rough it is and I feel for you. I find having knowledge about what scares us often helps immensely and makes things less scary, and I recently watched this video on the subject and found it very informative, maybe it will help you. YouTube

My own experiences were heavily colored by a religious upbringing, and because I didn't know better at the time, I thought I was experiencing an attempted possession during my sleep paralysis episodes, that's how intense and horrifying my experiences were. I remember having nightmares prior to two episodes, one of being in a demonic realm where I ran away from demons, running up a long tall staircase that ended in a sheer drop down into a black black hole that didn't have a bottom, and I ended up falling off the stairs into this hole, falling forever. I woke up in a cold sweat and unable to move a muscle. The paralysis eventually dissipated, but I didn't get anymore sleep that night. Another time, I dreamed I was floating several feet above my bed, in a plank position, rigid and unable to move. There was a beam of light coming through my window, and it was levitating me. I thought I was being abducted by aliens. I "woke" up, and physically felt my body fall several feet to the bed below me. And then I actually woke, again in a cold sweat, but this time I was able to move relatively quickly. The last time I experienced it, I woke up again in a cold sweat lying on my back, but utterly incapable of moving except for my eyes. It was dark, and I had difficulty seeing, but I thought I saw a dark presence near my door. I felt a squeezing sensation in my chest, like a heavy weight was sitting on me, making it very difficult to breath, and my vision was going black. I was so terrified, I was praying to almighty God with every fibre of my being, begging him to save me from what I was convinced was a demon trying to enter my body and shackle my soul. Shortly after I began praying, the paralysis started to subside, and I wound up huddled on my bed weeping and thanking God for saving me.That experience contributed to my conviction in my beliefs at the time for many years before I started questioning my beliefs due to other conflicts in my life. It was around that time I learned about sleep paralysis and how it's actually a fairly common experience.

If it helps any, sleep paralysis is usually experienced for a short period of time and then often is not experienced again. It is often brought about by acute stress, which it sounds like you might be experiencing. So hopefully you won't be dealing with it much longer and hopefully never again thereafter. And it will always pass, so keep that in mind the next time you wake up paralyzed. Stay calm and focus on the fact that it will subside. Be well, Lark.

I usually get sleep paralysis when I am more stressed. Try and wiggle your feet. Sometimes I get out of it quicker.