Has this ever happened to you?

[Strange Wings]

During the last months there were some nights I had strange experiences.
They're called 'Sleep-Paralysis'. I'll try to explain it:

The following happens: I wake up, or at least I think I'm waking up. I see clearly the room
around me. Maybe it isn't the room though. Ok I'm awake, so I might as well get up. But it
doesn't work. I'm not able to make the slightest move, even sometimes I can barely breathe. In complete paralysis I'm lying here, nothing works anymore, and that's enough for fear overcomes me. Real fear. In addition to it, there are some eerie noises coming out
from the dephts of the flat or shadows flitting by out of the corner of the eye, or I just know there is someone or more and they're coming closer with evil intentions.

Though the impressions are very real, nevertheless I realize I must be dreaming, or rather
I stuck somewhere on the way to awakening. Alright then, now I really try to get awake.
Which is not that easy and costs a lot of willpower. Like being under water and have to get all my strength together for struggling to the rescuing surface. After the definite wake-up, the strong emotional impression, the fear, may cling on a few seconds. However, what remains is the feeling of having just conquered something really big.

Perhaps this sounds like complete nonsense, but such things used to happen not only to me but even to some other people I had asked about.

What happens there to me or to others is the so-called 'Sleep-Paralysis'.
More of it: everyone gets during sleep in this state, namely in the phase of dreaming.
The paralysis is supposed to prevent the movements we're making during a dream, so we can't hurt ourselves or the one who lies beside us.
During the awakening it's coming to synchronisation-problems. The impression to stuck somewhere between to be awake and to be dreaming in fact isn't that wrong. While the conciousness itself is moving towards awake, yet the body is not nearly as ready and still stays properly tied-down.

I'm wondering if you people ever have had similar experiences as I had. It would be
interesting to know B) .

In that case - goodnight.

[Big Astro Fan]

I have had it where I though I was dreaming and couldn't breath. I couldn't ever call for help. Then one night I actually woke up completely like this and couldn't even breathe or move. I have never been more scared in my entire life.

[Anapan]

Happened to me for the first time I can remember about 2 weeks ago, and again about 3 days after. Scared the hell outta me. Been having disturbing dreams about something lately too, but can't seem to remember exactly what they were.

[DrFrag]

I've had it since having Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It's not so bad now, but at its worst I would wake up and be paralysed for up to four hours. I could hear and feel and think, but I didn't have the strength to move. Not even to open my eyes. People thought I was asleep and would talk in the room and I couldn't respond. I don't know if it's the same thing though, as I was suffering extreme weakness and fatigue anyway.

One time though I woke up and none of my senses were working. I'm talking zero sensory perception. All I could do was think. I couldn't see, feel, move, hear, nothing. I couldn't even see blackness, there was absolute nothing. It lasted about 10 minutes as best as I could figure. It was like having a blank dream in which you're fully lucid. I posted this on a message forum where we were discussing bizarre dreams and someone made this comment:

There is actually a disorder of the brain that affects a persons sleep in the way you describe. I don't know what it's called, but it's basically dreaming while completely aware, but the person is paralyzed. This condition is attributed to a lot of alien abduction and ghost reports, because the person commonly sees bright lights and apparitions but are unable to come out of the 'trance' or move at all. From what I've heard, it's absolutely terrifying because you feel things being done to you, you see things, and you may even feel like you're floating off the bed or being moved, but there's nothing you can do about it.
Like I said, it's a brain disorder that you might wanna look into.

I haven't been able to find out the name of this, if it even is a brain disorder.

I've just finished a couple of years testing at a neurologists and sleep clinic. I had what visually appeared to be epileptic fits in my sleep, but brainwave scans ruled it out (showed up something else abnormal they'd never seen before). Further tests revealed I had sleep apnoea, but since I don't snore or choke and I'm young and underweight, this seems a bit odd. Standard treatment had no result. I've given up on this until the CFS goes away, since I didn't have these problems when I was healthy.

[jeffbert]

My dad has the opposite problem, he occasionally thrashes about, yells threats, and punches opponents including mom. He now sleeps by himself.

Dr. Frag, I have had some gross things happen to me, but nothing to compare with paralysis after awakening. I freak out in times of helplessness, and sweat buckets when I do. I recall a Twilight Zone in which a guy was trying to remain awake for fear of dying from a heart attack during a recurring dream. I would have been overdosing on caffienne and probably die from bursting a blood vessel in my brian if that ever happened to me! ouch! :angry:

[snorkyller]

I have a serious health problem since 3 years, which could be a little bit similar to that of DrFrag. I'm totally unable to work and/or study since 2001... I was 23 and now 26...

The cause of the problem is in my sleep, even if doctors are unable to find exactly what it is... I had sleep tests which showed that I have no deep sleep (stage 3 and 4) and no REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movements).

Louis'74 talked about REM sleep (phase of dream) and the fact that we are paralized during it so we can't hurt ourselves. Very interresting!!!

It happened to me many times in the last 3 years. In my case it surely because of the disturbed architecture of my sleep.

If it happens to you often, maybe you have, in a night, a disturbed sleep architecture. It could be cause by very simple things like stress. So I suggest you to see that as a sign of maybe something should be improve or change in your life. Maybe you're too stressed, maybe your not in good shape. I don't know. I just want to say you to not to do like me: be aware of your health it's the most important thing. Don't see yourself as a machine which can work all the day without any rest. Don't wait the day you'll crash like me 'cause after that, it's very hard to "stand up" and get out of that...

Note for DrFrag: Some people really have CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome). But some people are diagnosed with that because doctors don't know what they have. CFS is often what they name a "diagnostic of elimination" 'cause when doctors don't find anything, they tell that you have it even if there's no evidences. It's my case: they wanted to diagnose me with CFS 'cause they were unable to find something. But I disagreed. And a doctor told me that, often, people who have sleep disorder are diagnosed with CFS 'cause doctors don't think of the possibility of a sleep disorder or didn't detect it. So be aware...! Note: I was 23 when it began and I'm underweight too but I have sleep disorder (but doctors don't know which it is yet). And I know many examples of young people who are underweight too (some teenagers) and who have a serious sleep apnea.

[Strange Wings]

Originally posted by snorkyller@Mar 4 2004, 07:01 AM
If it happens to you often, maybe you have, in a night, a disturbed sleep architecture. It could be cause by very simple things like stress. So I suggest you to see that as a sign of maybe something should be improve or change in your life. Maybe you're too stressed, maybe your not in good shape. I don't know. I just want to say you to not to do like me: be aware of your health it's the most important thing. Don't see yourself as a machine which can work all the day without any rest. Don't wait the day you'll crash like me 'cause after that, it's very hard to "stand up" and get out of that...

Yeah, that's what I'd thought about too. Stress or depressed feelings could really be the
cause of it since I had this experiences about 3 times in january. I tend to get slightly depressed through the months during winter (and I guess everyone does a bit), and there's a lot to do at work in this period of time.
When I had this paralysis in january it was about 16 years ago since I had it the last time. However, everybody reacts on stress in different ways, emotional or psychical (or both).

It's funny how You and DrFrag mentioned underweightness, cause that definitely counts
for me too. In that case it seems the body can't restore 'hidden reserves' properly and is
more susceptible for exhaustion, and this may cause those side-effects. Actually it's fascinating how the brain or the body leaves a warning like that before having a breakdown. (I must stop writing, I have to go to bed now; sorry ).

Take care of Yourselves .

[DrFrag]

It's definately CFS, I had it as a teenager for over six years and the first four years of it were getting diagnosed. They had to eliminate every other possibiliy. I've had it again now for three years. A classic case, typical symptoms, post viral onset. Not that it helps much - they still don't know what CFS is.
I've ben tested for narcolepsy and a bunch of other sleep stuff, and I have way to many symptoms for sleep apnoea (they even did the test three times because they weren't sure it was right).
I agree there is a big problem of misdiagnosis with CFS. Lots of people have it and get told they have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which is another way of saying "we don't know what's wrong". And there isn't nearly enough people diagnosed with CFS who get sent to sleep clinics, which is odd because many of the symptoms are sleep related.

I think I'm underweight because I'm not awake long enough to cram in three meals a day. I just woke up this morning from 22 hours sleep.

Anyway, good luck with your searching, Snorkyller. Makes you realise that experts aren't always very expert, doesn't it? <_<

[snorkyller]

Originally posted by DrFrag@Mar 5 2004, 01:47 PM
Anyway, good luck with your searching, Snorkyller. Makes you realise that experts aren't always very expert, doesn't it? <_<

No doubt about it!!!!

I was absolutely astonished to see how much the doctors could be so passive and negligent in some case, especially those in which they don't know what to do... :angry:

My problem is really atypical (as yours I think) and it doesn't resolve by itself (since 3 years...). They're clearly tired to see me, to don't know what to tell me and what to do... I always thought that it's possible to find the solution of a problem if we don't give up. But since many month, they just telling me something like : "I'm sorry we don't know what to do..." And, you know, health system is public here : so they're paid by the government, not by me... :huh:

Take care!

[Latu]

Nothing like that has happened to me or at least I don't think so but I don't get much sleep at night. When I wake up in the morning I'm tired and I have a bad headache (most of the time).
One night I decided to go to bed really early and the next day I felt great and energized. I always seem to have a bad cold too. When I get the headaches my eyes hurt on the inside. Today I don't have a headache but I'm really tired.I can't see too clearly either. Have you ever heard of this?