OT: Sleep Paralysis

[Midwest_non_sleeper]

Hi all.

My SA treatment is going well, so this isn't about that.

I would like to discuss sleep paralysis and see if anyone here has a similar experience. Every once in awhile, maybe once every couple of months, I will be dreaming, except in my dream I cannot move or talk. Being in the profession that I am in, it typically manifests itself in a life or death situation. I have had dreams in which I was shot, stabbed, fallen to my death, been a fatality in a vehicular accident, etc. I have also been in a position to where someone else's life was in the balance, yet I could not act to save them, no matter how badly I wanted to. In all of those situations, I simply cannot move, talk, or even scream - though there is a extremely strong desire to do so. It usually ends up with me waking up in a very frustrated state. Not terrified, just very frustrated. Sometimes I have been physically crying while asleep.

I have spoken with my very highly qualified, card-carrying, PhD holding professionals about this, and they're not concerned. Here's why:

Sleep Paralysis comes in two flavors, either at the onset of sleep, or at the onset of wakefulness (predormital Vs postdormital). In those two situations, your brain is either in the process of "switching off" or is already there. Likewise, your muscles are in an extremely relaxed state, so much so that you have no control of them, because your brain is "off". However, in some situations, your brain may "turn on" too soon and become cognizant well before you have regained control of your muscles, causing the feeling of being in a state of paralysis. This does not mean that you are fully conscious though, it just means that your brain is no longer fully asleep and you have a vague awareness, but no full control. For some people, this is terrifying. Edit: The literature suggests that hallucinations can and do occur during this time for some people, which causes extremely high levels of panic, fear and terror. I do not personally experience hallucinations, thank goodness.

There does not appear to be any sign that experiencing sleep paralysis means psychiatric problems, however, there are things that can exacerbate it. Lack of sleep, Narcolepsy, mental conditions such as bipolar, sleeping on one's back, use of certain medications, etc. Actually, according to most scientific literature, it's a common thing that many people experience. It may lead to having a rough day, but it rarely means that you're "crazy". The content of mine seem to be derived from the job that I have done for the last 20 years, which makes sense. I would assume that other people experience different situations.

Anyway, to anyone worried about this if you experience it, put your mind at ease, as it does not mean that you have an issue. It might simply mean that you need better, more restful sleep as a whole and you owe it to yourself to seek that out.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

[jnk...]

sleep paralysis and see if anyone here has a similar experience

A significant version of it has only happened to me twice in my life. But a number of friends, relatives, and acquaintances have regular issues with various forms of it.

waking up in a very frustrated state. Not terrified, just very frustrated. Sometimes I have been physically crying while asleep.

Any deeply caring person in your job or who has experienced anything like close combat is going to have psychological reactions and effects. The ones willing to talk to pros about it, as you have, are often in the best position to experience those reactions and effects as gracefully and in as healthy a way as possible.

Sleep Paralysis comes in . . . flavors

In my opinion, there are broad useful categorizations, but like most complicated human issues, there is often still a continuum of mixed experiences along the way that defy common categories.

does not mean that you are fully conscious though, it just means that your brain is no longer fully asleep and you have a vague awareness, but no full control.

And that is a case in point: useful categories--conscious vs asleep--that are not always as clearly defined for some as for others, in actual practice night to night.

Many thanks for posting on this set of 'issues.' You do this board a service, sir.

I trust your judgment on what you label "OT" as a thread of yours, but my opinion is that I consider anything directly sleep-related as fitting very well with this board, despite the name "cpaptalk.com."

[Lifeisabeach]

I started experiencing sleep paralysis in my early 20s, although I didn't know what it was at the time. I worked midnight shift alone in a file room while finishing up college and it was a very slow, low demand shift. I'd frequently "lay my head down to rest my eyes for a few minutes" ( ) and would eventually experience a strong sense of urgency that someone was at my window talking to me trying to get my attention and I was trying to lift my head and open my eyes to respond but just couldn't quite do it. Eventually I'd snap out of it fully alert and no one would be there.

I first heard of sleep paralysis while watching the show 1000 Ways to Die about 10 years ago and there was an episode about this. The show is a bit light-hearted and exaggerated with the topics it tackles so it was some weeks before I suddenly made the connection between what they were portraying and what I had experienced back then. I now work overnights again on a very slow, isolated shift and find myself again in similar situations and experiencing the sleep paralysis again. I have experienced it at home after a normal night's sleep, but very very rarely... maybe 2 or 3 times that I can think of.

[klm49]

Hi all.

My SA treatment is going well, so this isn't about that.

I would like to discuss sleep paralysis and see if anyone here has a similar experience. Every once in awhile, maybe once every couple of months, I will be dreaming, except in my dream I cannot move or talk. Being in the profession that I am in, it typically manifests itself in a life or death situation. I have had dreams in which I was shot, stabbed, fallen to my death, been a fatality in a vehicular accident, etc. I have also been in a position to where someone else's life was in the balance, yet I could not act to save them, no matter how badly I wanted to. In all of those situations, I simply cannot move, talk, or even scream - though there is a extremely strong desire to do so. It usually ends up with me waking up in a very frustrated state. Not terrified, just very frustrated. Sometimes I have been physically crying while asleep.

I have spoken with my very highly qualified, card-carrying, PhD holding professionals about this, and they're not concerned. Here's why:

Sleep Paralysis comes in two flavors, either at the onset of sleep, or at the onset of wakefulness (predormital Vs postdormital). In those two situations, your brain is either in the process of "switching off" or is already there. Likewise, your muscles are in an extremely relaxed state, so much so that you have no control of them, because your brain is "off". However, in some situations, your brain may "turn on" too soon and become cognizant well before you have regained control of your muscles, causing the feeling of being in a state of paralysis. This does not mean that you are fully conscious though, it just means that your brain is no longer fully asleep and you have a vague awareness, but no full control. For some people, this is terrifying. Edit: The literature suggests that hallucinations can and do occur during this time for some people, which causes extremely high levels of panic, fear and terror. I do not personally experience hallucinations, thank goodness.

There does not appear to be any sign that experiencing sleep paralysis means psychiatric problems, however, there are things that can exacerbate it. Lack of sleep, Narcolepsy, mental conditions such as bipolar, sleeping on one's back, use of certain medications, etc. Actually, according to most scientific literature, it's a common thing that many people experience. It may lead to having a rough day, but it rarely means that you're "crazy". The content of mine seem to be derived from the job that I have done for the last 20 years, which makes sense. I would assume that other people experience different situations.

Anyway, to anyone worried about this if you experience it, put your mind at ease, as it does not mean that you have an issue. It might simply mean that you need better, more restful sleep as a whole and you owe it to yourself to seek that out.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

I used to have this fairly frequently. Have not in a long time though.

[kteague]

Years ago I had a few unsettling episodes I think were some variant of sleep paralysis. This was at the worst of my years of sleep deprivation. After my sleep improved they stopped. I think severe sleep deprivation can blur the lines between sleep and wake. At any rate, it wouldn't surprise me if I have a mild case of narcolepsy since I had some events resembling cataplexy during that same time frame, and frequently to this day have inexplicable lost days spent sitting upright yet drifting back and forth between a stupor and sleep and powerless to come out of it.

I used to have death, dying and injury dreams all related to suffocating, drowning, etc. but those stopped after treating my sleep apnea. Seemed they were my brain creating scenarios about the physical sensation of the apneas. I try to be careful about the images I put into my brain. Used to if I watched a scary movie, I'd dream about it but the characters would be people I know. I would not manage well if I was in a career that exposed me to such scenes. My hat goes off to those who must deal with this in the course of their occupation.

I have a few family members who have textbook sleep paralysis. They found it distressing the first few times but have adopted a more relaxed approach and try to fall back asleep and try again on waking. Your sleep paralyis description is interesting. Makes me want to better understand the differences between a dream and a hallucination. In my limited understanding, I had simplified hallucinations to an image that wasn't really there. Didn't think about it being an active scene.

Thanks for bringing up an interesting topic. Sure hope you are able to find some peace in your sleep.