sleep paralysis

[teaz0r]

i dunno the scientific logic behind it.
but in thailand we call sleep paralysis
phee um, which translates to a
ghost playing a trick on you.

do any of you get it?

it's only happened to me twice; i couldn't
move or make any noise both times. the
first time all i heard was traintracks, and
it kept on getting louder and louder. and
the second time i heard this woman who
kept on saying "fuck you" over and over
again.


ffreaky deaky, yes indeedy.

[teaz0r]

oh in english called: hag phenomena

http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/paralysis.html


What are the symptoms?


A complaint of inability to move the trunk or limbs at sleep onset or upon awakening
Presence of brief episodes of partial or complete skeletal muscle paralysis
Episodes can be associated with hypnagogic hallucinations or dream-like mentation (act or use of the brain)
Polysomnography (a sleep recording) shows at least one of the following:


suppression of skeletal muscle tone
a sleep onset REM period
dissociated REM sleep

Is it harmful?

Sleep paralysis is most often associated with narcolepsy, a neurological condition in which the person has uncontrollable naps. However, there are many people who experience sleep paralysis without having signs of narcolepsy. Sometimes it runs in families. There is no known explanation why some people experience this paralysis. It is not harmful, although most people report feeling very afraid because they do not know what is happening, and within minutes they gradually or abruptly are able to move again; the episode is often terminated by a sound or a touch on the body.

In some cases, when hypnogogic hallucinations are present, people feel that someone is in the room with them, some experience the feeling that someone or something is sitting on their chest and they feel impending death and suffocation. That has been called the “Hag Phenomena” and has been happening to people over the centuries. These things cause people much anxiety and terror, but there is no physical harm.

What else can you tell me about sleep paralysis?


Some people with disrupted sleep schedules or circadian rhythm disturbances experience sleep paralysis
A study found that 35% of subjects with isolated sleep paralysis also reported a history of wake panic attacks unrelated to the experience of paralysis
Sixteen percent of these persons with isolated sleep paralysis met the criteria for panic disorder
How can I stop the sleep paralysis?

In severe cases, where episodes take place at least once a week for 6 months, medication may be used.

You may be able to minimize the episodes by following good sleep hygiene:


getting enough sleep
reduce stress
exercise regularly (but not too close to bedtime)
keep a regular sleep schedule

[Tao]

maybe you should lay off the drugs? just a thought

[mr. x]

hmm, did you just wake up? i have that feeling a lot, like i need to piss BAD but for some reason i just dont move. worst case scenario is like the feeling you get lying on your back where you wanna do that one last situp but just cant

as for the fuck you i duno, you were probly hearing things. one time i had a dream, right after i saw a commercial of The Mothman Prophecies i heard a voice going "99 will die"

[Hiroshi2]

You're still not being clear on exactly what it is you're talking about, teaz0r.

[teaz0r]

oh just wondering if sleep
paralysis ever happens
to any of you

[steakandrice]

I've gotten sleep paralysis at least 35 times in my life. Probably like once every 2 months. Usually I get it if I have something covering my eyes when I sleep e.g., a bedsheet.

I never have had the feeling that someone is over me and pressing my chest down (a symptom that usually happens with this).

When this happends, I'm conscience, but I cannot open my eyes or move anything. To get myself out of this, I calmly tell myself this. "Okay...I'm awake, but I can't do anything." So, then, I actually try to scream or yell. After yelling for like 10 seconds, my body will actually wake up.

[shy]

maybe you should lay off the drugs? just a thought

heh heh... it's got nothing to do with drugs. :)

i've gotten it before a couple of times myself. it's damn scary. but i watched this special program on the discovery channel. sometimes, your brain gets weird signals crossed. this can happen to anyone. and what happens is that your mind wakes up, but not your body... and the chemicals that make you dream is still somewhat there in your mind even though you are awake.

i felt like something was pressing on my entire body and just wouldn't let me wake up. and at least one of the times, i heard this deep, eerie breathing. not fun at all...

[Tao]

heh heh... it's got nothing to do with drugs. :)

i've gotten it before a couple of times myself. it's damn scary. but i watched this special program on the discovery channel. sometimes, your brain gets weird signals crossed. this can happen to anyone. and what happens is that your mind wakes up, but not your body... and the chemicals that make you dream is still somewhat there in your mind even though you are awake.

i felt like something was pressing on my entire body and just wouldn't let me wake up. and at least one of the times, i heard this deep, eerie breathing. not fun at all...
hmm...never happened to me, doesn't sound all too pleasant...then again i really don't remember anything while asleep anyways.

[VV o n g B a]

is this phenomenon very different from being able to control your dreams? there were a couple of times when i realized that i was sleeping while in a dream and tried to wake up. i would succeed only after dreaming that i woke up several times. it was weird.

but after awhile i realized that instead of spending the effort to wake up, i could just go back to dreaming. and then i would consciously ride a bike off cliffs lined up perfectly for such things and have sex w/ famous kpop singers. too bad that hasn't happened in awhile...

[Spikey_Hair]

it's only happened to me twice; i couldn't
move or make any noise both times. the
first time all i heard was traintracks, and
it kept on getting louder and louder. and
the second time i heard this woman who
kept on saying "fuck you" over and over
again.


ffreaky deaky, yes indeedy.


That shit is crazy.

[mr. x]

is this phenomenon very different from being able to control your dreams? there were a couple of times when i realized that i was sleeping while in a dream and tried to wake up. i would succeed only after dreaming that i woke up several times. it was weird.

but after awhile i realized that instead of spending the effort to wake up, i could just go back to dreaming. and then i would consciously ride a bike off cliffs lined up perfectly for such things and have sex w/ famous kpop singers. too bad that hasn't happened in awhile...

oh man, controlling your dreams? that would be the coolest. closest i came was...well i came....after dreaming about sex (u all know who)

anyway i think it's just your sooooo tired that even if you wanna get up you cant cuz the other half doesnt wanna get up

[AngryABCGirl]

it happens to me a lot when I'm tired or stressed out

[Emperor_Mike]

Never, but as far as "the Hag" is concerned, I've read many things on it. Pretty scary stuff. I've also done quite a bit of work on succubi and incubi for a folklore course I took a few years back for fun. Many people identify sleep paralysis/old hag phenomenon with the work of an incubus or succubus. There isn't enough scientific evidence to support this view (or any for that matter) but imagine how our perception of the world would change if one day someone manages to prove that these creatures (from other dimensions, presumably) exist.

[shy]

is this phenomenon very different from being able to control your dreams? there were a couple of times when i realized that i was sleeping while in a dream and tried to wake up. i would succeed only after dreaming that i woke up several times. it was weird.

but after awhile i realized that instead of spending the effort to wake up, i could just go back to dreaming. and then i would consciously ride a bike off cliffs lined up perfectly for such things and have sex w/ famous kpop singers. too bad that hasn't happened in awhile...

controlling your dream is a bit different. i have had those too in which i am still sleeping, but just aware that i'm dreaming.

it's a bit like the opposite of sleep paralysis.

[shy]

Many people identify sleep paralysis/old hag phenomenon with the work of an incubus or succubus. There isn't enough scientific evidence to support this view (or any for that matter) but imagine how our perception of the world would change if one day someone manages to prove that these creatures (from other dimensions, presumably) exist.

can you explain more what incubus or succubus is? i've never heard of these terms before but am interested.

[teaz0r]

can you explain more what incubus or succubus is? i've never heard of these terms before but am interested.


oh basically their like sex demons that
fuck sleeping humans by lying ontop
of them. the incubus is the boy demon
and succubus is the girl demon.

here's an article on it: http://www.choronzon.com/vamp/succinc.html

[shy]

oh basically their like sex demons that
fuck sleeping humans by lying ontop
of them. the incubus is the boy demon
and succubus is the girl demon.

here's an article on it: http://www.choronzon.com/vamp/succinc.html

that's freaky. and i say this because in that special i saw from the discovery channel, half an hour of it was devoted to sleep paralysis that could be explained by science.

the other half of the show talked about people who experienced something that did not fit the regular sleep paraylsis we've been talking about up to now.

these case studies were really, really freaky! and extremely violent... and mean, one guy would literally get flipped violently onto his stomach and be raped. he'd actually feel his butt cheeks being separated.

[applehead]

i used to get that all the time.

once i saw this black thing
slowly descending from the ceiling
right above my bed.
then this other time, i woke up
because something/somethings
were jumping up and down,
up and down, really hard.
i remember i couldn't sleep
at night for awhile because
of that.
i haven't experienced it recently.
thank god.
it's scary as hell.

it also paralyzes my vocal chords too.

[Chester]

do any of you get it?
O. M. G. I know exactly what you're talking about. I get it all the time.

Well, not all the time, but pretty frequently. It happens a lot when I've been building up a big sleep deficit and drop into REM sleep almost immediately. And it's also a self-fulfilling sort of a thing in that, if I think I'm going to get it, I often get it.

But I don't have such vivid hallucinations. Mine are kind of a vague something-creepy-grabbing-at-me thing.

The first time it happened to me, I was thoroughly freaked out. It didn't help that the first time occurred just after I ate a liqueur-filled chocolate from the insane French guy down the hall.

Anyway, good to know that I'm not the only freak.

[mr. x]

man that cubus stuff is freaky freaky

[nonamerasian]

I get it sometimes.

During mine, I can hear and see everything around me, but I can't say anything or move. I can blink, though. That's the only thing I can do.

Sometimes I try to scream until I pop out of it, sometimes I focus on my pinky and try to move that, but other times I just relax (Or try to go back to sleep).

The first time I got it, I didn't tell anyone afterwards. I was scared that I may have had m.s. or some other incurable neurological disease like that.

A couple of years, after a few more episodes, I told my mother and her explaination was that they were just dreams where I thought I was awake, but wasn't.

It wasn't until years after that when one of my brothers explained that the same exact thing happens to him that I found out what was happening. Since then, it's been happening less and less.

The more I think about them, the more often they happen.

[ChinaLama]

i'd like a succubus. maybe that's what my imaginary gf is?

[applehead]

Sometimes I try to scream until I pop out of it, sometimes I focus on my pinky and try to move that, but other times I just relax (Or try to go back to sleep).

my mom. the religious catholic
told me i was getting those dreams
because of all my books on witchcraft
and astrology.
she said i should burn it.
and say the lord's prayer when it happens again.
hahahahaha

[Emperor_Mike]

i'd like a succubus. maybe that's what my imaginary gf is?

Probably. While she's raping you at night she's also trying to steal your soul and make a demon-baby.

Why can't my girlfriend be cool like that?

[ChinaLama]

Probably. While she's raping you at night she's also trying to steal your soul and make a demon-baby.

Why can't my girlfriend be cool like that?

as long as she doesn't get me pregnant, it's all good. hopefully the demon baby will have superpowers and no stupid weaknesses, like "i'm afraid of colors!"

[Emperor_Mike]

as long as she doesn't get me pregnant, it's all good. hopefully the demon baby will have superpowers and no stupid weaknesses, like "i'm afraid of colors!"

Or afraid of other demons. Wouldn't that just make a pansy-ass minion of Evil?

[ChinaLama]

Or afraid of other demons. Wouldn't that just make a pansy-ass minion of Evil?

then it's time for five-across-the-eyes.

[mr. x]

Probably. While she's raping you at night she's also trying to steal your soul and make a demon-baby.

Why can't my girlfriend be cool like that?

that sounds like the freakiest hentai (shudder)

seriously when i read it i kinda imagined it but if a woman, no matter how beautiful were to show up and go at you like that im sure you'd be scared shit

[Emperor_Mike]

that sounds like the freakiest hentai (shudder)

seriously when i read it i kinda imagined it but if a woman, no matter how beautiful were to show up and go at you like that im sure you'd be scared shit

Odds are a succubus won't be beautiful, no matter how much DarkStalkers you play and regardless of how much of a Morrigan admirer you are. :D

They're demons and will likely disguise their true forms. I mean, who wants to have sex with a horned minion from Hell? Duh?

[Irezumi Kiss]

Odds are a succubus won't be beautiful, no matter how much DarkStalkers you play and regardless of how much of a Morrigan admirer you are. :D

They're demons and will likely disguise their true forms. I mean, who wants to have sex with a horned minion from Hell? Duh?

If one were to look like Adriana Lima with a third eye and a prehensile tail, I MIGHT be willing to make an exception...

...although up until now I thought succubi and incubi were sometimes hermaphroditic?

[Emperor_Mike]

If one were to look like Adriana Lima with a third eye and a prehensile tail, I MIGHT be willing to make an exception...

...although up until now I thought succubi and incubi were sometimes hermaphroditic?

Well, the old legends make them out to be in that manner. Traditional tales say that these demons are changelings, switching from incubus to succubus at will to impregnate human women. The details are quite gory, if my memory serves me well.

[Shogun Empress]

My eyelids open and I can see and move my eyes and stuff but I can't move the rest of my body until after a minute. And thats ONLY if I struggle. If I don't, I lose consciousness.

I figured out why.

http://watarts.uwaterloo.ca/~acheyne/prevent.html

There's no cure :frown:

[Sledge]

Holy shit, I had an eljay post (http://www.livejournal.com/users/glume/71511.html) about that a week ago. People left some pretty insightful comments about it for me. It's not all that rare, evidently.

There's no cure, but in this case knowledge really is the best defense: if you wake up and can't move but know what's going on, it's a lot less scary than if you don't.

[Shogun Empress]

Holy shit, I had an eljay post (http://www.livejournal.com/users/glume/71511.html) about that a week ago. People left some pretty insightful comments about it for me. It's not all that rare, evidently.

There's no cure, but in this case knowledge really is the best defense: if you wake up and can't move but know what's going on, it's a lot less scary than if you don't.
I was looking at one site and it said I had to travel 350 miles away. LOL

Sleep Paralysis - the Basics
From Florence Cardinal,
Your Guide to Sleep Disorders.

What You Need To Know
Sleep Paralysis is a natural bodily function that causes us to be paralyzed during sleep. It prevents us hurting ourselves or others during dreams. It's when it follows us into the waking state that it becomes a disorder.


SLEEP PARALYSIS
SYMPTOMS

Inability to move the trunk or limbs. This can occur at sleep onset or upon awakening.
Hallucinations.These can be visual (You think you see something,)or Auditory (You think you hear things.) In some cases, the sense of smell is also involved.
Feeling of pressure. Like someone sitting on you or holding you down. Fear Even outright terror may be involved.
Occasional sensations of being Out of Your Body (OBE.)Floating or flying through the air. Feeling disconnected from your body.
CAUSES

A natural state: Sleep Paralysis is a natural bodily function that causes us to be paralyzed during sleep. It prevents us hurting ourselves or others during dreams. It's when it follows us into the waking state that it becomes a disorder.
Stress and anxiety.
Narcolepsy.
Sleeping on the back.
Puberty.
Bipolar Disorder.
Depression.
METHODS OF DIAGNOSIS

Personal Experience
Observation by roommates
Sleep Study
AVOIDANCE

Talk to your doctor. He may be able to prescribe something to help.
Keep on a regular schedule. Go to bed, get up and eat meals at regular times.
Get some exercise. Even a short walk earlier in the day can help.
Avoid sleep deprivation.
Alleviate the stress in your life.
Know you are not alone.
Relax. You are not dying or going insane. As far as is known, sleep paralysis is not harmful.
Read David Hufford's book. "The Terror that Comes in the Night" can help you understand this strange disorder.
FINDING RELIEF

When you realize you are having an attack:

Will yourself to move a finger or make a sound.
Scream. If it doesn't wake you, it will at least alert others to your distress.
Go with the flow. If all else fails, relax and It will soon pass.

http://sleepdisorders.about.com/cs/sleepparalysis/a/paralysisbasics.htm

I can't click on your link Sledge until I'm off work because its bieng blocked for some reason. I think I'm only suffering from it because of stress and anxiety.

[VV o n g B a]

http://forums.yellowworld.org/showthread.php?t=10979&highlight=sleep+paralysis

[Shogun Empress]

the
first time all i heard was traintracks, and
it kept on getting louder and louder.
I've had that one too. The sound of a train approaching was scary.

[Irezumi Kiss]

I've had that one too. The sound of a train approaching was scary.

You should've stuck around...might've been the Soul Train!

:tongue:

[Shogun Empress]

You should've stuck around...might've been the Soul Train!

:tongue:
LOL That's cold. I always wanted to dance on Soul Train!

[Six_Mahjin]

I get sleep paralysis every couple of months although I've been without it for a while (touch wood).

First time I had it was when I was asleep in the house all by myself, it must've been about 3am, and I had the covers over my eyes but I could see a faint green glow through them, I couldn't move nor shout out but whenever I tried, I only made a weak rasping noise. Anyway throughout the whole ordeal there was a loud pulsing noise getting louder and louder and whenever it got loudest it hurt my brain like crazy then the noise would die down and then get louder again along with the pain.
If this wasn't enough I also felt that there was a benign prescence in the room, I've never been so scared in my life! I just wanted to run out and scream like mad.

Now, when I get the good ol' paralysis, there's always the pulsing noise and the benign prescence but not as strong, oh yeah and whenever I struggle the noise gets louder along with the pain. Once I realise I'm in that state I can open my eyes but don't just in case I hallucinate, cause if I did, I would seriously crap my pants!

The craziest thing I remember about one episode was that I was sleeping on my side with just my face covered by the sheets with the top of my head uncovered and Astaroth, the big guy with the huge axe in Soul Calibur, wacking me on the part of my head that was uncovered and every time he hit me, my head jolted. :eek:

[Emperor_Mike]

I get sleep paralysis every couple of months although I've been without it for a while (touch wood).

First time I had it was when I was asleep in the house all by myself, it must've been about 3am, and I had the covers over my eyes but I could see a faint green glow through them, I couldn't move nor shout out but whenever I tried, I only made a weak rasping noise. Anyway throughout the whole ordeal there was a loud pulsing noise getting louder and louder and whenever it got loudest it hurt my brain like crazy then the noise would die down and then get louder again along with the pain.
If this wasn't enough I also felt that there was a benign prescence in the room, I've never been so scared in my life! I just wanted to run out and scream like mad.

Now, when I get the good ol' paralysis, there's always the pulsing noise and the benign prescence but not as strong, oh yeah and whenever I struggle the noise gets louder along with the pain. Once I realise I'm in that state I can open my eyes but don't just in case I hallucinate, cause if I did, I would seriously crap my pants!

The craziest thing I remember about one episode was that I was sleeping on my side with just my face covered by the sheets with the top of my head uncovered and Astaroth, the big guy with the huge axe in Soul Calibur, wacking me on the part of my head that was uncovered and every time he hit me, my head jolted. :eek:

Sounds like an alien-abduction like occurence. :smile: See a doctor if it gets out of hand.