Has anyone ever had it? I first woke up with it a few years ago and it scared me to death! It is a weird feeling and I had no idea other people were getting it to until I looked it up. It feels like you are awake, but you cannot move. Your mind works, but you can't blink, you can't feel, you can't move your arms or legs, and you definitely cannot talk! It still scares me and I still hate it every time it happens to me. I've noticed I only get it when I am super exhausted and go to sleep really fast or when I wake up in middle of the night and try and go back to sleep.

Here are some more technical descriptions of sleep paralysis:

Sleep paralysis is a common condition characterized by transient partial or total paralysis of skeletal muscles that occurs upon awakening from sleep or less often while falling asleep. Sleep paralysis may also be referred to as isolated sleep paralysis, familial sleep paralysis, hynogogic or hypnopompic paralysis, predormital or postdormital 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.

Sleep paralysis strikes as a person is moving into or out of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the deepest part of sleep. During REM sleep the body is largely disconnected from the brain leaving the body paralyzed.

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

• getting enough sleep
• reduce stress
• exercise regularly (but not too close to bedtime)
• keep a regular sleep schedule
• Eat a healthy diet
• Avoid sleeping on your back

You can see some examples of real life people talking about their experiences with sleep paralysis on You Tube.

This used to happen to me all the time while I was in college. I finally figured out that it had to do with lack of sleep and too much stress. I also got past the nightmares by recognizing they were nightmares so that I wouldn't panic when I had them. I learned to accept them and they didn't bother me anymore. Finally they stopped completely and I haven't had it for years.

When I used to have them it would usually happen within the first 30-60 seconds after laying down. It would always start with a weird sound in the ear, sort of like a wooshing sound, or maybe my brain frying type sound. It is very hard to describe, but definetely a sound in the ear. Shortly after I would be completely paralyzed and I felt awake (even though I recognize I wasn't). At that time though I would be able to open my eyes and I would be in the last position I layed down, I would hear people in the background that were home with me so I was completely convinced I was awake and paraylized. When this first started happening I would completely panic and felt it hard to breathe.

As time went on I soon figured out why they were happening and tried to make sure I got more sleep and more rest time if I was stressed out. The other thing that helped tremendously was recognizing it was a nightmare so that I wouldn't panic anymore. This allowed me to not fear falling asleep and a victim to the paralysis. I sort of had a "bring it on" type attitude and the nightmares soon did not bother me anymore. There were a few variations of the nightmare once they didn't bother me. The nightmare would turn into someone trying to pull me out of the bed by the feet, but the bed seemed to be of an unlimited length and it would pull me for a long time. Another version introduced a spider while I was paralyzed. I was able to reason during my nightmares and understood it wasn't real and because of this I didn't panic or wasn't even scared anymore. Eventually the nightmares went away completely.

That would freak me out! That makes my annoying snoring seam like a cake walk! When you were having this sleep thing how did you wake up, and did you want to go back to sleep after that?

I don't know. I can't explain how I would wake up. I only remember it being really fast. I would be in the sleep paralysis and then all of a sudden, I'd wake up! And I'd wake up taking in a big breath of air like I haven't breathed in a while! It is all so strange! And NO I did not want to go back to sleep right after experiencing it. It's not fun! I don't like it!

I have heard about this sleep paralysis thing, but thankfully I have never experienced it. Scary!