Sleep Paralysis

[Gra_factor]

Funny picture! One more reason to use a bugnet!

People who experience it often claim they can feel a weight on their chest, and/or an evil presence in the room. I don't believe in such things but the rational part of my brain doesn't always keep up with the "lizard" part of my brain so I hope I don't have the experience.

[grndslm]

This actually just happened to me yesterday.

I call them "naps".

I really did have one yesterday that I just didn't want to wake up from, but I couldn't rest my mind. It was kinda strange. Not any heavy feelings on my chest or anxiety, or anything. Just peace and quiet when you can't actually "shut down".

[Cannibal]

I've got to remember this the next time I'm late for work!

[Doctari]

I get that "all the time", well, at least once a year. Worst episode ever was at this years Hoosier Hang, on day 2.

Medical reason for it: during sleep, to keep you (at least most people, not including sleep walkers) from getting up & walking out into traffic, or killing your: boss, Ex S.O., annoying neighbor, etc. or walking from your motel room to the next door motel, & off the 8th floor balcony. We are paralyzed during sleep. Sort of seat belts for the bed I suppose.
Now for my theory, at least re ME: I mostly wake up, but not enough to "unlock" the seat belt. So, I am aware of my surroundings, & can even determine conversations (or flute playing like at the HH) but I can NOT move. At least not without a supreme effort of will "WAKE UP DARN IT!". I too have felt: Pressure or a presence. & have heard people talking that weren't there, but I still knew I was in my hammock or bed (back when I used a bed) & even where I was. Weird indeed, gotta love it.

Since I have figured it out, I just go back to sleep until I'm ready to fully wake up.

[Yukon Chuck]

Never experienced this. I'm wondering if it is a real or perceived condition? And, I wonder if it is in any way connected with "night terrors".

[rip waverly]

oh boy. yes. this is a weird one. i get the sensation every now and again. first time i was freaked, like i'd never shimmy out of it. most memorable effect was watching a white widow spider (hallucination) hanging right above me in the hammock, and i was powerless to speak / move. i freaked out initially, but then straightened my mind out, let the "paralysis" alone and came to grips with this weird sensation. time slipped by at an unknown rate. next thing i knew, i was able to breath again. sat up in the hammock- made some coffee and puffed a cigarette, glanced around the woods. all was normal. wild stuff. glad, i guess, to hear other accounts of this.

[Catavarie]

It's a never happened to me at least that I know of, and I hope it never does, although it's perfectly natural. Sleep paralysis is when our bodies are still in a dream state but our mind has woken up. When we dream, our bodies can't move. Evolution selected for our ancestors who were not able to act out their dreams.

http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wi...-paralysis.jpg

Obviously whoever did that research never seen someone who experiences night terrors.

On a lighter note, my wife and kid both are in constant motion all night long even during REM sleep periods. My kid also talks and laughs in her sleep, although she gets that from me, not her mother.

[Doctari]

Never experienced this. I'm wondering if it is a real or perceived condition? And, I wonder if it is in any way connected with "night terrors".

Oh yes, it is real enough. And if you don't know what is happening to you, can be very frightening. I have no memory of ever waking up like that in any other position than my back, but I could have. The first time it happened to me was on a cold night, (29 degrees?) back yard with my Hammock sock pulled up pretty snug. I "woke up" but couldn't move took about 4 seconds (by my guess, was probably more like 0.04 seconds) for me to get fully awake & totally closet phobic, I nearly tore the nylon Hammock Sock getting out of the hammock. Thankfully it was one of my net-less hammocks so didn't have to fight that to get out of that. After I calmed down, I sorted it out (as posted above) & now just go back to sleep till I can wake up fully. It still sometimes scares me, like at the before mentioned day 2 of the Hoosier Hangout. I know I lay there for many minutes, hearing people walk by & I couldn't even call out for help, Yea, I didn't really need help, but still,,,,,,,

[Dragon Rider]

happened to me just the other week...got up early (4:50am...my 10yr old daughter takes forever to get ready in the morning) to get the kids off to school and after they got on the bus at 6:50a I sat down in a recliner that we have that we have affectionately named "the chair of death" because it will put anyone to sleep almost instantly no matter what time of day it is. (It is a swivel, rocker, recliner that my mom gave to our family earlier this year and it really is the most comfortable chair that I have ever sat in) Anyway, I fell asleep and tried three different times over the course of 15-20 minutes to get up and literally could not move. Finally on the fourth try I was able to get up but was still very sluggish for about 15 minutes. This has happened a few times to me before but only when I have had to adjust to major schedule changes or have had a lot of disruption in my schedule due to travel for family or work...which were both true on this occasion. Very helpless feeling and definitely could be scary if you recently were dreaming some weird dreams...I didn't remember any of my dreams in this past instance.

[Dragon Rider]

Also...it has never happened to me in a hammock but then again, I love sleeping outdoors and in my hammock and usually get the best nights of sleep that I have ever had.