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SLEEP PARALYSIS

dee4848
dee4848 Community member Posts: 256 Pioneering
edited September 2022 in Mental health and wellbeing
Hi I have suffered with this since 2003 has anybody experienced this ? I would love to hear about others who has experienced this disorder.
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  • susan48
    susan48 Community member Posts: 2,221 Disability Gamechanger
    @dee4848
    i have not heard of this before. What is it?
  • dee4848
    dee4848 Community member Posts: 256 Pioneering
    @susan48 Hi it's where I get a vibration through my body then I go paralised just has I'm going to sleep, i  carnt move  my body or speak,  I try to speak but i carnt, then I allusinate and see my loved ones who have passed away .
  • Pippa_Alumni
    Pippa_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,793 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @dee4848, I've had a look and you appear to be the first person to talk about this on the community! It sounds like quite an unsettling experience, do you have medical support with this?
  • susan48
    susan48 Community member Posts: 2,221 Disability Gamechanger
    @dee4848
    oh my, that sound extremely distressing.
    you you have medication etc to help you.

    Is there anything they can do to at least help a little

  • dee4848
    dee4848 Community member Posts: 256 Pioneering
    edited April 2018
    @PippaScope @susan48 Hi it started after my dad died iv been with the mental health team for years ...I have never told my CPN about it because it gives me comfort but reading on it a lot of people go paralised without illusinating .I would love to know other pols stories ...my loved ones speak to me and I can see them and feel them holding my hands ..I want to believe it's something spiritual rather than mental ,this is why I'm seeking others stories.Also before my son died he said it happened to him he said he was paralised couldn't move or speak then my dad sat on his bed and spoke to him clear has day but he couldn't remember what my dad told him....my son is no longer with us .
  • susan48
    susan48 Community member Posts: 2,221 Disability Gamechanger
    @dee4848,

    i think you you should talk to your CPN about it.
    i know it gives you comfort but there has to be a reason for this to happen. 

    It maybe is spiritual, I wouldn’t know how you would find that out though.
    Personally I would be scared but I’m glad your getting comfort from it x


  • dee4848
    dee4848 Community member Posts: 256 Pioneering
    @susan48 yes I'm going to ..Thankyou .
  • dee4848
    dee4848 Community member Posts: 256 Pioneering
    dee4848 said:
    @susan48 yes I'm going to ..Thankyou .if I seen anything bad then it would be scary but I don't I see my family 

  • susan48
    susan48 Community member Posts: 2,221 Disability Gamechanger
    @dee4848

    glad your going to talk to your CPN.

    you take care 
  • dee4848
    dee4848 Community member Posts: 256 Pioneering
  • susan48
    susan48 Community member Posts: 2,221 Disability Gamechanger
    Please let me know how you get on x
  • Lasian_Alumni
    Lasian_Alumni Community member Posts: 659 Pioneering
    Hi @dee4848

    I used to have sleep paralysis regularly and will still occasionally experience it, however I tend to see things that I find scary (spiders is a common one). I find it to be an unsettling experience, so it's nice to hear that you haven't felt negative about yours. It's also great that you're going to tell your CPN about this :)
  • SugarCoated
    SugarCoated Community member Posts: 53 Courageous
    hi i have suffered from these on a few occasions, mine have always happened as im almost asleep but not in a deep sleep where ive woken up but cant move or talk. with mine its always the same feeling me trying to call out to someone and feeling a heavy weight on my chest holding me down. ive never seen anyone or anything just a scared feeling. the same thing has happened to my son as well and hes discribed it as same feeling as mine. its scary for me but im glad they arent a regular thing.  
  • Dpee
    Dpee Community member Posts: 3 Listener
    I suffer from it too feels like someone in room then chest area goes heavy as if some one holding you down then I snap out of it can't speak or move

  • Dpee
    Dpee Community member Posts: 3 Listener
    hi i have suffered from these on a few occasions
    , mine have always happened as im almost asleep but not in a deep sleep.
     where ive woken up but cant move or talk.
    with mine its always the same feeling .
    I try to call out for help and feeling a heavy weight on my chest holding me down.
    . ive never seen anyone.just a scared feeling. 
    Sometimes feel like I'm paralyzed but can't open eyes aswell makes it quite un-nerving
  • Pixelat0r
    Pixelat0r Community member Posts: 1 Listener
    Hi. I used to suffer from these regularly. If I nodded off in the evening I knew for certain I would have an episode that night. Sometimes I'd nod off accidentally then I'd dread heading to bed knowing what was to come.
    Interestingly, they mostly stopped when I was prescribed Seroxat which was later changed to Citalopram. Although these are antidepressants they were prescribed for a physical issue linked to an accidental overdose when  a GP prescribed the wrong strength of medication to me. Within days of starting the medication the literally disappeared. 
    Last night I had my first episode on over a year despite having taken my meds so I have no idea what caused it or whether they're now back again regularly. Tonight may give a clue.
    They often (but not always) start with what now seem to be called "Brain Zaps" as I'm falling asleep. Then the paralysis almost washes over me like a wave leaving me unable to move and struggling to breathe or make a sound. It seems the more I fight it the longer it goes on for and when I used to get them regularly I became quite good at relaxing until they passed. Of course each time one seemed to be going on longer than usual I'd start to panic that this might be the one I didn't come out of.
    I don't think I've ever seen anyone or anything during an episode but there is certainly a real sense of impending doom and I have "sensed" that something or someone is around me. The one I had last night was slightly different as it started with me dreaming I was going down stairs when I "sensed" something swoop down behind me and put me in a bear hug around my chest. I felt pain and a vibrating sensation along with odd visuals and made the rooky mistake of trying to move before it had completely finished which seemed to set it off again for another "however long it was", I would guess about 30 seconds.
    Over the many times I've had these I've had many different things happen including loud whistling, hearing my own breathing at incredible volume, pulsing pain in my  teeth, a sense of vibrating, a sense of falling and lots of other weird and wonderful things. I did consider these were dreams or nightmares but on  several occasions they happened and I was able to see my clock radio and I was rational enough to make a note of the time so I could check it when it wore off. It always matched.
    So, sorry to waffle but I thought it might help anyone having them for the first time. Mine went on for years before the antidepressants stopped them (until last night) and if it's any reassurance they haven't killed me yet. They are however really rather disconcerting and can leave you feeling incredibly shook up once they've gone. Interestingly I have never had two in a single night. Once I've had one I know the rest of my night will be undisturbed.
  • dee4848
    dee4848 Community member Posts: 256 Pioneering
    @susan48 @Lasian_Alumni
    @SugarCoated
    @Dpee
    @Pixelat0r
    Thankyou so much for your replies, really helps when I know I'm not alone , cpn doesn't know why or my GP some say its brain activity,  but I don't agree , it happened again where I seen one of my deceased sons with the most beautiful snowy white mountains behind him it was amazing I was speaking to him through my mind ,but couldn't physically speak, anyway I love them because of what I see   but I know il never know for sure the the real reason this happens .Thankyou all for your stories.
  • bluefox
    bluefox Community member Posts: 636 Pioneering
    I’ve experienced sleep paralysis since being a teenager. It’s a very frightening experience and at first, I thought I was dying!!! 

    I’ve never had any hallucinations like some report. 
  • pee14
    pee14 Community member Posts: 172 Courageous
    edited September 2022
    @bluefox
    Hi yes it is quite scarey , the first tome it happened was 2003 my dad spoke to me but I couldn't see him, but the second one wasn't very nice at all ,since tho iv always seen my auntie
  • dee4848
    dee4848 Community member Posts: 256 Pioneering
    @bluefox @pee14 Yes mine was 2003 
    It is scarey   I thought I was dying too at first, but I havent seen anything scary yet and hopefully I won't .

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