The following is a visitor-submitted question or story. For more, you can submit your own sleep story here, or browse the collection of experiences and questions other visitors have shared here.

Get Yourself Out Of Your Paralysis

by Crystal Moreno
(Los Angeles, CA)

I had wrote in an earlier post but forgot to mention that a way I know for sure I am in an episode is if I pinch myself in the dream. If you pinch yourself in the dream it will feel numb and like butterflies, when in real life it'll obviously hurt.


Sometimes, especially for one who has many episodes, people may be confused when they are or are not really dreaming. This helps sometimes: a way that I keep myself from seeing anything frightening is by shutting my eyes tightly. The less you see the faster your SP episode will be over.

For the past two weeks I've had an episode almost every morning. I already know by now that as much as I scream for help or try grabbing the person next to me, they usually won't hear you. You just have to shut your eyes and wait for it to pass.

These episodes I've had have been strange, because I wake up in the morning, and feel the SP pulling me back into an episode.


Kevin: Thanks for sharing your sleep paralysis strategies Crystal, I hope they prove valuable to our visitors. It sounds like the solutions you've found for yourself are based on actually moving (or at least moving your dream "body"). That's interesting. Does this mean these dreams your talking about then transition to an episode of paralysis, where you can't move at all?

While communicating with your bed partner hasn't worked out for you, I've heard stories from people who do that regularly, and have their spouses help shake them out of an episode. One such person is dream researcher Ryan Hurd, and if you're interested in more sleep paralysis treatment strategies you can check out his book here.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

Warmly,
Kevin

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Sleep Paralysis Stories.




Enjoy this page? Please help us pay it forward to others who would find it valuable by Liking, Sharing, Tweeting, Stumbling, and/or Voting below.

About This Site

Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.

In fact, we challenge you to do so! What do you say, are you up for the challenge?


A Note On Visitor-Submitted Questions:

Publishing sleep stories and questions from our visitors is meant to create a forum for open and proactive dialogue about an extremely important portion of our lives (one that occupies 1/3 of it and affects the other 2/3) that isn't talked about enough. It is not meant to substitute a trip to the doctor or the advice of a specialist. It's good to talk; it is not good to avoid consulting someone who's profession it is to help you with this kind of stuff.

If you are in any way concerned about your sleep health, don't wait for an answer on here, and don't necessarily rely on them. See a sleep specialist in your area as soon as possible.

More Questions:

Ask | Answer

The Stanford Sleep Book

Stanford Sleep Book Picture

Dr. Dement's pioneering textbook has been the core text for Sleep and Dreams since 1980, but it has just recently been made available to the wider public for the first time.

In it you'll find a more detailed account of the most important things you need to know about sleep, alertness, dreams, and sleep disorders. Studies, statistics, plus plenty of Dr. Dement's classic anecdotes painting the history of sleep medicine.

Preface | Intro | Contents | Get A Copy

More Sleep Resources

The Zeo

A revolution in personal sleep tracking, the Zeo is a wireless headband that transmits your brainwaves in realtime to a dock (pictured here) or your smartphone. The result? You can wake up and see exactly what stages of sleep you were in during the night! Unprecedented personalized sleep knowledge.

Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide

Sleep Paralysis Treatment Book

Ever woken up paralyzed? A surprising number of us have, believe it or not. But few know the actual causes of this phenomenon, and fewer still how to exert control over it. Dream researcher and sleep paralysis expert Ryan Hurd shares breakthrough insights into how to do just that.

Important Disclaimer

Please Note:

The information found on this page and throughout this site is intended for general information purposes only. While it may prove useful and empowering, it is NOT intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgments of healthcare practitioners.

For more info, see our
Terms of Use.