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Happened To Me Just Last Night...

by Barry
(Spain)

This isn't anything new to me as it has happened many times before. Last night though was even more intense than previously experienced. It normally happens when I am very tired and at the point of going to sleep and listening to music or falling asleep to the TV or some external noise.


Last night I was falling asleep with my earphones, listening to talk radio. I would feel my whole body paralysed but feel awake. I hear strange sounds, mainly intense "wooshing" sounds, whilst perfectly hearing the radio show. I know now at that very moment I am dreaming and not actually fully awake, so every time it happens I am thinking to myself in that very moment, "Ok you know what's happening, relax."

The problem is that I try to pull myself out of it because of the fear that I would stay in that state forever. It feels like I can't move at all and that something is pushing me down on the bed, a force stronger than my will to get up, so I have to really force myself to wake up as in push with all my might and then eventually I wake up with my heart racing and breathing fast. I also feel twitching in my legs and feet. The problem is that every time I "force myself" out of it (which requires so much effort), I immediately slip back in and the whole process starts again...

I have come to realise that in my case it is only when I fall asleep to an external sound source like radio or TV and also when the heating is on, or my room is very warm. Other than that it doesn't normally happen.

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