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I Don't Find Sleep Paralysis Frightening...

by Rizu
(Maine)

Interestingly enough, I've only ever had sleep paralysis when waking up from a nap, but never when waking up in the morning. Every time it's happened, I've almost always had hallucinations accompany it...but they were never scary hallucinations. For example, one day I was taking a nap in my car during study hall at school, and upon waking up from it, I couldn't move, and I was sure that my mother, grandmother, and two aunts were standing outside the car and talking, though I couldn't make out what they were saying. When my cell phone's alarm went off to tell me that study hall was over, I was able to move and my relatives were gone.

Just today, actually, I woke up from a nap and hallucinated that my boyfriend had called me. In my hallucination, I was holding the phone, even though it was really on the other side of the room. However, I struggled to talk with him, since I had a hard time making noise in that state. When I woke up for real, the phone was on the other side of the room where I had left it.

Those are just a couple of examples, but the experience of sleep paralysis has never frightened me, like it seems to frighten many other people. Perhaps it is because I knew of the phenomenon beforehand, although the first time it happened to me, I didn't realize that it was sleep paralysis until after the fact. I've never had scary hallucinations, just pretty normal ones, usually about my family or friends. I can only describe the feeling as having basically no energy. I try to move, but it feels like I just can't gather up enough strength. When I come out of it, though, moving is as easy as ever. It's as though the gravity levels have suddenly shifted. I feel very lucky that it's never frightened me, though, because some of the stories I've heard about it are absolutely horrifying.




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I Don't Find Sleep Paralysis Frightening...

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May 30, 2011
 Anxiety
by: Namida

i think its mostly from the Anxiety feeling you get from not fully understanding whats going on, especially for people who think they are alone in this and experience it for the first time, especially for me cause it feels like your dieing at times.
Aug 03, 2011
 Finally
by: Miranda

I have been trying to find out what my sleeping problems were, at first I thought it was sleep apnea, but then came to realize it is sleep paralysis. I have been looking online for a few hours to research the condition, and can only find stories about terrifying hallucinations. None of my hallucinations have been scary, they are quite similar to yours, though sometimes i do stop breathing while paralyzed and that is quite terrifying. But thank you for posting this, I now know that you don't have to have dreams about shadow people, demons and aliens to have this problem.
Aug 24, 2011
 I don't either
by: Lisa

Me, too. That is that I do not see these dark figures everybody is talking about. It's pretty much always me doing something in the same room where I fell asleep. It drives me nuts, too, because when I am in that (doing something)state, I think that I was able to snap out of the paralysis, but then I get sucked back into it when I start to wake up. Also, it always happens after a nap...a couple of exceptions where when I was waking up, but I can't identify any factor with this that ties it to any other experiences, and I would say 90% of the time there is a lucid dream involved somewhere. Overall, I can't say I hate the experiences...I think that although it can be scary, it somehow ties in with the big question on a lot of people's minds...why are we here?
Aug 30, 2011
 So True
by: Anonymous

I have had the same experiences as Miranda and Lisa. In my sleep paralysis experiences I always know that I'm in my own bed, or wherever I am, and there's no horrifying situation happening - I just can't move and it feels terrible, like being trapped in a coffin or something. Sometimes I find it's easier just not to fight it and I can either fall back asleep or wake up naturally some time later. But it's horrible if you are hot or uncomfortable and you think if I could only just MOVE, I would wake up and feel better.
Aug 30, 2011
 So True
by: Anonymous

I have had the same experiences as Miranda and Lisa. In my sleep paralysis experiences I always know that I'm in my own bed, or wherever I am, and there's no horrifying situation happening - I just can't move and it feels terrible, like being trapped in a coffin or something. Sometimes I find it's easier just not to fight it and I can either fall back asleep or wake up naturally some time later. But it's horrible if you are hot or uncomfortable and you think if I could only just MOVE, I would wake up and feel better.
Nov 03, 2011
 My SP isn't frightening either
by: Alexandra

I've had sleep paralysis episodes for over 20 years. They only occur for me during naps in the morning, like if I wake up early and then decide to go back to sleep a couple hours later. In my sleep paralysis episodes I am always in the same spot where I've fallen asleep (bed or couch). I "dream" that I wake up and go about doing things as normal, relieved that I've woken up from the paralysis. But then I notice that something is wrong, and I begin to question if I am really awake. At that point I realize that I am still paralyzed and I try to get up by opening my eyes or wiggling my toes. The process of me "thinking" I've woken up usually happens 5-6 times until I actually can wake up, at which is it a huge relief to be out of the paralysis. To avoid SP in general, I try to avoid morning naps at all costs, because it will almost assuredly lead to a paralysis episode. I feel truly sorry for those who experience SP during the night where it isn't avoidable.
Nov 06, 2011
 Sleep Paralysis only in the Afternoon
by: Elizabeth

My sleep paralysis experiences are not frightening either and I'm extremely thankful for this.
I have a habit of taking afternoon naps during the weekends for many years and it didn't pose any problems till a few months ago. I consulted a doctor and the only ridiculous advice he could offer was to pray.
The funny thing is, I ONLY get sleep paralysis during the weekend afternoon naps but I am relatively unaffected during the weekdays. It puzzles me to no end.

And the strange thing is, I sometimes know I'm going to experience sleep paralysis before I take a nap (but I still stubbornly go to sleep anyway).
Whenever I experience sleep paralysis, I always see my room. Sometimes my other family members if I see them walking around in my house before I sleep.

Here's another observation: I'm always sleeping on my back when I wake up from sleep paralysis. My sleeping position is usually like "a fetus".

It's really tiring.
Nov 11, 2011
 I struggle
by: John

Like most others here, it only happens to me after napping. I have at times fought against it, trying to move. I have succeeded succeeded from time to time in waking myself up with a violent jerk.
Nov 24, 2011
 My story NEW
by: LK

I used to have really scary sleep paralysis and I didn't know what it was, I wasn't able to move and sometimes there was a presence in the room. Then I finally got online to figure out what it was. When I finally realized what it was I stopped resisting it, when I come to the realization that I'm unable to move I just relax and fall into a really deep state of relaxation. It happened to me this morning after waking up early and then going back to sleep for a half hour. When I realized I couldn't move I just relaxed and then began rising really fast, I heard really loud music and I was flying through a night sky and I felt the presence of God. Then I saw Jesus standing in front of me. I thought to myself, since I can see Jesus, then maybe I can see Doug (a friend that passed away 6 months ago) I couldn't see him. I then kept flying upwards and then I had to convince myself that I couldn't die and that I needed to stay alive. After that I "woke up" I thought I was awake but I wasn't, I was in a room that I didn't recognize. It was so vivid though, I remember the room so well. I started yelling for my fiance, then I was like no this can't be real, I am not waking up in a place I don't know. Then I actually woke up.

I've had this kind of thing happen before, it's just really interesting and I wish I could know what it all means.
Mar 08, 2012
 Not Scared Either NEW
by: Anonymous

i am a 24 yr old woman n ive had these dreams as long as i can remember. the scariest thing that has occured in my dreams is that i absolutely can not move or talk, no matter how hard i try. they always have only involved people i know but the places all always different. i have them at night and also during naps. a few times ive tried to hit someone (always someone i know) but i cant bring my hand up to do so, or i try to walk or run but never really felt fearful of anything. no matter what the dream is i never can move in it, which is one of the most aggrevating thing about this. my legs feel like they're buried in cement n really heavy n my arms are 500 lb. weights, that will not move. when i wake up im ok n i can move just fine, altough they do wake me up sometimes as much as a few times per night. these dreams have been happening more n more lately so i got on the 'net to see what they mean, when i found this site. now atleast i know that im not alone in this, and really happy that my dreams are not scary like the other stories ive read. im very sorry people have to be so scared to go to sleep, i hope mine never turn into that. thanks for giving me a piece of mind!
Mar 09, 2012
 Sleep paralysis sucks NEW
by: Miranda

I commented about a year ago saying that I never had any scary hallucinations, but since then that's all that been happening. I've got to say I really hate sleep paralysis, it happens everyday now, and I lucid dream once a week. I can never just relax when I'm going through an episode, because I stop breathing while paralyzed, which makes me very uncomfortable with just falling asleep.
I've always had this twisted imagination in the first place, and it's horrible when mixed with lucid dreams. I always hear and see people in my room, and the worst two have been one where there was something hanging down from my ceiling in the dark, and when I went to grab it I realized it was long hair and a severed head fell on my bed(fucked up right?). The other was I could feel something next to me in my bed, and I look over and this deamon looking dead person was staring up at me. No lie, this is what I lucid dream now.
My most comfortable way to fall asleep is on my back, but now when every I do I become paralyzed, so for the past year I havent been sleeping very good.
Sorry for the long speel, in just wanted to get it out aha. In short, I HATE SLEEP PARALYSIS

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