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Learning About My Sleep Paralysis

by Eac
(Rhode Island)

When I was in college, I didn't know what was happening, was I abducted by aliens?


If I let the "buzzing" overtake me, I would be paralyzed and frightened. Sometimes I
could fight it off by staying awake. Sometimes I would "wake" and be paralyzed. I finally somehow learned that if I just breathe and focus on breathing, I would fall asleep and wake up fine later.

Occasionally someone downstairs would hear me yell and ask what I was dreaming about the night before. How could I tell them that I was screaming and nothing was coming out? I was afraid to tell anyone, the next morning none of it seemed real.

It was many years later that I heard the term "sleep paralysis" used, when discounting a "paranormal" experience. I then recognized that this is indeed what happened.

It's only happened a handful of times since. College was a very stressful time, that may have affected me. Hope this description helps someone, I wish I had learned this 30 years ago!

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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.

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