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Napping On The Couch

by CJ
(IL USA)

When I was in my early 20's (before children) and I had some free time in the afternoons, I liked to take naps on the couch. On several occasions, I would wake up because I felt like I couldn't breathe. Upon waking I would realize that I couldn't move a muscle, I could see my living room, the blanket that was covering me, my furniture etc. My eyes were open, but I just couldn't move at all.

I remember feeling panic, and telling myself I was still dreaming and that I need to wake up. Within a few minutes I would just snap out of it, or sometimes I would fall asleep again and later wake up just fine. Fortunately I never had any hallucinations, I'm thankful for that because just waking up and not being able to move...was scary enough for me!

I haven't had this happen in many years, not sure why, but i'm glad. Until recently I had no idea what those episodes were. I was describing it to a friend who mentioned "something called sleep paralysis" so I decided to read up on it, and sure enough...I believe this is what happened to me. Very scary stuff.

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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). 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.

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