Stuck In Sleep Paralysis

by Charlotte
(Bolton )

I'm 18 years old and for a few years I have been experiencing sleep paralysis, however I don't have visions. I feel as though I am awake and no matter how hard I try to open my eyes or move to wake myself up I can't. Every time I try to scream for help but nothing comes out. I find it terrifying.

It lasts for about 10 minutes every time. Does everyone have visions or is it normal to be aware of what is happening like me? In my head I am totally aware and know if I can get myself to move then I will wake up, but it is really hard to open my eyes. I feel like some one has hold of them and isn't letting me open them.

Once I finally get out of it I feel breathless and scared. Usually when I go back to sleep it happens again. For instance last night I woke myself up from sleep paralysis about 5 times.

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Hi Charlotte,

Thanks for sharing your story with us. To answer your question, it is completely normal not to have hallucinations along with episodes of sleep paralysis. In fact it is estimated that only about 1 in 5 instances of sleep paralysis are!

Hallucinations or not though, sleep paralysis, as you know well, can be terrifying. There is a great book that could potentially be very helpful for you in taking control of your episodes. It's sleep researcher Ryan Hurd's "Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamers Guide." Hurd has battled sleep paralysis himself for 20 years, so his book is full of his own insight.

You can check out the review on our site and if it seems like a helpful tool, the book is download-able.

Please let us know if you have any questions or new insights on your sleep paralysis.


Warmly,

Jordan

EYSD Editor

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