The following is a visitor-submitted question or story. For more, you can submit your own sleep story here, or browse the collection of experiences and questions other visitors have shared here.

The SP Syndrome

by DE
(Texas)

I have experienced what I just found out to be called Sleep Paralysis (SP) for the past 5 months daily, sometimes 3 or 4 times whenever I doze off or at night when it's time to sleep. I can relate to all the comments and agree to some point, although my frightening occurrences of not being able to move once I feel a presence in my room only happens at my house.


After about 4 months of trying to figure out what the heck was happening, I found that it only happened when my bedroom door was opened. Closed the door, kept stereo on, I was able to sleep peacefully, until last week the darn thing came thru the door and now I could feel the presence pressing against my body. I would struggle to move, it leaves, fall asleep again, there it is again. It's terrifying, so I stayed up for about 3 days trying not to fall asleep to the point I was upset wanting whatever to leave my house!

My frustrations of having enough only caused a dream of a dog walking slowly down a hallway that was leading to my bedroom door. I closed the door in my dream and felt safe. Relaxed, then I suddenly woke up to the sound of panting and feeling something pressed against my body, again! My eyes opened, couldn't move, finally was able to, packed my bags for a hotel. It seems I can only rest away from home. It never happens elsewhere.

What the heck? One person I happen to tell my story to told me it's someone that refuses to let go of me, and related it to an ex-boyfriend 20 years ago of being possessive and it happened at age 24. I didn't want to tell her, because most of my friends think I'm crazy, but I had a stalker boyfriend that put me through hell at that age. I am 49 now. I am working to ease my fear and discontinue paying a hotel just to sleep! How can I get some rest at home as one of the remedies, if the darn SP wont't let you?

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Sleep Paralysis Stories.




Enjoy this page? Please help us pay it forward to others who would find it valuable by Liking, Sharing, Tweeting, Stumbling, and/or Voting below.

About This Site

Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.

In fact, we challenge you to do so! What do you say, are you up for the challenge?


A Note On Visitor-Submitted Questions:

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) that isn't talked about enough. 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.

If you are in any way concerned about your sleep health, don't wait for an answer on here, and don't necessarily rely on them. See a sleep specialist in your area as soon as possible.

More Questions:

Ask | Answer

The Stanford Sleep Book

Stanford Sleep Book Picture

Dr. Dement's pioneering textbook has been the core text for Sleep and Dreams since 1980, but it has just recently been made available to the wider public for the first time.

In it you'll find a more detailed account of the most important things you need to know about sleep, alertness, dreams, and sleep disorders. Studies, statistics, plus plenty of Dr. Dement's classic anecdotes painting the history of sleep medicine.

Preface | Intro | Contents | Get A Copy

More Sleep Resources

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.

Important Disclaimer

Please Note:

The information found on this page and throughout this site is intended for general information purposes only. While it may prove useful and empowering, it is NOT intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgments of healthcare practitioners.

For more info, see our
Terms of Use.