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Thought It Was A Stroke When I Awoke!

by Diana
(Nevada)

Last night I awoke to the feeling of being paralyzed. I couldn't move any of my limbs, though I was fighting hard. It also caused me to have the feeling of being unable to breathe. I remember trying to call out to my husband, thinking I was dying.


I am 31, and don't remember having this problem before. I am under some marital stress, which could be the cause. Has anyone ever heard of medications causing this? Last night I took melatonin, and nuerontin. I am glad to see this is common, though I pray it never happens again! I feel like I can't breathe just talking about it!


Kevin: Hi Diana, thanks for sharing your story. What you describe is known as sleep paralysis, and it is indeed a common occurrence that is very often benign. You can read more about sleep paralysis here.

Warmly,
Kevin


(Please keep in mind that I am a student of sleep science and not a medical doctor. Please take any thoughts I give with my background in mind.)

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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.

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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.

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