What Parasomnia Do I Have?

by Laura
(Lebanon, PA)

I don't know how common it is to have multiple parasomnias, but after perusing your lists, it seems I've had quite a few at one point or another. Enuresis as a kid, debilitating night terrors (also as a kid), hypnagogic jerks (though I think everyone gets that), excruciating nocturnal leg cramps, paralysis and strange sensations of being pressed into the bed as I fall asleep, and a really unusual one recently that I can't really categorize by looking at lists of them. I suppose on the surface it's sleep paralysis, but it's accompanied by bizarre lucid dreaming where when I try to move my body I wake from one dream into another, where I'm lying in my bed and rolling back and forth, though my arms are paralyzed. Eventually I roll onto the floor but it doesn't make any sound or hurt. The second dream is remarkably detailed and I really think I've just fallen out of bed. Then I wake up to find myself paralyzed, not having moved at all during the course of the dream with my heart racing. I've determined that these episodes last about 15 minutes. Afterwards I usually fall back asleep normally. One small detail that may be helpful is that I usually fall asleep the first time listening to spoken word podcasts. When I wake up, the sleep timer has ended and I put my ipod away. I doubt this has anything to do with it, but it may be of some importance.

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Kevin: Hey Laura, glad the site could help you informationally and thanks for sharing your interesting experience. I can't speak too much from personal experience or insight in regards to what you have described, but it strongly brings to mind a resource that I think may prove very insightful for you: Ryan Hurd's downloadable book Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide (link goes to my review). It's got quite a bit of great information about lucid dreaming with sleep paralysis that may give you some inspiration or a starting ground for finding out more. I also recall reading one or two other visitor-submitted stories that involve dreaming vividly of moving substantially before waking up to realizing they had not moved at all.

Warmly,
Kevin

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