Sleep Paralysis: Awake But Still Asleep

Hello all, I just spent the good part of an hour reading all of these posts... Some of which were just posted two days ago... I cannot believe how many people have had this happen to them... This has happened to me more than a few times and I just thought it was some random unexplainable thing... I thought that I was having a stroke or dying the first few times... I just convinced myself that I must of had actually been dreaming... For me it is always the same thing... My eyes are open and I can see the room I am in, like I am just waking up and its a little blurry but when I try to move I cant... It feels like all my limbs weigh a million pounds and I try to talk or yell but I cant... I have never had the feeling like someone was in the room though... This usually happens to me right when I am waking up or if I just take a little nap... Creepy stuff...

Wow having to expirence this is really scary. the first time was horrible because i couldn't breath and the weird thing was that it felt like i really didn't need to. i guess i was tripping more about not being able to move. also i saw a shadow near me but it was just standing there which made me panic. i tried to scream but i couldn't i could only hear myself in my mind. but after i had expirence all this it happen to me like 5 or 6 times withing this past year. the only good thing was that it wasnt that intense as the first time. also i do think its spirital too because i felt a evil presence the second time it happen i close my eyes and saw a woman walking towards me in like an open forest place with a church and she said "let god be with you" and i said "as well with you" and i woke up breathing heavily n i was able to move, but the first time it happen i try to make a cross with my finger and n try to pray and felt like somthing was hold my arm down like if it was preventing me from doing the cross. so this info here is really helpful cuz i have been really stressed out this past year. i'll recommed you to relax yourself before going to sleep to take out any anxiety u may have, tea might be good or yoga/streching.

This is the second time this has happened...Its just happened now during the day.

I had a perfect nights sleep last nite, i got up this morning made breakfast, put my feet up to read a book and suddenly my arms went limp, i dropped my book and just gave in to relaxing my whole body cause thats all i could do. My body felt exhausted. I fell asleep for what felt like a few hours and when i woke up I couldnt move my arms i could raise my head but that was it , i panicked and lay down back down again. I lay feeling SO awake and thinking how im gonna get my body to stop feeling paralized! I raised my head again thinking it had worked this time that i was truly awake only to be looking down on my face which was asleep! It was like i was now coming out of my body.

To cut a long story short, i kept doing this over and over until finally my arms began to move with me and i jumped up. Now im sitting feeling totally drained and a bit scared to go to sleep again.

Has anyone else experience this? I just dont understand how i couldnt wake up. Ive no anxiety at the minute, in fact my life is great, im 32 and healthy.

I think I may have just experienced this for the first time, I'm 22.

I wasn't having a very good night's sleep and kept waking up and as I'm off work, in the morning I continued trying to sleep, letting myself drift off. I was having a horrible dream that I was at one of my old jobs and someone had stolen my computer and my desk and then my vision started going really blurry and even when I put my glasses on I still couldn't see and it was getting worse and worse. I struggled back to my seat and all my co-workers were laughing and then I found that all my things had disappeared as well, so I ran out still not being able to see where I was going and crying and then I 'woke up' or did I really?

I wasn't dreaming anymore, I was aware I was lying in my bed and I thought I was awake but I was blind (because in my dream I'd lost my vision). I then realised that I couldn't move anything and that I was paralysed, and I tried to cry out but my mouth wouldn't move. I was desperately trying to move my arms and thought that I was but I actually wasn't. I was convinced I was having a stroke and trying to make myself move or talk because I know the effects can be lessened if you recover yourself asap! Then I felt my hand touch my face but I didn't think I'd managed to move my arm, and I was managing to say 'hello' (but I don't know if I actually was saying hello or just imagining it?) and then I just snapped out of it and woke up properly, got use of all my limbs, opened my eyes etc.

So it was like my mind was slowly waking me from the dream because I was definitely conscious and there were no dream images or anything but my eyes and body parts were paralysed so I couldn't move!

Very scary but even more scary now I've read about those hallucinations! All I could see was just darkness where I was awake but my eyes were closed!

whoa this is some creepy stuff. i've been experiencing this for the last year its weird but i havent seen any figures jus the paralyzed state but when i was paralyzed i was able to move the slittest bit. the state only lasted for about 5 to 10 seconds

Well then... Sleep paralysis eh? For a second there i thought i had a demon stalker. I've been kinda playing around with this awake form of sleeping. I wasn't terrified, mostly curious whenever this started happening. My mother had it too when she was younger and she told me that it scared the living shit out of her too and she can't understand how I am so easy going with the subject.

I decided to take a nap and hour ago and while falling asleep I actually willed this to happen. I awoke 5 minutes ago with complete confusion.

What just happened: I felt hands on me and realized at that point that it works when I want it too. I remember trying to keep my eyes closed because I know it disappears when I open them. I stretched out one hand and felt a hairy leg... lol so like a mans leg. The weirdest part of this even was when the guy climbed on top of me and started breathing and sniffing my face... For a second I thought he was gonna kiss me but I knew I can kinda control it so I willed it not to. Instead he just kinda surrounded my body with his and all I heard was heavy breathing. I became super warm too, it was as if I really was covered by a man... I stretched out my fingers on the other hand this time and grasped an unknown pinky and squeezed it as hard as I could (I expected it to deflate because of a previous experience with a hand doing exactly that). LOL anyways, I'm 20 (this started a couple weeks ago to my knowledge, even though I remember odd dreaming experiences as a child) and right now I'm honestly just having fun with it, see how far I can take this. The weirdest part of this is feeling things that aren't there... Like spikey hair, and as mentioned before a hairy man's leg... even though I've never touched one in real life. I'm gonna keep observing, if anything new and crazy happens maybe i'll update this comment.

PS if you "suffer" from sleep paralysis all I can say is stay Logical about it. It's not real, just observe it, and push it to its limits. It can be a total adventure if u remind yourself that it isn't real.

Alright, so my parent's room is right next to me. And for the past few nights, my dad's been waking up screaming. Not a loud scream , but a shout. So, i asked him what happened. And he described this god-awful dream .And, for the past three days i've been trying to figure out what its all abouttt.

So, i'll just put it as if it were my own dream. I'm laying in bed, and it's my room. To the T. Every detail is correct. There wasnt anything weird like a waterfall or anything. And its dark. Then all of a sudden, i feel something grabbing my left leg, then my right, then my stomach, cheast, face, two hands are holding my forhead, two at my chin, one at each cheek. then more start grabbing my legs , and then all i can see are arms comming at me. and i can't see theyre faces , all i know is that they are wearing brown gloves, and brown sleeves.

what does this mean ?

sleep paralysis has happened to me at a few times in my life...it's interesting that I've read 2 other comments on people who have seen spiders while in sleep paralysis. but what does it mean? i remember seeing a huge spider drop from the roof on a string of web at the foot of my bed..It appeared so real to me that when i broke out of SP i jumped out of my bed only to realize it wasn't really there? Other times while having SP I would feel a presence in my room as well..one frightening instance i had the feeling some force was pulling me from my bed and felt myself slightly sliding from my bed...can anyone explain to me the fact that all the hairs on my body stand on edge and I get the chills as well..i'm open to all explanations and would definitely prefer it to be scientific...I've read paranormal articles that state humans are vulnerable to spirits when we're asleep because we are less conscious and have less control of our bodies when we are in a sleep state...the fact that the event happening during SP does not match any scary dream i may have been awakening from makes me question if it's all scientifically explainable

it happens once in a while, when it first started i scared the !@#$ out of me. I could always fight my way out, once in a while one would be super strong, or i would play a bit and let it in more till it creeped me out then would fight it off. ok so here is my opinion, we as the living have powers too and i believe more so than those nasty little things that have to hide in the darkness, when you fear them they feed off it and what they enjoy least are those that get pissed off and fight back (i have kicked some off, put nrg on my arms to push off them suddenly move to kick, can think of god, and the best is once a super strong one was holding me down and in my mind i told myself i was he man then i could force it off as if blowing off a leaf. 2 nights i was asleep and was making out with a girl in my dream, then i got a bit lucid, could feel a mass of flesh on my hands but knew it wasnt mine, i freaked for a sec but had to stay calm and not lit it know that i knew (they cant read minds) then all of a sudden i grabbed it in my hands really hard then it started shaking my body, i couldnt move or scream (as usual), could hear myself growling like a dog (i was pissed) then it went away... mmh im into revenge and when i die i will track each one down and kick its ass...
i have fought witches in dreams, killed 2 before (oh after that i had the best luck for a week or so), my point is we can fight back, we the living are more powerful so long as you dont give into fear cause fear is the card they they play best...

Im starting to see a pattern here, if i play video games late at night before going to bed and then continue playing the games in my head when i try to sleep this can happen. But im not sure about this at all.

Ive read the comments here and im surprised nobody is experiencing very loud ringing noises in the ears, very loud. Ive never had a seizure but i imagine this is what it feels like.

It is like my brain is getting electrocuted, if i try to fight it, it gets worse. If i kinda drift into sleep while in this state the buzzing, ringing uncomfortable vibration stops. But its hard to do that.

Lucid dreaming is very easy from this point, you just have to be aware. When you get up from your paralysis and walk into the kitchen for instance to get a drink, and suddenly the fridge is missing, you might want to consider the possibility that you are in fact having a lucid dream.

"I have a question, and hope someone out there has an answer, it has been months and I have thus far failed to find one. Has there ever been a record of anyone receiving the effects of sleep paralysis without having been asleep? The reason I ask this, is a while ago, having not slept in a few hours, I was sitting at my computer, and it seemed to have happened to me. Within seconds I was too tired to hold up my own head, and my breathing got very difficult. Then I began to feel a sort of dizziness as my limbs lost feeling, and dropped to my side. after this, the dizziness turned to near blindness. I could see, but nothing would focus, and everything I tried to look at seemed to dart around like a mosquito. By this time I had no feeling in my entire body, could move nothing without quite a bit of concentration, and I could barely breath. My mother heard me try and make out some kind of cry for help, and found me there spilled into my computer chair. She rolled me to my bed, and poured me into it. Within about 10-15 minutes I had regained everything I once had, but my sea legs did not ware off for another ten or so minutes. I went to the emergency soon after. I had an E.K.G. and a C.A.T. scan, with no results, and I piss less in a week then the amount of blood they took that night. After basically telling me I was lying, the doctor told me that my symptoms did not fit anything at all. What I do know, is I have been researching the issue ever since, and can only base my problem on Sleep Paralysis. All the symptoms match. And again, my question....Has there ever been a record of someone under the effects of sleep paralysis without ever having gone to sleep? I hope you can shed some sort of light on this subject, as it,...well, it freaked me the hell out, and no one has been able to answer me! Thank you for your time ... Mitchel Henderson, 7 December 2007 "

Yes!! This has happened to me! I was awake trying to fall asleep after a long gaming session. I can relate to the mosquito eyes thing, its like my eyes were bouncing around like crazy, couldn't focus, and when i tried to open my mouth to speak it was also vibrating crazily. Couldn't even open my mouth. Then the very loud ringing started (this was a different occasion than what i wrote above) which got worse if i tried to move. Eventually regained control of my body only to have it happen again moments later when i was trying to sleep again.

I didnt go to the doctor or anything, but when i searched on google for "loud ringing noises while falling asleep" i ended up here. I guess sleep paralysis but i am not sure, symptoms seem to fit though.

Hey, I'm Jessy, I'm 19, and I've been experiencing what I am sure is sleep paralysis for as long as I can remember. With me it's usually when I'm starting to wake up. I become conscious before my body is willing to move. It's a really scary feeling every time, but I usually manage to get a groan or a mumble out and both my mom and my boyfriend now know to tap me awake if that happens. Most of the time, I don't detect a presence of any sort nor do I feel like anyone or anything is sitting on my chest. But when I was 16 I had the most frightening experience I've had yet, with presences and all. I am not one to believe in evil spirits and other things as such, but what happened to me that one time really got me thinking about it.
It was late at night, probably around 2 a.m., and I was up studying for a biology exam. I became tired and decided it was time for bed. I don't remember if the experience occurred as I was falling asleep or while I was was regaining consciousness, but I do remember not being able to move and seeing a dark feminine figure approaching me. All I remember about the woman is that she was rather thin and had short dark hair. Unable to move I could only watch helplessly as she hovered over me, wrapped her arms around my neck and tried to strangle me (or so it felt). I struggled to breath and suddenly she was gone. I lied in my bed for a long while after really confused and still unable to move. I wasn't sure if I was really seeing my bedroom (paralyzed with my eyes open), or if I was simply dreaming about being paralyzed... or dreaming while conscious/paralyzed. However, the woman seemed to have been driven away by something or someone... so I thought maybe my mom had entered my room to check up on me.
But it wasn't her. Instead, I saw my grandfather sitting at the foot of my bed protectively with his hand on my leg. Feeling safe with him there, I quickly fell asleep.
My grandfather died early October 2006. This occurred November of that same year.

I know this could have very well been only a dream, but since it took place in my bedroom, at the same time, and in what seemed like just a few minutes, it was all very real to me. When I woke up in the morning I was shaken. I still don't know what to think of the incident.

Hi I'm 12 years old. I woke up at around 5:45a.m. I went back to sleep. I had this dream that I was looking up in the ceiling and there was a hole to the attic. For some reason, I got so creeped out. I immediately woke up, but when I woke up it was a struggle to even get my eyelids to open. As soon as I got them open, I started to see a hand opening my door. Then I started to dream that there was an earthquake. I live in Southern California, so there are many earthquakes. In my dream I got up. At first, it was so vivid, then I was back in my bed paralyzed, but I was shaking. It was me shaking, like if I was in an earthquake, but I was not experiencing an earthquake. Then I had this weird thought that if I bit my hand that my nerves would "come back alive". So it was a huge struggle for me to pull my hand all the way towards my mouth, but I did.I bit my hand. I took a few seconds, but I suddenly could move again. It was an awful and rather frightening experience, but I have to admit, this might sound a bit weird, I WANT it to happen again so that I could experience it again without any panic.

I'm a 28 year old Norwegian guy who for the first time has tried to seek an answer about this kind of phenomenon.

I recognize the feeling of someones presence in the room, something that feels evil, like a shadow often standing by my bed or more like just a feeling of something standing over me, big and masculine.
I have no idea of what this is, I remember getting scared in my teenage years, but now I just get PISSED OFF and fight it before falling back to sleep, managing to "stand up" against it. Sometime I even break loose, getting my head off the pillow and upper body up, funny enough I also use "God and guardians" and I don't actively go to church. - I'm a skeptic...
There's many sides of explaining this phenomenon, but writing this down I come to think of a few unexplainable happenings from I was "too young to have such a vivid imagination" and trough out my teenage years. What I am saying is that SP hasn't been the only "thing".
Interesting it is indeed, but maybe we just want to believe that there is more to it than just our minds playing us for fools with it's deep and mysterious "corners", - it's what we all dream of, that there's something more than "just" our physical life here on earth.
- Isn't it?

- Boo -

hello guys,

whats all this crap about spirits and evil and stuff, sorry i belive in free speach and every thing but this is crap, i have had many many sp dreams and have now learnt to deal with them.

im 23 and have been having them for a along time, i unlike most people i read on here, sleep on my belly and still have it, it happends about 10 or 15 mins after feeling very sleepy or just driffing of to sleep. the static noise happneds and then thats it, you cannot move at all and its hard to breath, or so you think.

a few things that you can try doing if u have these and things that i have done to keep me calm, i have to be very strong minded but it really dose help. when u feel it happening you mind will be totaly awake but your body will be asleep, just remember this is all it is nothing else at all. try to concerntrate on one thing on your body, i use my big toe or little finger and try to move that 9 times out of 10i can and i just concertrate on that and it helps to make u not panic becuase u know something is moving.

as for your breathing u need to breath how ever your body is do no try to change it, if i notice your breathing is the same it just feels differant for some reason, i have had so many and i realy do belive your breathing dose not change its just the panic of not being able to move, trust me just concertrate on moving something, if u cant move it keep trying and soon enough the sp will stop and you wll wake up with a jerk, if u can moveyour tow or finger just use that and it will keep you occupied also untill the sp finishes, in all the time i have had them it has never hurt me, please remember that when ur having one. try to have a regulated sleep pattern becuase it helps alot, not sleeping makes it somuch worse and sleeping out of sink also dosnt help. if you want to chat about anthing i am very happy to help or chat to anyone about it, email ben and please sleep tight people :):)

This has been happening a lot to me for the past 8 or 9 years. It slowed down for a couple of years but seems to be on the rise again. It is the single most terrifying thing I have ever experienced.

It usually occurs when I am lying on my back, my body will go into a super relaxed mode, nothing scary about that, I will lay there for a few minutes trying to fall asleep (though I'm probably already asleep and just don't know it yet). Then it happens, I hear a static sound, it's a sound that words could never describe (kind of like a mixture of static, electricity, and fluttering of wings or something). I have taught myself when I first start hearing this to wake up and usually I am able to before I enter the point of no return. I always snap out of it paralyzed, feel pressed in the bed, no idea at all where I am, and feel the presence of someone or something in the room with me.

This has happened to me while I was awake also, I am the projection manager at a movie theatre. And a couple of times after I have started my last movie for the night I would sit at my desk and do paperwork or just wait for the night to be over. A couple of nights while sitting at my desk my body started to go numb, then my vision went (I could still see, it was just hard to focus on things and everything was very grainy), then my hearing went, started hearing the static sound that I have come to hate, I think that one scared me the most because there was nothing I could do, I was awake when it hit, not to mention I was in a dark room that already gives me the creaps because there is a grave yard not even 50 feet beind the building.

The first time it hit, I had no idea what to do, layed there, my body became paralyzed, heard the static, it got louder and louder until I found myself in a mall like place with lots of people. It seemed like I blinked or turned around or something only to find that in that split second everyone vanished and I was the only one there or so it seemed. I started hearing the laughter of little children, and it started getting louder and louder til I forced myself to wake up. I remember trying at first to open my eyes, when that didn't work I tried to move and that didn't work either. I remember talking to myself in the "dream" telling my body to wake up, when it wasn't happening I remember telling my body to scream because I knew my mom would come to my rescue. I woke up screaming, only nothing was coming out, my body would not allow me to scream, yell, talk, anything but it was enough to get me out of that place. I had to get my bearings together, had no idea where I was, had no idea why I felt like I was being pressed into the bed, I remember looking at the alarm clock sitting next to the bed, and having no idea what those symbols were that i was looking at or what it meant (when it was only the time i was looking at), its like my mind was wiped clean for those couple of minutes afterwords. after lying there telling myself it was only a dream for about 10 mins I decided to fall back asleep. BAM!!! the second my eyes were shut I was right back where i left off, heard the static and I knew right then and there that i had to get out of that place, its almost like i "know" if i allow myself to get past the static again, i will not be able to come back, it was so hard to get back the first time, its almost like the feeling I felt that night is what death feels like and it scares the crap out of me.

I am sorry for such a long entry but I have been holding this in for a very long time.

I am 17 Years old. &my name is Karen.
I have been experiencing these kinds of "dreams" 6 months- nearly a year now.

I do believe it has to do with your brain and anxiety,
but i also do believe in my case that I have it in a spiritual way as well. A mix of both worlds.
[In the beginning of these episodes my vision would go back where i can see the out line of my pupils and whats only in front of me. I have no control over my body, i can see perfectly around me, and in other rooms, night or day time it doesn't matter. The chances I do get to move which rarely happen but can accrue I'm in intense pain.] (once my head was being pushed further back than it possible can and also another time when my joints where all backwards?, i can't explain it)

My first experience was one of the worst I've ever had,
all in all there was a tall dark man telling me he wanted me.
In one episode I actually started to pray to myself;
I killed it. This man, this thing? But then there was one more thing out there that watched me. However for awhile these episodes had stopped. I think it lost me because I was moving to different locations frequently.
After moving around so much, I then felt it had lost me.
These episodes where not so strong, I could control
going into different dimensions.
Months after having these episodes of being awake when asleep, without this spirit or "hallucination" I've then seen this man looking at me threw my bedroom window one night.

I have also seen this man awake.

Now, recent episodes of these dreams I can not control it like I use to you. In the beginning I could control switching to different dimensions; but now i am literally stuck like this. I would wake up; when really I'm not. Then again... I would wake up, when then I'm really not. I would try so hard each time as I wake up, I truly believed I am awake but then I'm absolutely not.

Not to long ago,
this thing has found me. I woke up crying.
and had an eerie feeling around the one house,
where this all began.

Before any of these- sleep paralysis, I've experience spiritual shit in my room. Its hard to explain.
But Over All I believe its a bit of both.
Any stress I have builds it up makes these episodes stronger, but then also helps this spirit to connect with me when so.

My story can go on..

I just wish there was someone that felt this way too,
I do not believe its all scientific.

The weird thing about this man,
it had happen to my boyfriends ex. Only she was seeing him more frequently awake. than asleep.
the funny things is ; He hadn't told me this until after this was starting to happen to me.
So it wasn't one of those things when you see/hear it an then it happens to you in your dreams.

Hey! im 15 male, had this happened bunch of times as a kid but recently had this twice last week. I am a christian and recently started going to church every sunday, well this happened last night AGAIN. I heard a weird noise this time its never happened the last few times.It didnt help that i watched paranormal activity lol. IT sounded like a different language it was horrible, or it was the door opening. This is common to hear noise as I have read. Well anyways before this I had a lucid dream where i was flying and jumping on sky scrapers but I am guessing i had overwhelmed myself while lucid dreaming so i woke up. And whe n i woke up i was paralysed sure enough i heard the strange noise. My eyes were sleeping and i thought it was an attack by something evil.
My cousin told me so inspiring it brought happiness to me, he said that if it was a demon he knows it shall not harm me because, I am a son of god and no harm shall come to believers in god. So what i did was calm downed prayed to jesus christ and his father and sure enough I woke up and went back to sleep 5 seconds later peacefully as if an angel watched over me.

If you have had SP i strongly suggest to:
1. Realize you are experiencign SP.
2. Calm yourself any images you experience or sounds you may hear is very normal in SP.
3.If you want to manipulate this and try to lucid dream, its amazing thing to experience in ones life.
4. If your christian like me or religious, know that a demon will not harm you, because you have god and his angels with you.
5.Praying will sure enough help you wake up, anything such as chanting jesus name will wake you up and If your like me the angels of heaven should put you back to sleep peacefully.

im 20 and this just happened to me for the first time like 20 mins ago. by far scariest moment of my life. i thought i was going crazy haha. glad im not the only person that this has happened too. what is worse though is that i watched that stupid paranormal activity movie. didnt scare me when i saw it but sure as hell scared me tonight after that happend. haha worst moment in my life. the end.

I just had one of these incidents. Its 1am and I have my light on in my room and I'm all over the internet looking for answers. I just returned from a military deployment to Iraq and don't know if this is just my body readjusting to normal sleep. I try to put answers to it, but its just my mind trying to make me feel better about it. Whatever the cause, I want it to stop.

While I was asleep, I was laying on my stomache and I felt like someone was laying on my back with their hands wrapped around each side of me. I knew I was still awake mentally, and it litterally scared me more then anything I have ever done or seen in my life. I tried concentrating so hard to get an inch of movement out of any of my body parts, because I knew that would be enough to wake me up completely. I would drift into a dream, then back into this state. Once I knew I couldnt move any of my body I began to try to breath harder, thinking I might be able to control that in order to give me a little "shock" to wake me up. That did not work either. The whole time I felt like someone was laying on me. I dont know what happened but finally I burst awake, yelled I think, and my heart was racing. I am affraid to go back to sleep. I wish there were more answers.

Felt good to give my story and it gave me a few minutes of being awake.....thanks for listening

Hello, I am 37 years old and this is all so familiar. It happened to me the first time when I was 17, shortly after I had become a Christian. I was tormented by irrational fears at this time too. I believe that the attacks of SP are demonic. They always seem to happen to me when something spritually significant happens in my life. Its spiritual warfare. I was lying down in the afternoon and when i "awoke" there was a heavy presence "sitting" on my chest, mocking me without words. It was horrible.A cold evil presence suffocating me. I couldnt speak or move and i was terrified. I finally managed to weakly utter Jesus'name and the presence left. I know this is gonna sound far-fetched (or maby not, considering why were all here) but when the presence departed it seemed to me that I heard the sound of wings "flapping" I'll say that after the ordeal was over, i never slept so at peace that i can recall. I literally felt as though I was being held and coaxed gently back to sleep by a benevolent presence. I know that what I expierienced was real and i can assure you all that these things are spiritual in nature. Most recently, this morning actually, I was woken up by a voice. It sounded like an evil language. It was almost a mantra or a chant it seemed' and it gave me chills. I have had "minor" sleep attacks from time to time since that first occurance when i was 17, but this one really shook me up. If anything I'll take it as a spiritual wake up call and get right with God. I believe that this may have happened because i have been falling away from God pursuing my own worldly interests instead of pursuing God and leaving myself open to attacks from the evil one. I would encourage all here to look earnestly at a Bible and you will see that this sort of thing is significant and should "awaken" you spriritualy enough to seek out your creator. Jesus is greater than any evil spirit and can protect you from these attacks. God bless you all.

I am a 23 year old girl. Last night, I had dozed off into sleep (like less than 10m min) and woke up telling someone in my mind to turn off the fan because I was cold. I thought how weird...kind of coming back to conciousness I realized I had dozed off and I just went back to sleep. Minutes later laying on my back (dozed to sleep again) I felt a solid pressure push on my chest and all of my muscles tense so hard it hurt. I saw a flash of something, what I don't know. I could not move any part of my body, not even open my eyes. My jaw was locked and I tried to call for help but only guttural noise would come out at first, and then nothing. I don't know how long it lasted becuase I was not fully awake, but I remember thinking that this was not a dream that it was really happening. And I did feel another presence in my room, something evil. When I finally was able to open my eyes I jumped out of bed and would not go back in my room. I was convinced that the devil or something evil had taken control of my body. I consider myself a very rational person. Sure, I believe in spirits, and God, and ghosts, but never have I been fearful. I was terrified last night, and my body is sore today. When telling other people about it I sound crazy, even to my own ears. I guess what I find unsettling is that the explanations I've read online are not very clear. I have been extremely stressed and anxious and I read that this can play a factor in provoking it? Can this be explained scientifically even though it hasn't really been proven? Spiritually? I am not very religious, and am more apt to believe in facts. I am terrified of it happening again.. :(

I remember when I first went through this. It was so terrifying. It feels so real and you know you're sleeping and all you want to do is want to wake up. So in this first dream I was on my bed opened my eyes and I saw a shadow of a face in the top corner of my room. And then my natural reaction was to turn away or do something. But then I instantly felt all numb. I could not move my face or my entire body. I was trying to scream, and move..but was forced to look at that face. I was telling myself that this is not real. my heart was beating so fast. It seemed like something evil. And I tried to fight off this numbness but it seemed like the harder I would try, the longer I would stay like that. So I finally calmed myself down and then i finally woke up. But I woke up so terrified and scared. That night I cried cuz it was so scary and I would not go back to sleep. So I always turn on a light or tv... and am scared to back to sleep. It seems like I do get this when I'm more stressed. I've had it so many times. Always something very scary happens like Ill be in a room and the lights will turn out and the doors will close.. and it feels like I'm getting attacked and then I'll go numb. Regardless it's always been terrifying. But each time when this happens, I try not to fight, and the less I try to move or scream the faster I'll wake up. I used to think that I got possessed and stuff. It's just so terrifying.. and I pray to God to please help me and not let any evil things in and let me have good dreams.

.. this has worked for me pretty well. But last night I tried to control it and to stay calm.. but it was harder. There was a ghost or some sort of presence.. I was at my grandma's house. and trying to leave the back room and then the lights went off and I was trying to breathe but I couldn't and then I went to the ground and went all numb and I felt like that, it was like I went through a complete mental breakdown but I wasn't moving. Usually the numbing goes away sooner but not last night. When I woke up I cried and turned on my tv and stayed awake as long as i could.

Something weird to me is that these dreams happen about 10 minutes after I fall asleep.

anyways ive had this happen about 5 times in my life just happened last night too.
this is how i started off.
I fell asleep like at 1 am and then woke up in the middle of the night. After waking up i could not fall asleep so i closed my eyes hopefully to drift on to sleep. While my eyes were close i was still awake but I felt like a vibration all over my body as if i was numb or something. It was a tingling sensation it felt good. I tried to move but i couldnt as if something was on top of me. I believe in spirits and god and all that so what i did was i prayed to god and sure enough i snapped out. Has anyone ever had that tingling feeling? my dog was sleeping on the bed and when i awoke her tail almost transformed into like some object like a blur but then it went back to normal? can this be caused by sleep paralaysis? anyways that was my experience. thanks all
please reply :)

Hello - I hope this may be of help to some of you. I have been having this Sleep Paralysis "SP" for over 40 years now. Mine begins as I start to fall asleep. I get a buzzing in my ears -- and sometimes my body feels like it is vibrating too. But, once I feel this it is usually too late. Even if I catch it, once I start to fall asleep again, it will probably get me. Sometimes I can move my pinky finger to get out of it. Sometimes I end up going to sleep after it.

They started when I was a young child (maybe 4 or 5) and I am almost 50 now. They were worst in my teens (almost nightly) and I rarely get them anymore.

When I was very young I remember that I couldn't even explain to adults what it was that I was so afraid of. As a teenager I was a born-again Christian and I literally thought the devil was trying to posses me. The SP was the worst at this age.

As I got older into my late 20s and 30s I went into a several years atheism and did not get the SP as often but when I did, they still gave me a feeling of overwhelming fear and felt evil.

I got into New Age beliefs later in my 40s and the SP took on a sexual aspect (not good at all) and still they felt evil. (With the New Age belief system I was also able to see Astral Project / Out of Body Experience components as part of my sleep experiences as well as Lucid Dreaming.)
With help, I learned to call on Arch Angel Michael for protection. This does help somewhat.

I am not sure why but these do seem to calm down with age. Lack of sleep seems to make them much worse. Even after 40 years of experience it does not matter how much I tell myself to remain calm, once the buzzing starts, the fear starts.

Mostly for the young people -- I know these terrify you out of your mind. I am still alive after 40+ years of dealing with this. I used to drink tons of caffeine and stay up way late and I think that makes things worse. (Sleeping pills were a disaster for me.) It did not help me to have a friend spend the night as I could not move enough to wake her up. (Being married didn't help for the same reason.) Asking for Jesus or God or whomever to protect you may help. Staying on a regular schedule may help you. I also think age helps. I only get a couple a year now. Take Care.

I am quite releived to come across this website with so many comments about S/P ive been having them now on and off ofr 20 yrs i cant see a pattern as what triggers it off, but i've just had one today i get petrified when i have one and like everyone else, i cant move or speak and i feel a presence in the room and always an evil one im fighting to move and shout "leave me alone" but so frustrating nothing comes out of my mouth except what i feel is a mumble i felt sick and my legs were like jelly this morning, im dreading it happening again, i see people have said try and stay calm, this i will try but it is very hard when you are frightened.

I'm seventeen, and I've had this problem since I was young. I've never connected it with ghosts or spirits, although I believe in both.

It's occurred more often lately than ever before, but I don't feel especially stressed or anxious. I have, however, been sleeping-in everyday for about a month (no school or anything), and it has occurred about three times in this week alone, and about once a week for a few weeks before now.

I don't feel any pain when it occurs (thank God, though, because it sounds painful, the way some of you have experienced it), but I cannot move any of my limbs, fingers, eyelids, mouth or any other part of my body.

I am a firm believer in God and ghosts and almost anything spiritual, but it was not until I read this that I ever even THOUGHT that it had to do with spirits. I've seen and heard ghosts throughout my life, but I still doubt that they have anything at all to do with my sleep paralysis.

I have never heard footsteps or voices or seen anything, but the fact that I cannot move anything is terrifying, to say the least. I could be wrong though...there are many factors that seem to cause the paralysis, but in my experiences, it seems like a neurological disorder. Don't take my word for it, though, because that's just MY experience with it. Others are sure that it is spiritual.

I have also suffered from Bells Palsy three different times since I was fourteen. It causes the right side of my face to lose all movement for about two weeks at a time. It hasn't occured in about two years, however. I am not sure if this has ANYTHING to do with sleep paralysis, but after reading this article and understanding the neurological causes, it makes me wonder...

But for all of those who have experinced Sleep Paralysis for the first time, rest assured that it only lasts for about a minute, and that if you stay calm and focus on moving something, you'll snap out of it. It used to scare me, and it still does at first, but once you realize what is happening, it's easier to calm down.
:)

one night i just laid down to go to sleep and about one minut my entire bodey whent numb and i cold not move at all and all of the sudden i felt so terorfide that whan i cam back to reality i was swetting and when it happend my eyes were cloesed and i thoght that i was screaming and kiking but i wasint sorry my spelling is horrible but overall it was the most terrorfing moment in my life

Hi, im a 22 year old male, i experienced paralysis, this always happens to me, maybe twice or 3x a week...
i tried a lot of experiments during the "paralysis" situation..

my eyes are open, i moved my tongue out, but i cant move any of my limbs, i tried talking but i cant...this happened at least 5-10 seconds after i close my eyes...
its like my mind is still awake, but my body still sleeps...
if youve got any explanation my email is
..thanks

it happens me but usually after drinking the night before!!!but when it does happen i say the prayer "our father" and before i get to finsh it i snap out and fall back to sleep!

Ive had Sp since around the age of 13 im 19 now and just learned what exactly it was i would ask friends and family but they would think i was crazy. After all the years of this happening ive never hallucinated or felt a "strange phenomenon" ive find that to be non-sense that people bring a higher power or there god into such a situation like theres a demon force in them i would much rather have scientific help to actually guide me through this.

What happens to me is it mostly happens when i sleep on my back or an uncomfortable or sumtimes when i try to keep my self awake. Once im deeply in the state of SP one or more things happen i realize its happening and try to stay calm but then again try to snap out of it which my legs or arms will start shaking or my eyes open i see and hear everything around me yet i cant move or speak but usually if im lucky someone is around that knows this happens and helps me wake up its been happening alot through the past month or two but not for a long period of time under a minute or so then im able to wake myself its very scary at times if it last for a bit but ive sort of learned to cope with it thinkin to myself your fine just take it a step at a time try to focus on moving sumthing or get someones attention but after i wake up im afraid to fall back asleep and am wide awake so i dont go back to sleep until im practically about to pass out sumtimes i stay awake for a day or two because i cant stand wondering if it will happen again but when i go to sleep i make sure everything is perfect i have to have the tv on because if it happens in the dark i freak out a bit make sure im sleeping comfortably on my side but when it happens i kno im sleeping wrong.

So for anyone else with SP problems hopefully my comment helps try to get a good sleeping schedule and sleep comfortably and dont panic because really your fine just try and find a helpful solution to snap out of it and believe what you want but ive never had dreams through it yet and hopefully i dont but its not evil spirits coming to get you its just a regular sleeping disorder and anyone with helpful tips for me i gladly welcome them.

I've been having this problem for about a year i am now 15 years old my name is Taylor.What I experience isn't at all scary or frightful to me its just an annoying nuisance.During the night maybe twice a week id just be sleeping then all of a sudden i feel awake but cannot move this lasts for about 10 seconds until i begin shaking my eyes never open they just flutter but i never blink.Ive always pushed myself out of it how i do that i don't know but it is really really hard sometimes i give up take a break then go back at it.Its as if i am relaxing my body its hard because you are almost automatically trying to fight it off so when u relax you feel as if your giving yourself up to something putting yourself in danger the feeling is so uncomfortable its never painful but its almost like the feeling of butterflies(10x worse) while being put to sleep by narcotics and you have no control over your body but full control over your mind. And i think overtime it gets worse because now it seems that my mouth opens and locks and that actually hurts when i try to relax myself.
Can someone examine what I've said and make unique reasons to why this happens to me,things i can do about it.

i am 16 years old have it once or twice in year nine when i close my eyes sometimes i see incests or hear my voice in my head saying things that arnt my thoughts ..... I ALSO HEARD THE FOOTSTEPS !!! the one that the dude described when i read this my heart stopped beating .. i wasnt asleep because i asked my sister can you hear them she said no ... then they came closer and closer and attcked my head major freezing thing cant move cant talk or scream ect ( paralasys) i have been in a mental institution before ... iam scared if i tell docs they will take me back because one night whilst i was asleep in the hospital a massive huge spider like the size of my face came down it was blue and as it hit my face i closed my eyes and screamed rolled out of bed ran to the nurse .... i was scared to go back to sleep .... comming along to my other point I HAVE HAD IT AWAKE !!!! when sitting on a pc before when crying before the exact same sensations .... its a mental illness in my opinion because when i get a lil feeeling that its comming with the static sound i scream no no nooo!!! it kinda backs away ..................should i go docs?

someone there in my room aswel at my side da it woz something id feel an it is lik electricty goin trough my body or somethin i cnt exsplain it an breathing in 2 my ear an when i saw my lil brother but i new it wasnt realy him i new it was a spirit r ghost watever ya call em!!i remember it al now reading over some peoples comments its freaky an i think this should be showin on tele or something so people understand because its frightning an people did die from this i seen it on tele but heres woz a evil spirit wouldcome in neel on there chest an choke them an they paralize 2 an wake up with marks on there neck one girl died from it let science expslain that it happens to good few people an gos bk hundreds of years ago but never taught id get similer experience without the choking and al the fellin of that something being there an seen it its evil an thats what made me paralized!!an yes i do suffer from depression aniexty my nerves are on edge i woz on anti depresents diff 1s but now goin 2 a healer and not as bad but i tink evil attacks the week an vunerble lik a bully!!

i taught i was awake if felt so real an my curtain started moving it was a like a ghost body coming out 4m it i was terrified i couldn move i got so paralised i couldnt move and the worse i got but it turned out 2 be my little brother but with a creepy voice an i new it wasnt him really he kept saying to me michelle its me michelle its me it didnt sound r act lik him i tryed my hardest to move i couldnt i could hardly talk it got worse an worse i got stiff an fell back (because i woz sitting up in my bed looking at the curtains)i fell back on my bed an it stopped!that woz it but it felt so real and i couldnt move it frightened the life out of me an i think it was a few days before that when i was watchin tele in my bed an my name was called out in a mans voice in my room an thats not the 1st time i herd it it happened a yr b4 that 2 some1 in a boys voice called me but it was outside my window my mother said i must of been half asleep but i remember been still awke been scared but i was awake i wasnt asleep r what is it PLZ TELL ME R DID THIS HAPPEN TO YOU.....its scary like!an now i havent sleept right in 2 years i just cant usuly go without sleeping 1 nite an fall asleep about anytime between 7am to 12.30am

I'm 17 as of now and I've had this twice and I remember both together with the details. The first time I had this was shortly after I had gone to bed after staying awake for almost 24 hours in 3 months ago. Don't ask me why, I just say it wasn't a party or anything related to it (actually it was a school programme). I had a dream in which I was walking with a girl hand in hand then suddenly I woke up (to a certain extent) with my nearly all my muscles paralyzed and my hands tilted 90 degrees, paralyzed like the rest. The unpleasent part was yet to follow, though: I heard drums, then a bell ringing and a face resembling Vlad Dracula appeared whilst my eyes were still closed. It all ended, however, within less than a minute. The second occasion was roughly a week ago. The precursor this time was demonic laughing followed by sounds like that of a tube containing compressed air ripped open. Just like the first, this was also short and weird. Being an atheist and a rational and logical person, the first thing that came to my mind was that I was becoming insane. Upon experiencing it again and hearing laughter that time I took into consideration the possibility of the action of something paranormal, a ghost or a demon, for instance. Now that I've gathered enough information about this problem I feel relieved. To be precise, it wasn't intertwinned with neither extreme anxiety nor diffuculties with breathing. Even my heart wasn't thumping like mad. It was just the whole feeling that terrified me. I believe stress has really got something to do with this phenomenon. The important thing is to be calm and try to wake up completely.

its not hallucinations, its real and there are ways to control it

I decided to google this subject not knowing it had a medical term but in the search engine typed ' spirits paralysising people ' as i myself have been experiencing this since i was 15 ( ten years now ) at first it started off when drifting off to sleep, i recall the first time it happened i was having a afternoon nap and drifting off to sleep but the paralysis come on and i heard an old lady's voice tell me to "just let it happen ......." i of course tried to fight it, i considered the fact that i may have been having an outter body experience without realising, it then happened to my older sister - we thought the house must be uneasy but since living in 3 other homes and still having it happen on different occasions i have decided it is not the house but the person experiencing sleep paralysis, dont believe for a second the voices you hear, the spirits you see and the pressure you feel are all in your mind, they are infact very real and do pose a certain danger to you, i live alone and experienced the most terrifying occassion when a black demon lay on top of me breathing loud and deep into my ears and the pressure so intense i prayed and god helped me - he soon left, this is not hallucinations this is a way in which inconsiderate spirits either want to possess your body or send you a message, i saught help with local spiritualists, to provent this happening regular burnings of white sage throught your home, sleeping with crystals beside your bed and sleeping with a beanie on will cover your 3rd eye, last but not least praying before sleep for a protective white light to surround you and your house, with a restful night sleep will indeed help these terrifying incidences occouring - trust me i know, good luck to you all

This has happened to me alot over the past several years and continues to happen. I dont know what to do about it because you never know when its going to happen. Can anyone tell me what top do about this??? As well as it happening to me often, it lasts for several minutes. reply please.

I was sleeping at the back of my class on the desk last year and when I 'woke up', I couldn't move. My head was on the desk, my arm was right before my head and although I could only hear some distant mumblings(Teacher's endless ramblings, I assumed). I tried lifting my head and sit upright, but my body didn't respond. I tried moving my legs, twitching my fingers endlessly hoping I would snap out of this but I can't tell if I really moved at all. My vision was blurry and I'm sure my eyes were wide open. Apparently I couldn't breathe well, felt like something was on my right side of the body, pressing onto me. I'm also sure I was thinking and voicing thoughts like normal in my head. However, a part of my brain did felt numb during that experience and I wonder if anyone else has ever felt that as well.

It was not until later after I had calmed down and closed my eyes that I was able to finally wake up. I'm also pretty sure this has nothing to do with the spiritual as I have no belief in God whatsoever. The feeling I had when my brain was that the numbed part was completely 'shut down'.

Hope I never have to go through that again.