While the dizzy threads here I thought Id mention this.

Over the last 2 months, on a couple of occasions, I've gone to bed feeling tired, and my body seems to paralyse but my minds awake and I'm just lying there and cant move. Then it feels like I cant breath and I panic before eventually I can move.

I've read its common and nothing to worry about, but man, its pretty scary!

Has anyone else had this? Oh, its always after a big night out as well, probably a connection…..

I get it a lot. It is quite disturbing, but you get used to it after while. The word nightmare originates from this occurance. In 'ye old' times it was believed that a witch (or mare) was holding you down with a curse.

While you're sleeping your nervous system nearly shuts down for safety. Otherwise you'd be acting out your dreams. In some people this safety feature doesn't work leading to sleep walking.

I think it's just a fact that there's a delay in your nervous system switching back on after your head has woken up.

It's weird, I first had this about 5 years ago, and now it happens quite frequently.

Sounds like a 'night terror' - it's basically a form of panic attack.

You need to chill somewhat before turning in....no alcohol or caffeine for 2 or 3 hours before bed, only read light stuff / watch lightweight stuff on TV, maybe even do soem relaxation excercises before turning in.

It's scary - I had a couple of these years ago, and they were distinctly different from my more usual nightmares / bad dreams that usually ended up with me jumping out of bed scared ****less!

Hope you lose them soon.

Joe

as andy says... your body is paralysed at night (except for subconcious smooth muscle control, etc.) otherwise you'd act out your dreams. if your brain wakes up before this paralysis ends, then you get the experience you describe.

Thanks for all this. It does seem to happen to me when Im actually nodding off to sleep tho', not after I've been asleep.

As I said, both times its happened I've had a big Friday night out, then just chilled on Saturday before going to bed Saturday night and that’s when its happened.

I guess I need to just take it easy.

Cheers guys :)

Originally posted by boyface
Thanks for all this. It does seem to happen to me when Im actually nodding off to sleep tho', not after I've been asleep.

As I said, both times its happened I've had a big Friday night out, then just chilled on Saturday before going to bed Saturday night and that’s when its happened.

I guess I need to just take it easy.

Cheers guys :)

I sometimes have the 'jumping awake' thing when I'm dozing off.

Apparently I almost kick my wife out of bed!

I think you've got it in one - kick back and chill out.

Joe

My father-in-law has the same thing - he thinks it's aliens messing around with him:gag:

Without giving too much away, if by "big" you mean "cheeky" then it's very common.

Something similar has been happening to me for a few years now. I go to bed not particularly stressed or tired, lie there, and as I'm nodding off I suddenly get the sensation that I am floating up and away, or sliding across the bed. At first it really frightened me, but now I have managed to 'train' myself to recognise this as a nightmare. The weird thing is that I can actually see my surroundings, as though my eyes are open, but my body is paralysed. I'm getting used to this now, but it's very scary. I have noticed that being to hot is usually a factor- you could try turning off the central heating or wearing thinner PJs.

I get this a bit too, and it's not at all nice.

My old PhD supervisor (neuroscientist) said it was fairly common and brought on by stress

I found that how I was lying set it off. On me back with an arm up on the pillow by my head (yeah, I'm odd) made it happen. I got out of the habit of lying like that and now it's pretty rare for me.

Might be worth thinking about the position you're in when it happens and see if it's consistent?

A friend of mine suffered from a similar thing. He went to the docs and was told it was a form of Panick attack. You don't have to be particularly anxious about anything for it to happen, it just does. Relaxation exercises may help you.

Good luck!

Yeah it's really horrible. I thought I was the only one...tried to find info on the internet but I don't even know if this condition has a name..?
Sometimes I get too scared to go to sleep again and have to get up and do something to take my mind off it!!

It's called sleep paralysis and there is no definate cause although irregular sleep patterns and stress/anxiety are known to bring it on.

"Night terrors" are usually hypogogic (sp?) episodes combined with sleep paralysis when your mind is dreaming but you are awake and paralysed, all sorts of weird things go on, hallucinations, hearing things etc and usually a bad feeling or a sense of fear. Your brain can do strange things when it's under pressure.

http://www.dreamsnightmares.com/sleepparalysis.html

wow you are right
thanks

I used to suffer from them and often had hallucinations and a sense of something really bad happening or about to happen. People often mistakenly think they have had out of body experiences or have seen ghosts etc after night terrors.

I have never felt a presence of anything but I often get the sensation that if I don't wake myself up, I will lose control of my body as it feels like I am floating away from it. Spooky. Sounds like I'm mystic meg!

the thing you are describing does sound like sleep paralasis...the floating sensation is sometimes put down to astral projection which for many who try to do it...they cant.

Moon

wow...I am not alone. Makes me feel better.

And fyybj, yeah, a cheeky night.

Both me and my father have this.

It happens to me quite a lot. I wake up and see what I am dreaming in the surroundings I am in (usually my bedroom) the dream becomes real. It's a bit like putting two photographs together. The only thing I can move are my eyes. It is usually something horrific.

Try wiggling your toes. I try and do this until eventually I can and I usually wake myself up and scream.

Being awake in your sleep is called lucid dreaming

http://www.lucidity.com/

i think lucid dreaming is when you are aware of being in a dream. I have this quite a lot too. It's a really interesting experience being able to control what you do in a dream. When i was younger I found that I could wake myself up from a lucid dream by closing my eyes in the dream; when i opened them again I would be awake in my bed. This has proved to be quite useful for lucid nightmares.

2 different things Micksheff.

;) @ boyface

i had a night terror once then. Didn't know it was that specific, thought it was just a nightmare.
But the being paralysed whilst having woken up and a strong feeling of dread.

I was convinced that i could hear something breathing in my room, and that it was some really horrible monster kind of things.

Eventually i recognised the sound as being the birds on the lake nearby, but it felt like i lay there for hours.

Actually, on the same night i'd suddenly woken up thinking that i'd seen a snake go under my bed. So i leapt off the end of the bed to turn the light on, then had a look for it...
bizarre... both these things happened when i was in the middle of my 2nd year exams at uni.

yes i have lucid dreams too, but its totally different...it's quite cool actually.
i ususally try and shout or move and i usually wake up from sleep paralysis quickly....i think it only lasts a few seconds, but it happens very frequently. i read yesterday that the people who experience it most are about my age (early 20's) How old are you?
Apart from this I sleep well and rarely have nightmares, although sometimes when I wake up first thing I am convinced that I can see my boyfriend sitting at the end of the bed/lying in bed when he is really in the kitchen making breakfast! That is weird too.

I know this. I don't like to admit, I was paralysed, but still felt in between waking and sleeping. I had a terrible hallucination, like Rosemary's baby, I was awake but paralysed, I opened my eyes but couldn't move, then closed them to pull all my resources together to will myself to move, then I felt I was being held down by my arms by a tremendous physical force, a deadly one I felt if I could have challenged it. I opened my eyes to see a truly imposing probably 7ft muscular gargoyle-faced grunting red monster horizontal over me with long dark red callous-ringed horns. A porn devil (you get the picture). Nothing like my boyfriend. I think he was working abroad. I wanted to scream but nothing would work. I think the thing then said some terrifyingly agressive mumbo-jumbo and gave a single deafening smug laugh. I think I'd lost conciousness to blank it out after that. When I could move and knew I was awake, the thing had gone, but I was scared to open my eyes, I felt real trauma for a while afterwards, I kind of shot up clutching at the blankets, trying not to believe or really wanting to confront what had happened. Nothing was out of place, so I had to reject it as hallucination, but it was more real and the worst of any nightmare I've ever had. Still can't say for sure I wasn't a victim of some demonic ritual though. I would've been more worried than my boyfriend if more had come of it - like Rosemary. Nervously I ask - any other females experienced this? Hell, I still watch the film though.

:help: :loopy: well i have had these alot in the past. not sure if iam awake or asleep but i can feel myself trying to move but my muscles are just getting tense but no real movement. an i can hear a high pitched noise. back then it was always the same. but i jus started haveing them again but the noise isnt the same. an iam not sure what it is or whats going on. if someone could help id appriciate it thank u for your time.

wow...I am not alone. Makes me feel better.

And fyybj, yeah, a cheeky night.

lol yeah those big cheeky nights out (that can sometimes turn very naughty the day afterwards) can often lead to 'sleep' experiences like this

lol

don't fret ;)