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Sleep Paralysis
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Always happens as I'm going to sleep. My eyes are open but my body can't move. I can hear bumping noises like someone running about or knocking on the walls, sometimes I hear voices. A few times I have been pretty certain I have seen a figure moving around in the room. Sometimes it can be absolutely terrifying.
I was just wondering if anyone knew much about this. I have suffered from this for over a year now and have been having difficulty finding reasons for why it happens and how to prevent it. I know it is perfectly harmless, but it is causing me to lose a lot of sleep (something I need during exams). There seems to be limited information about it on the web.
It may be coincidence, but 3 of my friends all started to get it happen to them within the same month or two. Can anyone say they've ever read anything to link it to ecstacy use? As all 3 of them started to take pills around the same sort of time (a couple of months before suffering sleep paralysis).
Any other sufferers out there?
Any information greatly received.
Cheers.
I was just wondering if anyone knew much about this. I have suffered from this for over a year now and have been having difficulty finding reasons for why it happens and how to prevent it. I know it is perfectly harmless, but it is causing me to lose a lot of sleep (something I need during exams). There seems to be limited information about it on the web.
It may be coincidence, but 3 of my friends all started to get it happen to them within the same month or two. Can anyone say they've ever read anything to link it to ecstacy use? As all 3 of them started to take pills around the same sort of time (a couple of months before suffering sleep paralysis).
Any other sufferers out there?
Any information greatly received.
Cheers.
0
Comments
It might be due to stress, but when I'm awake I feel very little stress from exams, almost as if I don't care.
My guess is that somehow you find yourself in a state between being awake and dreaming. I learnt in psychology that your body becomes paralysed during one stage of sleep. Maybe a few unlucky souls manage to get this before they fall asleep.
I don't think it's a direct result of ecstacy, but I feel it may make the likelihood of it happening stronger. But these are all guesses.
Frightened the life out of me and I thought it was a ghostly encounter for a while, but when I found out about sleep paralysis, I think it was that. It only happened the once though, and I have no idea how you could stop it.
If when falling asleep you completely relax your body and imagine yourself constantly falling or spinning backwards it will usually work. Well it does for me, I might just be weird.
My mother used to get it where she'd wake up with a pressure on her chest or the feeling that there was someone standing over her. When we discussed in psychology, they said it was something quite well known, happens to quite a few people but there is little explanation as to why.
Sorry for not giving any help but there's some information at least!
All information I've found seems to indicate theres nothing that can be done about it. Just have to hope it kind of stops happening...
Does your heart race up really fast as well like you feel its gonna burst?
Only thing i can think of is serotonin regulates sleep i think? when you take ecstasy it depletes your serotonin so maybe it could happen due to having low levels.
I only used to get it several nights in a row if i was getting wrecked very often and taking huge amounts over the week.
You will know if your taking too much, if you are this is a damn good reason to cut down.
Now I feel more used to it that when it happens I can usually conciously tell myself its just a dream type thing.
I think it is definately related to the pills with my mates and me getting it after starting to do ecstacy more regularly.
i am not a sufferer, no but i would just like to say that i sympathise. that sounds like it could be a terrifying thing to happen to you.
When it used to happen to me i always tried to swing my arms to fight whoever or whatever but obviously nothing happend so i kinda paniced and thats what could of made my heart race even more i dunno.
Seriously though lay off Ecstasy for a bit! otherwise your gonna be going through this every night unless you plan on popping every night to avoid it!
Not with any facts to back me up but I find it happens more when I have been using. It happns more extreme when I have used Ketamine too.
I remember a thread a couple of months back in the drugs section where I was going to quit for a while... didn't go quite to plan but working full time very soon so will be force to lay off it.
Re. the sleep paralysis, if you just relax and let it happen like you actually are asleep it just kind of passes or you'll wake up.
Someone told me that if you want to prevent it try to twitch one of your muscles every so often if you feel it starting to come on as you fall asleep.
Also when thinking as you fall asleep think more of 'left to right' things like cars driving past rather than things going up or down or rising and sinking. Not sure how that works, any psychology experts?
it felt very spiritual for me like something big was happening around me and i was buzzing really hard. ive never spoken or written of that till now but it felt like there was some sort of angel 4 me.. either way i didnt want to move..
but sometimes i look up @ the sky and think theres someone there smiling down on me. or is he cackling like HAHA..
dont know, but i see my therapist mid week
alex