What really is sleep paralysis?
931483
Hi! I have experience sleep paralysis also, and found it a very frightening experience.  Some people tend to call it 'old hag' syndrome..  others just refer to it as a sleep disorder.  Like you, I rarely said anything about it because I thought I was going crazy!  Check out website www.sciencenews.org/articles/20050709 it's called 'Night of the Crusher', and might help you understand a little bit more.  I assure you that you aren't going crazy or anything.  If it happens again, try to relax and let it all pass.
760832
This strange falling sensation and muscle twitch is known as a hypnagogic myoclonic twitch or “Hypnic jerk” If this has happened to you on more than one occasion, don’t worry, you are not alone. Close to 70 percent of all people experience this phenomenon just after nodding off, according to a recent study at the Mayo Clinic. \n\nMost experts agree that this is a natural part of the sleeping process, much like slower breathing and a reduced heartbeat. The occurance is well known and has been well documented. However, experts are still not completely sure why the body does this. \n\n\nThe general consensus among researchers is that, as your muscles begin to slack and go into a restful state just as you are falling asleep; your brain senses these relaxation signals and misinterprets them, thinking you are falling down. The brain then sends signals to the muscles in your arms and legs in an attempt to jerk you back upright. This misinterpretation that takes place in your brain may also be responsible for the “falling” dreams that accompany the falling sensation. These “dreams” are not really normal dreams, as they are not produced from R.E.M sleep, but rather more like a daydream or hallucination in response to the body’s sensations. \n\nWhile this phenomenon happens to most everyone, studies have recently begun to link occurrences of “Hypnic jerks” to sleep anxiety, fatigue, and discomfort. People who are having trouble sleeping or can’t get comfortable in bed appear to experience the sensation more often throughout the night. It is especially more common with people who are trying to fight falling asleep or have deprived themselves of sleep for more than 24 hours. \n\nResearchers believe that the lack of sleep from sleep anxiety or sleep deprivation confuses the muscles and the brain. The muscles continually attempt to relax and shut down for rest, while your brain remains awake creating continued “misinterpretations” of falling or loss of balance. \n\nScientists and researchers continue to study sleep twitching and jerking in a small capacity, but state that the sensation is completely normal for our bodies and is “of little medical significance”. Our bodies go through several procedures of shutting down and preparing for an extended period of rest. “Hypnic jerking” is just one of them. It doesn’t appear to cause damage to body and poses no danger to our physical wellbeing.\n\nRandom info on Sleep Stages:\nAlthough sleep may seem like a steady state, it actually consists of several stages that cycle throughout the night. The types of brain waves present at the time (based on amplitudes and frequencies) determine the stage of sleep. Only a brief introduction to the stages of sleep will be presented here because a thorough examination of them is beyond the scope of this site. Most importantly, lucid dreams occur in the 5th stage of sleep, known as the REM (Rapid Eye Moment) stage (note: REM is read as a word, not as each individual letter). As the name alludes to, the most profound discernible characteristic of REM sleep is the bursts of rapid eye movement while dreaming. Although dreaming occurs during the other stages of sleep, the most vivid dreaming occurs during the REM stage.\n\nOne complete sleep cycle lasts about 90 to 100 minutes; therefore during an average sleep period a person will experience 4 to 5 complete sleep cycles. The sleep cycle begins with four stages of SWS (Slow-Wave Sleep), also called NREM (Non-REM). Note that after the completion of the 4th stage, the 5th stage does not immediately begin; instead, the first 4 stages quickly reverse and are then immediately followed by a REM period. The first REM period will occur roughly 90 minutes after falling asleep; thus the first REM period will last only about 10 minutes, given the length of each sleep cycle being roughly 100 minutes. The length of the stages is not static, however: as the night proceeds, the length of stages 3
625231
The body when alseep turns off the bit of the brain that tells it to move.  However every now and then it flickers back into life and you move as you are in your dream.  Its very natural and if you watch dogs sleep they chase things and sometimes even bark.  Very odd, but the brain has to stop you acting out your dreams, otherwise youd be knackered.
369047
It's called sleep apoenia and is a normal but odd glitch in your nervous system.Panic will make it worse.Just remember it's normal,you won't die and relax and breath deeply.I have it too.It's what explains legends of vampires and night-hags,succubus etc.
573335
I've had both hallucinations.  That's why sleep is important.  Without the regulating effects of sleep, even psychotic episodes are possible.\n\nOnce, I saw my rabbit unlock his own habitat, hop to the kitchen where I swear I heard the refrigerator door open and close.\n\nLuckily, no beer was missing...to sleep perchance to dream.
576608
hi........you are describing what me and certain members of my family have had happen many, many times. you are just getting ready to drift off to sleep but you are very much still aware of your surroundings. all of a sudden you feel like you can;t move your body and your breathing feels funny. most of the time we all get the feeling someone or something is in the room with us and it sets such a fear inside you but you can't move or speak. often i try to shake myself awake, but i feel paralyzed. i heard this is a real disorder called sleep paralysis. wow......it seems funny seeing you ask about this. for a long time i thought only my family had this.
547423
dream can simply be defined as a  series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. .Dreams do not need light or any other medium to produce images...In psychology there is what we refer to as REM Sleep...Dreams occur when we undergo what we refer to as REM Sleep...REM Sleep can simply be defined as a state of sleep that recurs cyclically several times during a normal period of sleep and that is characterized by increased neuronal activity of the forebrain and midbrain, by depressed muscle tone, and especially in humans by dreaming, rapid eye movements, and vascular congestion of the sex organs -- called also paradoxical sleep, rapid eye movement sleep..Our mind stores images like a computer...We retrieve these images when we undergo REM Sleep(Rapid Eye Movement)...Now...You will say that we do not dream all what we see...This is where your subconcious mind comes in...What your subconscious mind stores is also a part of what you dream...Your subconscious mind is that part of your mind that you are not aware of..You can also say it is that part of the mind that exists but not immediately available to consciousness.When U dream scary dreams,the part of your mind that produces those dreams is the subconcious mind.Your subconcious mind stores your fears and many other aspect of your feelings...Has this been able to decipher the mystery of dreams a bit?
1025376
Using an EEG (electro encephalograph) it is quite possible to "tape" one's dreams, it is a common procedure in a hospital when they need to check to see if the brain is still working.  It is also quite frequently used to test for sleep disorders such as Incubus Attacks, Night Terrors, and Restless Legs.  The only problem with this "taping" is that it does not show you the picture of what is occuring but rather a readout of the electrical signals that produce the images that are interpretted as dreams.
593240
isn't it just a way of saying 'I was really,really frightened'
654026
In my case, i'm actually fully awake and can hear everything that's going on around me, i just can move, speak or open my eyes.  The first few times it happened, it scared the whey out of me.  I still find it frightening.\n\nI did some research on it and while the people on here that have said it is part of our defense mechanism to keep us from acting out dreams and thereby harming ourselves or others, are correct, the sleep paralysis is actually different in that we are not dreaming when it happens.\n\nYou can use any and/or all of the search engines available and find quite a bit of information on it.\n\nOne of the things i find most helpful is a tip i read on one of the sites.  It said to rapidly move your eyes back and forth or to try moving your feet.  While these don't always work, i have found that sometimes they do and when they do work, i can bring myself out of it.\n\nAnother thing i do is try not to sleep during the day if i'm home alone.  In my case, it happens if i nap; but, because of some other health issues, i nap a lot.  So, if i have to sleep during the day, i will either do it while my husband is home or i'll call my sister or a friend ~ in any case, i ask someone to either come in or call after an hour and wake me up.\n\nThere are some that associate sleep paralysis with narcolepsy, so you might want to use the available search engines and do some research.\n\nFOR THE PERSON WITH THE NECK PROBLEMS:  Could you please explain how it is related to your neck problems?  I, too, have neck problems and i'm always wanting to learn more about the sleep paralysis.
300259
You should read into astral projection. A lot of people do it during thier sleeping hours and do not know it. The symptoms youre stating sound like what I've read about astral projection gone wrong. :) Study up on it to see if it is something you are doing and then learn to control it.
298181
A couple of years ago I went through a period which lasted around 3 months where, every night just after falling asleep, I would feel unable to breathe, I could feel my heart beating faster and faster and I would be trying to scream to wake myself up but I couldn't move or make a sound. I would consciously know that I was asleep and I knew that I needed to wake up but there was nothing I could do. In the worst instances, about 5 times, I was sure I was going to die. Then after what seemed like a long time I would manage to yell and my husband would wake me up, in reality I'm sure it was probably only a couple of minutes. In the end I would try to keep myself awake as long as possible because I was too scared to sleep. I can't exactly recall when or why it stopped happening so regularly, it still happens to me very occasionally, maybe once or twice a year. The best way I can describe it is like having a panic attack in my sleep. I've never technically had it diagnosed at sleep paralysis but after reading up a lot about it on the internet since it started happening I'm pretty sure that this is my problem. I'm not sure if this is what you were after but I hope it helps.
117404
It's Sleep Paralysis and which can often be a part of the disorder Narcolepsy.  You should consult a sleep specialist or neurologist.  I discovered the paralysis was associated with my narcolepsy and with treatment has disappeared.  The website below will be of assistance!\n\nhttp://sleepdisorders.about.com/od/sleepparalysis/
1168187
These things happen all the time some times to the most unsuspecting people. One thing you should do is pay attention to what you dream. Keep a dream log or a tape recorder beside your bed so you can have a record to compare things to.\nOh yeah FYI\n Some one who has answered this question is about to experience some paranormal events In his life!
887944
no one knows for sure, but you can read all about it here\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleepwalking
38935
WebMD provides a good explaination of this phenomena:\n\n"A person experiencing a night terror or sleep terror abruptly awakes from sleep in a terrified state. The person may appear to be awake, but is confused and unable to communicate. They do not respond to voices and are difficult to fully awaken. Night terrors last about 15 minutes, after which time the person usually lies down and appears to fall back asleep. People who have sleep terrors usually don't remember the events the next morning. Night terrors are similar to nightmares, but night terrors usually occur during deep sleep.\n\nPeople experiencing sleep terrors may pose dangers to themselves or others because of limb movements. Night terrors are fairly common in children occurring in approximately 5% of them mostly between the ages of three to five. Children with sleep terrors will often also talk in their sleep or sleepwalk. This sleep disorder, which may run in families, also can occur in adults. Strong emotional tension and/or the use of alcohol can increase the incidence of night terrors among adults."
371314
Look up hypnagogic and hypnapompic hallucinations, this might get you in the right direction, almost everyone experiences sleep paralysis at one time or another.