Sleep Problems - Childhood Support Group

One thing you can do that i did is "enable" yourself. i was abused when i was really little and have recurring nightmares of what happened. but i couldnt wake myself up, i just had to suffer it. what i realized was i was still terrified of who abused me. subconciously, i was giving them power over me. so, weed out whatever fear is causing it, then get pissed off!!!! once i became unafraid and just plain pissed, i was able to face my abuser in my dreams and wake up. try it. i hope this helps-
trevy

You never got an answer for this you have probably aready found an answer but just incase you have not...

What you are experiencing does not sound like sleep paralysis because during sleep paralysis you are awake and aware. So during sleep paralysis you should not be having hallucinations or seeing things that are not there. Did you just starting taking any new med's when you had your first eppisode? because certain Malaria Meds will give you a very similar effect as what you are experiencing. Most likely what you are experiencing is just a really bad dream...I would first try to find any trigger for this dream...things you read/saw on tv/ did before bed/ ate before bed...ect. if you find a trigger try to avoid that behavior before bed...Next I would start a calming before bed routine...if that still doesn't work instead of taking sleeping pills to knock you out I would check with your MD first for more ideas...

Hope that helps you out a little :)

The scary part about sleep paralysis is that you're aware of what's going on and because you can't function normally during that time when you're paralyzed thats whats obnoxiousley horrifying. It's like a state inbetween dream and awakeness.

Hi, hope you dont mind me replying...I have narcolepsy and running through discussion topic on this site as my 4 year old just started sleep walking. Anyway, as with most people with narcolepsy I suffer sleep paralasis regarly...is sometimes happens more than once a night but mostly when I am over tired (which is almost all the time) or anxious. I can not move or speak (sometimes i think i have made a noise or moan only to be told later that there was no movement or sound from me). I can hear every sound around me and see what is happening although my husband (and mother prev) have told my eyes are closed and they thought I was asleep but I have been able to explain a whole t.v show that was on at the time. My episodes can last for a few second for up to 20 minutes.

I once printed this out for a friend to try and help them understand what sleep paralasis is and thought it might help...
Sleep paralysis is a condition in which someone, most often lying in a supine position, about to drop off to sleep, or just upon waking from sleep realizes that s/he is unable to move, or speak, or cry out. This may last a few seconds or several moments, occasionally longer. People frequently report feeling a "presence" that is often described as malevolent, threatening, or evil. An intense sense of dread and terror is very common. The presence is likely to be vaguely felt or sensed just out of sight but thought to be watching or monitoring, often with intense interest, sometimes standing by, or sitting on, the bed. On some occasions the presence may attack, strangling and exerting crushing pressure on the chest. People also report auditory, visual, proprioceptive, and tactile hallucinations, as well as floating sensations and out-of-body experiences (Hufford, 1982). These various sensory experiences have been referred to collectively as hypnagogic and hypnopompic experiences (HHEs). People frequently try, unsuccessfully, to cry out. After seconds or minutes one feels suddenly released from the paralysis, but may be left with a lingering anxiety. Extreme effort to move may even produce phantom movements in which there is proprioceptive feedback of movement that conflicts with visual disconfirmation of any movement of the limb. People may also report severe pain in the limbs when trying to move them. Several recent surveys including our own suggest that between 25-30% of the population reports that they have experienced at least a mild form of sleep paralysis at least once and about 20-30% of these have had the experience on several occasions. A few people may have very elaborate experiences almost nightly (or many times in a night) for years. Aside from many of the very disturbing features of the experience itself (described in succeeding sections) the phenomenon is quite benign. It was thought in the past that it was a significant part of the so-called "narcoleptic tetrad", but recent surveys of non-clinical populations, such as ours, suggest that the prevalence may be as high among the general population as among diagnosed narcoleptics.

I have suffered with sleep paralasis for approx 25 years and still find it a very scary experience but for me it is a way of life...its not any better with any of the drugs i have for my narcolepsy. Oh and athough I can feel through out my sleep paralasis (and hallucination or vivid dreams as some like to call it) I never have any pain or discomfort when I come round.

I have dreams where I can't run. Someone's hurting me, all kinds of ways, and I can't move. And in my dream I tell myself "its just a dream." Doesn't work. I wake up abused again and crying in front of my mates. F$%&ing world.