scared of going back to sleep

[WhiteBear]

i cant beleve this is happening again. i keep getting these horrible dreams that feels real. only slept for 40mins i felt i am being dragged away. it feels that im semi-concious and cant move, open my eyes, i tried to scream, shout make noise but nthing is coming out of my mouth, i tried to force myself to let loose ... then after a while i felt loose, and could open my eyes... then i saw things floatng in the air slowly disappearing, mayb im hallucinating, but it just feels so real.

it seems to be happenin at least once every two-three months. for the past 7 years. before feeling being dragged, the dream start of me being in medieval time! so werid. thats the first time actually knowing where i am.

often the dreams r like being dragged away, or not abling to move my body but can feel or hear things happening in the back ground.

there were 3 times i felt my body was floating in the air, and couldnt move an inch or scream. i could see flashing lights.but not being able to open my eyes. its a scarey experience. i dont to go back to sleep and experience this again.... whats wrong with me :(

[MiniN]

Whitebear,

sounds like sleep paralysis. In the past when I have gone to bed stressed I have the same feeling I can't move and I can see a man in my doorway/room.

I usually (after feeling like I can't scream) wake the house up by screaming by head off, I don't wake up until someone shakes me awake or calms me down, however when someone is coming to help me I think it is this 'man' and scream even louder! I am left absolutely terrified and end up a sobbing hysterically because I'm shaken up.

thankfully this only happens this severely every couple of years but I do suffer from horrible nightmares.

I'd definately say stress and anxiety is linked to your dreams. maybe worth talking to your gp about why you are anxious/stressed.

[unhappychick]

Hi whitebear, please do not get in a state over this, I know it is very frightening as I used to get this myself...it is sleep paralysis, where you body is asleep but your brain is awake, I too have had most of the symptoms you describe, and used to be afriad of going to sleep....the best advice I can give you on this, is go to bed later than usual as when you are very tired it doesnt seem to happen, and if it does happen to you again, dont try and fight it as this only makes it worse...relax as much as you can and you will snap out of it quicker...I also realised in the end that it is all stress related so try and deal with any problems you may have.....I really hope this is of some use to you and gives you some reassurance! x

[Miss-Ladybug]

Oh you poor thing! :(

Yup, definately sleep paralysis. Please see your doctor and ask for a phychiatrist. Im not saying you are mentally ill or anything, phychiatry covers a lot of things, including abnormal dreams. Dont take that the wrong way.

Try looking up about Salem Witches. Thats how i learned about Sleep Paralysis as it now seems the townspeople had similar experiences and blamed it on witches. That was most likely down to poisoning, probably from wet bread. Not that you have been eating wet bread for 7 years but there you go :P

Good Luck, :)

[mandimoo]

i used to get this when very overtired. it then becomes a viscious circle. i was scared to go to bed at night and im a grown woman. i think it comes from your being so tired your brain is trying to shut your body down too quickly to force you to rest, thing is, your concious mind interprets this as something else (the dragging, or floating, or hearing stuff going on in the background - ive had people climb into bed with me when this has been happening - and i was alone in the house, very freaky). the thing that cured me was moving in with my parter - i never sleep alone now!

[foodluva]

Whitebear,

This definitely sounds like sleep paralysis to me. I have suffered with it on and off for years and it ALWAYS happens when I am stressed or anxious (the last time was the period between my gran dying and her funeral!!! 5 nights of terror I can tell you!). I cannot move my body yet I can see strange objects floating in front of me. I feel as if something heavy is sitting on my chest and I cannot breathe. It is caused when your brain has told your body to go to sleep (the paralysis element) but your mind is still active. It's designed this way so that you do not act out your dreams. A man in America got away with murdering his wife when his defence proved that this mechanism had failed when he was dreaming about murdering his wife. His body should have been paralysed but an electrical fault in his brain meant that this process didn't happen and he actually murdered her and had no control over it. He walked free from court! Anyway, the point is that the reason it feels real is because your consciousness is active. I totally sympathise with you. If I didn't know better I would have thought there was something paranormal going on. THERE IS NOT!! Your story is classic of sleep paralysis and the more you worry about it the more it will occur. I had to learn to stop worrying and enjoy going to sleep again. Hypnosis may help as will relaxation techniques. If all else fails, your doctor can refer you to a sleep disorders clinic. Good luck!!!

[Blackthorn]

This may sound strange..... but try removing everything from your sleeping area that has a magnetic or electrical field around it, i.e. loudspeakers, hi-fi gear, TV's, electric clocks etc etc and see what happens.
Trust me, this is based on personal experience.

[WhiteBear]

wow, thank you all very much for all your responses.
im glad i posted this. it gives me a clear picture of what and why i am experiencing this, it is extremly scarey sometimes but at least im not alone.

sleep paralysis does make sense, i am in alot of stress atm, esp this week. i have soo much to sort out. and i do suffer from depression and anxiety alot too have been so for the past 10yrs. which prob why i am getting these sleep paralysis.

i would like to thank you all your kind responses and advices, it is also interesting reading some of you experiencing similar things! now i can just relx and try not to panik the nx time it happens again, and try not to fight back!! :) i will deffo read more about it, because it is really interesting.
thanks again, and take care n sleep well =) xxx

[unhappychick]

Good morning whitebear...how did you sleep last night? x

[WhiteBear]

hi HappyChick :)

i slept fine lastnight thnks :)

off to work now.chat to u soon. take care
xx

[Blackthorn]

No I'm not a doctor. I fought this problem for years which gradually escalted from bad dreams to what appeared to be ghosts in the room and then full-blown fits. All tests carried out over a couple of years came back negative. On a hunch I removed all the electricals out of my room and the problem went away immediately. Coincidence?, maybe, but its worth a try surely? I've been free of it for about 15 years now.
There was a Horizon programme featured similar cases a few years ago but I cannot remember the name of the doctor who was featured in it. Anybody remember it / him?
Now, as far as spirit contact goes I could tell you a very interesting tale about that too, until 9 months ago I would have laughed at anyone who claimed such a thing was possible, and then.....well, I'll save that for another time.

[unhappychick]

Whitebear, thats great news! Really pleased you took on my advice cos I know it works! It is a terrible thing to have to deal with, but eventually you will be able to control it and eventually it will go away....I like your term for me, happychick! I see you take note of all the posts, thanks! Keep us posted whitebear with how your getting on, and sweet dreams! xxx

[WhiteBear]

hi there
i thought i'd give u an update of how i am coping.

well at the weekend i experience the same thing. i tried not to fight it off, but its just getting spookier, as my eyes were tightly shut i could see flashing light and whole of my body just paralyised! i even felt butterflies in me stomach.

i couldnt just leave it, i just had to force meslf to wake up. as soon i felt the release, i woke up sweating!! and felt as though i was having a panik attack!!

i dunno what to say to my GP cos it doesnt happpen all the time! arrghhh ... i dont like it :( x