I\'m Summer, a mouthy, sarcastic bitch. I\'m passionate about natural birth, long term breastfeeding, and living naturally. I curse too much, love tattoos, and will some day be crushed to death by my book collection. I homeschool, dream of gardening, and swing to the left. 
Nightmares
When I was 6 years old I woke up one morning being strangled to death. Something had me around the throat and was cutting off my air supply. In a panic I began beating my fists against the wall next to my bed. Luckily it worked, as my grandmother amrched in to tell me to knock it off and found me turning purple on the bed. It seems that the binding around my blanket had came off and wrapped around my throat. Maybe I did it in my sleep, or maybe just tossing and turning somehow got it mangled up.
As if that experience was terrifying enough it triggered a new nighttime terror that plagued me until I was in my teens.
At least once a week I would wake in a state of panic. Every muscle in my body was paralyzed, I couldn’t move or speak or even breath. I was trapped inside my mind, unable to even open my eyes and see what was happening. Added to it was this overwhelming feeling that something very evil was surrounding me, was about to attack me.
I learned that if I focused on one little thing, like lifting a finger or wiggling a toe, it would snap me out of it. Of course trying to calm down enough to focus was a difficult task. Being trapped in this state of unmovable fear made me feel crazy. Every night was like a horror movie, never knowing if tonight the monster would be there or not.
What I experiences was Sleep Paralysis. Something I wished I had known about as a child. It is simply a moment when your brain wakes up, but your body doesn’t. Difficulty breathing, sensing a presence, and inablity to move are just the classic symptoms. Luckily, there are a few steps to take to avoid it happening.
- Avoid irregular sleep patterns and get plenty of sleep. People who are sleep deprived or who have unusual sleep patterns (like shift-workers) can have disturbed REM sleep. Because sleep paralysis is a ‘malfunction’ of REM, disturbed REM sleep probably makes people vulnerable to sleep paralysis.
- Don’t sleep on your back. Data that Al Cheyne, Steve Rueffer, and I collected indicate that people who sleep on their back experience sleep paralysis more often. Of course, maybe people who sleep on their back are the kind of people who experience sleep paralysis. But, might as well give it a shot.
- I’ve also seen it suggested that you should try to move your facial muscles.
- Someone else touching you might bring you out of it, but this has yet to be confirmed.
If you have a young child who often has nightmares and feels that there are monsters at night I would definitely ask questions. Mine was always brushed off as “nightmares”, but it turned out to be much more. It may be a sign that your child needs more sleep and less stress, though it can also be a symptom of narcolepsy.
(Photo credit: Daniel Diaz)
[tags]sleep paralysis, sleeping, nightmares, sleep, narcolepsy[/tags]
oh my goodness honey!! How scary! I’ve had that happen when my brain wakes but my body doesn’t. Its one of the most terrifying feelings. *hugs*
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When my older brother was a toddler, he also got binding wrapped around his throat. Thankfully, my dad just happened to hear him make some weird noises. To this day I’m a bit paranoid about blanket binding.
I have experienced sleep paralysis also. It is SCARY! The first time it happened, I thought for sure I was dying. I noticed that I only experience it if I wake up after several hours of sleep and go back to sleep.
Hi there,
What you are dealing with is spiritual interferance, but I guess deep down you have somehow known this in your soul all along.
I have been a narc for almost 35 years, but about 4 years ago I read a book called “Remarkable healings” written by US psychiatrist turned hypnotherapist, Shakuntala Modi.
This book came as such a shock to me, that it took almost a year before I could fully accept this woman’s groundbreaking work and discoveries.
The truth of narcolepsy is beyond what the doctors understand or a prepared to face. Thanks to this woman’s brave & pioneering spiritual work, I am now on the road to a complete recovery.
I pray that you and many others will come to read it, realise the truth and then overcome.
Matt,
My husband is 35 years old and has been a narcoleptic since 17. We have been together for almost 10 years and I wanted to find out what was your road to complete recovery? Is this book that powerful to recover from a disorder such as Narco (whereby the protein Hypocretin is low in the brain)? I read the first 4-5 pages of the book provided by Amazon.com and it sounds really interesting because being a Budhist, I believe in reincarnation hence past lives. I would love for you to elaborate on your experience thus far with your recovery.
I get this all of the time. It started when I was a preteen and doctors either thought I was nuts or wanted me to go undergo extensive neurological tests. It was in ninth grade when I finally Googled it and found people with similar symptoms and realized it was more commonplace than thought.
I also mentioned it to my older sister and grandmother and found out that they, too, get nighttime paralysis.
I used to be very scared of my episodes, especially when it felt like someone else is in the room with me. But now I know how to control them… attempting to wiggle my toes. I don’t ever get scared anymore, because I know what’s happening and know I’m not going to die.
Like Amie said, it happens mostly after I wake up after a few hours of sleep, then go back to sleep again. It also seems to happen more in periods of stress and less sleep overall.
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