Question? When ever I get really tired it actually becomes harder for me to fall asleep because as I start to fall asleep I find that I cannot move but I’m still awake this so scary that instead of letting myself fall asleep I find myself trying to take a deep breath so I can move again. This happened last night and I didn’t get to sleep until about 3 each time I did I was paralyzed for what seemed like forever but it may have been about 10 seconds that I could not move but I was conscious. So the question is has that ever happened to any of you? and should I be seeing a doctor?
It’s called sleep paralysis. It’s designed to stop you acting out your dreams. I experience it all the time. It’s just a case of mental bad timing, or being conscious while the body is paralyzed.
It’s nothing to worry about, although I agree it’s quite scary and I always force myself out of it instead of giving in.
There’s the sleep paralysis, which isn’t very worrying, though scary, but normally it happens when you wake up (you’re always paralyzed when you dream, and sometimes, some people are still paralyzed for a brief moment when they wake up. They might also have hallucinations, etc…), not when you fall asleep.
INAMD. In doubt, I would see a doctor.
clairobscur It can happen just as easily as when falling asleep. It happens to me when falling asleep and when waking.
Messed up my grammar there. Remove the second ‘as’ and re-read.
Anyway. I used to frequent a lucid dreaming newsgroup. Sleep paralysis and hypnotic imagery/sounds happen on falling asleep (pre-sleep) as well as on waking (post-sleep).
Faucet If you are generally worried do see a doctor. Just that I am pretty certain you are experiencing the sleep paralysis.
I have had sleep paralysis most of my life. As much as I can remember I am always laying on my back when it happens. I’ve heard it suggested to try to fall asleep on your side, but that’s not always so easy to control. I typically sleep on my side anyway and it still happens.
This really does sound like typical sleep paralysis, which is absolutely nothing to worry about, although it’s hard to tell yourself that when you’re in the middle of one!
I used to get these attacks quite frequently in my 20s, always when about to fall asleep (and usually when I was lying on my back). I’d be completely immobilised, and I remember praying that my wife next to me in the bed would touch me, because as soon as I felt a touch I’d snap out of it. Also, if my hands were resting on my chest, I’d try desperately to make it slide off, aided by the force of gravity.
A couple of times the attacks were accompanied by visual breakup, geometric shapes on the ceiling, flashing lights, etc. In my late 20s the attacks stopped and I haven’t had one in 20 years.
Weird, but harmless. I’d still recommend a visit to your doctor though, just to put your mind at rest.
Had it for years. I only get it waking.
To come out of it I can often vocalize a sort of humming grunting sound loud enough to get the sharp poke in the ribs that will wake me up all the way — it really is frightening for my SO to be awakened 1 or 2X p/mo by me HMMMGRRRRing – but I make a joke out of it - that so far hasn’t made it a big “issue”.
Sometimes I can slowly rock myself out of it by moving my shoulders. I don’t know why them and no other part & why sometimes, but “I don’t know why” seems the nature of this thing. I start rocking really slow, incrementally, I get more and more control until I fully awaken by essentially sahking myself awake.
I hate it very much. If you see a Doc & he/she says it is a sign of tumor or something holler back - OK?
Me too - I used to get this frequently in my 20’s, and a bit into my 30’s, but it hasn’t happened in ages now. I always associated it with anxiety, usually about money, but that may be coincidence.
Yup, classic case of sleep paralyses.
Not to offend anyone - but I’ve never understood why people find this scary. I look forward to experiencing it. Sleep Paralysis screams out to me, “the conditions are prime for a lucid dream!” 
So anyway, there’s no reason to fear it. And if you do a little research into the fascinating world of lucid dreaming, there is in fact, reason to look forward to it.
I get this, but only experience it when I’m passing into sleep from consciousness.
And I’ve discovered that all I have to do to break out is
A) panic and
B) try to thrash my neck about.
At which point I regain control of my whole body within seconds.
Many people cite sleep paralysis and the subsequent hallucinations as a likely explanation for visions of ghosts or alien visitations.
IANAD
it should be sleep paralysis, nothing to worry about. you’re stressed out and you’re not getting enough rest. allocate 8 straight hours of sleep per day and try to relax.
i’ll prescribe some M&Ms for you. take two tablets* 4 times a day after meals. (may cause drowsiness) oh, and drink lots of water.
- what do you call one M&M??
This has happened to me a few times and in both cases I heard a loud voice I thought was God’s. Then I realized what was happening and started trying to scream. I came out as a mumble but eventually I was able to wake myself up. Made me really not want this to happen in surgery, which I have heard has happened to some.
Because it is scary. It happens that I had my first real “sleep paralysis” experience very recently (I got half-assed ones a couple times before), complete with the feeling of something threatening being around. I know what sleep paralysis is. But it didn’t come to my mind when it happened. I wasn’t totally lucid. All I would think was “I can’t move!!! And there’s this threatening thing around!!! Help!!!”. Perhaps it would be different if I experienced it on a regular basis, but I’m not sure it would.
Besides, many people just don’t know it exists, so I can perfectly understand why they would be worried about this sudden “paralysis” they’re experiencing, not knowwing the cause. After all, if you suddenly became paralized for a minute in the middle of the day at your office, you would certainly be worried too (Of course, there’s no “awake paralysis”, it’s just to take an imaginary example.
And of course, it’s even worst when people have the “complete” experience, with paralysis+ feeling of not being able to breathe normally,“feeling of a threatening presence” or worst : hallucinations. If you don’t know the cause, being paralyzed while watching a dreadful creature running around, as some people do on a regular basis would be a quite frightening experience.
Apart from that, I stand corrected about sleep paralysis not normally occuring when you fall asleep. Sorry for this incorrect statement.
I get sleep paralysis quite often. Doesn’t scare me at all. It was a little bit the first couple of times, now I recognise it and go with the flow. It can be quite an interesting experience, even with the ‘threatening presence’ bit. Kind of like a scary movie.
In my experience it has nothing to do with not enough rest or stress. If anything the exact opposite; too much sleep; mind’s awake but body is still being lazy.
And it really does put you in the driving seat for lucid dreaming.
IANAD, so I will also suggest going to see a doctor if you are concerned. From what I’ve read, what you experienced, is called sleep onset paralysis. I usually don’t experience that type of paralysis, but do experience the REM paralysis fairly frequently. It seems to come in bouts. The best information I found about prevention, was this advice:
I found moving my toes and fingers and eyeballs all at once, really did the trick, even when there’s someone wielding an axe if I close my eyes again. There’s a lot of good information on that site, so I’d say it’s worth a look. I even ended up taking their survey, and then a second one they requested I take later on. I figured it was a good way to pay them back for a technique which finally worked for me.
An M&Ms candy.
sometimes when i am falling asleep just before i am totally asleep i ask myself - did i just die or something ? am i breathing ? then i try to move to reassure myself only it takes a second or two for my desire to move to work its way to muscles. and since i dont have any feedback in form of motion during that second i just keep trying harder (cuz this motionlessness makes me paranoid), so when the message finally gets through to the muscle its always a violent jerk, like i have been electrocuted or something 
but its never 10 seconds like you say, more like 1 or 2 seconds for me, or roughly the time i need to “wake up”.
I ‘ve have many many bouts of sleep paralysis, and yes it is scarey - especially if you don’t know what it is, there feeling of being awake and unable to move, or speak, is horrible. Haven’t had it happed for a while tho’ …