Sleep paralysis is the terrifying feeling of being held down after just waking up or going to sleep. You can’t move or scream, and sometimes this paralysis is accompanied with the certainty that someone –or something — is in the room.
Quite simply, sleep paralysis is one of the most horrifying experiences in life, because we feel awake but can’t believe what is happening to us.
The truth is, sleep paralysis is a biological event and there is nothing to be worried about. You’re not dying. It’s a hiccup in the brain’s chemical soup as we transition from sleep to wakefulness.
Recurrent sleep paralysis can often be prevented by attending to lifestyle choices, but making new habits can take time.
So how do you wake up from sleep paralysis tonight?
Here I compiled 9 ways to get out now.
Note: Because this is such a personal thing, some of these tactics will work for you, and others won’t. Choose the ones that make the most sense to you intuitively. Think of these strategies as tools in a toolbox to bring out when the conditions are right. Make a plan and resolve to remember it for the next time you wake up in sleep paralysis.
1. Don’t Fight
If you feel like you are being held down and you can’t move, do not fight back. This actually will intensify the experience. Not only is fighting back likely to increase the feelings of being held down (so much that it may seem like you are being crushed), but fighting back will also increase the fear, thus triggering the emotional centers of the brain and strengthening this lucid nightmare. Controlling fear is the most important skill during these moments.
2. Surrender and Go with the Flow
Instead, try to relax when you notice SP starting to happen. Prepare an affirmation like “This is SP and I am okay.” If you feel pressure on your chest, see if you can “go with” the pressure rather than against it. It’s like winning a fight by having no resistance. For example, for me, I often feel like I’m being pushed into the mattress when I have SP. I let myself go, and mentally “pull” in the direction I am being pushed. What happens is I then “pop” into a full-on dream, or I can wake up directly.
3. Wiggle your Toe
Another excellent tactic that works for many people is to try to move an extremity, such as a finger or a toe. Most of the feelings of paralysis are in the belly, chest, and throat. So focus all you attention on the toe and try to move it back and forth. In many cases, this will break the paralysis.
4. Clench your Fist
This is a variation of the toe wiggle method. Clench and unclench your fist.
5. Focus on your Breath
An easy way to stop these nightmares is to do some controlled breathing. Controlled breathing does several things at once. For starters, it lessens the feelings of chest pain that sometimes accompany SP. Breathing is autonomic like the heart’s beating or digestion, so it’s not paralyzed like the big muscles in our arms, chest and legs. But breath can be controlled with attention or be affected by severe fear, which may be why SP sufferers “forget” to breathe when under attack. If you can control your breath, you can control your fear. Simply draw your breath in at a normal rate, and exhale fully, using all of your lung capacity. Notice that you can breathe fully without obstruction. This technique will keep you calm as the SP runs its course and then you will wake up without any trouble. A few moments of focused breathing with a strong intention to wake up is effective.
6. Lean into Love to Find Courage
Now is also the time to lean into unconditional love. For many, the surest path is in religious or spiritual beliefs. Regardless, focus on a figure that you admire and love. Think of someone who calms you down—someone who you associate with peace, love and safety. This could be Jesus, the Dali Lama, or someone you know personally. In my first SP nightmare when I was fourteen years old, I thought about the love and respect I had for a girl in my class. Embarrassing but true! It worked: the feelings of oppression and evil dissipated immediately. In this case, true love really does conquer all.
7. Getting Help from your Sleep Partner
If someone shares your bed, you can tell them about your SP attacks and what to look for when you are having a nightmare. For example, my wife used to shake me awake whenever I began to breath heavily and irregularly in my sleep. As it turns out, she was waking me up each and every time from an intense SP nightmare. Now when this happens, I tell her not to wake me up, because I actually use SP to go into a lucid dream.
You could also have your partner respond to a verbal request. This only works some of the time, because some people cannot speak in paralysis. But some can. Choose a short word that is easy to say. “Help” is a good choice. When you’re in paralysis, focus your attention on your throat and say “Help.” Don’t try to say it as loud as you can; what may happen is that your imagination will take over and you will only say the word in your dream. Instead, say it forcefully but without screaming.
8. Coughing for Help
A variation of using your voice is to try to cough into wakefulness. Like breathing, coughing can be autonomic or consciously regulated. By coughing on purpose, you can jar yourself awake.
9. Write out the Plan
The suggestions above all have helped hundreds of people get out of SP and get some sleep. Not every tactic will work with you. But having too many tactics in your mind can actually be counterproductive. So it is important to make a plan, almost like the fire escape plan you may have for evacuating your family home in case of emergency. Write it out; this will cement the plan in your mind and make it easier to remember when the paralysis comes on strong.
10. The Ultimate Method I know — I said 9 ways, but this is the single best way to wake up from sleep paralysis and it’s really in a class of it’s own. When you realize you are in SP, scrunch up your face. In other words, make a face like you just smelled something bad. Snarl and squint. Do this two or three times in a row and the paralysis will break IMMEDIATELY. I’m not sure why it is so effective, but unlike the pinky wiggle, this method is foolproof.
After you wake up, get out of bed immediately and turn on a light. Wash your face with cold water. If you just stay in bed, the chance of sliding right back into sleep paralysis is pretty high.
Want to break the spell of sleep paralysis? Download my free Sleep Paralysis Report below!
Man, I wish I knew about a lot of these when my SP attacks grew more frequent a year or two ago. Thankfully, I learned the pinky trick somewhere and it really does help out.
Though I tend to resist a lot in my SP…I say things like, “Get off” or “go away” while trying to fight and move. One of those things I guess I can’t quite control yet…
I hear you. I actually had an SP encounter the other night, and I still feel fear in the beginning. sometimes, all you want to do is wake up as quickly as possible! I did the finger trick and it worked.
hey! what a good site for the people like us!
i have SP, and, for a long time, I did not know what it was that happened to me… or how to wake myself.
so, one night, i begin to breathe in a particular way: closing the mouth, like a balloon.
the feeling of my mouth filled of air awake me.
its a personal variation of the clues 3, 4, and maybe of 5.
in the past, i thought in Buda, in God, and even in Jesus.
But the image in my mind of my ex girlfriend, her hugs and smile, was my favourite.
But i can’t use that image anymore 🙁
Althought, i still use the “special breath” sometimes.
pd: my english isn’t good enough, sorry.
pd2: Saludos desde Argentina! y felicitaciones por la página… 😀
I recommend the wriggling a finger or toe. My SP seems to either change into a normal dream or I just wake up if I can pull this off. I’ve found fighting it just makes it worse.
It can be managed once you know it’s SP and it’s about to happen. However I had a bad attack recently but I shouldn’t have eaten cheese before I went to bed.
Good Luck everyone who encounters this. Your not alone.
thanks Adrian and Darren. The breathing trick sounds interesting. I’ve found that by breathing fully, I can overcome my fear of SP and see what happens next.
When I first started having lucid dreams when I was very young I discovered that I could easily wake myself up when ever I wanted to by rolling my eyes upwards until it would cause real pain. I guess while lucid dreaming you have to an extent some control over your eye movement while the rest of your body is paralyzed.
Has always worked for me so give it a shot.
had one of these episodes last night. Scared the crap out of me and my husband since I woke up screaming. this it the 3rd one in the past year…. Hate the feeling. someone is watching, I am trying to scream or call out and I can’t…. My husband says I moan a lot then I scream… loud….
I have always been a lucid dreamer, often entertaining others with my vivid descriptions of my wild dreams… But this experience was for the birds and I hope to not have another… But somehow I am sure I probably will, sooner or later..
I am searching this now because I JUST woke up from SP, this had not happened to me in months, could it really be “something” lately I have been feeling some strange things going on and I have no other thought than it being some kind of evil force. I tried to fight back, and saw myself moving and pushing myself away and could not fully wake up, I was laying face down, its the worst its ever been, please help
…this is a real thing?!?! I described this to my doctor, but she said it was just my mind waking up before my body.
Like how when you sit a certain way for a long time and a limb falls asleep, that fizziness and tickling pain, that’s how my entire body feels. I’m always held down by my forhead. It started when I was 14 1/2 and it happens at least every six months or so. The feeling I normally get is that I’m being hidden/smothered for my own protection…it pretty much scares the hell out of me. I always fight, try to swim to the surface, peel my eyes open, raise my arm to bat away the thing. Last night was the first time I failed to wake myself and I ended up sliding into a really trippy dream. And here I thought I was just strange, definately looking into this book. (And I found this article by searching for pics to post in Facebook to describe this awful thing o.O…thanks be for being led to this site.)
It’s for real! Many physicians are unaware of the connection between sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations — so I’m glad you’re educating her.
Just had an instance of SP last night, seems to occur mostly when I’m trying to fall back to sleep or slept too long from a nap. Oftentimes I try to open my eyes and it appears as if I’ve woken up because I see my surroundings, but I am consciously aware I am still stuck in the dream and cannot move. I find tip #6 helps me the most to snap out of it, I cry out ‘O Lord Jesus’ repeatedly until I manage to wake up. The hardest part is fully waking up afterward since you feel super drowsy and sometimes drift back into it. I think getting out of bed and turning on the light is key.
I am really glad that I found this site. The first time this happened to me I was in the 4th grade, I am 28 now. It seems to be happening every night now. I am terrified to go to sleep. I was able to stay awake for 3 days until I just passed out. I thought I was going crazy because I thought I was seeing aliens, ghosts I even thought I was being haunted or possesed
I have had this condition since I was a child and have just discovered that it’s a common condition. The best way I found found to wake up from this is either clenching/rubbing your teeth or moving your tongue.
If you are completely knocked out, you will have to let it pass.
!!!!MAYBE SOMEONE CAN HELP ME!!!! 😀
Well, I’m 19 years old and have been experiencing sleep paralysis since I was a very young child. My sleep paralysis experiences are some-what just like everyone else’s… but, sometimes a little different…
I remember the first time I experienced SP, I was so young… around 5 or 6 years old. I would get them very often all through-out my childhood. I learned how to control them for the most part pretty early. I told my mom I was having nightmares but, they associated it with watching scary movies.
But, on rare occasions when I was growing up I would have a regular SP episode, after the episode would finish or I came out if it. I would try and sit up but, couldn’t. I would still be somewhat paralyzed and my eyes would feel as if they were made out of lead, I would be able to murrmurr some words but, my body would not let me wake up. And I would fall back into this sleep, but not quite sleep. I could still feel completely there in my mind, but I would dream some crazy dreams… and whenever my body wouldn’t let me wake up like that I would often be in a sleep state for sometimes 20+ hours. Until I would finally be able to wake up…
My SP episodes stopped for a couple months I remember in 8th grade, and were replaced by these dreams where I knew what I was doing, I could talk in my head and was aware of what was going on… the most insane dreams and it felt like I had control over them. But, anyways my SP came back just as strong as it was before. I get sleep paralysis EVERY TIME I close my eyes!!! Sometimes several times throughout the night… when im not able to get a full grasp on my mind. I see the same black figures (yes figures!!! i often see 5-10 black figures around me and on me!) crazy. but, I do know when Im out of the SP and I’m not seeing the figures anymore but, my body still feels 100% paralyzed. And I can either choose to go into a deep sleep and you know… sleep normal. Or I can sleep but, still have complete control over my mind. Sometimes, I can make my mind do some crazyyy things when I really focus. But, here’s the problem…
The times when I still am completely paralyzed after my SP episode… sometimes it’s 3 or 4 times a week, sometimes it’s 5 times a month… but, i always have sleep paralysis with the dark figures and so on. But, when it’s just me in my room, my body will go into this… it feels like im lead and nothing I can do will wake me up. And I often sleep for 20+ hours during this too. Sometimes, i cant come out of it for like a day and a half!!!
HELP HELP HELP
Also, I just started looking into this a couple months ago…
Ive just finally grown so tired, and just almost crazy from it. I spend half of my day just thinking about how crazy the night before was. these episodes that idk what they are that are not letting me wake up have affected my life so terribly… I had to quit class cause I had slept for 2 entire days, and woke up and was barely able to crawl to the bathroom. Im just like a freaking lead bar… when it happens like that i just hate it so much. there has been a few times where it lasted for a few days… i was able to get up once or twice but my body is like the most tired thing ever. i cant open my eyes or anything. it’s miserable. i was thinking maybe narcolepsy thats brought on by SP or my LD, sometimes i have OBE… like some crazy ones. maybe idk… narcolepsy is coming from it. but, i remember i had it sometimes when i was a little kid too
hey Sylvia,
thanks for commenting. I’m not a medical doctor, but from what you’ve described here it appears that your sleep paralysis may be a symptom of a larger sleep issue, perhaps narcolepsy, or maybe something else related to sleep deprivation. For starters, see how you do on this anonymous sleep disorder survey:
http://www.umm.edu/sleep/tests_quiz.htm
as for your multiple black figures… very interesting! some people, you may be happy to hear, also see multiple ‘entities’ on a regular basis – and not all are nightmarish.
yeah, i think i failed the quiz haha. but, i can sleep, i do sleep, i love sleeping besides the SP part. But, yes as i began to look into narcolepsy I thought ah! that describes what happens sometimes at night… but not during my SP episode. But, if it was a really intense or long SP episode, then it seems to bring on my continuing paralyzation.
lol, you can’t really fail that quiz because no matter what you’re learning more about yourself!
You may also want to check out this article on excessive sleeping which can due to personal habits (ie lots of partying) or a symptom of another sleep issue:
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-related-problems/excessive-sleepiness-and-sleep
and feel free to PM me (through the contact form on my about page) if you want to describe in more detail your experiences about multiple dark figures. I’m always collecting accounts.
yes, went to sleep doc. yesterday. participated in a sleep study of theres. doc says i have narcolepsy & sphh.
and wants me to seek help with my nightmares and lucid nightmares. this kind of sucks.
dear Sylvia, don’t be too disheartened! many creative geniuses that we celebrate in the history books also had this and similar sleep conditions. the trick is to reconstruct a life that works with your sleeping style.
I agree with the doc’s advice for seeking help… although that could also mean seeing a dreamworker in your area, not just taking meds. For myself, working with my nightmares when I was in my mid 20s changed my life — made me more confident, aware of my strengths and fears, and gave me courage that I can handle even the worst things. Perhaps you are being given a similar “opportunity.”
Hello people i experience sleep paralysis but i induce the actual paralysis on purpose for astral projection, Im wondering if any one hear has experiences with this phenomina i am amzed that no one here is actually talking about it!!
hey Daniel,
that’s awesome! don’t worry, you’re in good company: this article is geared for people who need a toolkit for waking up from SP when it’s too overwhelming. the ebook this article draws from discusses the OBE potential as well as lucid journey, ancestral visitations and other forms of creative hypnagogia that can be reached via sleep paralysis:
http://dreamstudies.org/2010/03/29/new-ebook-a-dreamers-guide-to-sleep-paralysis/
hey, im 20 years old. starting having sleep paralysis about a year and a half a go. it started off being once or twice a week..but for the past 6 months its been happening between 4 and 7 times a night, sometimes one episode right after the other because i dont get up right away, sometimes not. when i first started having sp, it was just me paralyzed in my bedroom, but no hallucinations, but the feeling of being paralyzed from frightening in itself. now lately, i have auditory and sensory hallucinations during my sp, which makes it even scarier. ill feel someone either raping me or physically abusing me often, but see nothing there, which is horrible for me because i was raped when i was 13 and it brings back horrible memories. im sure my subconsience has something to do with that happening to often. as for the auditory, i often hear my mothers voice talking..not to me but as if in the other room to someone else, sometimes my little sisters, sometimes chuckys voice from the movie childs play..he also scared me as a child when i watched horror movies. anyway, i need help with something. i just had a baby recently, shes 6 weeks old now. she sleeps in the same room as me, since shes so young, i havent put her in her own bedroom yet..but im scared because she has to eat every 3 hours and im nervous i wont be able to wake up out of my sleep paraylys on night when shes crying and hungry. im sure ill be able to hear her but what if i cant move? sometimes my sp goes on for a really long time, episode after episode, im unsure of exact timing..but feel likes forever. would her cries wake me up, my body i mean? ive never had a phone ring or a person try to wake me up while in sp, so im not sure.
One thing that always worked for me was toe wiggling. I’ve found that if I can cause myself to fall out of bed, the initial shock from falling can cause me to snap out of it.
Hi Megan, you are not alone in suffering from sleep paralysis. When combined with memories of rape, this sleep disorder is best treated by a psychiatrist who understands sleep paralysis visions. I know you can find a counselor in your area who can help you find the assistance you are asking for — many of them offer services on a sliding scale. In the meanwhile, see if the tactics listed here help with waking up.
and thanks Sean for the confirmation on the toe wiggle, which sounds less dangerous than falling out of bed. 🙂
Checking in after an intense episode just now. I assign a valence because this time has helped me to realize that I’ve had a couple of others that were not so vivid. This week my sleep cycle has been unusually out of wack, which probably explains the occurrence. I’ll take it as a warning that I better improve my sleep hygiene!
that’s excellent! SP really can be a rude “wake up call” for better sleep health.
Hey Ryan I was on here a while back but, anyways. Thankfully I have been able to mostly stop my hallucinations of the demons (dark figures) whatever. My mind had such relief after reading all of these that I know theyre not real and I control my own mind. It’s amazing. But I still have SP everytime I just about lay down but, now… I still have very vivid hallucinations now of anything. I frequently hallucinate my mother (she is alive) or/and my dog sitting on benches or chairs that im hallucinating are in my room. Often I hallucinate the sun pouring through my window. When it’s really night time. Sometimes it flickers like someone is turning the sun on and off. I’ll see people walking through my room that I don’t know. But, these people dont scare me… and I can see them plain as day. But, it still feels a little scary just becuse I can’t move but, I dont try and get out of SP like I use to. It feels different, i like being in it. It sounds weird but, occassionally my room seems like it becomes someone else’s. I hallucinate furniture/mirrors/clocks etc. in my room.
And if I try I can feel myself get up. I can see everything as if I’m awake and walking towards it. I can look back but, I still see myself in the bed… sleeping. I can hallucinate things I want there… or/and hallucinate im at different places. but, i know im dreaming. or something. is this normal?
I have had SP since i was about 10 i remember being scared out of my mind b/c i didnt know how to wake up. As the years went on , i started to notice that if i took deep breaths i could hear myself & wake up. I am now 22 and the breathing has stopped working. I get scared that i wont be able to wake up at all one day. A couple of nights ago i noticed that i woke up and i saw my feet and then myself get up and walk to the window the sun was brighter than ever!! i could see the rays on the sun all over the room. I didnt say anything and then i saw myself walk back to where i was sleeping and i started having a lucid dream. I finally woke up but i was terrified. I googled it and found that this has been researched and considered an “Out of Body Experience.” Im still trying to figure out how bad this is, because this is your spirit leaving your body. If your spirit does something that can hurt you will it actually hurt you?? I will try some new things to wake up and hope that this goes away soon! They say this usally only happens to young adults i hope theyre right!
THE BEST THING TO DO IS To Think In Your Head Or Try To Say THE BLOOD OF JESUS Or In JESUS NAME !!! It Works EVERY Sinqle Time For Me !
I’ve been experiencing SP since I was a child. Last night, I felt like someone or something was pushing down on me. I was terrified, and struggling to wake up made it worse. I’m a Buddhist, so I decided to pray in my mind. Whatever the force was, it seemed to get angry (It felt like a combination of a violent scream and shaking), and went away almost immediately. I was still paralysed but it was much more tolerable until I finally woke up.
I hope this helps some of you. Some kind of prayer may be effective if all other methods don’t work.
I think that most of you are wrong i only started having these paralysed nightmares when my father committed suicide never before it happened the night he died & never before I get so scared i do not want to sleep now im up again it terrofies me i don’t know what to do Im thinking of getting my house blessed by a catholic priest. I know u all may think I am mad but i know its my father he was an evil man & i feel like he is holding me down im so scared dont know what to do??
I recently just woke up from SP 11/29/10. I have been having SP for years and yes it’s been called THE DEVIL RIDING YOU. Some country stuff I know. I was convinced something evil was trying to harm me. I use to fight back hard I could feel my body vibrate. I do the jesus trick because a friend of mine said call on him he will protect you from the devil I was a kid an scared. I could see everything that’s in the room my ears and eyes played tricks on me. Thought I heard an evil spirit laughing ( T.V. Was on comedy central) a few days before I imagined a women in black sitting on my bed as I was asleep on the love seat in my room ( my foot was propped up and at a distance I had on black socks on). I have learned to calm down and let it pass I do want it to stop. Until I can control it I’ll use my methods the toe wiggle doesn’t work for me. If you feel like you are getting over heated during these episodes try putting a fan directly on you on low it helps when you are trying to concentrate you don’t feel over heated for the people who this may happen to during SP. Hope this helps!
I seriously need to try these things. I don’t know where these lucid dreams come from, but I feel like there’s a ton of gravity pushing down on me. Every time I wake up from it, I drift right back into it. I’m 12, and I don’t want these thinhgs for the rest of my life. So maybe I’ll try these options.
Thanks for these ideas. I can’t speak during sleep paralysis and I don’t think I can even move my face, but I will certainly try that solution. Usually I think I am yelling loudly to my husband to help me, but in reality I’m not making any sounds he can hear because he says he never is aware I’m trying to wake him up [to in turn then wake me up!:)] So… as you know, it’s all rather awful! I’ve had literally weeks and then months and what’s amounted to years of migraines while I was nursing my babies years ago (and before that back labor for hours with them), but even so, sleep paralysis is still about the most horrid thing I have ever experienced. At least you know intellectually that extreme pain will end or that you probably have access to painkillers of whatever sort…but sleep paralysis truly feels like an eternity of being in a terror that you’re facing all alone every single time you have it. Regarding the idea of allowing yourself to fall/sink into it, I don’t know how people can do that, but more power to them if they have the courage during this time when you feel like you can’t breathe and you certainly can’t move. But I have found that, yes, “calling out” to God does help. I do that a lot during my now thankfully infrequent bouts – or in just occasional individual experiences – of it. But, as I guess anyone with regular sleep paralysis knows, getting an at least fair amount of sleep as consistently as possible does indeed help prevent the re-occuring horror which sometimes happens night after night. Also, I used to find that taking a diphenhydramine (sp?)(Benadryl) or two helps to keep me from going into paralysis as I’m falling asleep. You know how when it gets so frequent that you fear going to sleep because of it? Well, it does seem that sleep medications can get me out of my body’s habit of going into it. Maybe it’ll help some of you…but hopefully not make it worse depending on your body chemistry! Oh, and when I remember ahead of time during periods when I have these bouts night after night, I pray with quite specific words to God that I want to have a peaceful “falling sleep and awakening” and He does really seem to answer this prayer … and my body really seems to actively then be aware of when the initial symptoms of the horror are about to happen, like when you are falling asleep and your body is sort of unconsciously wandering into the direction of a paralysis experience. (Meaning He’s just waiting for me to attempt to consciously deal with the problem rather than merely put up with it…and prayer does appear to be a part of becoming aware of its warning signals. And I actually do believe that He himself helps out too separately from my own responsibility of working on it. Anyway, sorry to keep typing so much, but this is a horror that you sometimes can’t keep quiet about (well, except when you are desperately trying to wake up!). Oh, and it must be genetic to some degree since some people have no idea what you’re talking about if you mention it for some reason (and surely everyone has stress sometimes and/or long periods of time when they miss a healthy amount of sleep…during college, when having jobs with strange hours, when raising young kids, etc….but not everyone seems to experience sleep paralysis). And it can’t be a situation where due to being difficult to explain what it is, that maybe some people are not aware they have it. No one could misunderstand what you’re talking about if they themselves have even experienced it just once.
Lastly, I assume that at least some normal and common sense 21st century people have considered that maybe there really are outside spiritual influences that can cause it when you are at your most vulnerable (that is getting limited sleep during periods of your life when you’re either under physical or emotional stress)? I don’t consider this statement crazy myself since I am in my mid-40s and am too busy to be off in some sort of neverland. It just seems that this possibility may be a really valid idea. (Any data that can be scientifically graphed of our brain waves and hormones and that sort of thing is great and I am sure useful, but it certainly doesn’t rule out that our body may be just biologically reacting to the scariness of some spirit creature…who is only able to successfully affect us when we are at our most vulnerable during sleep combined with stressful times in our lives. Maybe this outside stuff of our dreams and these weird experiences are real, meaning real that they are indeed an experience that involves brain chemistry (whatever that means) but also real in the sense that they involve someone/some thing beyond just our self-centered selves. Just like when we are physically and emotionally healthy, when we’re kind and thoughtful and think outside ourselves,etc. etc…., we probably tend to attract nice people around us and be better able to deal with rude or distasteful peopl in a more controlled and forgiving and common sense ways. And, if we’re stressed out for too long a period of time about either something as mundane as school tests or as truly important as a family member’s health and happiness, maybe we also are more likely to be less apt to “keep off” those spiritual beings that are either downright evil or are just bored and kind of mean. (Since we are ourselves spiritual beings it seems that part of the behavior of those other possible spirit beings around us is something that we can be partially responsible for attracting even though we’re unaware of it…perhaps those that experience the rather “demonic” side of some sleep paralysis experiences can even pray for these mean spirits and thereby have some control, if indeed they even exist. You know how Jesus says “Pray for your enemies.” This not only certainly can help your enemy, but it can also put you in the authoritative position of being in charge of how your “enemy” affects your life and almost makes you be the one who calls the shots of what you’re going to experience despite not being able to control their specific actions…in this case the demon type figure sitting on your chest or standing in the room that some people feel like they are really experiencing/seeing/sensing during paralysis) But, that being said, I would be perfectly content with it all being a merely chemical reaction to our particular stress level and the cortisol coursing through ourselves…or whatever the heck hormone it is that is related to stress. It’s a less exciting situation, and certainly offers the possibility of there one day being a chemical/drug solution for sleep paralysis…but maybe we are being sort of dumb to not seriously consider other ideas. Maybe you’ve all done that though. I am so busy chatting on and on about my own experience that I am selfishly not taking a lot of time to read what looks to be a really interesting website. I will do that later though! It looks like some cool stuff. Meanwhile…back to my hubby, kids, and pets! Thanks though for taking the time to research this stuff. I appreciate it!
Awesome tips! And I can’t wait to try the face-scrunching movement. I’ll also try to get myself out of the bed after an episode because like you said, I tend to slip back into SP if I stay on the bed.
Having SP can be really tiring and sometimes it just gets plain weird. I’ve heard “ZING!” sounds to feeling like I couldn’t breathe…. but the most important thing is to STAY CALM!
I am relieved to find your site. SP terrifies me, I know that if I make a sound, or move a tiny bit I will wake up, and in my head I finally drag my leg and am kicking or waving my arm, but (my BF) cannot feel it. I hear him awake, watching tv and I am kicking and screaming right next to him. He finally will touch me, ask whats wrong because I start crying in my sleep, which has only been 5 minutes but seems like hours. My arm and leg are tight and stiff from all the (imagined?) movement. I try to hold my eyes open but sometimes I go right back and I am screaming no no more dont go to sleep dont get me I am going to open my eyes so it cant happen but it is too late I am already there. I was only safe for a minute and it came right back. Last night was terrible my BF came down here, had cocoa while I slept(he thought) and I tried to tell him wake me up, he didnt hear me and I was crying. He went upstairs, saying something out loud, I dont know what. I was crushed he left me I was banging the table with my heel ( I thought). Then I saw myself get up and I heard the door, I looked and it was locked with the key in it, but then had ‘tunnel vision’- got far away and my mother(alive) and my aunt(deceased) came in and said “oh here you are, dont worry its only us”. (It wasn’t tho, my mother was all hunched over). The keys were still in lock as it opened. I tried to run up the stairs, I dragged my paralyzed legs and pulled myself up with the railing (I saw me do it- and my legs wouldnt work I was trying to use them I was terrified because they were coming)and was next to the bed and reaching out but the shape under the covers went away with each layer of bedding. I saw me on the couch downstairs and knew I had to get him up to help ‘that me’ I put covers back and he was in there, but each layer removed he was smaller and more and more covers instead it was an empty outline of his body. (with my favorite blanket he doesnt use).
Then, finally, I heard him call me, and run down the steps, “wake up, you’re okay”! I was crying and sleeping and he made me get up and come to bed. I try to sleep next to him so he can feel me dreaming but I always end up on the extreme very edge of our bed and he pulls me back to middle.(It is king size, plenty of room.) Sometimes my chihuahua wakes me if he isnt there, by licking my face and whimpering to me, if he’s not here, but I never remember if I have them when I am totally alone. Do I just not remember? I’m terrified to sleep and hate the fact that it just gets me, and happens in total of not even 5 minutes of getting in bed Im already hyperventilating, sweating and /or crying from this terrible thing. It has been off and on for 30 years, but getting worse. Thanks for letting me vent, this is the first time I ever did to anybody. whew.
Sylvia – you’re a natural lucid dreamer. Try focusing on a place you want to be the next time you go out-of-body.
Karina – there’s really no danger with these out-of-body type sensations. explore it with an open mind but remember to wake yourself up if you feel unsafe. try some new technique besides the breathing if it no longer works. the most important thing is to find a way to feel safe and ground yourself.
Brionna and Lini – thanks, and I’m sure others will find solace from your experiences. tapping into your beliefs is key. SP requires us to ask ourselves What do I truly believe?”
Diane – sometimes SP visitors take the shape of those who tormented us. I recommend seeing a counselor who can help you work through this grief process. Having a priest bless your house will also help you feel safe again.
thanks Jay and good luck Joshua! I was once in your shoes and at age 14 I was able to vanquish the SP demons by focusing on love.
Allison, you’re right the biological info does not account for the psychological aspects of SP. If you’ve haven’t already, download my Sleep ParalysisReport (it’s free PDF) at the bottom of the screen — I discuss how it’s important to have a holistic approach that honors the biological, the psychological and the spiritual aspects of SP. I would be careful however of taking oTC meds like Benadryl on a regular basis as they can create more sleep problems over time.
Gen – zing – lol. thanks for commenting.
Jeri, perhaps when your boyfriend is over you sleep in different positions than when you’re alone. Remember that sleeping on your back can instigate it. Also, physical exhaustion before bed can cause SP in some people, so if you and your boyfriend….well, I’ll leave it at that. could be a factor.
I am so grateful to read all of these experiences.. I have been afraid all day after having such a vivid SP episode last night. I was in the middle of a very vivid dream and awoke to a hand pushing down on my chest… I am visiting my family in Alaska and at first I thought it was my little grandaughter waking me up… It jolted me awake.. When I realized it wasn’t her I tried to push this force off me and was so paralized… Then two hands… Dark and thin… came up from the side of the bed and were reaching out trying to pull me… I tried to say aloud.. “go away” but couldn’t say a word … I was stricken with fear so badly… And my heart was racing.. I thought it was a stroke or something.. I laid awake truly petrified at my inability to move.. It frightened me so deeply … Like nothing I have ever experienced. It has stayed with me all day.. I don’t really know how long I lay awake before returning to what all of you call a lucid dream but it did happen that way..
I am so comforted after reading these other stories to know I am not alone..
However.. The most disturbing part is this felt dark and evil and deeply spooked me.
This was so helpful to read. Ever since the summer I have had frequent mixes of false awakening dreams and sleep paralysis. I have always been aware of when they are happening but I’ve had trouble over-coming them.
At first there was simply the crushing feeling of the sleep paralysis but I was able to call for help. (No one ever came, in the dream or out, but it was comforting at least.) However, I have had a dream where I got out of bed and found my family in the hallway. It was all completely natural with only slight details that I did take note of, but it wasn’t enough to snap me out of it. Then I saw a blanket on my bed with a strange pattern on it, where in real life I knew the blanket was in the laundry. Immediately I knew I was in a dream. Unfortunately, so did my imagination and my father proceeded to become sinister and murderous. I was able to wake up, a few moments later but the dream has stuck with me.
The worst was when I had one of the “combination dreams” and I turned over to try and wake up and a dark figure was by my bed. I tried to wake up but I was so scared. I don’t really remember how I woke up actually…
Last night was another bad one. I couldn’t even speak, and this inability frightened me so much. Calling for help or talking brought me comfort (as talking to myself does in real life), but now I was unable to speak and I had to break out of it with shear power of will.
This and your article about false awakenings have brought me a lot of comfort. I think I will have an easier time dealing with them now. So, thanks. 🙂
Wow!!!! These new entries were incredible to read! I did want to share that the other day I had another SP episode but I remembered stay calm. Remember if u stay calm u can focus and tell yourself breathe. Dont fight the more you fight the more you will feel the pressure on your chest and you will lose your energy you are going to need once you pull through. once you utilize your best method of waking up. Remember to get up walk around for at least 5 minutes after splashing water on your face! I did this my last experience and was able to go back to sleep with no problems. I also found out for me… That if I fall asleep sitting up like in a chair I don’t feel so pinned down upon waking. Good luck!!! Thank you guys once again!
I’ve been having the same thing for about 6 years and maybe 3 times a year. Didn’t know what was going on. Just like someone mentioned above I thought I had woke up cuz I seen my natural surroundings but I realized that I was still sleep. I began to go into panic mode but I knew that wasn’t gonna help. So I relaxed…..like was trying to trick myself and then I would just pop up. I’ve been doing that every since they started and so far it had worked. Glad to see it as one of the suggestions on the list.
It happened to me on “2007”, I had a hard time sleeping that night and all of a sudden, I couldn’t move, scream or opened my eyes and all of a sudden I feel a presence of someone standing right next to me and then all of a sudden I felt the person grabbed my wrist. I then started praying and finally it went away and I was able to yell and wake my husband.
This happened for the 2nd time, 3 days ago – Jan 11, 2011, I was waking up and all of a sudden, I couldn’t move, yell, or open my eyes and I felt the presence again next to me, but this time I felt like my throat was closing up on me and I felt like I was going to die. I again ask God and Jesus for help, I don’t know how many minutes it took but when I was able to open my eyes slowly, I saw little white specks moving up towards the ceiling and all of a sudden, I yelled out my husband name Screaming.
This is definitely something evil!! When i slipped into a SP a few weeks ago i could feel a spirit flowing through me and going towards my spine!!! And it hurted!! I never in my life felt pain during these experinces until now! I also see evil spirits when i wake up,they are always standing in the corners of my room.So this is something evil people,not medical…I’m not sure but to see a spirit while wide awoke rings a bell for me.So i pray alot and it helps.
I just had a horrifying nightmare and started searching online. Thank you for all this information! However, I am a bit confused about lucid dreaming, false awakening and SP, as my recent recurrent nightmares consist a bit of everything.
I often open my eyes and see the curtain in my bedroom with a bit of light coming through. Then I will look at my hand and try to move it. I feel like I am moving my hand, but my eyes tell me it’s not moving at all and that’s how I know that I am still dreaming. Then I’ll proceed to try all sorts of things to try to wake myself up. I could feel and hear that I am moving, talking, screaming, kicking with my eyes opened or closed, but I can only see one single still image – my still hands and the curtain with the lights seeping through. Then, all of a sudden I’ll open my eyes and I thought I am awake, but the whole thing happens all over again, at least 10 times. In some false awakenings, I’ll wake up to see my partner next to me, but then I’ll remember that he’s already gone to work and realize that I am still dreaming, then once I realize I am dreaming, the original still image comes back. I start panicking, as now I can feel a body next to me and I have no clue what it is. I toss and turn, bite myself, try to crawl to the curtain or turn on the light, but all attempts fail miserably with eyelids heavy as lead and seeing things motionless and fixed at the original scene. I hear footsteps and voices, I feel touches and movements, but I see only one single image and no matter what I try, I couldn’t wake myself up. But when I finally wake up, I feel super anxious as in the dream as I was conscious the whole time and I constantly check around me to see if there are other beings around. I am getting out of my mind!
I have had similar recurrent nightmares for the past 10+ years. I am 25 now and they are getting worse and more frequent.
Help? I don’t feel the pressure or crushes as described by SP, but with the still imagery, is this SP? Or am I just lucid dreaming with false awakenings?? Thanks for taking the time to read this! I am deeply troubled.
Sounds like sleep paralysis mixed with dreaming- not everyone feels the pressure etc. Check out my post in false awakenings too (use the lijit search sorry I’m typing from a mobile right now) as there are tips to prevent false awakenings. It may be a signal that you need healthier sleep and sleep hygiene. For both repetitive sP and FAs you can Prevent the next occurance by getting out of bed, turning on light and doing some cardio. Not sure why it works but it does.
I have just woken up from a SP episode. I have had SP since I was about 13. Wiggling my foot used to work but it doesn’t anymore. Tonight I tries to pull myself to the edge and out of bed. This worked (I didn’t actually fall but I guess the chance of falling helped to wake me up). Something else that works for me now is holding my breath. This causes you to gasp for air which automatically wakes me up. It is best to get up and get something cold to drink after SP. If I don’t get up I go right back into SP again. I know calling on Jesus is always good!
Thanks for this site. I’ve been haunted by SP since childhood. Another trick I use is sleeping with soothing music on, very quietly. I only have to do this if I’m sleeping alone, such as if my husband’s traveling. It’s a terrifying experience and of great comfort to know others understand. I usually try to “sit up” to break the paralysis. It’s the only thing that’s worked for me besides the music. And it takes every bit of concentration and physical strength I can muster to sit up. When I wake, I’m still lying down. Something about that movement changes things. And I get up, as you said, walk around, do something, otherwise I’ll slip back in. Best to you all.
Good advice! Thanks! I have these, as well as my mom, and my sister. To me they occur when i fall asleep on my back 9 out of 10 times. So i try not to fall asleep like that. We occasionally check on each other. Usually I can or we can move our mouths just slightly enough to try and call for help or something. which sounds like mumbled or mumbling words. like whispering. these are scary because, i feel like what if something is happening and i cant even wake myself. It feels like or well i know i can hear everything that’s going on around me. i can see a little , but not sure if my subconscious is just Hallucinating or something. Cause sometimes it feels like Im a child still living with my grandma back in the 80’s.
I was wondering was we alone with this thing happening. Good to know that there are some people out there that understand how i feel.
My advise is to try sleeping on your side or stomach. Also when you are very exhausted and tired, take the time to get in a relaxing position for sleep and keep it in your mind that your body is doing this because you are very tired..
I also find that laying with my hands tucked under my head or in between my legs or any thing on them stopping movement, causes some of the worst and most frustrating episodes of this.
The tips You guys have shared here are very helpfully. Thank you! I will give them a try. Also share this info with my Sis And Mom!
I really hope this can be helpful in some way to some one
I am a 38 year old Afro American. Average build. and Height of 6’1″ weighing 195. that is for data and comparison.
P.S. to Sylvia I am so sympathetic to your situation. My episodes last maybe just a couple of minutes at most ( feels like hours but not). I can imagine being in one of these states for such a long time as those of yours.
Oh to Ryan thanks very much. And please keep at it. I f you some how come across a cure or guaranteed solution. Everyone will be so grateful to you.
a cure for sleep paralysis? only if they find a cure for fear first….
seriously, there are some pharmaceuticals that can help for those who are suffering from SP. Talk to your medical provider if you get SP multiple times a night frequently. it could be a symptom of a bigger sleep issue, too, such as sleep apnea. The tactics I provide here are to help cope with the encounter when it happens, not as an alternative to professional care.
Ok so i posted a comment back in Oct 2010 I talked about having an out of body experience and how breathing deep & heavy used to help wake me up every time but then it stopped working. I dont know if its the fact thats its been happening at least 6 times a week now, sometimes several times a night but the things i try to wake up stop working after only a few weeks. I tried scrunching my face as if i was mad i tried wiggling my fingers & toes and “going with the flow” (which by the way makes me panic a lot more). Im at the point where i dont want to go to sleep. I used to wake up when my kids talked to me (theyre little 2 & 4) but thats not working anymore either i hear them i feel them and sometimes for a split sec i feel i can move but not enough to fully wake up. I have been going frm PS to lucid dreams to false awakening and then back again like a circle over and over. I am honestly freakin out!! And i love this site b/c it helps me feel better knowing that im not the only one going through this but doesnt change the fact that im terrified. Ive also noticed that it happens the worst when my husband isnt here (like weekends when he goes to work and i stay home) could it be possible that im sleeping too much?? i usally wake up at 6:30 am during the week but on weekends i usually sleep til 9:30. Please help me im just trying to understand what i can do to get through this since there is nor will ever be a cure.
Ryan,
Up til last night, I have always experienced this while lying on my side or on my stomach, which I have never read about. It is always on someone’s back that this occurs. Last night, I was lying on my back and it occurred for the first time.
I have also tried several of the methods to break the SP, but have found myself subject to many a false awakening. When I finally manage to scream or to move, I realize that I am still dreaming (or hallucinating?).
I’m also never ever able to open my eyes unless it is completely over. Except for one time, or at least I am hoping this is one time. I saw a small boy dressed in overalls at the end of my bed and I was certain I was actually awake that time, but I guess it must have been another FA. I hope.
Anyway, what I’m basically wondering is what I’m experiencing really SP since it almost exclusively happens when I’m not on my back?
I really don’t know what to believe after reading everyones stories. I do know that it scares me to tears when I finally wake. I do have a system with my boyfriend, I breath heavy from my nose and he wakes me, but then I’m so frightened I cry and can’t talk about it right away, as if who ever did it can hear me. My issue is that I have other paranormal experiences that occurred in my home which makes me believe this truely is to real of an experience to be anything but real. I guess what I’m trying to say is its a damn ghost! I feel her press into me I feel her sit at the end of my bed. My boyfriend was going to video of me napping one afternoon because I was talking in my sleep but by accident he took a photograph and he captured thee most amazing photo of a full profile head to toe
ghost……that I had a paranormal investigator analyse. He (Rick whom I trust knew what he and wife Michelle told me. Long story short there are spirits caught in this world are just lost so I believe that we are all being held down by spirits feeding off our weakness because in my experience its always when I’m exhausted and they know that I’m weak. Its like they need to feel dominant.