my scary night
For some reason, I was having really bizarre dreams last night. Weirder than normal. Just some disturbing, demented, scary stuff. At one point, I was in the back of a taxi, on the phone, and the driver kept speeding up. I told him to slow down and he just went faster and we were whipping down the street and just as we were about to hit something, I woke up.
But, not all of me woke up.
My eyes opened, and I was conscious of my surroundings, but for the life of me I could not move. I was stuck, laying on my side. I tried to move my legs, my arms, my head, ANYTHING, but I couldn't. I started to freak out. I tried to yell, but all that came out was a pathetic hiss. My body began to tingle, but I still could not move. I was absolutely paralyzed.
Next thing I know, I'm sitting up. Wasn't I just paralyzed?
For some reason, I'd decided to get out of bed. I hopped off the bed and onto the floor and promptly collapsed. If you remember, my ankle's still sprained, so there was intense pain. In my sleep deprived state, I could not figure out what the hell was going on. Somehow, I managed to get up and back into bed and endure the pain.
And then my alarm went off at 8am. Was it all a dream? My ankle didn't hurt at all and besides being tired, I felt okay.
I went to work and told my assistant about it and she claimed to have had a series of these incidents at one point in her life, but she couldn't explain it either. So, I looked it up. Turns out, this is not an uncommon phenomenon and it has a name.
SLEEP PARALYSIS!
According to that link, most people chalk it up to just being a dream, but it really happens! Most people tend to hallucinate and have a hard time breathing during this effect. It's entirely possible I hallucinated getting out of bed. It seems the most likely answer, but I have no way of knowing for sure.
So what prompted this? Let's check out the list of possible causes:
Sleeping in a supine position (facing upwards) - nope, I was definitely on my side, so that's ruled out
Irregular sleeping schedules; naps, sleeping in, sleep deprivation - well, I did just fly into NY from LA, so my schedule is certainly a little off
Increased stress - I always get stressed out when I start a new job. Yesterday was my first day and I felt overwhelmed by the enormous task ahead of me.
Sudden environmental/lifestyle changes - I was in NY for three weeks, back in LA for two, now I'm back in NY. So yeah, check.
A lucid dream that immediately precedes the episode. - scary taxi ride, check.
Artificial sleeping aids or antihistamines - oooh, yeah....my nose was absolutely stuffed when I went to bed, so I snorted some nasal spray. I don't normally do that, so I have a feeling that was the clincher.
What's the cure? Apparently you can take medication if it happens to you a lot, but otherwise you just have to remain calm & wait it out. Focus on a body part & try to move it and just remember that it will pass soon.
So yeah, crazy shit. I'm glad to know I'm not losing my mind and I'll be prepared if it ever happens again, though I really hope that never happens. It's damn frightening. Have any of you ever experienced this phenomenon before? Share your stories in the comments.
But, not all of me woke up.
My eyes opened, and I was conscious of my surroundings, but for the life of me I could not move. I was stuck, laying on my side. I tried to move my legs, my arms, my head, ANYTHING, but I couldn't. I started to freak out. I tried to yell, but all that came out was a pathetic hiss. My body began to tingle, but I still could not move. I was absolutely paralyzed.
Next thing I know, I'm sitting up. Wasn't I just paralyzed?
For some reason, I'd decided to get out of bed. I hopped off the bed and onto the floor and promptly collapsed. If you remember, my ankle's still sprained, so there was intense pain. In my sleep deprived state, I could not figure out what the hell was going on. Somehow, I managed to get up and back into bed and endure the pain.
And then my alarm went off at 8am. Was it all a dream? My ankle didn't hurt at all and besides being tired, I felt okay.
I went to work and told my assistant about it and she claimed to have had a series of these incidents at one point in her life, but she couldn't explain it either. So, I looked it up. Turns out, this is not an uncommon phenomenon and it has a name.
SLEEP PARALYSIS!
According to that link, most people chalk it up to just being a dream, but it really happens! Most people tend to hallucinate and have a hard time breathing during this effect. It's entirely possible I hallucinated getting out of bed. It seems the most likely answer, but I have no way of knowing for sure.
So what prompted this? Let's check out the list of possible causes:
Sleeping in a supine position (facing upwards) - nope, I was definitely on my side, so that's ruled out
Irregular sleeping schedules; naps, sleeping in, sleep deprivation - well, I did just fly into NY from LA, so my schedule is certainly a little off
Increased stress - I always get stressed out when I start a new job. Yesterday was my first day and I felt overwhelmed by the enormous task ahead of me.
Sudden environmental/lifestyle changes - I was in NY for three weeks, back in LA for two, now I'm back in NY. So yeah, check.
A lucid dream that immediately precedes the episode. - scary taxi ride, check.
Artificial sleeping aids or antihistamines - oooh, yeah....my nose was absolutely stuffed when I went to bed, so I snorted some nasal spray. I don't normally do that, so I have a feeling that was the clincher.
What's the cure? Apparently you can take medication if it happens to you a lot, but otherwise you just have to remain calm & wait it out. Focus on a body part & try to move it and just remember that it will pass soon.
So yeah, crazy shit. I'm glad to know I'm not losing my mind and I'll be prepared if it ever happens again, though I really hope that never happens. It's damn frightening. Have any of you ever experienced this phenomenon before? Share your stories in the comments.
3 Comments:
At 9/22/06 6:55 PM , Anonymous said...
what's up russ. yeah, that happened to me twice in my life. the first time i couldn't even open my eyes. i tried concentrating on just moving a finger but couldn't even do that. my mind was racing because it felt like i was trapped in a shell that was my body. i imagine that's what it's like being in a coma. the second time, i woke up and it felt like something was walking across my chest. i was really freaked out because i couldn't look to see what was going on and imagined it was the little gnome creature with the bells from one of the creepshow movies that comes out of the hole in the wall. eventually i calmed down and went to sleep but that was some freaky shit. anyway, haven't seen you in awhile. we gotta get a poker game going one of these days! later
Adam
At 9/24/06 8:40 PM , NRJessep said...
I've had something like that happen to me a number of times, usually when I worked midnights. I always thought it was that I was not fully awake, so just breathed heavy until I woke the rest of me up. It is a little weird.
At 10/6/06 7:53 PM , Anonymous said...
Yeah, I've had this at least a few times. Usually it happens to me while I'm napping and I get something along the lines of a tingling sensation (more like an intense buzzing for me). I also get the er...hallucinations and/or lucid dreams. I've even done a few comics about the things I've seen/experienced while in this state. It's all harmless, but the paralyzation can be scary when you don't know what's going on. If I'm freaked out about it, I usually concentrate on moving one finger and that shakes off the paralysis.
-Jennifer (Squarecat)
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