Is this sleep paralysis???
Posted , 2 users are following.
Hello! So this morning during my first period class, computer systems, I took a quick nap because I had finished my quarter project. It was probably about a 30 minute nap but towards the end of the nap I woke up but I was unable to move... I had my head down on the desk and I could hear all of my classmates and my teacher talking but I couldn't move. My body was so heavy and I felt so weak. There was also this loud humming and my body felt hot. I was scared I was dying and no one was even noticing. At one point I remember picking of head up and looking around but then I laid my head back down and the feeling over whelmed me again. It was strong and I tried to scream but nothing came out. When I was able to pick my head back up I made sure I was awake and I felt normal. A little nervous and weird but normal. I asked my friend sitting next to me and they said they didn't notice me acting weird and I didn't make any noise. He also mentioned that he was talking to me at some point but I didn't respond so he just assumed I was really tired and went back to his work. It was such a weird experience and the only weird thing I've had with sleeping is reoccurring loop dreams but nothing else. I have no issues with falling asleep or getting up. What was this?
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lily65668 micaela28677
Posted
Yes Micaela, that's classic sleep paralysis, and nothing to worry about at all.
Everyone has one or two episodes in their lifetime, so the best thing to do is just forget about it. Only about 2-5% of the population gets it on a regular basis, so statistically there's very little chance you'll be among that number. Even if you were, there'd still be nothing to worry about, as it's completely harmless. I've had it on a regular basis for more than 50 years now and I'm still around!
When we sleep, we alternate between phases of deep, non-dreaming sleep and REM (stands for rapid eye movement) sleep, during which we dream. This is true for virtually all of us, though only a few people actually remember their dreams.
During the REM phase of sleep the brain secretes a chemical that paralyses all our voluntary muscles - by which I mean arms, legs, vocal cords etc. (Which is why you couldn't scream.) This is a sensible precaution that stops us from jumping up and acting out our dreams. It is only the voluntary muscles that are affected, not the muscles of the autonomic nervous system that control breathing, heartbeat and other basic bodily functions, so we don't stop breathing during REM sleep.
Just occasionally the brain gets out of sync and carries on secreting the paralysing hormone for a few seconds or minutes after we wake, or - more rarely - starts pumping it out before we're fully asleep. That's when we become aware of it, like you did.
We're far more likely to enter REM sleep when we're not very deeply asleep, e.g. when having a morning lie-in after a full night's sleep, or napping during the daytime. This means the best way to avoid it is to avoid daytime naps or sleeping at other times when you're not really tired. Just in case it happens again - which isn't likely - you also need to remember to move physically the moment you come out of it, to avoid being sucked straight back into another episode. That's clearly what happened to you. It mostly happens to me when I'm in bed, so as soon as I come out of an episode I sit bolt upright or even jump up - though I realise it could be embarrassing, not to mention a bit of a giveaway, to suddenly jump to your feet in the middle of a class!
The bottom line is - don't worry about this, it's perfectly normal. If you have any other questions don't hesitate to post them here.
micaela28677 lily65668
Posted
Thanks so much!!! That's great to hear. I thought because I was sucked back into it that it was like a small stroke or something😂 Its good to hear that it does happen to other people. Thank you so much for the response!