Mind awake, body asleep?

[malliemut]

For the past few months, since Nov, I've been having this problem with waking up. It just started suddenly and happens a few night a moths, once to three times in the same night.
Usually its morning, after a full nights sleep, when it happens. My mind will wake up. I'll be compleatly conciouse. I can think, remember, everything as when I'm fully awake, but my body stays asleep. I feel literaly paralyzed, in a coma. Everything is dark. It's just like I'm laying there with my eyes closed but I can't move or screem now matter how hard I try. Usually I freak out and lay there for a while trying to wake my body up somehow till my husband hears me wimpering, cause I'm trying to screem for him, and he wakes me up. I know it's not just a bad dream and I'm scared my body might never wake up one day. Can anyone help on what this is or advice or something?

[Laurieaga]

I too suffer from the same feeling only I'm wide awake.  I can see, hear, and feel everything going on around me.  Recently, during this experience, I started having seizure like symptoms.  It really freaked my boyfriend out.  I could hear him calling me and tensed up as I shook but could not respond. My eyes opened, closed, and moved quickly.  I usually only experience this when I am really tired falling into sleep like I am in between sleep and being awake.  I don't know what to do about this, any suggestions?

[AnubisThaGod]

Hello folks, just adding on, the feeling of full consciousness, while your body lays motionless, would most likely be sleep paralysis. A licensed doctor can tell you more officially, some advice for waking from this would to be calming your mind and focus on your movements. When your laying down, try to jolt an arm up with concentration, control your breathing and don't panic. Try sleeping on your side there after, don't be afraid to sleep because of this. Besides having a stress related trigger, I have been told some foods can make you have these experiences, I wouldn't take any kind of medical drugs for this, just a cool dose of RELAX during your awake hours and if you have unrelaxed people around you, you also tend to be unrelaxed. Hope this helps someone, if not fixing the problem then an understanding of it, Peace =)

[missiemoon]

mine begins with a humming noise as i am on the brink of sleep, the noise becomes waves and it pulls me under. I know at that point what is happening as i am semi awake and aware but it is to strong it pulls me in. I reason with myself that i can get out of this but when i do it can pull me right back in several times. It is horrific, what i have felt and saw under that hypnotic state stays with you. Trapped and alone. I think it is just a place some people get caught in just as they are on the brink of sleep and as awful as it is it is just part of how we work and how complex the human form is.

[begone9]

Wow, I have this too- never knew if it was officially sleep paralysis because I don't get the feeling of demons or something sitting on my chest.  This is the first time I hear many people describing exactly what happens to me!

It happens when I nap or if I "sleep in" too late.  I just can't wake up and even though I know what is happening I am terrified and think I will be stuck in sleep forever or die.  I think I am screaming, think I am moving, but I am not.  Sometimes I think I woke myself up and began walking around, only to realize I am still asleep.  I live alone so it is extra awful!  No one to get me up!  I usually wake up drenched in sweat.  Like someone said before,  sometimes I start to wake up (or at least I am thinking I am starting to wake up) and I am pulled back into sleep.  It's awful- fighting to wake up.

I do suffer from anxiety and depression and am sure its related to anxiety.  On meds though.  The only thing that helps is trying not to nap or sleep too late.  If I go down for a nap I try to remember to set an alarm for a limited nap time.  This way I know the alarm will go off and get me up, and an hour nap makes this nightmare less likely to happen than a three hour nap which could happen if I did not set the alarm.  

I think I sleep on my side mostly but have heard the back sleeping connection too.  Maybe I roll, idk.

[SMTTT]

I have the same problem as well but its when I fall asleep on the couch during the day..I have wondered for months why this happens and just now decided to do some research.  Some people say that they would love to have this experience but honestly it scares the crap out of me..The first time it happened I honestly thought I was dead because I could hear everything that was going on around me and could even get up and walk in a spiritual like state..I actually remember yelling at my body to wake up.  I have learned to just force my body out of this but i still panic every now and then because of it.  Are there any known remedies?  Im guessing its due to stress because I am a full time student in my 30's, single father of two kids and work 3 part time jobs.

[journeyfan54321]

Last night was the first time my paralysis began with a nightmare - i was supposed to die on a scaffold with other people, but like the final destination movies we escaped - then death started chasing us and i saw everyone that was on the scaffold with me being hit by cars, murdered and beaten, things falling on them, and then finally being chased and strangled. I thought to myself that if I pretended to pass out the person would stop strangling me. They did stop but then I woke up and realized I had been having a nightmare but couldn't open my eyes. I can even think very clearly during these episodes. I thought to myself oh no not again - and i even talked to myself to stay calm, i knew my husband had already left for work, and i was alone - i started yelling to my self 1-2-3 WAKE UP and then i will my eyes to open - most of the time this works for me - the worst was when it took three different counts to finally wake up - i had even started crying to myself that this was the time that i wouldn't wake up and that i had died and was experiencing death - infinity in this state - this is the most horrifying experience i have ever had and do not wish it upon anyone - i also wake up gasping for air and wonder if i have stopped breathing and am indeed dying - i also have a rapid heartbeat due to being terrified - i appreciate reading everyones comments and knowing im not crazy