My boyfriend isn't sleeping well

[Claudiaharrison]

My boyfriend told me that he's waking up in the middle of the night with a very weird feeling. He says that he feels his body is very heavy that he can't move, he could only move his eyes, and when he wants to move, he just cant, and it does happens to him alot. He didn't have a very happy past, and im wondering if this is a red flag of mental illness? Im very worried about him. What could this be? Why does it only happen at night?

[SassyLassie]

Hello~It sounds like your boyfriend is experiencing sleep paralysis, yes, it can be very scary. I think most of us have had it one time or another. Stress can certainly play a role in it.

I suggest asking his GP about it, possibly they can do a sleep study and find out exactly what is occurring.

[Bubulous]

This sounds like sleep paralysis and I have ecperienced it before.  Fortunately it is common and treatable.  He would need to see a therapist and probably only for a short while and rather than a pharmaceutical approach it could be treated with a type of therapy known as cognitive behavioral therapy.  I went through it when I first started treating my stress disorder but mine was ptsd.