The other night I was getting to sleep when I was going to get up to go to the bathroom. Then all of a sudden I realise I can't move. Then the things I've read about sleep paralysis came into my head. I began to feel something like above my head. I'm scared about now. After a few minutes I think I could wriggle my fingers and and in a while the "presence" disappeared.
My view on this is I thought up the "presence".
I just want to know if this has happened to anybody else or if anybody has any views on my experience.
My first paranormal experience! Yay!!

Hi 343 Guilty Spark.

There have been many threads and discussions on sleep paralysis on this forum. Try trawling through the older sections or doing a search. You should find many to answer your questions.

Sleep paralysis actually occurs to everyone, usually depending on the stage of sleep. In the Physiological Approach to psychology, certain Methods have been used to record the stages of sleep by measuring the physical state and experiences that occur. Non-Invasive Methods such as EMG's are used to detect and record different levels of muscle movements during sleep.. now, taking into account that there are five stages of sleep.. the first four belong to the 'non REM' phase; this phase of sleep gradually deepens into a more relaxed state, and it is the period where activiation synthesis occurs i.e when random nerv impulses/ brain cells relaying the obtained info from our day is made sense of by tesselating it into our own representation in the form of a dream. Usually these random nerves carrying the different info is recontruscted using our basic units of information/knowledge and ideas called Schemas to use in reconstructing a very different representation of the info gathered from the day. However after this gradual phase of constructing dreams, the last stage (5) is the REM phase where EMG methods show our muscles are paralysed. But heart rate changes too and breathing becomes shallower, and the eyes move rapidly -indicating the Brains hish activity after the activation synthesis whilst the person would be dreaming. The EEG Methods for sleep record brain activity and eye movements to analyse the brain waves, which the findings are used to support the dream activities. Anyways... So even though Muscle paralysis occurs in the deepest form of sleep (last few ours of sleep) other body functions still occur. So 343 Guilty Spark, I would guess that when you woke up, you just passed the fine boarder over the REM stage of sleep and were still under the physiological affects of muscle paralysis.. It happens to everyone, but it is quite rare, to wake up just after the brink of REM sleep.. usually before waking up you gradually pass out of that stage and regain full control over your muscles..

Thanks Pinowawa1 and Loonboy for the info
I know its weird but the night after I wanted it to happen again so I could see what it felt like when I wasn't freaking out.

It is pretty freaky! I didn't realize that it happened to everyone, thanks for the post. I've experienced it a few times -- usually right as I'm drifting off to sleep. Though I've never been in any kind of "Dream state" at the time, and never "sensed" anything.

Still freakay! Like you, I just tried to start moving my fingers or toes until I could, and that was enough to "jolt" my mind awake enough that I could at least move something else.. arm, foot.. until I could wake up. hehe.

Neat!

Yeah I tried to move along my body. I moved my fingers then my hand then my arm. During the paralysis I couldn't even speak!

I have had this happen to me many times and it always scares me, i wish someone could tell me why, most of the time i am dreaming something scary,and wake up but i can not move, and i feel like i am fighting myself, it is so weird,

I think that it all comes down to what position you normally sleep in, ie. . on your back, your side or your stomache. I normally don't sleep on my back, but when I do, I find that I can't move when I wake up. I don't experience any other type of phenomenon . . I just can't move.

~weird~

Do you have bad dreams before this happens to you? just wondering

Are people ignoring my Information? .. Sleep paralysis occurs to everyone, every night, not because of bad dreams! Why does it happen? Because our nervous system is no longer operating with our skeletal Muscles, and after a few hours into the last stage of REM sleep, (after activation synthesis of dream creation) the nerve's activity levels are higher in the brain. However other areas of the body continue to function.. these include smooth muscles such as the stomach, intestine walls etc.. Here.. I'll paste in my previous comment again for those who missed it: Sleep paralysis actually occurs to everyone, usually depending on the stage of sleep. In the Physiological Approach to psychology, certain Methods have been used to record the stages of sleep by measuring the physical state and experiences that occur. Non-Invasive Methods such as EMG's are used to detect and record different levels of muscle movements during sleep.. now, taking into account that there are five stages of sleep.. the first four belong to the 'non REM' phase; this phase of sleep gradually deepens into a more relaxed state, and it is the period where activiation synthesis occurs i.e when random nerv impulses/ brain cells relaying the obtained info from our day is made sense of by tesselating it into our own representation in the form of a dream. Usually these random nerves carrying the different info is recontruscted using our basic units of information/knowledge and ideas called Schemas to use in reconstructing a very different representation of the info gathered from the day. However after this gradual phase of constructing dreams, the last stage (5) is the REM phase where EMG methods show our muscles are paralysed. But heart rate changes too and breathing becomes shallower, and the eyes move rapidly -indicating the Brains hish activity after the activation synthesis whilst the person would be dreaming. The EEG Methods for sleep record brain activity and eye movements to analyse the brain waves, which the findings are used to support the dream activities. Anyways... So even though Muscle paralysis occurs in the deepest form of sleep (last few ours of sleep) other body functions still occur. So 343 Guilty Spark, I would guess that when you woke up, you just passed the fine boarder over the REM stage of sleep and were still under the physiological affects of muscle paralysis.. It happens to everyone, but it is quite rare, to wake up just after the brink of REM sleep.. usually before waking up you gradually pass out of that stage and regain full control over your muscles..

I forgot to mention.. When people (do not) sleep well , and are having restless nights, their nervous system is still active in responding to stimuli, and skeletal muscles remain conscious.. this type of sleep does not involve Paralysis, as the nervous system has remained active throught the whole body.. Activation Synthesis may occure for a few minutes as you may notice a short dream, but it will not be that effective.

You are partly rite nativechick1989, Paralysis may occur when you fall to sleep on different areas of your body , especially when it is your arm and other irregular position ( ) .. When this happens, the body's weight prevents blood flow, as well as temporarily disabling the nerve functions, which in return stops movement in that part of the body. But this way of paralysis is only for one or few speciffic areas where muscles are unable to move.. When the full Sleep Paralysis occurs is hen the person goes into a deep long sleep, and when all the nerves of the body temporarily kind of shut down, howver all electrical impulses are active in the brain as it goes through the activation synthesis stage of dreams. And as the electrical impulses are no longer working efficently around the nerves to other parts of the body such as the arms and legs .. movement can not take place.

My paralysis happened when I was on my back. Maybe it happened because I normally sleep on my side. And my brain woke up before my body.

It used to happen to me a lot when I'd fall asleep in class with my head down on my desk.

Yes, I did that regularly. And I was a VERY irresponsible student.

Hi, I've had an experience of sleep paralysis.

It wasn't much, but enough to give me a good scare.

I woke up from an afternoon nap, I was on my back... and I couldn't move... I remember that I was home alone when I started hearing a pounding on my bed, and I could feel the vibrations too. Then the covers rustled just a bit, then i was able to let out a scream and it was all over.

scared the sh** out of me though.

*edit* - i am on vacation now, but i'm not really looking forward to going back to my own bed, i hope it doesn't happen again... because you really can't control anything when it is happening.