I couldn’t share my story of improving my well being, without mentioning this surprising barrier.
If you would like to read more about sleep paralysis, please follow this link. https://www.livescience.com/50876-sleep-paralysis.html
About five years ago, I had my first episode of sleep paralysis.
My husband had left for work. I didn’t have to leave for a few hours, so I stayed in bed. The bedroom door was open enough for our cat, Nala, to enter and exit as she pleased. The gap slowly grew, but our fluffy cat wasn’t the reason. I tried to sit up, but couldn’t. My arms were locked.
A small, grotesque woman with slouched posture and tattered clothing walked through the door. I was immobile. My car keys and pepper spray were four inches from my head. Still, I couldn’t reach for either.
The woman continued to creep into our bedroom. She carried a wooden cutting board down by her knees. She stood at my side of the bed, mere inches from my face. I was petrified. Worse, I thought I stopped breathing.
When she was close to my face, I clearly saw hers. She had been hurt. Her face was bruised in various colors. She had scabs and gashes on her cheek and jaw. Plus, one eye appeared to be swollen closed. At that moment, I was no longer fearful of how this woman got into our apartment. I wondered what happened to her. After what seemed like several minutes, I was able to tilt my head away and gained control of my hands. The woman left.
I was frantic and fell back asleep. I felt like I had gone back in time for those few minutes. I saw the door open again and the same woman started to enter. I used all my strength to move my arms and turn my neck. The woman left once more.
I woke up and performed a Google search. I read articles that referred to this type of incident as demonic. I looked for a more logical explanation. I learned that sleep paralysis happens when the body transitions from dream mode to being awake. Instead of summarizing the scientific explanation, you can follow this link. https://www.livescience.com/21653-brain-chemicals-sleep-paralysis.html
A few times, radio and television from upstairs provoked auditory hallucinations. When I was stuck between REM sleep and waking up, I thought the voices on the neighbor’s tv were men talking in the apartment.
If you read the article and my blog post on Night Terrors, you’re probably wondering how I’ve had so much movement in my sleep and fell victim to sleep paralysis. Thankfully, sleep paralysis hasn’t been an issue for me since 2015. Thrashing, talking and punching are more recent disturbances.
When I looked for ways to prevent sleep paralysis, I found instructions to help trigger it. I read the article and did the opposite. This may not relieve you of this sleep phenomenon, but it might give you ideas.
Here is a list of things I did to stop sleep paralysis from happening.
- Got out of bed when my husband left for work
- Avoided sleeping on my back
- Avoided sleeping with my arms above my head
- Stopped sleeping with my hands beneath my pillow
- Stopped sleeping with my hands between my knees. (I still sleep in the fetal position, but I place my arms and hands to my right side)
- Stopped trying to physically fight the symptoms
- Told myself I’m awake and not in danger
- Made sure our tv and stereo were turned off
- Closed the bedroom door and closet door
- Moved from an apartment to a house
I have not forgotten how unpleasant the sensation can be. If you have freed yourself from this cycle, I would like to see the actions you took. Please share your efforts in the comments.
I wish you the best.