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skippercollector

(206 posts)
Tue Apr 16, 2013, 09:02 PM Apr 2013

sleep paralysis and can't breathe, but no evil

I periodically wake up with sleep paralysis, maybe once every three months or so. It used to happen when I was sleeping on my back, but in the past year there have been times I've been on my side. I can move my fingers and toes but seldom anything else.
My main problem is that I cannot breathe. I keep trying to force myself to move but nothing happens. When I am finally able to move my torso and take a breathe, it's a very deep hard breath. I am left panting and with my heart pounding.
I have NEVER had the feeling of evil in the room nor seen any creatures sitting on my chest. I can't open my eyes, anyway.
I'm not afraid of being raped by one of the evil creatures, or getting abducted by aliens. My fear is much more rational--that of suffocation or a heart attack.
Are there folks out there with sleep paralysis but none of the other symptoms? This isn't really an advice question--I am curious as to why I am NOT experiencing the rest of the symptoms.

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sleep paralysis and can't breathe, but no evil (Original Post) skippercollector Apr 2013 OP
It sounds more like sleep apnea Warpy Apr 2013 #1
I've had it. napoleon_in_rags Apr 2013 #2
You need to GET YOURSELF TO A DOCTOR! Suich Apr 2013 #3
You need a doctor. Deep13 Apr 2013 #4
I have sleep paralysis on occasion ... Fantastic Anarchist Apr 2013 #5
familial sleep paralysis is actually quite common. nebenaube Apr 2013 #6
Mine is so infrequent that I don't even consider it a nuisance. Fantastic Anarchist Apr 2013 #10
It's a side-effect of sleep deprivation. nebenaube Apr 2013 #12
Sleep paralysis. StrayKat Apr 2013 #7
Sleep Paralysis = Out of Body Experience = Near Death Experience = An... nebenaube Apr 2013 #13
You might have sleep apnea EvolveOrConvolve Apr 2013 #8
I have it every now and again.. TSBprm6 Apr 2013 #9
I used to have sleep apnea womanofthehills Apr 2013 #11
I have sleep paralysis JustAnotherGen Apr 2013 #14
Me too... Jes.M Oct 2013 #15
Hello ~ Jes.M In_The_Wind Oct 2013 #16
welcome to DU gopiscrap Oct 2013 #17
I am sorry about your troubles sending good healing thoughts your way-Mike gopiscrap Oct 2013 #18
me too cfanger Jun 2014 #19
YUP! cfanger Jun 2014 #20
ihateit princejordan31 Aug 2014 #21
narcolepsy MrsNarcoleptic1981 Oct 2014 #22
Message auto-removed Name removed Jun 2022 #23

Warpy

(110,900 posts)
1. It sounds more like sleep apnea
Tue Apr 16, 2013, 09:19 PM
Apr 2013

and a sleep study, either in the hospital or at home with a recording respiratory/heart rate/O2 saturation meter, can turn it up pretty quickly.

You're going to want to get this checked out, in any case. Untreated sleep apnea can shorten your life and wreck what quality of life you do have.

napoleon_in_rags

(3,991 posts)
2. I've had it.
Tue Apr 16, 2013, 09:19 PM
Apr 2013

It's part of the group of sleep disorders.

What to remember is this: You're body disconnects from movement when dreaming, so you don't thrash around and hurt yourself in your sleep when you're having an active dream. However, your body keeps the breathing and heart rate automatically going, at a rate consistent with deep relaxation and sleep. So when you wake up with sleep paralysis, your mind is still disconnected with movements, you're not fully awake. If you freak out, your inclination is to gasp, your brain demands more oxygen... But you're body is continuing a shallow breathing rate, so you can feel oxygen deprived.

So when you experience it, try to just relax. Zen meditation. Go back to sleep, your body will take care of itself. You will wake up and be fine.

Suich

(10,642 posts)
3. You need to GET YOURSELF TO A DOCTOR!
Tue Apr 16, 2013, 09:19 PM
Apr 2013

Sleep apnea comes to mind and it can kill you.

I repeat, GET YOURSELF TO A DOCTOR, ASAP!

Good luck!

Fantastic Anarchist

(7,309 posts)
5. I have sleep paralysis on occasion ...
Tue Apr 16, 2013, 09:50 PM
Apr 2013

I can't move, and my body is buzzing. It takes me about 5-10 seconds to snap out of it. It's scary as hell. I don't recall not being able to breathe, though. That would intensify the terror ten-fold.

You should see a doctor about this. There's information on the web about this.

 

nebenaube

(3,496 posts)
6. familial sleep paralysis is actually quite common.
Tue Apr 16, 2013, 10:15 PM
Apr 2013

if you don't have congestive heart failure, or snore heavily with periods of silence, or drool all over the pillow in your sleep, and or wake up with headaches I would just work on getting more rest and eating healthy.

Fantastic Anarchist

(7,309 posts)
10. Mine is so infrequent that I don't even consider it a nuisance.
Wed Apr 17, 2013, 07:30 PM
Apr 2013

When it does happen, it's terrifying, but it only happens once in a blue moon.

 

nebenaube

(3,496 posts)
12. It's a side-effect of sleep deprivation.
Mon Apr 22, 2013, 08:51 PM
Apr 2013

It's a side-effect of sleep deprivation. Obstructive Sleep Apnea does Excessive Daytime Sleepiness that but so does poor sleep habits and shift work.

StrayKat

(570 posts)
7. Sleep paralysis.
Tue Apr 16, 2013, 10:50 PM
Apr 2013

I had it a few times sometimes with the sensation of something sitting on my chest and usually a sense of dread that something hostile is in the room. I've never been able to move including breathing. I have to fall asleep again (or maybe pass out from lack of oxygen?) to be able to move. I've never been able to move anything except my eyelids, and that was only one time.

Not everyone experiences every symptom. There really is nothing different about experiencing the fear or not. Sleep paralysis can be scary at the time, but it's harmless. Trying to calm down and go back to sleep is the best.

If you're still curious, do some online research. Even Wiki discusses a bit of the non-panicked variety of sleep paralysis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis


The third hallucination type differs from the other two in that it involves the brainstem, cerebellar, and cortical vestibular centers—not the threat activation vigilance system.[3] Under normal conditions, medial and vestibular nuclei, cortical, thalamic, and cerebellar centers coordinate things such as head and eye movement, and orientation in space.[7] In sleep paralysis, these mechanisms—which usually coordinate body movement and provide information on body position—activate and, because there is no actual movement, become confused and induce a floating sensation.[15] The vestibular nuclei in particular has been identified as being closely related to dreaming during the REM stage of sleep.[7] Unlike the other two types of hallucinations, vestibular-motor experiences arise from completely endogenous sources of stimuli.[15]
 

nebenaube

(3,496 posts)
13. Sleep Paralysis = Out of Body Experience = Near Death Experience = An...
Mon Apr 22, 2013, 08:55 PM
Apr 2013

Sleep Paralysis = Out of Body Experience = Near Death Experience = Angel visitation = Hypnogogic hallucination...
It's funny to research this particular thing, because what it is depends on one's belief system.

EvolveOrConvolve

(6,452 posts)
8. You might have sleep apnea
Tue Apr 16, 2013, 10:52 PM
Apr 2013

I had similar symptoms, but thought that because I only noticed it every couple of months that it was just something that happened to me occasionally. After a sleep study, they found that my breathing stopped 68 times an hour, and I had severe sleep apnea.

It's the sort of thing that can kill you, so go see your doc about it.

TSBprm6

(3 posts)
9. I have it every now and again..
Tue Apr 16, 2013, 10:57 PM
Apr 2013

Simply put, your conscious wakes up during REM sleep. Everyone is paralyzed when they are in REM Sleep, they just don't know it. You're sorta in a half dream state but your conscious wakes up and your body is still in REM and can't move. It used to terrify me, now when it happens I tell myself to fall back asleep and wake up right. Once I knew what it was I stopped fighting it and it isn't nearly as traumatizing. It still sucks, but I deal with it much better.

Not being able to breath is a separate issue and you should probably have a sleep study done and see a Doctor. Best of luck

womanofthehills

(8,579 posts)
11. I used to have sleep apnea
Wed Apr 17, 2013, 11:49 PM
Apr 2013

My environmental dr said it's often connected to air quality. She said to take everything out of your bedroom but your bed and dresser. No rugs, no books - nothing that will be dusty or off gas. Wash your sheets every week in non scented detergent, and mop your bedroom floor each day. If your live in an area that does not have clean air, get an air purifier. Check your heating system.

I moved to the country for the clean air, and my apnea is gone. Mine was connected to the city spraying pesticides for mosquitos. When I looked up their spraying records, my apnea happened the same nights they sprayed as I slept with my windows open. I live in the sw but when I visit the east coast, if I stay anywhere that has mold - like an old seaside hotel - it happens again.

It can also sometimes be an allergic reaction.


JustAnotherGen

(31,681 posts)
14. I have sleep paralysis
Fri Apr 26, 2013, 12:15 PM
Apr 2013

Incidents when I'm under stress. My sleep disorders (per several sleep studies) are hypersomnia with a touch of narcolepsy. I did my last study overnight then they kept me the next day through 4:00 pm.


I had to do the sit in a dark room during normal daylight hours in a chair test - and I fell asleep sitting up. . The second round of that testing I had a sleep paralysis incident that falls in line with the hallucinations of the extremely tired.

Sitting up in a sleep clinic or at home laying down at night - I always have demonic aliens surround me.

My terror comes from being cognizant but unable to move - not an inability to breathe. I think you really need an in depth sleep study and if necessary a cpap machine.


My brother swears that cpap has changed his life.

Jes.M

(1 post)
15. Me too...
Sun Oct 27, 2013, 09:06 AM
Oct 2013

What you've described is exactly what I get. Sometimes it's a few times a month, or not for many months, or sometimes even several episodes in one night. My earliest memory of it occuring is when I was 4 or 5, and has continued for the last 16 years.
My fear is the same. Not wanting to suffocate. I am fully aware, just can't move or breathe...
I went to a doctor about it and he advised me to get more exercise and consume less caffeine. It still happens though. I wondering of you have solved this problem yourself yet or if you've come across any other advice or help.
I do wish you the best. I know how much it sucks.

cfanger

(2 posts)
19. me too
Thu Jun 19, 2014, 08:58 PM
Jun 2014

Yup, I can't breath and I fight to try and move to wake myself up...
I was told it is a form of sleep paralysis, fortunately it does not happen often

cfanger

(2 posts)
20. YUP!
Thu Jun 19, 2014, 09:09 PM
Jun 2014

I have sleep paralysis, along with not being able to breathe. I can feel it coming on and try to move and wake myself up. It seems like an eternity and you feel panic when you can't move. The only way I can breathe is if I fight it and wake myself up. Most times it will come right back as I fall asleep again, so I have to go through it many times to finally get to sleep. I do not think this is apnea.
People with apnea don't have paralysis. they say it is not dangerous, just anxiety with the feeling for not breathing. I guess once I am asleep the breathing comes back. It's just those few seconds when you are aware you can't and try fighting it that is so terrifying. I don't think we are actually in danger of not getting enough oxygen, it just feels like it. Do you have a history of anxiety or bipolar??? Many people with the sleep paralysis also have narcolepsy. I have trouble driving on the highway, it's a sleep regulatory brain chemistry thing.
I'd love to hear what you think about all this,,, you are not alone.

22. narcolepsy
Tue Oct 21, 2014, 04:28 PM
Oct 2014

Hi! I know this is late, but I just joined and saw this. If you don't know by now, both sleep paralysis and hypnogogic hallucinations are symptoms of narcolepsy, which I have recently been diagnosed with in the past 6 months. The other symptoms are cataplexy (complete loss of muscle function, usually when experiencing extreme emotions) and extreme daytime sleepiness. Hope this helps!!

Response to skippercollector (Original post)

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