the feeling of being touched by somebody during sleep paralysis

[Telstra]

Many countries (usually Asians and Africans) hold this belief

There was once my senior brought home a skeleton from a real body (for educational purposes). That night she had sleep paralysis for the first time in her life (she's around 30). The next morning, she told her friends in excitement and thrill. The talk turned into gossip circle and it turned out that everyone who brings home the particular skeleton my senior took home and not the other skeletons (there are 6 skeletons) experiences sleep paralysis. After returning it back, she never has sleep paralysis again until now.

Scientific or supernatural? You ask me thus sleep medicine is hard to study

its all about the brains. If you think too much, you get nightmares.

 

[Kabluey]

This.

It prevents you from killing yourself by acting out your dreams. But you're half awake and conscious of it but still unable to move.

It's much easier to break out of it by first moving your eyes. Next, try to open them (but be aware you might be dreaming that you've opened them). Then try moving a finger. Then move to a hand or foot, then an arm or leg.

Start small, with your eyes.

I used to get this when I was early twenties and stressed out.

Terrifying feeling - like being paralysed by an electric current while mutely screaming your lungs out. Not nice.

Don't think I would have been able to snap myself out of it, or that it was connected to any dreams in particular. You sound a bit more lucid in yours.

 

[rareboy]

I have it occasionally...but only if I've fallen asleep on my back.

 

[pat grimshaw]

Well, I think half the people here are discussing the phenomenon of dreaming and the other half are exaggerating and catastrophising over the normal and natural process of the body gradually waking up and re-energising itself after sleep.

 

[pat grimshaw]

^
I wake up. My eyes take a minute or so to focus. I stay still in bed because the heat in the bed has completely relaxed all my muscles and they have NO power in them. I start stretching to re-energise those muscles and then start moving out of bed. My brain can be fuzzy for half an hour after waking.

I'm sure there's a sensible physiological reason why our muscles lose their power —or become "paralysed" in sleep. I've heard of people who suddenly run from their bed to the bathroom in the middle of the night. They collapse on the floor because their leg muscles have no power to support them. I've read car manuals which say you should run the engine for a while before putting it to the stress of driving off.

 

[pat grimshaw]

^
fair enough

 

[pat grimshaw]

^
I recant nothing!

I'm wary of all fads I hear on the internet, but hearing your account has made me completely sympathetic of your situation.

 

[Yves Grey]

I've only felt this once or twice, even fairly recently, but only when forcing myself awake from a dream. I usually don't dream, I assume because I'm so tired. At any rate, I was absolutely terrified at each instance of paralysis--the dream / nightmare sucked, and when I woke up, I felt like I was drowning!

But once I was awake and alert everything was better.

I always started my escape by forcing my eyes open (sometimes my eyelids are quite heavy), then moving my head. Mind you, this usually takes place in a state of complete panic, which I'm guessing is a normal reaction. Anyway, by the time I can lift my head, I can usually force my body into fight or flight, and I go leaping (or flopping) out of bed, just as when I am unexpectedly roused from sleep, startled, and someone catches a face-ful of fist... or foot!

 

[Tonny Wijaya]

I have it occasionally...but only if I've fallen asleep on my back.

That's because you snore up a storm and scare all the demons away!

 

[justdra]

I have those dreams every now and then. My relatives use to say it was " a witch riding your back", lol. It usually happens to me and im covered up to my neck with a blanket and I can't seem to move but my mind is wide awake. A lot of times it seem like im suffocating and I have to try to relax myself in order to wake up, sometimes I even try to roll myself off the bed to wake up LOL. After I wake up, I'm usually able to go back sleep afterwards.

 

[roadtripboy]

I've this happen once or twice. It's scary as hell.
It's kind of comforting to know it's happens to this many other people, too.

I went to the doctor...he told me it was normal, that it happens to a lot people. It hasn't happened since. I hope I remember what the doctor said if ever happens again.

I used to sleep walk...I don't think I still do...but I rather do that have sleep paralysis.