What is Sleep Paralysis? | Kati Morton

I'm Kati Morton, a licensed therapist making Mental Health videos!
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If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call a local emergency telephone number or go immediately to the nearest emergency room.

[bibliophilecb]

I have sleep paralysis so often it's usually more annoying than scary. I've also noticed that I seem to fall into REM very quickly (I'll find myself dreaming during a 10 minute nap), so I wonder if that's related.

[LuckyOlivia]

This happened to me the first time and I thought I was being possessed and couldn't breathe or move or wake up and it was absolutely terrifying.

[veo_]

I had chronic sleep paralysis as a teenager. It happened nightly and it was scary at first but eventually I realized it was just a weird half-dream/half-awake state. It actually led me down a path of sleep self-experimentation which lead to a lifetime of *lucid dreaming* and it turns out sleep paralysis is the primary gateway into dream lucidity. I've also taught myself how to get into sleep paralysis from a waking state, where i basically trick my body that I'm mentally asleep until it disconnects from the mind leaving me paralysed, which is quite a surreal experience! I often try to linger in sleep paralysis as long as possible since it's such a novel state of consciousness and I find it fascinating, but if I want to abort the experience I've found a useful technique is to HYPERVENTILATE on purpose, as it will wake the body up and you'll regain muscle control/tone almost immediately.

[Llight-qgtc]

"Literally had a dream once that it was some damned little goblin dancing on my chest. Woke up! And it was my sister's chihuahua." 😵😆

[samantha_hhhhhh]

When I have sleep paralysis I look around and try to wiggle my toes and fingers and I finally can move really hope it helps someone 😊

[Thechangelingpnw]

I've had sleep paralysis off and on since I was about 12. I don't get the scary images, but I am paralyzed temporarily, and can't breathe. That first deep breath after it breaks is amazing, usually I just try to fall back asleep. It's worst when I'm stressed. If I'm super tired or stressed, I will essentially dream before I'm fully asleep, which is also weird lol I have never seen anyone about either, guess Iearned how to handle for now. Thanks for the video, great as always!

[tropfor]

Damn. Trying to find out why im having sleep paralysis to stop it, and there are so many videos showing creepy stuff on thge thumbnail which does not help lol finally found one without it

[libbycatherine]

Thanks for covering this topic! I've had sleep paralysis at various times throughout my life and it can be really scary. It's worse when I'm stressed. When I experience it, I have some sort of "hallucination" (or nightmare, but I'm awake) and can't move but as soon as I wake up a bit more, I panic and wake my husband up. It's hard for both of us. This was a great video:)

[joseestalella]

I recommend before you go to bed do a little pray so you can sleep relaxing with no trouble at all.

[savvyssketches]

I am so glad you made a video about this topic. I have struggled off and on with sleep paralysis and have been so terrified everytime it happens. Knowing why and how my brain is working during my sleep paralysis now helps me feel less scared of it. Thanks, Kati!

[bobbij]

I'm not able to watch this just yet but THANK YOU for doing a video on the topic. I've struggled with it for years and its terrifying! I can't wait to hear your thoughts and knowledge. Live your channel SO much!

[nicoleijieh]

When you said I shouldn't be afraid, since my brain is just waking up made me feel so much better and less scared.

[sayjal]

it just happened with ....it was horrible!!! it's 2:21Am (in India) in the midnight...and i searched about sleep paralysis and many horror videos were coming...and I saw your face..i swear...this video made me feel so relax...i m still crying...😭😭

[Emily_Quinn]

Terrifies the crap out of me. I scream my head off, to wake myself up. No thank you... bye felicia

[chiinlian]

The most annoying thing about this is that once i kinda wake up from it I would still feel so sleepy not able to stay awake knowing that it would happen again but then the sleepiness took over causing me to have sleep paralysis more than 5 times in one night. And my family tells me I sleep talk pretty much every night but the thing is I rarely remember the dreams I had.

[rawnita]

I just love the way you say «welcome» ❤️

[husseinnasser]

Happened to me once when I was teenager. The way you explained it is very scientific and interesting. The way my mom explained it not so much. There was a superstition where I come from. Where if you wake up in the middle of the night and you can’t move but you still aware of your surroundings and you cant scream, you were visited by a non threatening gray creature that likes to hug you while you sleep. Its name is Jathom or Yathom. Told my mom why did it pick me? She says because it likes you .. 😂😂😂

Thanks again Kati for wonderful content! Keep it up #notificationgang

[EmuEmi]

I have sleep paralysis multiple times a week. If this helps anyone, for me, I get it when I’m needed up early to perform a task and then attempt to go back to sleep. My brain has already woken up for the day and trying to put it back to sleep causes for this to happen all of the time. The best way to help it is sleeping at a healthier time so when you need up to do whatever it is you do, you can stay awake. Or, if it’s not possible, perform your task as quickly as humanely possible. Don’t let you wake up entirely.

[MusicIsARainbow]

The first time it happened to me, I hallucinated. There was a dark figure at the foot of my bed laughing an evil laugh, I couldn't breathe, and as he shook my blanket, I could feel the wind on my legs. It started as I was falling asleep. I truly thought I was going to die and I prayed for God to help me.

It stopped as suddenly as it started and when I shot out of bed, I turned the light on and was furious. I looked around me for the man who attacked me and when he wasn't there, I seriously thought it had been an evil spirit. Then I laughed at myself when I realized I had sleep paralysis just like my mom, only she yells in her sleep and would do so almost every night.

Her doctor told her it's a symptom of narcolepsy and a neurologist I went to thought my medical problems were from a lack of deep sleep because your body repairs itself during that stage.

The episodes continued to be terrifying, but without any hallucinations. I have learned to not panic and either try to fall back to sleep or to move just one part of my body. It happens a lot more when I'm sleep deprived. After my first son was born, I was severely sleep deprived due to a week of labor and when we had to leave him at the NICU, I tried to get some sleep and spent the whole hour or so getting stuck in sleep paralysis repeatedly. I gave up and we had to go back to the hospital.

I believe alien abduction stories are sleep paralysis hallucinations. Many of them start with a person being in their bed and suddenly they can't move. Other people experience a cat or evil figure sitting on their chest and they can't breathe or move.

Oh, I hallucinated one other time while taking a nap. My son and his friend were trying to set our kitchen on fire and I felt so helpless because I couldn't stop them. His friend wasn't even there and it all seemed so real. Most of my episodes happen when I'm napping, but I can go months without it happening.

[procrastelinaa]

Kati! You are the best, I worked with sleep specialists and went through SO MANY sleep studies trying to find a solution for my sleep paralysis. At one point my doctors were concerned that it may be early signs of narcolepsy, because my sleep paralysis would last for indeterminate amounts of time and was absolutely terrifying. It had gotten so bad at some points that I was afraid to go to sleep for fear of not being able to get up in the morning. On several occasions I was late to work because my sleep paralysis literally kept me from being able to get up on time.
But the scariest part was always that no one knew what I was talking about when I tried to reach out for support. And it wasn't easy to find resources to show people when they asked what sleep paralysis was. Thank you so much for creating videos like this one to create opportunities for people to see that they are not alone and giving such great advice for where to start looking for answers. Thankfully,  in working with my therapist through past trauma and finding solutions that worked for me to better manage my stress and my sleep habits, I haven't had to worry about sleep paralysis affecting my everyday life in over a year. In the end, the solution to so many of my problems was really rooted in self care that I was neglecting. I always look forward to your videos, thank you so much!