If You Get Sleep Paralysis, Don't Open Your Eyes | Psych2Go

What causes sleep paralysis, and what should one do when they experience it? It can be an uncomfortable and terrifying experience, but there are ways to make it go away faster and to make it a little more bearable. Stay tuned!

Disclaimer: At around 1:33, there's a jump scare. So if you're uncomfortable, this is a warning.

[prettyprincess]

the teddy bear scared the shit out of me

[reaganbruh]

*finishes watching the video and immediately runs to parents room*

[HowtolucidOfficial]

Me: trying to relax, sleep, maybe lucid dream
My sleep paralysis: I’m boutta end this mans whole career

[tg]

So when I was a kid I had very regular sleep paralysis. For no special reason it seems. I didn't know what the hell it was and I basically thought that it was a normal thing for everyone to experience, like a certain subtype of nightmare, and whenever it happened I didn't sleep for the rest of the night.

I'm now 20 and I experience it maybe once a month... And let me tell you that no one gets used to it, no matter how often you get it. It's as if a demonic presence invading my whole room was always trying to kill me, very loud pulsating noises seeming to get closer and closer and a danger which seems to get worse and worse as time passes and there's no escaping it; the situation controls you (which can cause 30 sec to feel like an eternity), and the more you try to move the worst it gets, like the intense fear proportional to the danger felt creates even more hallucinatory danger to be felt.

So here are my no bullshit tips based on years of experiencing it for those of you who want to make the best use of this experience if it ever happens: if you have sleep paralysis, don't try to escape it. If your eyes are open, close them; if they are shut, keep them shut, otherwise you might see things you may never forget and fear your room for a long time. Then, listen carefully and put your entire focus on the terrible demonic hallucinatory sounds from hell that you hear and then slow down your breathing. As your breathing slows down, it indicates to your brain that the situation doesn't necessitate a fight or flight response. Once you did this, notice what happens; the sounds get less terrible and you can accept their presence. Finally, as your physiological activation decreases, it paradoxically becomes easier to use all the energy and willpower you have to succeed moving a limb and liberate yourself. If you succeed doing that, try to do that with other frightful situations in life (This is personnally the thing I'm the most grateful of that sleep paralysis offered me - a kind of rehearsal for real life situation). When something stressful, bad and extremely anxiogenic happens to you, pay attention to it, slow down your breathing, accept the situation for what it is, don't try to escape it, and then go through it with courage and a more serene state of mind.

[MacJaxonManOfAction]

So, to sum up: next time you awaken in a cold sweat, only to discover that you are totally paralysed and overcome with a mounting feeling of dread as you see a huge shadow standing over you in the darkness... JUST RELAX

[dr.faisal]

**me in dream**
Dream me : **sees a toilet**
Dream me : **sits on it**
Actual Me : **pees in bed**

[JenniferHales]

I had sleep paralysis once in my life. I felt something very strong or heavy moving on my chest and when I tried to move it away instinctively, it gripped my neck very firmly. It didn't feel human so I was terrified and sure it would kill me. I simply told myself to be brave and stayed still, without struggling until the feeling disappeared.

[MOHHppd]

The first time I experienced sleep paralysis, I also tried to forcefully fight my way out of it. However in the subsequent times, I've found that remaining calm through it and then once I'm stable forcefully try to awake myself all at once. If it didn't work, repeat. Stay calm and once you're calm force yourself to awake all at once. Always worked, usually only need to try one time

[Kyuukoks]

D-did I JUST GET SCARED BY A TEDDY BEAR?!

[butteredsalmonella]

If you dont want to get Sleep Paralysis just dont Sleep

*ROLL SAFELY*

[OOoOski]

If you’re having sleep paralysis from time to time or more often, it can actually be fun to just calm down and observe what’s happening around you. You can also sometimes control the hallucinations, I once turned the demon into an angel who lifted me from my bed and carried into a lucid dream. Sometimes I just laugh inside at the demon who’s trying to scare me or do things to me, as I know it’s just a hallucination.

[yeexian]

I've had sleep paralysis 95% of the time when I try to have a short evening nap. It's everything like you said except I can't breathe either. I try to fight it alot by trying my hardest to open my eyes or move my hands and there was once when my eye lid opened a tiny bit, big enough to let the light of my light bulb in for a good 10 seconds and then I woke up gasping for air

[revurbbg]

You open your eyes...you see a dude dancing and all you can do is just lay down and watch him dance...

[brooklynnbravesong]

"it can be triggered by sleep deprivation and depression"

Me: I'm fucked

[natalybasora]

I've only experienced this twice in my life but my whole body was so paralyzed I could not even open my eyes. I kept trying so hard but my eyelids were completely shut. At first this made me feel even more claustrophobic, but I guess I'm glad now cause I wouldn't have wanted to see something unpleasant.
They also say to try and start wiggling your fingers or toes, but I tried this too and it wouldn't work. It's definitely one of my worse experiences and I hope it doesn't happen again.

[shinx..]

for me i was chilling in bed and felt sooo tired and just drop asleep and after i hear laughing and scratching. couldnt move at all or speak but could breath fine. which made me think it was not near me enough to choke me but to scare me enough to make me freeze. guys whenever this happens NEVER OPEN YOUR EYES IF YOU CAN! i learnt the hard way when one i opened my eyes and i saw the tall black figure just staring at me for about 5 seconds then started screaming and my whole body went numb and i saw a thin body of me and my actual body still in bed and i when i realised i jumped straight back into my body and closed my eyes and then i woke up with me feeling very cold and my heart racing. not a fun feeling. since then ive had this for about a year or 2. so i have enough experince where i know what to do and it works. like sqeezing even the smallest muscle would work or trying to do something to hurt ur body or just breath nice and slow but not too slow and try to get calm.

[jackmercer]

Wake me up
*WAKE ME UP INSIDE!*
Can't wake up
*WAKE ME UP INSIDE!*
Save

[darthvader]

"People have died from this" alright I'm done watching.

[marcusjunior]

This is a real thing. Sleep paralysis is the most helpless feeling in the world. Imagine laying on your bed waking up and not being able to move or talk, but yet you see everything around you like you’re awake. I’ve been having sleep paralysis for 7 plus years. My girlfriend is a very light sleeper so when I am sleeping next to her I breath in and out really hard or wiggle my fingers and or toes and she feels it and wakes me up. If you’re alone and having those episodes just keep calm because the more you panic the more you’re going to sike yourself out. Even tho the episodes feels like an eternity, Remember that it’s temporary and it only last a couple of second or minutes.

[tingtong]

My first experience of sleep paralysis occurred when I was sleeping in a room with my cousins and I felt as if someone (many someones) were trying to turn me to my left side, I heard voices, snickering and creepy whispers... Oh God I will never forget that, the certainty that you are being crushed to death and you can't even cry for help, the fear is like nothing I have ever known and I hope to God I never feel it again..I was praying so hard for someone to wake me up..