This Sleep Disorder Makes it Seem Like Ghosts are Visiting You - Sharp Science

Sleep paralysis is a pretty frightening yet common event affecting 7.6% of the general population, 28.3% of students, and 31.9% of psychiatric patients at least once in their life.

A lot of people say it feels like you’re half awake but you’re unable to speak or move, which makes you super frustrated and scared. Also, since you’re half awake, you may still have residual dream-like imagery happening all around you, adding to the fear.

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[molak]

once you get used to it... you just chill until your body start responding... I always get it if I sleep face up. I can only sleep on my side or face down ...

[WOG]

Used to get it occasionally, hasn't happened in a while, it's quite scary, but if u can keep a cool head (quite difficult to do since you've just woken) u can get some pretty interest experiences. I've tried screaming, talking and moving, But since your brain has essentially switched off your body, it's impossible, u can however wake ur self up fully if u keep at it long enough, feels like somebody is squishing ur chest that's the worst bit of it.

[jbw]

So basically the opposite of sleep walking

[TheGooglySmoog]

Two things I've done to combat Sleep Paralysis: Drink plenty of water, I've found that this happens more when I am dehydrated. Just consider that I might still be dreaming, this helps you stop panicking and then I told myself to wake up.

[faristaj]

I used to get sleep paralysis when I was younger, but as I grew older it started to fade away.

[Verition]

I can't open my eyes when I have it..

[crazyindynathan]

I've had it once, I enjoyed it, even though it was extremely creepy. It was right before I fell to sleep.

[lifeofyooms]

I've experienced it. It felt like someone was holding me down and hot a hold of my throat and I couldn't talk. Yea it really scared me to DEATH

[Reptulia]

sleep paralysis was quite common for me at some point. fortunately, I never had scary experiences. I would "wake up" too tired to care about my surroundings

[DjDeedzD]

Some of my earliest memories of childhood is sleep pyralisis and it is awful. It can be your worst thoughts come to life.

[kjnazari]

I have this couple of times a month. Its a terrible feeling. You feel like the devil visits takes your body and controls you, you cant do anything

[belindaackland]

I get this if I'm stressed out and day nap. It's freaking annoying.

[anneb]

I've seen thousands of people all ages, races, etc, and many objects, nothing bad, no spiders like other's see, for 35 years. So does my mum, strangely, it started the same year for us, 1988, but we didn't realise it for years. We are NEVER paralyzed though. We once both saw the exact same little smiley girl at the same time by our bedsides, even though we live an hour away from each other. I could tell you so many incidents you wouldn't believe me...

[roaringdragon]

I tried changing my bedtime drastically the other day, and was having trouble getting to sleep. I might or might not have gotten this, but when it happened, I was happy because I was halfway to going to sleep.

[poohonmyspace]

This has happened to me off an on ever since I was in my teens. It's very scary. For the most part, as long as I avoid sleeping on my back it's not too frequent.

[CoreZer]

First time it happened to me I was very young. I remember the feeling of dread and the visuals I saw were of black cats running over my body, keeping me from moving. I tried screaming for my parents but nothing would come out. Very traumatic for a kid, but as I grew older and the more it happened I didn't freak out as much. I now recognize the situation and instead of freaking out I focus on waking up. I also found several of my triggers and try to avoid them, but it doesn't always help.

[animemanXLK]

I used to get this when I was younger and too a much lesser extent now. never seen any weird imagery but basically I wake up and have this bizarre tingling sensation like someones pinning my down or a large snake is wrapped round me all over my body I can move but only a little bit. It usually lasts about a minute when I'm able to sortof break out of it

[kenmken]

Once I was asleep and I dreamt that I woke up and that I was in my room so I decided since I woke up I should go up and turn the lights on. I spent I think a few minutes trying to wake myself up in real life and not being able to by stumbling around the dark room in my dream trying to locate the light switch. It was pretty frightening.

[Moonstorms]

Yes, it’s happened to me early in the morning but the last time it happened was 9 o’clock in the morning and I just got out of the shower. You might want to go back to the drawing board about that one because someone needs to answer. Why did it happen to me when I had just got out of a shower? I had laid back on the bed wide-awake and it happened and the reason it stopped was instead of fighting it like I normally would’ve done I went with it and it released me..

[rl]

I get it a lot and see and hear terrifying things