Sleep Paralysis and Nocturnal Assaults

[n2ize]

Interesting skeptoid article on sleep paralysis and some of its supernatural interpretations that have occurred over the centuries. Having been a sufferer of sleep paralysis since my early 20's I can understand how many have interpreted them as supernatural events, even though I don't subscribe to the supernatural interpretations myself. Nonetheless, it is a very bizarre and terrifying experience when they do happen. In recent years I have rarely been getting sleep paralysis episodes. I notice that the article states that Prozac seems to inhibit them from occurring. Since Prozac is an anti-depressant and since I am on an anti-depressant (Celexa) for my anxiety disorder I wonder if that is why I no longer seem to be getting episodes of sleep paralysis.

The mind is a strange and complex computing device and although science has made great strides forward in understanding its inner workings there is still apparently a lot more to learn.

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4008

[NQ6U]

Fuck the so-called "rational" explanations. It's demonic possession.

[AE5CP]

I experienced sleep paralysis during/after my sleep study for sleep apnea. That was extremely weird, waking up and not being able to move.

[n2ize]

I experienced sleep paralysis during/after my sleep study for sleep apnea. That was extremely weird, waking up and not being able to move.

Yes, and even more weird is when its accompanied by visual, auditory, and tactile hallucinations...sort of a dream superimposed over realty. And the strange thing is the hallucinations are always sinister and seem to be extremely malevolent. You get a strong sensation that there is something just outside of your field of vision that intends to do you harm. They are never pleasant. Even though i understood it was all concocted by my own mind it was still always terrifying.

How are you doing with the sleep apnea ? Did you manage to get it cured ?

[XE1/N5AL]

Every few years, I have a dream where I awake to see something happening around me. Yet, I am powerless to move a single muscle. It's really a weird feeling.

However, things might not be as they seem:
One night, a friend had an episode where he woke up and thought he saw a knife-wielding man standing in his bedroom doorway. In a drowsy slumber, he dismissed it as a dream, or hallucination, and closed his eyes to return to sleep. But, remaining doubtful with what he had seen, he quickly reopened his eyes and still saw the guy standing there. There really was a man with a knife in his bedroom!

The friend always slept with a pistol close at hand, so he was able to grab his gun, jump up out of bed and scare the burgular away.

[K7SGJ]

Every few years, I have a dream where I awake to see something happening around me. Yet, I am powerless to move a single muscle. It's really a weird feeling.

However, things might not be as they seem:
One night, a friend had an episode where he woke up and thought he saw a knife-wielding man standing in his bedroom doorway. In a drowsy slumber, he dismissed it as a dream, or hallucination, and closed his eyes to return to sleep. But, remaining doubtful with what he had seen, he quickly reopened his eyes and still saw the guy standing there. There really was a man with a knife in his bedroom!

The friend always slept with a pistol close at hand, so he was able to grab his gun, jump up out of bed and scare the burgular away.

Did he wave it around and de-escalate the situation?

[XE1/N5AL]

Did he wave it around and de-escalate the situation?
At the risk of not hijacking John's thread and turning it into a gun discussion:

At first, he just commanded the burglar to get out of his apartment. Then, he started thinking: if he hadn't woken up, the guy might have stabbed him. So, the friend burst out of his apartment and chased the intruder across the apartment parking lot. He couldn't catch up to the fleeing man, but he managed to fire off a few shots in his general direction. It was a stupid thing to do, and fortunately, nobody was injured. The bad guy got away.

With all the commotion, the friend found himself standing in the middle of the apartment parking lot, holding a long barrel .45 caliber revolver, clad only in his tidy-whitie underwear, while all his neighbors looked on. It must have looked pretty comical.

Police officers quickly arrived on the scene and cited my friend for discharging a firearm within the Dallas (Texas) city limits. He had to pay a $50 fine for this infraction.

[WØTKX]

So, how's the Celexa? Is it happy?

[K9CCH]

I didn't read the article, but I have sleep paralysis quite often. I can see through the slits between my eyelids, and I can yell in my mind for Kenny to wake me up, but of course he can't hear me.

[WX7P]

My nocturnal assaults are when FA the Siamese meyats in my face and insists on going outside at 3:30 AM.

[n2ize]

Every few years, I have a dream where I awake to see something happening around me. Yet, I am powerless to move a single muscle. It's really a weird feeling.

Yep that is sleep paralysis. You are powerless to move. Yet you can see your surroundings but things that shouldn't be there are there and they ca be felt, heard, and seen. What makes it so terrifying is that what you see / hear is usually not pleasant, is often downright wicked shit, and yet it seems so damned real.



However, things might not be as they seem:
One night, a friend had an episode where he woke up and thought he saw a knife-wielding man standing in his bedroom doorway. In a drowsy slumber, he dismissed it as a dream, or hallucination, and closed his eyes to return to sleep. But, remaining doubtful with what he had seen, he quickly reopened his eyes and still saw the guy standing there. There really was a man with a knife in his bedroom!

The friend always slept with a pistol close at hand, so he was able to grab his gun, jump up out of bed and scare the burgular away.

Uh yeah... that is pretty scary and what makes it even more scary was that it was real. Good thing he had his gun within reach.

[n2ize]

So, how's the Celexa? Is it happy?

In my case it helps.

[n2ize]

Police officers quickly arrived on the scene and cited my friend for discharging a firearm within the Dallas (Texas) city limits. He had to pay a $50 fine for this infraction.

Well, he shouldn't have fired the gun since the thug was running away. But its a good thing he had it. If he didn't have the weapon who knows, the thug may have tried to cut him. One of the reasons I feel its better to be armed than not be armed.

[AE5CP]

How are you doing with the sleep apnea ? Did you manage to get it cured ?

I am managing it. I took to CPAP therapy surprisingly well, never sleep without it.
I do have to verify things when I travel to make sure I have all my bases covered when I get to my destination, but other than that it is not really any big deal.

[n2ize]

I am managing it. I took to CPAP therapy surprisingly well, never sleep without it.
I do have to verify things when I travel to make sure I have all my bases covered when I get to my destination, but other than that it is not really any big deal.

Glad to hear you are doing well and managing it. I know sleep apnea can be a rough condition leading to extreme fatigue and other problems. Glad to hear you've got it under control.

[N2NH]

Is there really any scientific proof of sleep paralysis and nocturnal assaults? Or is it all just a nightmare? The article seems to bring up an anecdotal event, but nothing with real science.

[K7SGJ]

Is there really any scientific proof of sleep paralysis and nocturnal assaults? Or is it all just a nightmare? The article seems to bring up an anecdotal event, but nothing with real science.


The guy that was assaulted WAS a scientist. There ya go.

[n2ize]

Is there really any scientific proof of sleep paralysis and nocturnal assaults? Or is it all just a nightmare? The article seems to bring up an anecdotal event, but nothing with real science.

yes, there is very solid scientific evidence that the body is in a state of paralysis when in the dream state and sometimes at the threshold of sleep/waking. There is also evidence of that hallucinations occur when in this state.

[NQ6U]

The guy that was assaulted WAS a scientist. There ya go.

No, it was the guy with the knife who was the scientist.

[K7SGJ]

Damn, I always get those two confused. I wish one of them would wave something around and de-escalate the situation.

[N2NH]

yes, there is very solid scientific evidence that the body is in a state of paralysis when in the dream state and sometimes at the threshold of sleep/waking. There is also evidence of that hallucinations occur when in this state.

I'm skeptical. I wanna meet this guy who saw the hallucinations that the sleep paralysis person went thru. Sounds like someone just put their hand in a bowl of warm water to me.

[N2NH]

Damn, I always get those two confused. I wish one of them would wave something around and de-escalate the situation.

If he does they'll salute the flagpole.

[n2ize]

I'm skeptical. I wanna meet this guy who saw the hallucinations that the sleep paralysis person went thru.

You want to meet me then ?



Sounds like someone just put their hand in a bowl of warm water to me.

I am glad you are skeptical. You should be. However, if you do some further research you'll find that it is a well documented phenomenon and has been scientifically researched. The brain chemical mechanism that causes it is well understood. The hallucinations are a bit more sketchy because some people claim to get them and others don't.

At one time very little was known about it and it was assumed to be something paranormal, that the person was in a state in which they were being held by demons and in contact with an evil side of the spirit world...that the 'dark side" had taken control of them in the night. Many people contend that the supernatural is the real cause of sleep paralysis and reject the scientific explanation. I am skeptical of the supernatural explanation. Particularly since there is a researched scientific explanation as to what causes momentary paralysis upon waking or semi-awakening.

Case and point. Do you physically act out your dreams ?

[N2NH]

You want to meet me then ?

So it's scientific because it happened to you? With external observation under scientific conditions an other witnesses or camera footage, I'd find it more plausible. If you go to a sleep clinic, it's likely that you'll find it's probably indigestion or at worst sleep apnea. On more than one occasion I've dreamt that I was being sat on by a gorilla only to wake up and find out the weight on my chest and inability to breathe was due to a severe asthma attack and not a gorilla. It's not really a gorilla attack, just the mind trying to justify what it perceives while in a dream state.

[w2amr]

Fuck the so-called "rational" explanations. It's demonic possession.Good call. It may be time for nice island exorcism.:dance:

[n2ize]

So it's scientific because it happened to you? With external observation under scientific conditions an other witnesses or camera footage, I'd find it more plausible. If you go to a sleep clinic, it's likely that you'll find it's probably indigestion or at worst sleep apnea. On more than one occasion I've dreamt that I was being sat on by a gorilla only to wake up and find out the weight on my chest and inability to breathe was due to a severe asthma attack and not a gorilla. It's not really a gorilla attack, just the mind trying to justify what it perceives while in a dream state.


No. it's scientific not because it happened to me. It is scientific because it has been studied by scientists who understand the brain mechanism for why people wake to find themselves in a paralytic state. Sleep paralysis has been documented since the medieval days and was often attributed to the supernatural. It was considered to be an occult phenomenon. When i first stated getting sleep paralysis attacks in my early 20's is seemed bizarre and seemed supernatural but even then I suspected it had to do with something much more tangible... In recent decades doctors and scientists have studied it extensively both in theory and in clinical studies on human subjects performed at sleep clinics. Through these studies scientists have developed an understanding regarding the mechanism / cause of the paralytic state the sufferer experiences. The hallucinations, ie, tactile, auditory, and visual hallucinations are not as well understood but scientists have classified them as hypnogogic and primarily hypnopompic hallucinations.

So it is not scientific because I get them from time to time. It is scientific because it has a very real and very probable scientific explanation and scientists are learning more and more about it as they continue to study the human brain and how it responds in different situations i.e. sleep, waking, etc. Exactly why the hallucinations seem to always take on a sinister aura is a bit more puzzling. But I am sure that too will be better understood as more research is done and the condition is better understood. Incidentally some people get the paralysis but no hallucinations at all. So there are subtle differences among sufferers. And yes, you are partly correct when you say that outside conditions and medical conditions such as anxiety, sleep apnea may also play a part in it. scientists believe that sleep apnea, anxiety disorder, certain medications ,etc, may make a person more prone to sleep paralysis. For example I tend to experience them in cold weather more often than hot weather. Also some medications may induce or inhibit episodes of sleep paralysis. Since I have been taking Celexa for my anxiety disorder I have not experienced a single episode of sleep paralysis. So yes, i agree with you, it is most likely connected with other bodily conditions.

The point being it is a well documented condition that has been verified via science as being quite real and unique in its own right. Through controlled scientific research we also have an understanding of what causes it and why it manifests itself in the manner that it does. In the past it was explained via the supernatural (everything from demons to vampires, to the devil himself). Today, thanks to scientific research we have a handle on what it is really all about.

The following gives a pretty good rundown of the condition..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis

The following links are also quite informative.

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/sleep-paralysis

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2637172/

[N2NH]

I know I dreamt of a six legged sheep. AND unlike you, I have the picture to prove it.

http://i49.tinypic.com/24p9aix.jpg

BAM! Science.

[K7SGJ]

I have this reoccurring dream where I am running down the street naked. Then I wake up, in the street, running, naked. I'd post a photo to prove it, but even with a close up it's hard to tell I'm naked, but the street looks good.

[n2ize]

I know I dreamt of a six legged sheep. AND unlike you, I have the picture to prove it.

http://i49.tinypic.com/24p9aix.jpg

BAM! Science.

It is remotely possible that I never experienced sleep paralysis and what I experienced was something entirely different. It is also possible that what I experienced was truly supernatural in origin and I am mistaking it for sleep paralysis. However, since I am very skeptical of the paranormal I tend to find the scientific explanation much more plausible. It is also possible that I was mistaking some other condition for sleep paralysis but I tend to doubt that as well. Since sleep paralysis is quite common and since my symptoms were identical to what other sufferers describe and what has been documented and since they perfectly match the symptoms described by the researchers I think it is a safe bet to conclude I have experienced true sleep paralysis on numerous occaisions. Also since I have suffered from untreated anxiety for many years I was in a high risk group for sleep paralysis. And since I was treated for anxiety the episodes have stopped occurring. So I think I am making a safe bet that I probably had episodes of true sleep paralysis. But, I guess I'll never know with 100% certainty. Perhaps I need to set up a video camera when I am sleeping to see if it picks up images of demons, ghosts, and vampires. Then I will have solid proof it was really supernatural and not sleep paralysis at all.

[n2ize]

I have this reoccurring dream where I am running down the street naked. Then I wake up, in the street, running, naked. I'd post a photo to prove it, but even with a close up it's hard to tell I'm naked, but the street looks good.

Line your street with video cameras. Then you can play it back the next morning to see if you were really running down your street naked.

[K7SGJ]

Line your street with video cameras. Then you can play it back the next morning to see if you were really running down your street naked.

At my age, seeing myself on tape, in the buff would not be a highlight of the day, in person is shocking enough.

[NQ6U]

At my age, seeing myself on tape, in the buff would not be a highlight of the day, in person is shocking enough.

When I hit fifty, I removed all the mirrors from the house.

[K7SGJ]

When I hit fifty, I removed all the mirrors from the house.

You too? I even took the one on the ceiling over the bed out. Well, actually, I took that out the day before I got married.

[NQ6U]

You too? I even took the one on the ceiling over the bed out. Well, actually, I took that out the day before I got married.

I took that one out when I hit forty.