Had a terrifying "event" last night...

[Nefaro]

I get both.

Night terrors sometimes, but I've always had insomniac stretches and only seem to sleep well at around the time the sun just comes up.



Some really bad sleep paralysis, on rare occasions, though.  Including disturbing hallucinations.

Sometimes the full barrage, including "seeing" the dark room I'm in, despite my eyes still being mostly closed, along with hallucinations.  Had two very vivid and exceptionally disturbing ones in the last 5-6 years... 

Seeing four dark humanoid-shaped shadows standing in a row at the foot of my bed, watching me for what seemed a few seconds.  Needless to say, that was pretty alarming.  The other was when it very much felt like my blanket was being slowly but firmly pulled downward at the bottom half of my bed, as if by hands yanking it downward from all sides, with the pressure on my legs increasing as it went.  No pummeling by  soap wrapped in a towel, however, so that was a plus.

Those awake-but-dreaming hallucinations were shocking, but the real kicker is being absolutely paralyzed the whole time this stuff happened since my whole body was still shut down in sleep mode.  I was awake and seeing this weird shit, but I couldn't move.  Couldn't even scream.  Certainly tried after all else had failed.  One of those times which is probably just a brief few seconds, but the terror makes it seem to last a lot longer.

After having this stuff occasionally happen to me for many years, I've also kinda learned how to realize what's happening when I wake up in this conscious but paralyzed dream state, and mentally focus enough to snap out of it more quickly.  Have to focus really hard on making myself try to yell as loud as I can and flex my whole body, as if I'm furiously screaming at someone with all my physical might.  When locked into the worst examples, it usually takes a couple tries but it's still faster than without trying.


I've asked a couple family members if they've ever had these types of sleep paralysis and the answer has always been, "no".   Although my sister has a little nighttime insomnia too.

You guys are the only people I've spoken with who get this stuff.  Of course, I don't walk around telling such things to random acquaintances.  :-"

[Nefaro]

I've also heard of stories of the 'shadow people,' which sounds absolutely silly but is apparently a thing as there's a lot of stories out there on it. Enough so that I'm good not reading any more of them.

Yep.  I've had that kind of thing happen during waking sleep paralysis more than once.  Usually they're just shadowy movements, nothing distinct.  But the incident I mentioned, above, was much more vividly defined than usual.  Won't forget that one!


EDIT:
Like I said, it's just the dream state still running for a brief time when I unexpectedly wake up in the middle of one. Sometimes due to realizing I'm dreaming, while still in the dream. 

Pretty damn sure it's just that half hallucinatory state still clouding perception at the sudden wakening, along with the sleep paralysis.  Takes a couple-three seconds.  Even after waking, and being able to move, if I close my eyes again I can still kinda get the visual impression of dreaming so I make myself stay awake for a few minutes until it's cleared... or just stay awake for awhile.

[Sir Slash]

Thank the Good Lord I've never had problems sleeping or the other problems you've all mentioned. Years ago I worked the Night Shift at a facility for mentally ill juvenile delinquents and I had plenty of stress and a really hard time sleeping in the daytime. I was a total shit most of the time to be around and was mad at the whole world. But I adjusted a little by varying when I tried to sleep or what I did before I tried to sleep and that helped a little. The Night Terrors and Sleep Paralysis do sound like a far more common problem than most people realize or are willing to admit to. But doing so shows an uncommon courage and determination to beat them. And so I cannot but admire you all for speaking up about it.

[Boggit]

I also haven't slept a full night in 10+ years so that may be the reason.

But that's because you stay up late to watch Pr0n! ;D ;)

[Boggit]

Nowadays it's a more intense version of when you're just falling off to sleep and suddenly jerk awake because you're dreaming about falling or having a car accident or something like that; usually that just wakes you up, startled, but for me the dreams tend to be a lot more lucid and longer-lasting, and usually it only happens if I've been sleep deprived. I try to make sleep a priority just so I'm not having to deal with that shit regularly, but stuff happens unfortunately.

I get that a lot... but then again I don't always get to sleep well these days, and when I do it's very deep.

[Hofstadter]

I get night terrors all the time. Very violent too. I got a scar on my stomach from slamming my desk against it. One on my back from sticking a screw in it, had vision problems for two months for hitting my head after falling fown a step.

First time my partner saw it he was so upset and couldnt even sleep in the same bed as me for a couple of nights.

[JudgeDredd]

Just for the record, sleep paralysis is different than night terrors.

Indeed they are different

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_terror

The guy at work said it was a night terror, then I heard about sleep paralysis from another person so I made the daft jump to assuming they were different names for the same thing. Should've checked.  :-[

I definitely had sleep paralysis. As mentioned in various posts, it's all very scary but for me, the suffocating feeling was the worst. So I couldn't move my body, speak, scream...they were all scary enough. I don't know what was going through my head at the time, but likely "Am I dead"...but the lack of breathe.

I think it got to me because I'm overweight and I've heard of people (much bigger than me to be fair, but still...) not being able to breathe properly on their back. I generally sleep on my front in the prone position anyway. So, when I woke up and couldn't breathe, I'm thinking it's because of my weight and, I don't know, pressure on my lungs or perhaps swallowed my tongue...no idea. I just knew I couldn't breathe and lying on my back was the cause. So I wanted to turn over so I could breathe again. Then discovering I couldn't move, I started to panic - I'm thinking I can't breathe because I was on my back and I couldn't get off my back...so I'm thinking I'm going to die because I can't move and can't breathe.

Thankfully I woke up. I didn't have (that I recall) any hallucinations. That's good. The not breathing and dying aspect were enough.

Those can leave me now. I only needed one of those. I know what they are now so please, no need to show me again. 

[bbmike]

I get night terrors all the time. Very violent too. I got a scar on my stomach from slamming my desk against it. One on my back from sticking a screw in it, had vision problems for two months for hitting my head after falling fown a step.

First time my partner saw it he was so upset and couldnt even sleep in the same bed as me for a couple of nights.

Is this a result of having nightmares or do you just start thrashing around? Sounds horrible!  :o

[Hofstadter]

I get night terrors all the time. Very violent too. I got a scar on my stomach from slamming my desk against it. One on my back from sticking a screw in it, had vision problems for two months for hitting my head after falling fown a step.

First time my partner saw it he was so upset and couldnt even sleep in the same bed as me for a couple of nights.

Is this a result of having nightmares or do you just start thrashing around? Sounds horrible!  :o

I dont remember the nightmares.

And I dont thrash, I literally get up and start running into things.

[undercovergeek]

Wife mark 2 used to get these - all of them, ones like yours JD, one where someone was sat on her and one where there were moving shadows - all terrifying and all concluded with her sitting up screaming the place down, used to scare the crap out of me - you have my sympathies

[Nefaro]

I noticed a Documentary (or Docu-movie?) about Sleep Paralysis listed on Netflix awhile back. 

Obviously included the "shadow people" hallucinations in the peoples' stories, like those I've had a few times before, judging by the preview shots.

Still haven't tried watching it because it would probably scare the shit out of me, if their descriptions were too similar to my experiences. 

[Windigo]

Every once in a while I'll be climbing a set of stairs and one of my knees will just disappear. Its physically there but to my brain or whatever controls it semi mindlessly while I move - its gone.
I'll stare at it like what the hell? Its not seized up and cramping or painful, its just gone from the neural network. Non-functional. I can put weight on it so I can weirdly crutch it up or down stairs.... but WTF? Seriously.

Then it'll just reappear in a minute or two and life goes on .

God damned shadow knee joints.

[mirth]

Every once in a while I'll be climbing a set of stairs and one of my knees will just disappear. Its physically there but to my brain or whatever controls it semi mindlessly while I move - its gone.
I'll stare at it like what the hell? Its not seized up and cramping or painful, its just gone from the neural network. Non-functional. I can put weight on it so I can weirdly crutch it up or down stairs.... but WTF? Seriously.

Then it'll just reappear in a minute or two and life goes on .

God damned shadow knee joints.

At your age, you're lucky your knees are there at all.

[Staggerwing]

Maybe Windy has a case of the kneesles? Could be worse- could be toelio

[Sir Slash]

Pay them no mind Windigo. That would certainly be terrifying all right. Maybe not as scary as a Collie with it's head stuck in a funnel. But right up there.  :hide: