Redheaded Jill

Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis? I have. Quite frequently, actually. It almost always happens when I fall asleep on my back. So I try to sleep on my side or my stomach. (Although I’ve been told sleeping on your stomach is a bad idea…)

If I recall correctly it’s when the mind wakes up before the body. Your body is in REM sleep and your mind is ready to go but your body is still asleep. So you’re a mind trapped in an immobile body.

It can happen more frequently when I’m overly tired or stressed. It recently happened while I riding along in my mom’s car.

When I get sleep paralysis I am not able to open my eyes. I know lots of people claim to see demons or monsters looming over them while they’re frozen, unable to escape. For me my eyes are always closed. I often am waking up from a dream and in the dream I get stuck. It feels like trying to run through quicksand.

I gain some sort of awareness and realize, I’m sleeping… I just need to wake up and I’ll be able to move.

I focus all my energy on trying to wiggle my fingers or toes. Once I move even the slightest bit on my own it snaps me out of the paralysis.

When experiencing sleep paralysis it becomes hard to breathe. People often hyperventilate. I have tried to call out to someone for help, begging someone to shake me awake and release me from the terror.

When I was in the car I was trying to breathe normally, but I felt myself panicking. I tried to call out, “Help! Help!” But of course I couldn’t.

Eventually I moved a finger and snap… I was awake.

I don’t know the cause, but it’s not a good time.