Question
When I have sleep paralysis, it is different than other people's accounts. Can you tell me anything?
Some people say it's not sleep paralysis because it happens when I'm falling asleep. It's like I go into REM the minute I fall asleep. I feel like if I don't struggle against the feeling, my heart will continue beating as fast as it is (super fast) and I'll die, or I will be forced to be aware during my sleep for the whole night. (BTW, is your heart really beating that fast?)
Here's the story:
I lay down to go to bed, after a while, all of a sudden I feel like I'm in quicksand, being sucked into the bed. Then, I see something horrifying, which startles me. (Last time it was a photo of a pretty woman, and her face suddenly became lumpy, and all her hair turned gray and withered)This makes me open my eyes. I opened my eyes, and I saw a hooded figure standing at the end of my bed. Then, the room flickered pink and all the most vivid neon colors about a million times in a fraction of a second. I saw what looked to be a pirate ship wheel on my ceiling too. Then, I closed my eyes, and I felt like I was breathing something hot, like fire. Then, I felt as if I was moving my hands, but I really wasn't. I wake up, and the objects dematerialize. I am very shaken, my legs feel like I just was injected with tons of adrenalin, and I'm horribly afraid of it.
Can you help? I'm only 14.
Answer
If you have a diagnosed case of narcolepsy,i would say you are describing hypnagognic hallucinations and sleep paralysis at the same time.Sleep paralysis occurs upon awakening or just falling asleep.What happens is you have not finished your final stage of sleep,which is the rem,in rem our muscles are paralyzed.However you are not dreaming.What you are discribing is almost like sleep paralysis however when its done with the dreams you are describing this is hypnagognic hallucinations,which are frightening dreams with your eyes open.You know you are awake yet you think you are not.The only way most of us with narcolepsy find to come out of it is everyone needs to dream ,however with hallucinations and sleep paralysis the cycle has not finished, so sometimes when its sleep paralysis you finished the dream part of rem,but the part of rem where all of us go paralyzed so we dont act out our dreams,is not finished,so you awaken from the dream but are unable to move.Now with the hallucinations, your body has finished the paralysis part of the rem state,but it didnt finish the dream part,so you can move but your so terrorized .Why because you are still dreaming with your eyes open.Unfortunately a person with hypnagognic hallucinations if the person is awakened from it,by being shaken, what it does, is only leaves the cycle,but the brain is stuck there and if you fell back to sleep you would just have another ..What one must do if they are sleeping next to you.,is literally let you scream it out dont shake you but just call out your name over and over,somehow it brings you out of the dream state and into the awake state..The only medication for these symptoms are antidepressants which stop your rem,but because human beings need rem to function the brain only allows it to stop for awhile, then the medicine , will allow it to break through,but at least you are able to have a few months of some peace.I hope this helps,If you are having these two symptoms and have not been diagnosed .please get evaluated at a sleep center.However,sleep paralysis and hallucinations once in a while is normal to have its when you have it every night or every week that you may have a disorder.Feel free to write again.AGood luck.
