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It's not always a nightmare. Sometimes it's quite enjoyable. I remember going to sleep with a headache at one point and experiencing sleep paralysis. My headache was translated to black and white flashes of light. Or another time when I heard music. Being unable to move isn't really that big of a deal as long as you are in a comfortable position. Eventually the paranoia and the sense of another presence sets in, but…
> That is to say there isn’t pain in the conventional sense; as CO2 goes up past critical levels, in the absence of fear or panic, the body will try breathing harder or faster and, eventually, you’ll pass out.
This is why most people drown. They panic and aspire water, long before they reach critical O2 levels and pass out.
It's possible to train and control the instinct to breath though. It's a great self-control exercise, and it's safe to try it outside the water. Try this:
Fill your lungs and hold your breath for as much as you can. You'll notice an irresistible urge to let go and breath (this is when most people panic, even though O2 levels are not anywhere critical yet). If you ignore your brain and keep holding, you'll notice involuntary movements in your diaphragm, forcing you to breath (this is when people drown). If you still keep holding, you'll notice the diaphragm movements get more intense, up to a point when it's impossible to keep holding your breath, but it takes a while still.
With enough practice, you learn to stay relaxed and post-pone those reactions as much as possible. After a while, you start being capable to hold the breath many times longer than expected. If you couple this technique with exercises for increased lung capacity and cardio (for lowering your base BPM), you'll be free-diving like a champion.
I've experienced lucid dreaming as well and I can assuredly say that it is nothing like sleep paralysis. The physiological effects might be similar but there's a very big difference between consciously deciding to do something and waking up to a nightmare.
Having suffered from this before I can say this: sleep paralysis is absolutely terrifying. Whenever this occurs there is a small, rational part of your brain that tells you that nothing is wrong but this is drowned out by the absolute certainty that something or someone is just about get to you and you can't even move to defend yourself. It's a very primal fear unlike any other I've experienced and I find interesting…
Still, nowadays it's less terrifying and more of an annoyance after I discovered I could force myself awake by sheer will.
Having suffered from this before I can say this: sleep paralysis is absolutely terrifying. Whenever this occurs there is a small, rational part of your brain that tells you that nothing is wrong but this is drowned out by the absolute certainty that something or someone is just about get to you and you can't even move to defend yourself. It's a very primal fear unlike any other I've experienced and I find interesting…
I've gotten sleep paralysis a few times before and this is why I always start sleeping on my side. I only get it if I lay on my back facing the ceiling. Still, nowadays it's less terrifying and more of an annoyance after I discovered I could force myself awake by sheer will.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've gotten sleep paralysis a few times before and this is why I always start sleeping on my side. I only get it if I lay on my back facing the ceiling. Still, nowadays it's less terrifying and more of an annoyance after I discovered I could force myself awake by sheer will.
Same here. When I realize it's happening, I just have to concentrate and force my legs or my arms to move which will in turn wake me up. I too noticed it happened more frequently when I slept in a certain position (on my stomach in this case) so now I always sleep on my back or side.
Having suffered from this before I can say this: sleep paralysis is absolutely terrifying. Whenever this occurs there is a small, rational part of your brain that tells you that nothing is wrong but this is drowned out by the absolute certainty that something or someone is just about get to you and you can't even move to defend yourself. It's a very primal fear unlike any other I've experienced and I find interesting…
I lucid dream far more often, probably once a week. I agree that it's nowhere near as frightening but I find it to be unpleasant as well. It's not very fun to stay dreaming when I know I'm awake.
It's funny but the movie Inception really helped me with my lucid dreams. Falling (in my dreams) will wake me up. I double-check that I'm actually dreaming by flying first (aw yeah, I can fly in my dreams - kind of like swimming in the air). So I'll often wake up by flying high into the sky and then falling to the ground.
I hate when this happens and I have a stuffed up nose. The only thing I can control is my breathing and rolling, I can't even moan. So I breath in a noisy pattern to wake up my wife (I've told her that shaking me would 'wake up' my body), or roll onto the floor (ouch!) to regain muscle control.
I hate when this happens and I have a stuffed up nose. The only thing I can control is my breathing and rolling, I can't even moan. So I breath in a noisy pattern to wake up my wife (I've told her that shaking me would 'wake up' my body), or roll onto the floor (ouch!) to regain muscle control.
To add to my experiences, I've noted that it usually happens to me with these circumstances: 1) Sleeping on my back (it always happens this way, has never happened on my side or stomach) 2) poor bedding, where you've worn a divit/canoe into too soft bedding. 3) After having foods with lots of salt/msg (chemical imbalance? dehydration?) 4) On stuffy nights with stagnant, humid air or a stuffy nose 5) Sleeping on my ba…