That feeling of helplessness. You are awake but not really awake. You try to move your body, but it feels like the weight of the entire world is on you. You scream with all your might for help, you hear yourself, but only you can. Nobody else hears you because you actually did not scream out. Why is no one coming to your aid? Then, the fear registers. Could this be the end? Is this what death feels like? But you refuse to believe that and muster all the strength you can and eventually bring yourself back to life.
You need not be scared if this has ever happened to you. This is known as sleep paralysis.
Sleep paralysis is simply when you cannot move or speak as you are falling asleep or waking up. If it occurs while you are falling asleep, it’s called hypnagogic or predormital sleep paralysis. If it happens as you are waking up, it’s called hypnopompic or postdormital sleep paralysis.
Symptoms Of Sleep Paralysis
The main symptom of sleep paralysis is being temporarily unable to move or speak. Other symptoms include the following:
- A feeling of anxiousness or fear.
- Hallucination: hearing, seeing, or feeling things that are not really there.
- A feeling that someone or something else is in the room.
- A feeling of impending death.
- A feeling of pressure on the chest as if you’re being crushed, leading to difficulty taking deep breaths.
