Stuck in sleep paralysis...

[AliD123]

Yo ! Well, just a few moments ago I woke up from sleep paralysis. I tend to get it sleep paralysis often, however I get no visual or sound hallucinations so it isn't that scary for me. But I experienced sleep paralysis for a length of time that I have never before. It lasted about 8 minutes, well if it did not it certainly felt like this. I was just trying to wake up for the first few minutes but I got no luck, all I could do was open my eyes slightly. Then I kept going in and out of dreams, however because all the dreams were WILDs I just kept killing myself so I can wake up but I just kept waking up back into Sleep Paralysis. It lasted so long I had about 5 lucid dreams of me killing myself lol. Is this length normal? Des it happen to you?

[AliD123]

lol feeling a little nervous falling asleep, thinking it might last longer again :L

[Fracas]

Well I'm a litTle hungry right now so my concentration is a litTle off, but let's seeeeeee ... Phew! Found my sPam sandwich. Now, where was I? It's hard to gauge the exact duration of a parasomniac episode unless you, the sufferer, are observed in a lab. Wouldn't you agree? But I bleeve you when you say it felt like 8 minutes. I've had SP bouts that seemed to last over 1 hour. Are SPs normal? Depends on yer definition of "normal". TheRe's nothing particularly normal about the brain telling the rest of yer body that it's awake during REM, but then again it probably isn't a dangerous scenario either. PLuS, SPs are about as common as seagulls pooping on windshields. You just roll with it. Or climb outa bed, cRank up some musak, crawl into a corner and have a good cry. Then reward yerself with a sPam sandwich and a side of barbecued bak baks. No utensils needed.

[Nelzi]

... I kept going in and out of dreams, however because all the dreams were WILDs I just kept killing myself so I can wake up ... WHY? You achieved what others are longing for and you just kill yourself... hope you do a reliable RC before you do that, for your own sake. But yeah, 8 minutes is really long for SP, I imagine it can be scary to not be able to move for such a long time.

[wane10132]

I've experienced SP's that long and failing to have lucid dreams too.. I think it depends on your state of mind that time..

[Shalashaska]

If you want out of SP then wiggle your toes, that always works for me when I freak out or get stuck in it too long. Although since you're not having any visuals or auditory hallucinations the only thing bad is the wait. Just go with it though, keep your eyes shut and focus on the imagery. Concentrate long enough and in-vision the dream scenery so that you'll hopefully pop right into your dream while attaining lucidity quicker.

[Seige]

I've had that happen, probably for the same amout of time if not longer... I just lay there on my bed feeling my body with no dream production. Thinking "why can't I wake up? Man... another sleep paralysis :/ wellp Ok lets live it out what to think of while I can't wake up?" Then I just try to produce a short dream if i can until I'm alble to jump awake... Also I mean seeing as though u killed yourself.. the best way to snap yourself awake is falling. If you can like not knowing ikts there just make yourself fall backwards in the dream you produce, it might beable to snap you awake.

[SuperOhm]

For me, I find that the struggle anchors me in the paralysis. Think about it from a symbolic standpoint. Would you struggle if there was nothing stopping you from moving? If you were free to get up, would you struggle? As long as you're struggling, you're reinforcing the concept of paralysis. If you're lucid enough to realize what's going on, then just give up. Surrender to the stillness. Do not fight it. Close your eyes, relax, and clear your mind. Meditate. Find a mental space free of struggle. Just be as you are. You may find that you're now able to open your eyes and move just fine. I actually suffer from sleep paralysis almost every time I take a nap in the middle of the day. Once I become lucid, recognize the situation for what it is, and meditate, it doesn't take much longer than a few seconds for the paralysis to dissolve and I'm free to open my eyes and move freely. Often, there's an odd visual and/or auditory hallucination which seems to signal the transition. Since discovering this little trick, I found that while I still experience sleep paralysis, it is no longer the terrible experience that it once was. It's mostly been reduce to a minor annoyance. Also, worth noting. Stop sleeping on your back. 99% if sleep paralysis seems to present with sleeping on the back. Studies have shown that simply sleeping on your side can reduce incidence of SP significantly.

[Shalashaska]

Also, worth noting. Stop sleeping on your back. 99% if sleep paralysis seems to present with sleeping on the back. Studies have shown that simply sleeping on your side can reduce incidence of SP significantly. That's a good point. Although you can get paralysis from sleeping in any position, your back is THE easiest way to achieve it. Always switch sleeping positions nightly if you're trying to avoid SP. Other ways to not get it are avoiding caffeine a few hours before bed and keep your sleep hygiene fresh and in-check. Oh and of course try to stay stress free!

[Narwhal]

I seem to only have SP when I lay on my sides so I try to stay on my back and then I have less episodes. It's interesting, the thing about not struggling but just relaxing, I think it would work because all the times I struggled out of it by trying to move my body and sucking in air trying to talk it seemed like 5 minutes or more, but this one time I was just laying there talking to a hallucination of my sister, she told me to get up, but I told her to wait because I was having sleep paralysis and it seemed to fade with seconds after just relaxing and patiently waiting to wake up. And I realized my sister wasn't there of course