She said someone was holding her very tightly not letting her get up and that she was awake at that point! She didn't see anyone but she felt it she said. I'm freakin out, has anyone gone through this? Should I be concerned?
2006-10-03 16:13:12 · 8 answers · asked by Amber 3 in Health ➔ Other - Health
When I say she couldn't get up I mean her body physically wanted to get uo and run to me but was "held down" as she put it. After a min. she was able to run to me. By that time she was horrified :(
2006-10-03 16:15:54 · update #1
That "twighlight period" between rem sleep and awake can't be fathomed by a 5 year old. I am sure she thought someone wouldn't let her wake up, but she was probably in that zone and just still in her nightmare.
Have you ever lashed out to catch yourself from falling in a dream only to actually be doing it and wake yourself? Can you remember that division line between the dream and the awakened transition? You probably can, but your daughter will have a tough time (that's why they sometimes fall out of bed at that age, the transition to awake state is longer for them, and they don't know they are falling until they hit the floor).
The dreamcatcher thing works. If you give her something of yours, tell her it is good luck and that if she places it under her pillow, she will have good dreams. Same concept. Let her sleep with you tonight as well - if she wakes up again, she will see you are right there and be able to rationalize it was only a dream more quickly.
2006-10-03 16:28:11 · answer #1 · answered by jumping_in_101 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sometimes the mind wakes up before the body does and the person feels as if they're paralyzed. So long as this doesn't happen repeatedly, it's not cause for concern.
It happened to me once in childhood (age 10) but I saw multicolored lights as well. It never happened again and it was not until years later that I found articles about this and realized it was a known phenomenon.
2006-10-03 16:26:33 · answer #2 · answered by Latrice T 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The body produces a chemical that paralysis the body during sleep to keep you from thrashing about in your sleep. In her case the dream woke her up before the chemical had an opportunity to wear off. That's why she couldn't move. Very common and not dangerous. I liked the suggestion above about the dream catcher. Should reassure her.
2006-10-03 16:29:07 · answer #3 · answered by Larry T 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Totally normal. 5 is the age for nightmares. Don't remind her of it, but if she brings it up, tell her that dreams are like movies that our mind plays when we sleep. Buy her a dream catcher and hang it in her room and tell her that it will catch almost all her bad dreams. This will make her feel more at ease and when she's not stressed it will actually reduce her bad dreams. She'll be fine. Try the dream catcher. It's an Indian gadget.
2006-10-03 16:17:48 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've had this happen to me before and I'm not sure what it was, it was in the middle of the night. Some people said it was just an anxiety attack, but I'm not sure. I know it may sound dumb but I just started singing happy songs and it went away. I wouldn't be too worried about it, but if it happens again you should probably talk to someone who might know more about these things. Also don't talk to her about it, it'll just make her more scared, and next time you should go to her and help her and hold her. When it happened to me I just wanted someone to be there next to me. Good luck!
2006-10-03 16:24:26 · answer #5 · answered by lochness 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I used to have that same phenomenon! It is totally terrifying. Bless her heart! They are called night terrors, and will lessen as she grows older. Tell her that other people go through this too, and try to reassure her that if she calls out you will come to her.
I used to dream so vividly - and act out my dreams - and sometimes I would be so scared that I would be temporarily paralyzed when I woke up. Like I said - I outgrew them.
2006-10-03 16:24:27 · answer #6 · answered by Karla R 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's called a dream. Our grasp on the brain is extremely limited. Just because what you think you're experiencing doesn't actually mean you're experiencing it.
Albeit, that's not exactly the best way to explain it to a child.
2006-10-03 16:21:16 · answer #7 · answered by Don 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Inability to move upon waking from a dream is not unheard-of, its okay.
2006-10-03 16:22:19 · answer #8 · answered by The First Dragon 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋