The other night, I woke up and thought I was dying. I thought my heart was stopping. I started to see stars shooting around my ceiling. I was really really afraid, but I didn't know why. I guess I fell asleep again, but I woke up later and my body was slightly twisted up, my head was dangling over the side of my bed, and I couldn't move at all. I tried to scream for help, but it was really hard to make noise come out of my mouth. At one point, I thought I could hear my brother and dad coming for help. I heard footsteps and talking downstairs, but no one came to help me. I've never been so afraid in my life. I remember thinking to myself "I wonder why I'm supposed to die right now. This seems odd." What was this "episode"? Was it a night terror? Why couldn't I move or call out for help? I know a lot of you will think it was just a nightmare, but I'm 95% sure I was actually awake.
2006-11-19 13:06:27 · 9 answers · asked by Jason 2 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
As far as I can remember, this was the first and only time it's ever happened. So it's not a recurrent thing. It was only this once.
2006-11-19 13:20:24 · update #1
Sounds like an episode of sleep paralysis, which can be very frightening, but is not serious.
When you go to sleep, your brain basically "turns off" the signalling system to your muscles, so that you don't act out your physical actions in dreams and end up punching yourself in the schnoz or anything. ;) Sometimes consciousness returns before the rest of these sleep mechanisms are finished shutting down, and the result is sleep paralysis, an episode very much like you described. They can seem to last much longer than they actually do, and are often accompanied by visual and auditory hallucinations (actually dream artifacts.)
You can read more about sleep paralysis here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis
2006-11-19 13:14:14 · answer #1 · answered by Sola_Balisane 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Def sounds like a night terror. Often you think you are awake, but can't move or make a sound - there is a physiological reason for this, your muscles are actually almost paralysed at this point in your sleep. It can also be difficult for you to breath (which wouldn't have been helped by having your head off the side of the bed!!), but it is natural. I think they're called psychogenic dreams??? Something like that. I saw a special on BBC television last year about it. Scary when you're going through it, but common for a percentage of the population.
2006-11-19 13:15:56 · answer #2 · answered by Deborah C 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Something similar has happened to me once before. I woke up from a really deep sleep, and I was unable to move any part of my body for about ten seconds. I was not actually fully awake. I was in a dreamlike state, but I was aware of my surroundings. I was quite alarmed when I realized that I couldn't move. I even wondered whether I was in a dream or not, but I wasn't. I attempted to forcibly turn my entire body several times, and I succeeded in the end. I suppose I was transitioning from a subconscious state of mind to a conscious one, and it took some time for the motor functions to kick in.
I have no idea about your feeling that your heart was going to stop and your seeing starts. Perhaps you were in a much deeper subconscious state of mind.
2006-11-19 18:26:10 · answer #3 · answered by rar4000 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Birds can experience earthquakes that are very, very mild that we received't experience. I continually go away the decrease back area of my fowl cages lined so that they have got a dismal position to nap and sleep and at nighttime a nighttime gentle so if something scares them they could orient themselves. This works extremely nicely. some birds are extra hyper/jumpy by nature. I have one or perhaps tho he's sweet, he starts very actual and is actual startled by any ingredient.
2016-11-29 07:13:05 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You may have been being attracted by a ghost. They try to take over peoples bodies in their sleep and they cover the mouth so it feels like you can't speak. The best way is to chant the maha mantra when anything inauspicious is around. Say it a loud as you can. Ghost flee when they hear this highest pure sound vibration. It takes us out of ignorance and frees us from illusion and suffering and fear. got to http://www.stephen-knapp.com/chanting_hare_krishna.htm for complete details on the mantra
2006-11-19 14:58:19 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
It sounds to me like you were suffering from a bout of what is called sleep paralysis. when we sleep and enter the dream state
our mind basically paralyzes our leg and arm muscles this happens to keep you from hurting yourself or those around you by preventing you from acting out what you are experiencing in your dreams. sometimes the paralysis kicks in will you are not quite asleep yet. it can really freak you out. but its not dangerous,
or at least in my experience it hasn't been.
2006-11-19 13:15:19 · answer #6 · answered by mark_grvr 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you could have been half awake & half asleep. asleep enough just to mix reality with dreams. this has happened to me, but not so serverely.
it is hard to explain. but that is perhaps why you thought you were awake, but you really weren't.
2006-11-19 13:12:31 · answer #7 · answered by christy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sounds like a night terror to me....my son was three and I was living in a nightmare of a marriage (domestic violence) although my ex-husband never lay a hand on our son, my ex-husband's violent rages and threats to kill me caused my son to scream at night.....We would go into his room and my ex-husband would try to calm him down but my son would scream louder.....then I would hold him and he would go limp in my arms.....I had my ex-husband removed from the house and began divorce proceedings. Anyway, my son was asleep but aware enough of who was holding him.
2006-11-19 13:17:42 · answer #8 · answered by miatalise12560 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your mind woke up before your body
2006-11-19 13:20:46 · answer #9 · answered by Izzy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋