Why, sometimes, when you wake up (or at least try to wake yourself up), you can't move for a few minutes?
Last night I had to wake myself from a dream, and other than the fact that it was so hard to wake myself up, I couldn't move for what seemed like 10 minutes. Why does that happen? Could it be the remnants of coming out of REM sleep?
2006-12-18 11:08:09 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Social Science ➔ Psychology
Feeling paralyzed within a dream or while waking up is actually a physical process of protection by your body while you are asleep. The fear & rush of adrenaline bring you to partial wakefulness, close to waking up completely. While we are asleep (in REM state), our brain induces paralysis to prevent us from acting out our dreams, and quite possibly hurting ourselves.
2006-12-18 11:19:21 · answer #1 · answered by sonkysst 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There's a process when people sleep, and in some people it gets disturbed. The process is that you fall asleep, your body shuts off so that when you dream you can't hurt yourself, you then dream, then your body turns back on and you awaken. Your problem is that you have a sleep disturbance where the process of turning your body back on doesn't happen before you awaken. It's weird but harmless. I have something similar, where I continue to dream after I awaken -- usually I see things like spiders coming down from the ceiling. It's called Hypnogogia... just happens to some people. You don't need to worry about your situation: relax and it will go away in a couple of minutes.
2006-12-19 03:15:12 · answer #2 · answered by Katherine W 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If memory serves, the brain secretes paralysis inducing chemicals when you are asleep. These chemicals tell the muscles to ignore what they are hearing - otherwise as you slept and dreamt your body would respond to neural stimulation just like you were awake. When people have problems with this chemical you get symptoms like somnambulism (sleep walking) and narcolepsy (the special was on people who "feel asleep" while laughing).
When you wake up hard and fast, your brain/body does not have time to stop the chemicals already in circulation, leaving you temporarily paralyzed.
At least I think that's what happens.
2006-12-18 19:27:55 · answer #3 · answered by roy_mumaw 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you're in REM sleep (I think), your body is physically paralyzed. Sometimes you can wake up consciously, but for some reason your body stays paralyzed. It has never happened to me, but that's what I learned in school, and people have told of the experience.
2006-12-18 19:17:21 · answer #4 · answered by PlaNet_G0rk 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
great question! that happens to just about everyone. I have a method and maybe it would work for you. practice twitching on the count of 3 (3 in your mind). when you kinda master it, use it when you cant move. It works wonders for me.
2006-12-18 19:11:43 · answer #5 · answered by ConstElation 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
my girlfriend and i both get it. there is a medical term for it. its basically when your mind is awake but your body is still sleeping. we both use the count method. count to three and try to wiggle your toes and fingers and eventually you will snap out of it
2006-12-18 19:19:48 · answer #6 · answered by shaver3434 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋