Have you ever waken up from a dream feeling paralyzed?

Question

as in totally unable to move,even open your eyes and such.you tell your body to move but you can't.what is this called and how/why does it happen?

Answer 1

only had this incident occur once thati can remember, elier this year
i woke up and couldnt mov my body at all. it was very weird and scary
my brother has a better story actually about seeing something (kinda like a hallucination and hearing a buzzy noise and trapped in his body)
this is sleep paralysis

heres a definition and info.
-Sleep paralysis is a condition characterized by temporary paralysis of the body shortly after waking up (known as hypnopompic paralysis) or, less often, shortly before falling asleep (known as hypnagogic paralysis).-
-Physiologically, it is closely related to the paralysis that occurs as a natural part of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is known as REM atonia. Sleep paralysis occurs when the brain awakes from a REM state, but the bodily paralysis persists. This leaves the person fully aware, but unable to move. In addition, the state may be accompanied by hypnagogic hallucinations.

More often than not, sleep paralysis is believed by the person affected by it to be no more than a dream. This explains many dream recountings which describe the person lying frozen and unable to move. The hallucinatory element to sleep paralysis makes it even more likely that someone will interpret the experience as a dream, since completely fanciful objects may appear in the room alongside one's normal vision-

the symptoms-
The primary symptom of sleep paralysis is partial or complete skeletal muscle paralysis during the hypnopompic or hypnagogic states. In other words, it is the sense of being aware that one is unable to move or speak while falling asleep or waking up. Sleep paralysis may also be accompanied by hypnagogic hallucinations.[1] These hallucinations can be auditory, tactile, and/or visual. If a polysomnograph is taken, at least one of the following will be shown: skeletal muscle tone suppression, REM sleep at sleep onset, or dissociated REM sleep. The paralysis can persist anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes before the person is able to either return to REM sleep or to become fully awake[1].-

and Possible causes
Sleep paralysis occurs during REM sleep in order to prevent the body from manifesting movements made in the subject's dreams. Little is known about the physiology of sleep paralysis. However, some have suggested that it may be linked to post-synaptic inhibition of motor neurons in the pons region of the brain. In particular, low levels of melatonin may stop the depolarization current in the nerves, which prevents the stimulation of the muscles, to prevent the body from enacting the dreamt activity (e.g. preventing a sleeper from flailing his legs when dreaming about running).

Many people who commonly enter sleep paralysis also suffer from narcolepsy. However, various studies suggest that many or most people will experience sleep paralysis at least once or twice in their lives.

Some reports read that various factors increase the likelihood of both paralysis and hallucinations. These include: [2]

Sleeping in a supine position (facing upwards)
Irregular sleeping schedules; naps, sleeping in, sleep deprivation
Increased stress
Sudden environmental/lifestyle changes
A lucid dream that immediately precedes the episode. Also conscious induction of sleep paralysis is a common technique to enter a state of lucid dreams, also known as WILD[1] .
Artificial sleeping aids, ADD medications and/or antihistamines

Answer 2

Paralyzing Dreams

Answer 3

Its quite a common condition known as sleep paralysis


You can learn more about it here


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis


I'm from Newfoundland which has a huge irish influence and here for some reason we call it "The Hag " or "the Old hag"


"A hag, or "the Old Hag", was a nightmare spirit in British and Anglophone North American folklore. This variety of hag is essentially identical to the Anglo-Saxon mæra — a being with roots in ancient Germanic superstition, and closely related to the Scandinavian mara. According to folklore, the Old Hag sat on a sleeper's chest and sent nightmares to him or her. When the subject awoke, he or she would be unable to breathe or even move for a short period of time. Currently this state is called sleep paralysis, but in the old belief the subject had been hagridden.[5] It is still frequently discussed as if it were a para-normal state.[6]"

Answer 4

Yes. I had a nightmare, some 'ghost' was telling me in a dream what he'd done in the apartment I was living in at the time, I woke up shocked and all, then, when I heard noise beside me I wanted to turn around and I couldn't. Could hardly breathe either.

Answer 5

Well, yes I have felt that before. The reason that happens is because you are awake and yet at the same time you are still in one of the lightest levels of sleep. You alternetly change levels of sleep while you sleep, going from the REM level (rapid eye movement) where you dream, to one of the lighter levels, in which you are simply that: asleep.

Answer 6

You may find more insightful answers by looking into the phenomenon known as astral projection.

You were probably dreaming or astrally projecting and your physical body awakened before your conscious mind regained control of it. Nothing to worry about, though. It is fairly common.

Answer 7

I believe the answer is that there is a delay between your mind and your body when your your coming in counciousness from sub-conciousness.Thats just idea I have,im by no means an expert.

Answer 8

Yes. I had a dream when I was about four. I met God and it was dreadful to the extreme. I woke up with my face frozen in a mask of horror. took me about twenty minutes to get up.

Answer 9

yes it happened to me few times. it may include some psychological factors like anxiety, tension, depression, etc u r feeling this frequently, its not a good sign, call your doctor.

Answer 10

It may be the result of sleep apnea, check with your doctor.