This Is What Happens To Someone’s Body During Sleep Paralysis

1. Your muscles are paralyzed

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Sleep paralysis is super scary because you cannot move a single muscle. Your muscles are essentially temporarily paralyzed and unable to function so for this short period of time you have no ability to move, even though you try and desperately want to.

2. You can't make a sound...

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When you're experiencing sleep paralysis all you want to do is shout or scream so that somebody can wake you up from this terrifying state. But you can't make a sound, not a peep. Even if you can consciously think about the sound you want to make, you are unbale to actually do it.

3. You feel a huge pressure on your chest

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When you experience sleep paralysis you get this truly horrible feeling like there's a huge pressure on your chest. It feels like you are weighed down, like somebody is sat on you preventing you from being able to move. It's really freaky and NOT something you want to experience.

4. You're completely aware

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I think the most terrifying thing of all is the fact that you are very much aware. You have a constant stream of consciousness. And this makes it WAY more terrifying because you know that you are stuck and you can't move so you have no ability to wake yourself up.

5. You are terrified

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When you have sleep paralysis, the chances are that you're pretty terrified. Not being able to move, knowing you can't move and being aware that there's nothing you can do about it all make for a very terrifying combination. Unless you're just so used to it that it doesn't even scare you anymore.

6. You are totally trapped

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There's nothing scarier than feeling completely trapped, and trapped inside your own body is another feeling entirely. You feel as though you are trapped inside because your body will not respond and it feels as thought your brain and body are not communicating together.

7. Your breathing is limited

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Often when you have sleep paralysis, your breathing goes very shallow. You will be taking short inhales of breath rather than sleeping deeply, taking deep breaths of oxygen. This is due to the state of sleep paralysis which puts you in a strange state, where your body may be quite distressed.

8. You can have an irregular heart rate

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Along with having fast and shallow breaths, your heart rate may also be irregular. Sleep paralysis is thought to be caused when you cannot act out your dreams. Because sleep paralysis interrupts your normal sleep-wake cycle, you may experience an irregular hear rate.

9. You have racing thoughts

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It's pretty horrible having sleep paralysis because your thoughts are racing during the time you are unbale to move. You are thinking many different thoughts at such a fast rate, which can cause you to panic as there is such an overwhelming amount going on in your head.

10. Some people feel like they are floating above their own body

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Some people, in rarer cases of sleep paralysis, may actually have the experience where they feel that they are floating above their own body. Some people feel that they can even leave their body and leave the room, others believe they are watching down at their physical body!

11. You might hear strange things and SEE strange things

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While you are experiencing sleep paralysis, you may feel that you can see and hear things that aren't really there. It can distort your perception of reality, and you may think that these things you can see and what you can hear is really there next to you!

12. You can't open your eyes or control your muscles

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The first thing you want to do as a natural response during sleep paralysis, or during anything where you are scared or cannot move, is open your eyes. However, you cannot! Despite the fact that your brain may be telling you to open your eyes, you cannot do it.

13. You feel like somebody is there...

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Many people who talk about their sleep paralysis experiences feel that while it is happening there is somebody there. Some people even find that they have the same person there each time. This person/thing or even monster is usually scary as the body is in a state of fear.

14. Your body feels like it's being pulled

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You may experience a kind of pulling or dragging sensation. As though somebody is pulling your body out of the room, or pulling you down somehow. It is an occurrence  feeling which many people who experience sleep paralysis have all cited this very strange feeling.

15. You can feel sensations in your body

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Although you can't actually MOVE your body, you can still feel sensations in your body. You may be aware of somebody touching you, or even feel like somebody is touching you when they aren't. You may feel strange tingles in your body which is hard to know if they are real or imagined.

16. You think you're lay there for ages

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When we are asleep or in a state of partial consciousness our sense of timing is extremely warped. What feels like hours can really just be a few seconds. Sleep paralysis does not last long, however to the person experiencing it, it could feel like a very long time.

17. You can't tell the difference between dream/reality

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The confusion between reality and dream/ hallucination is one of the parts that makes sleep paralysis scarier because you are not sure if what you are feeling or seeing is reality or not. You are aware, yet your senses are disturbed and much of what you are experiencing is not reality.

18. You may think something is threatening you

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Often, one of the most common feelings that people who have experienced sleep paralysis talk about is a feeling of threat. They feel that they are unable to move, despite the fact that their is an impending threat. But, this is often the mind playing tricks, despite it being a very intense and real emotion.

19. You think you're flying

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Some people find sleep paralysis less terrifying and more a little bit strange. Some people even feel that they are flying during their sleep paralysis. The body may feel lots of different sensations and it can feel as though you are partaking in many experiences whilst not moving a muscle...literally.

20. Sensory overload!

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Sleep paralysis is strange, because despite you being so still, there is a complete sensory overload. Noises, sensations, racing thoughts all leads to it being a very overwhelming exercise for the brain as so many different things are going on (or so you think) at once.

21. Muscles may twitch uncontrollably

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Although you are not in control of your muscles, that's not to say that they aren't moving (albeit unwillingly). Somebody who witnesses somebody else during sleep paralysis may see their muscles twitching uncontrollably without the person ever knowing.

22. You cannot stop it happening

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Although there are things that you can do to make it less likely that sleep paralysis will occur, you can't guarantee that you can stop it. You may go to sleep hoping that you do not have sleep paralysis, yet for people who are prone to it it can be very difficult  to control this.

23. Afterwards there's a lingering feeling of anxiety

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You may think that once you wake up from sleep paralysis you'll feel totally back to normal. And some people do, but for others they cannot shake the feeling of anxiety that lingers with them for maybe hours after they have woken up from their sleep paralysis.

24.You feel change in temperature

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When you're n a sleep paralysis you may find that you can feel changes in temperature. They may feel quite intense. You may feel suddenly very warm or cold. Sometimes, you feel hot and weak up sweating due to the fact that you have been panicking in your sleep.

25. You feel like certain parts of your body are smaller/ larger than usual

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This is a strange sensation that some people refer to during their experiences of sleep paralysis. They feel like certain body parts are super sized, whilst others are really small. They may even feel like something is actively growing or shrinking during the time of their sleep paralysis.

26. You can't swallow

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Some people cannot swallow, or struggle to swallow during sleep paralysis. Because of this feeling it can trigger panic, due tot he sensation that you may not be able to swallow and may choke. This may be because your muscles are not responding, and some sleeping positions aggravate this feeling.

27. You can't move your head

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Often the first thing we do when we have a nightmare, or wake up or experience anything scary int he night is move our head. It's our brains response to checking our whatever thing we fear. But you can't. And this is one of the most frustrating/ scary things.

28. You may hear yourself making involuntary noises

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In many cases, people in sleep paralysis will be totally unaware that they are making involuntary noises such as groaning sounds. Others may actually hear themselves from within this strange state of sleep paralysis making noises which they may not be aware of where they are coming from.

29. You might thing you're being watched

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Having a feeling of being watched can feel threatening, ESPECIALLY when you are not able to move or open your eyes. Although you aren't being watched, your brain will not be able to dispel this feeling until you wake up. The feeling comes from the feeling of fear as the body predicts external threats.

30. You may think you're being restrained

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When you are experiencing sleep paralysis you do not know why you cannot move while you are still in this state of sub consciousness. You may even believe that you are being forcefully restrained by something/ someone which can lead you to feeling panicked!