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I experienced them first when I was 6 or 7 and I still remember it.

I remember each episode since, and they're getting more frequent.

It goes like this:

I go to bed normally, but at some point during the night - I either wake up and I can't move, or I dream that I wake up and I can't move.

Last night was particularly bad - I woke up and I was completely paralyzed, then I either fell back asleep or fainted, but I woke up again as like I was experiencing a Groundhog Day moment, and the whole thing repeated with just small differences (i.e I was closer to the edge of the bed - I was trying to reach for the light.

I then 'fake' woke up again. Basically, either I experienced three episodes of the same panic attack and just fainted in between, either I dreamed about waking up three times, with only the 4th one actually being base reality.

They always come with extreme fear. Sheer terror for some unexplained reason. I straight-up feel there's someone in my room with me just out of sight and it's really, really difficult to move my eyes and focus them on a single spot.

The weird thing is, I had one of those faggot eye blackout masks on, but I could still see what was going on in the room.

The last time this happened I was visiting my parents during Christmas, and it was so bad and I was screaming so bad that my father walked in the room and had no idea what was going on. Somehow I knew he was there and I started screaming: 'Touch me! Shake me! Move me!'. I remember doing that and I remember why: because I couldn't move and I was hoping him shaking me would kickstart me back into reality....

...but how the hell would I know that I'm experiencing this, and that he's in the room, when I was with my eyes closed and apparently having a nightmare from his point of view?

I now have them once a month. It used to be once every few years, then once a year... I've no idea what's going on but I'm terrified of going to bed.

I used an app called 'Sleep as Droid' to record my sleep and on a few occasions the sound recordings were pure horror. I was screaming in pure terror. I'm a grown ass man and it was painful to hear myself scream like a little girl. No horror movie, story or anything like that - now, or when I was young, ever came close to the panic and fear I experience during these episodes.

What the fuck is going on with me?

I experienced them first when I was 6 or 7 and I still remember it. I remember each episode since, and they're getting more frequent. It goes like this: I go to bed normally, but at some point during the night - I either wake up and I can't move, or I dream that I wake up and I can't move. Last night was particularly bad - I woke up and I was completely paralyzed, then I either fell back asleep or fainted, but I woke up again as like I was experiencing a Groundhog Day moment, and the whole thing repeated with just small differences (i.e I was closer to the edge of the bed - I was trying to reach for the light. I then 'fake' woke up again. Basically, either I experienced three episodes of the same panic attack and just fainted in between, either I dreamed about waking up three times, with only the 4th one actually being base reality. They always come with extreme fear. Sheer terror for some unexplained reason. I straight-up feel there's someone in my room with me just out of sight and it's really, really difficult to move my eyes and focus them on a single spot. The weird thing is, I had one of those faggot eye blackout masks on, but I could still see what was going on in the room. The last time this happened I was visiting my parents during Christmas, and it was so bad and I was screaming so bad that my father walked in the room and had no idea what was going on. Somehow I knew he was there and I started screaming: 'Touch me! Shake me! Move me!'. I remember doing that and I remember why: because I couldn't move and I was hoping him shaking me would kickstart me back into reality.... ...but how the hell would I know that I'm experiencing this, and that he's in the room, when I was with my eyes closed and apparently having a nightmare from his point of view? I now have them once a month. It used to be once every few years, then once a year... I've no idea what's going on but I'm terrified of going to bed. I used an app called 'Sleep as Droid' to record my sleep and on a few occasions the sound recordings were pure horror. I was screaming in pure terror. I'm a grown ass man and it was painful to hear myself scream like a little girl. No horror movie, story or anything like that - now, or when I was young, ever came close to the panic and fear I experience during these episodes. What the fuck is going on with me?

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[–] [deleted] • 1 pt

Sounds very similar to something myself and my wife have experienced over years, suprisingly normal. Sleep paralysis brought on by sleep apnea. Sort out anything that might be harming the quality of your air or your ability to breath. Reduce or quit smoking, regular light to moderate exercise and find a sleeping position that reduces snoring.

Honestly this is way more normal and common than you think. My wife used to have a dark shadow sit on her at night and stop her breathing. If you google sleep paralysis and then add a symptom after you will find many in the same boat and different things work for different people. But as others have pointed out you can learn to recognise it and deal with it. I used to experience something akin to drowning but unable to move, my mind was mostly awake but body asleep. I learned not to fight it and to just drown, weird but it worked.

I do not experience this anymore better health lower stress and mostly quit smoking seem to have helped me.