Sleep Disorders Community

hello, K --

i've responded to your similar inquiry on the "neurological disorders" board -- boards.webmd.com/webx?THDX@@.89ee2a87!thdchild=.89ee2a87/0. what i think you may be experiencing is called "sleep paralysis."

see what you think.

-- susie margaret

sounds to me like demon opresion have seen numerous times its worth a try

I sometimes have that when I wake up, between sleeping and waking, I see things. As soon as I'm right awake it's gone. So don't worry, it seems like between sleep and waking stage the brain might be projecting things. I often see bugs, which causes me to sit up and be right awake. As soon as I'm really awake the bugs are gone. Glad you don't believe in ghosts, because if you did, this would really terrify you. The paralyzing thing I don't know about, but I did hear that it's possible, some people have it upon waking up. So don't worry too much, hope this helps. Roze

I, too have been trying to find anything I can on my "waking hallucinations". Frequently, about 10-15 minutes after I have fallen asleep I "wake up". I am usually certain that one of my kids, animals or myself is in imminent health danger. I have startled my husband awake, certain he wasn't breathing. I did the same thing to my son, who was sleeping in our bed that night. I even tried to give the cat CPR breaths, because I was sure she wasn't breathing. Lately, they have switched to my waking up certain that there is a drug I should have taken and by not taking it I was doomed to die. I have conversations with my husband that I am fully aware of, at the time and the next morning. One night I "woke up" and told him I had no bones in my body. Another night I was sure my heart was missing. He has taken to talking me down by telling me I'm dreaming and everything is fine. That worked the first few times, but now I know what he's doing and I get frustrated with him and tell him he doesn't understand...that this is real. Once I'm fully awake I realize that I was indeed dreaming and go back to sleep. Sometimes I tell myself as I'm going to sleep that I'm fine, the family is fine and all of the animals are fine. I go over the only medication I take, so that when I have an episode I can remember all of this and go back to sleep. The weird thing is that it's as if I awaken from a dream, but I have no memory of dreaming prior to waking. Another thing that happens is that I see things, and people. As I come fully awake, whatever I saw seems to just disintegrate. I have only run across one other person with similar experiences, but no one seems to know what is going on.

I have had sleep problems since I can remember. I Have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. I believe I always have. It use to scare my siblings. The snoring, gasping.... Also I have always walked and talked in my sleep. My parents put locks to the outside door out of my reach. In college I woke up on the porch roof. When I am still asleep I will answers the phone, door,... Others think I am awake but I can not remember. I have what I call night terror, similar to to what you are describing. I am a middle aged woman and do not like to have others around when I am sleeping. I am afraid others will be witness to this embarasing problem. I do know that some medications for other health issues can make it worse. So I tell my Dr.'s I will not take those meds. I am tired all of the time

they're called hypnagogic hallucinations. i'm been having them since early childhood. when i was young, they were quite terrifying and accompanied by sleep paralysis which is an actual sleep disorder. now the hallucinations are rather tame; like thinking im in the middle of a forest full of trees and animals (which actually happened once just before i fell asleep in a movie theater!). although occassionally i have a terrifying one. they're caused by a person going into a dream state before the brain fully falls asleep!

Hang in there!

OMG! finally found some some who understands & can explain this situation. i'm 31 yrs of age & i have been experiencing the same sleep problem for 7yrs now. i've tried to explain it to my husband & also my doctor but they dont seem to understand what i mean. i usually feel & see a huge dark thing pressing on me , choking me on my neck or laying on me. sometimes it could go on repeatedly even after i shake it off. i find my self grasping for air, i hear myself screaming for help , i am pretty much aware of everything going on around me , i am fighting & yelling at it . i have even gone to the extent of placing a camera in my room to video & record this problem since my husband says he sees nothing nor hear me calling out for help. my greatest fear is falling as sleep . i have tried every sleep medication from ambiem to valium all to no avail. i have been sleep deprived for so long but what baffles me the most is how i am still able to carry on with my daily activities after every night of hallucinations. PLEASE anyone with any source or form of HELP!!!!!!!!

SLEEP MEDICATION MAKES IT WORSE!!! You have more vivid dreams when you are on meds.

Does this sound familiar? I go to bed and start dreaming that someone is on top of me trying to have sex with me. I'm terrified! I can't see their face, i don't even know if it is human! I try to pray out loud, but, no words come out! Finally, I eek out some noises while trying to say the Lord's Prayer. Then, I wake up drenched in sweat with my heart racing. My blood pressure is high. Sound like demon posession? Actually, no. Just a hallucination. Btw, it usually runs in families. Have you spoken to your parents about this?

Again, it is a sleep disorder. Just knowing that it is not real and is not that all uncommon, will make you feel better. Tell me, are you a physically active person? Do you exercise?

Exercise helps...so does changing your sleep position! It only seems to happen to me when I'm sleeping on my back! Change your eating habits. Try not to eat after 6:00p.m. You could have sleep apnea due to acid reflux which exascerbates the condition. Get tested in a sleep lab. Most of all, stand up to your hallucination and say this is only a dream. You will get better.

If you're experiencing the feeling of pressure on your body, and if you "literally" feel it, you might wish to ask your pastor and/or church leaders to check your home. I don't believe in ghosts, but ghosts are demons and demons are destructive. I do believe in demons because the Bible speaks of them. You can ask your pastor to perform a "blessing" better known as an exorcism inside your house to rid all the demons.

I can't say this for sure, but it sounds a lot like a bit of narcolepsy. I've had similar instances myself, but I have read that in the early twenties we often go through some sleep issues, especially if we are in a life transition, something often as simple as changing residences. I used to have a situation where it seemed there were others in my apartment, but I could not do anything to get to them and stop things. Sometimes this influenced the dreams that followed. I also had a similar one that sounds a lot like the one you are experiencing, however, the touching sensations were not quite the same. I would suggest asking your doctor if taking melatonin a few hours before bedtime might put you in the sleep mode faster when you go down for bed, you might manage to go into a deeper sleep sooner? Good luck getting some real sleep!

Kerasks:

I had hallucinations for weeks and they scared heck out of me. I could see a man getting out of my bed and leaving the room. Also, I would see someone standing at my bedroom door, then they would leave. I would yell for my husband but he didn't hear me.. After I stopped taking a medicine called Amitriptyline, they stopped.. I feel sure, in my case, it was the meds.. No more problems..hope this helps..check your medications.

Good luck!

They're called hypnagogic hallucinations Someone else mentioned waking hallucinations. They're known as hypnopompic hallucinations. Both can be symptoms of a sleep disorder called narcolepsy, which is characterised by EDS (excessive daytime sleepiness).

Strangely, insomnia, or increased wakefulness at night can also be a symptom of narcolepsy.

I know this because I have narcolepsy and I often have trouble sleeping before midnight and also have hallucinations, mostly as I'm waking up but sometimes before I fall asleep. The most vivid ones have included a hand waving across my face, a spider on my pillow and a man staring at me next to my bed - very disconcerting

For more info there are plenty of sites available but I would advise seeking a referral from your doctor to see a sleep specialist before jumping to any conclusions. Information about narcolepsy, including associated hallucinations, can be found on this site: www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/narcolepsy

Also try these: www.sleepeval.com/hypnagogic_hallucinations.htm www.helpguide.org/life/narcolepsy_symptom_causes_treatments.htm

Good luck!

Dear Kerasks, Oh My God! I have experienced this also. I start drifting to sleep, and i feel paralyzed, i don't actually "feel" anything touching me, but i feel like i'm being pressed down, for lack of a better explanation. I can't move, or speak, and i feel a huge "presence",not a good one either. I'm awake, and i know "it's" happening, and i try with my everything to just move my little finger, cuz if i can i know i will wake up. it feels like it lasts for hours. It seems to come on in cycles. When its been happening, i am scared to go to bed. I tell my husband to watch out for me, and he says sometimes he can hear me trying to speak or moan and he will wake me up, if i immediately go back to sleep, it happens again. I talked to my doc about it and he said it was called "sleep paralysis". I too have always been an insomniac. I will tell you this, the last time this was going on, I was into some occult stuff. I am a christian, i do believe, but thought i could just bend the rules a little. I highly recommend that you pray when this is happening. Pray with your whole heart. There is more to my story if you want to hear it, but let's just say there is no more dabblilng. hope you don't have anymore oppressions.

Lots of Luck, Kare