My friend you have sleep paralysis.
Sleep paralysis is a condition characterized by 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 normal paralysis that occurs during REM sleep, also known as REM atonia.
Sleep paralysis occurs when the brain is awakened from a REM state into essentially a normal fully awake state, but the
bodily paralysis is still occurring. This causes the person to be fully aware, but unable to move. In addition, this
state is usually accompanied by certain specific kinds of hallucinations. This state usually lasts no more than two
minutes before a person is able to either return to full REM sleep or to become fully awake, though the sense of how
much time has gone by is often distorted during sleep paralysis. People who are fortunate enough to be facing a clock
while having an episode may often be surprised to see how little time has gone by during an episode that seems to last a
very long time.
More often than not, sleep paralysis is believed by the person affected by it to be no more than a dream. This is the
reason why there are many dream recountings which describe the person being lying frozen and unable to move. The
hallucinogenic element to sleep paralysis makes it even more likely that someone will interpret the experience as simply
a dream, as one might see completely fanciful objects in a room alongside the normal vision one can see.
Many people who claim to induce out-of-body experiences say that sleep paralysis is a golden opportunity to leave the
physical body.
Hallucinations that follow this are
Most common
* Vividness
* Fear
Common
* Sensing a "presence" (often malevolent)
* Pressure/weight on body (especially the chest)
* A sensation of not being able to breathe
* Impending sense of doom/death
Fairly common
* Auditory hallucinations (often footsteps or indistinct voices, or pulsing noises). Auditory hallucinations which are
described as noise instead of hallucinations of legible sounds, are often described to be similar to auditory
hallucinations caused by Nitrous Oxide by persons who have experienced both.
* Visual hallucinations such as people or shadows walking around the room
Less common
* Floating sensation (sometimes associated with out-of-body experiences)
* Seemingly seamless transition into full hallucinations or dreaming, also associated with out-of-body experiences
* Tactile hallucinations (such as a hand touching or grabbing)
Rare
* Falling sensation
* Vibration
Some possible causes
* Sleeping in a supine position (facing upwards)
* Irregular sleeping schedules; naps, sleeping in
* Increased stress
* Sudden environmental/lifestyle changes
* A lucid dream that immediately precedes the episode
