Sleep Paralysis

[Griever]

So Nat's sig shows a hag at the base of some chick's bed. I doubt Nat knows what this is a reference to, but it's a very accurate visual representation of something called Sleep Paralysis. I've had it plenty of times in my life.

Nat's sig (it changes, so keep refreshing until you see the witch eating the girl. IF you can't find it, blame fucking Nat for being so goddamn ADHD that he can't keep 1 sig.)


Basically, there's a neurotransmitter called Acetylcholine that gets released when you sleep and it paralyzes you like a cripple so you don't act out your dreams during the night. Except for some people like me, you can wake up during the night, but the acetylcholine is still in effect, thus rendering you awake, but paralyzed. One of the most frightening experiences ever.

The reason Nat's sig reminded me of this, is MOST people who get SP report an old "hag" or witch-looking woman at the base of their bed, staring at them. Sometimes she says something, sometimes she just stays there and looks at you. Often times, her body will be comprised of just a large head, with raggedy, flowing hair that obscures her face (think the Grudge, but in Big Head Mode.)

[natsumehack]

I suffered from SP before,

[idlehands]

So glad I can't relate to that.

[natsumehack]

Griever said
Nat's sig (it changes, so keep refreshing until you see the witch eating the girl. IF you can't find it, blame fucking Nat for being so goddamn ADHD that he can't keep 1 sig.)

You know there is more then ADHD as a reason for my sig, but ADHD is one reason.

[Hank]

idlehands said
So glad I can't relate to that.

This.

[CidTheKid]

I get it from time to time if I haven´t had something proper to eat before going to bed.

Now, I don't really see an old hag or anything(that I can remember anyways,), but get more a general feeling of dread, like some crazy fuck is gonna pop out beside me and stab me.

If that makes any sort of sense.

[Griever]

idlehands said
So glad I can't relate to that.

I was 19 when I first experienced sleep paralysis, and that time it took the form of man lying on top of me, so heavy that it was hard for me to breathe.


The victims awake to find that they cannot move, even though they can see, hear, feel and smell. There is sometimes the feeling of a great weight on the chest and the sense that there is a sinister or evil presence in the room. So what is this “Old Hag” and how to you avoid it? The answer might be as simple as blaming narcolepsy for the ghoulish episodes. Neuropsychiatrists have gathered some important data from the dozens of cases studied each year. Most patients have exhausted all avenues in trying to rid themselves of the terrifying syndrome. Some even seeking an Exorcist. But what modern science has to say can put many at ease…at least until they get “the visit”.

It isn't just sleep paralysis it is nightmares too. When I was a teenager it was mostly shadowy figures standing around my bed, sometimes one, sometimes many. Sometimes they were silent, sometimes they were whispering. Once when I was scared I felt like I'd been punched in the face. I was crying because I was scared and my face was wet... but I'd also had a nosebleed too. My youngest experience was around nine or ten, I woke up terrified unable to move. I was straining to scream and I was screaming in my head. I didn't notice when it passed and I was screaming aloud.

Of all the dreams the old lady crawling up the bed is worst.
I have another dream that is similar, I feel the covers move and something steps over me and a cat paws at my side and lays beside me.
There are other numerous things, we all have, but these stand out for me. Any advice? The shadows are scary but the old lady or old hag really scares the hell out of me. I am literally in terror in my room. I have waking nightmares, thinking she is in the room, or that she is in the bed with me, or at the base of the bed or under it - i don't know! I'd just like her gone again, for good!

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110406153232AAOngfn
http://paranormal.about.com/od/humanenigmas/a/Old-Hag-Syndrome.htm

[natsumehack]

There times when i have woken up middle night unable to move, and I feel what seems like finger nails moving across my face. Haven't felt it in a few years, but it still unnerves me when I think about it.

[idlehands]

I can feel a heavy weight pressing down on my chest sometimes as I sleep, but it's my cat Pumpkin who is a bit of a flabby tabby.

[Smiral]

My issues with sleep just involve the inability to sleep

Fuck that paralysis shit

[natsumehack]

idlehands said
I can feel a heavy weight pressing down on my chest sometimes as I sleep, but it's my cat Pumpkin who is a bit of a flabby tabby.

I used to have a black cat who layer on my chest, died right next to me as she sleeped.

Cause of death was old age.

[Cordi]

I've slipped into it before after a lot of practice. It's a pretty interesting experience. You can move around to break it but It's trippy, there's about a very long 15 second delay from you saying "dammit arm, move" before it actually does anything. Every time I think I'm about to fall asleep when attempting it, it creeps me out because my eyes just open and I can't close them. I haven't seen anyone at the foot of my bed but usually out of my peripheral I see shit that freaks me out.

[Griever]

It's thought that this old painting is a representation of Sleep Paralysis. I wondered what the horse (Night-Mare) represents, because I've definitely never seen a horse in an SP episode and found this:



"Old Hag Syndrome" sometimes referred to as "Night Hag" is another commonly used term for SP among many different cultures mainly in the western world. The term Old Hag is probably derived from a couple of sources, one being the word for Nightmare; Night -of course, we know this already, Mare being derived from the old English term Maere meaning "demon or incubus (an incubus is believed to be a demon that visits during the night)."

Other sources as listed by Dr. J. A. Cheyne, University of Waterloo Psych. Dept include German mar/mare, nachtmahr, Hexendrücken (witch pressing), Alpdruck (efl pressure), Czech muera, Polish zmora, Russian Kikimora, French cauchmar (trampling ogre), Greek ephialtes (one who leaps upon) and mora (the night "mare" or monster, ogre, spirit, etc.), Roman incubus (one who presses or crushes) ge, (evil spirit or the night-mare--also hegge, haegtesse, haehtisse, haegte); Old Norse mara, Old Irish mar/more.

http://www.castleofspirits.com/sleepparalysis.html

[idlehands]

Maybe the artist was just being too literal with the modern translation of the word 'nightmare'.

[natsumehack]

Griever said
It's thought that this old painting is a representation of Sleep Paralysis. I wondered what the horse (Night-Mare) represents, because I've definitely never seen a horse in an SP episode and found this:"Old Hag Syndrome" sometimes referred to as "Night Hag" is another commonly used term for SP among many different cultures mainly in the western world. The term Old Hag is probably derived from a couple of sources, one being the word for -of course, we know this already, being derived from the old English term meaning "demon or incubus (an incubus is believed to be a demon that visits during the night)."Other sources as listed by Dr. J. A. Cheyne, University of Waterloo Psych. Dept include German mar/mare, nachtmahr, Hexendrücken (witch pressing), Alpdruck (efl pressure), Czech muera, Polish zmora, Russian Kikimora, French cauchmar (trampling ogre), Greek ephialtes (one who leaps upon) and mora (the night "mare" or monster, ogre, spirit, etc.), Roman incubus (one who presses or crushes) ge, (evil spirit or the night-mare--also hegge, haegtesse, haehtisse, haegte); Old Norse mara, Old Irish mar/more.http://www.castleofspirits.com/sleepparalysis.html

Hazzah the fun has been doubled.

[Griever]

Cordi said
I've slipped into it before after a lot of practice. It's a pretty interesting experience. You can move around to break it but It's trippy, there's about a very long 15 second delay from you saying "dammit arm, move" before it actually does anything. Every time I think I'm about to fall asleep when attempting it, it creeps me out because my eyes just open and I can't close them. I haven't seen anyone at the foot of my bed but usually out of my peripheral I see shit that freaks me out.

Interestingly, Acetylcholine has an extremely short Half-life (~2 minutes). This could explain why it takes your body only a few seconds to a minute to "Shake out of it."
I've also heard of people just closing their eyes and trying to fall back asleep, but I could never do that since it feels like if I go back to sleep, I'll be paralyzed forever.

[stark]

I've only ever had sleep paralysis once and that was one time too many.

Do not want.

[Jorick]

Smiral said
My issues with sleep just involve the inability to sleepFuck that paralysis shit

Yup. Insomnia is where it's at.

[Cpt Toellner]

SP is also where most alien abduction stories come from.

Everyone's mind is different, and people translate their fear differently.

[Shy]

So after a good 10 minutes of refreshing and not finding the picture I feel like a waste of space.

A few images were broken though so I hope it wasn't one of those.